Palpitations

[oceanminded232]

I am a 50 year old female.  I have had PVC's and PAC's since the age of 23.  I am still SO worried about them though!  I have been to numerous cardiologists and have had my heart checked out completely and every time they tell me I have a normal heart and don't worry.  I really find it hard to not worry though!  Every single day there is something that goes on in my heart.  It can be a quick zap feeling, a double beat, a flutter or just a feeling of it not in its regular rythum.  The cardios have told me that everyone gets PVC's and PAC's every day and I just focus on them too much.  I would really like a concerte answer about if it is true that every one gets these and I just feel them.  How many of these things a day would be of a concern in a normal heart?  I sometimes get one or two a day and sometimes I can get one or two a minute.  They just come and go randomly.  They are so controlling of my life.

[tbrissie]

I understand exactly how you feel.  I started noticing mine when I was pregnant with my child.  I was sent to a cardiologist and even wore a monitor for a 24 hr period.  She told me I had an extra beat.  Not to worry that if it really bothered me I could start taking some vitamins to help reduce them.  That was 4 years ago.  I have had them erratically over the last 4 years.  Usually at night when I stop moving around.  They go away just about as quick as they come on.  Recently, I went to bed with them a week ago thinking they would be gone by morning and to no avail they are still here.  A week now.  I did visit the ER thinking they might be a problem.  I was on a EKG machine for 3 hours and they did blood work and everything.  They let me go and told me I had some thyroid problems to go have that checked out.  I also was in a car accident almost a year ago that has affected my entire life.  I am in cronic pain on a daily basis due to a back injury.  I am under a lot of stress and I really think some of these things are playing into all this.  But it does rule my life right now.  I am going back to my cardiologist next week just to make sure nothing has changed since my last visit.  Everyone keep assuring me that all is ok and its normal.  But it doesn't feel normal.  It freaks me out.  My general practitioner told me that I have an electrical issue not a plumbing issue.  To not worry.  Easier said than done.  He also put me on Tropol XL that i have not taken because I am a little scared to.  Plus he told me to stop it a few days prior to my appointment so that my heart would "act up" for her.  Who knows.  All I know is I am a mom and I am not ready to go yet.  I guess that is where my fear comes from. I hope you figure everything out with you.  Best of luck.  

[CCFHeartMD11]

PVCs and PACs are just extra heart beats that come a little earlier than normal and therefore don't use the typical conduction system in the heart. They are not dangerous. If you have had a cardiac workup that revealed a normal heart, then they are especially benign.

[achillea]

Yes, pretty much everyone gets pvcs.  They really do.  Read about it here:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/premature-ventricular-contractions/DS00949

Most people either don't notice them or don't care, but a certain percentage--like many of us here--appear to be more sensitive, and we are bothered by what we feel, even though we have been reassured time and again that our hearts are OK.

You have had pvcs described as benign for 27 years of your life, and for 27 years worrying about them has controlled your days.  Maybe that's long enough.

So what to do?  Since you cannot control the pvcs, maybe you can control your anxiety about them.  I have found that talking with a doctor who specializes in anxiety provided me with the help I needed to get my life back.

You might want to try that approach.  A family counselor might provide you with mental exercises that could help a bit, and a psychiatrist can prescribe medications to help you, too.  

And by the way, there is no moral issue in taking medications for this.  Strength of character has nothing to do with it.  The strongest-willed person you know cannot will his diabetes to go away, and anxiety is a medical problem, as well.

[curmudgen]

The best advice is to relax... don't let them control your life.
Last time I was on a Holter it recorded 13,000  PVC's in a 24 hour period.  I don't know if everyone gets them but I do know from all the reading I have done they are quite common.  Some folks notice them more than others.