Hi~I have those EXACT same feelings, and I,too, can go for awhile without them and then, bingo, they come back, they really scare me. I also get the lump in the throat, depression, and anxiety when I have them.
I have been told they are anxiety related, and all the symptoms are anxiety symptoms, so, I guess that is it, but who would not be anxious with these horrid things.
Have you had an echocardiogram, EKG, or other heart tests, have you worn a holter monitor. If you have not had any of things, I would set up an appointment with a doctor and ask for them, they might help ease your mind, I have had them, they helped for awhile, but then I went back to being scared, but, it is good to know what is going on.
There are several circumstances that may contribute to the cause of PVCs. One is the use of decongestants, particularly Sudafed. Another is the use of diuretics such as Hydrochlorothiazide. Most blood pressure medications contain diuretics. Your electrolytes, particularly magnesium/potassium levels, may be out of balance. See if your mineral levels are low. Get copies of blood tests and read them yourself. Magnesium is not always included in the metabolic panel of tests for some odd reason, so request that test. I assume you don’t drink coffee or smoke, as any stimulant can cause heart palpitations.
If your minerals are low or even borderline low, go to the website called World's Healthiest Foods at http://www.whfoods.com/nutrientstoc.php and read about the importance of potassium, magnesium and other minerals in your diet. In my case, all of these factors contributed to my PVCs. It is not easy to get enough potassium in your diet no matter what anyone tells you, as the minimum daily requirement is 3500-4700 mg. Read labels. Eat bananas, potatoes and greens, and drink V8 juice for potassium. Eat greens, soybeans, black beans and nuts for magnesium. There are lists of foods on this Website that show mineral contents. Try taking equal parts of calcium and magnesium supplements if you are not getting enough in your diet, and most people do not. Take 750 to 1,000 mg of each a day. You can also take a potassium supplement as directed on the bottle. Caution - don't take potassium supplements if you are on other prescription medications that would conflict with them. It will take several days for these mineral supplements to get into your system so don't expect overnight success. Be consistent. Supplements will not substitute for healthy food. They will simply supplement a healthy diet.
Google "cause of premature ventricular contractions," and you will be amazed at what you can learn. One of the most comprehensive articles on PVCs I’ve read can be found at http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/premature-ventricular-contractions.html?pageNum=1#1.
Hope this helps or gives you some ideas. All of these were issues for me. Discontinuing use of decongestants and diuretics and changing my diet to include more high potassium foods made all the difference. Good luck!
Thanks for such an informative post that's sure to help a lot of us.
You're welcome, Linda. I know doctors in general say PVCs are usually nothing to worry about, and many people have them, but I was not content with that answer.