PVC's and heart pain?

Question

I am female, 32 years old and recently (2 Months or so ago) I was diagnosed with PVCs. Benign and the doctor feels that I should just stay away from stimulants (caffeine,stress, diet pills  etc) which I have been doing. On a side note, I suffer from panic attacks and general anxiety and since the palpitations flared up, I have noticed "heart pain." I mentioned this to the Arrhythmia Cardiologist  as  well  as  my  regular Cardiologist.  Both said they do not feel the pains are heart related. I have had 3 EKGs, an Echo and a 30 day monitor.... all of which were great except for the PVCs. To elaborate on them a bit more....  I only started getting the heart pains/aches/pinches when my anxiety kicked in full blown. I will sometimes have them 20 or 30 times a day, other times I will only notice 1 or 2 times (seems I notice more when I am in an "anxious" mode). They feel like "aches" or slight "pinches" directly behind my left breast and they feel to be inside my rib cage (making me think it is not muscle/skeletal related, but I am not sure). They will last 1-4 seconds then stop. They are not enough for me to stop with pain but they are enough to notice and make me more anxious.  Only once every other day or 3rd day will I notice the same kind of ache on my right side, it will only be a quick one then go away. It's very prominent on my left side.   I have no other symptoms, no shortness of breath, dizziness etc... 

So my questions: 

1. What can I do from here?  If both the doctors think it's not heart related, should I push for some kind of additional test to make sure?  

2. If it's not my heart, what else could it possibly be?

3. Can the PVCs cause that discomfort?  I do not have runs of PVCs, more single or double PVCs then back to normal heart beat.  I feel sometimes 3 a day other days I feel 40 but not sure if that is my anxiety or the PVCs

4. I know the PVCs are not a concern unless there is underlying heart disease or other conditions but would it be better if I were on a beta blocker?  Or is it best to just deal with them since they pose no danger at this time?

Sorry but I guess I am just looking for answers and maybe reassurance. I just need to figure out what it is, even if there is no answer, just as long as it is not symptoms of something my doctors may have missed. 

Thank you so very much.

yarrow · Accepted Answer

For reasons related to embryology, true heart pain is felt dead center in the chest, even though the heart itself is not located there.  The pain you feel behind your left breast is therefore not heart pain.

It could be something called chostochronditis, an inflammation of parts of the rib cage that is much more common in women:

 http://www.emedicinehealth.com/costochondritis/article_em.htm

It could be some weird spasms of the tiny muscles between the ribs.

The cause could also be, considering your history of anxiety and panic--no insult intended--be related to your emotional state.

In any case, since you are young, female, and have repeatedly had your heart tested, you are obviously basically healthy and the chest pains you are feeling have probably as much medical significance as those eyelid twitches that sometimes show up when people are tired or tense.

However, since you are having some scary feelings related to your heart since your diagnosis of pvcs, it would be worthwhile to talk with a professional (psychiatrist or mental health counselor) who specializes in anxiety to learn how to deal with the fear.

Doing some research on 'cardiac neurosis' and taking a look at the anxiety forum here might help, too:

http://www.medhelp.org/search?query=anxiety+and+pvcs&camp=top_nav_search

but you will get the quickest relief from professional counseling.

dangevino · Answer

I just recently was diagnosed with PVC's. I am 61 and was in perfect health before this.  I have my theories as to how I got them but cannot go into that here.  Anyway I was given Metropolol ( a beta blocker ) by my cardiologist and that pretty much got rid of them, but I have the same exact pain over my heart are as you describe.  I asked my arithmia doctor today if he had any idea what was causing that and he flat out said it was not my heart and he did not know what the cause was.  I did not want to here that.  I can go for days without the pain then it just pops up out of nowhere.

kimmie0877 · Answer

I had a really bad night last night because I experienced a really bad squeezing sensation in my chest on the left hand side.  It hurt so bad that I started crying.  My heart rate was elevated and it really scared me.

IMFletcher · Answer

Hi - You have had the necessary tests, and rest assured, you have nothing to worry about. I am quite confident that the periodic slight pain has nothing to do with your heart. I have been really wrestling with the same PVC issues for the past 6 months, and the irony is that despite all the tests, and several meetings with my doctor, as well as a visit to the ER and a consultation with a top cardiologist, it is still hard to understand how PVCs are actually harmless and benign. As you know, the sensations are really awful. The reality is that anxiety is a huge contributing factor to a variety of problems, and it can intensify the frequency and duration of PVCs. Most individuals on this site are prone to worry about their health, and experience varying levels of anxiety as it pertains to medical issues...I know I do!! Remember that doctors always err on the side of caution, so if they are dismissive about your PVCs, you have to learn to accept the benign diagnosis. What we all seek on this site is reassurance, and it is great to find so much support from people worldwide, who suffer from the same problem. Try magnesium and stay well hydrated...two things that have helped me recently! Best of luck.

dolphin8808 · Answer

I did have a chest xray a few months ago but not recently so that is a great option. And I did fall off my porch (a few beers and a loose railing, not a good combination lol)

I know our worrying makes things much worse. Sometimes I wish I was the kind of person who could just ignore this stuff and it's amazing how little things with our heart can cause such huge anxiety :)

mzak69 · Answer

Just wondering, did they order a chest x-ray? It could be helpful to ease your concerns.

Perhaps it is a muscle spasm. Have you done any heavy lifting (like picking up the kids, LOL)? 

It doesn't seem to be serious, so try not to worry. I know, people keep saying that to me about my PVCs too. :)

dolphin8808 · Answer

Thank you both  very  much for your comments and advise. Truly appreciate it and it makes me realize I could very well be "making the pain" worse in my head or as you said, it is possibly totally unrelated to my heart. It's amazing what the mind can do to the body...

merileegal · Answer

I've also had heart pain and pinching and other things you're talkingabout. I even had one when I was having the nuclear stress test and my results came back that my heart looked fine which relieved me knowing nothing was wrong with the physiology of my heart. I just took a nap and had chest pain so I changed positions and it went away. If you've had all the tests, try and not worry about it. Do you have stomach problems? Somtimes you can feel pain in the heart area when something is going on in the stomach.I have acid reflux and I think that might affect the pain I feel in my heart.

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