I understand what you are going Through I have suffered for 15 years with pvcs and really bad the last three years. Every time I get a new weird sensation or a new frequency it freaks me out. Last year I started getting them every couple of beats for two hours straight on certain days and got a 30 day monitor and it turns out the episodes were pacs and I only recorded 8 pvcs and they were random. It was anxiety causing these episodes. Once I found out they were pacs I didn’t worry about them and have not had another long episode in over a year. So what you feel isn’t always what you think. And I knowthe doctors aren’t very Sympathetic and don’t understand how horrible they feel. I told my ep doctor that if he could cure me by cutting off my arm I would let him cut off my arm that is how bad I hate this things but I guess we have to learn to live with them.
Dear Emy,
I am very sympathetic to you as many here (perhaps not doctors) know how it feels. I am 58yo and had PVCs affecting good 25 years of my life. My wife read a recollection from the oncologist who got the cancer herself - and she said that completely changed her perception of the patients. I had my condition worsen over last 5 years - had two ablations, with the second one so far inefficient. Going over years from "thumps" to runs, to bigeminies, lightheadedness etc. You may want to treat this somewhat early as there is opinion that these are slowly self-multiplying with time as episodes creates both psychological changes and physiological changes in the heart. Good luck and hope treatment and life will treat you well!
My only advise is if you have the money, keep checking every 6 months. Get new tests done, see different doctors, etc.. Even a new EKG every so often is good, because you may be lucky to catch long-QT syndrome or something else that tends to lie latent for long periods of time.
Hi, I am sorry, too, that you are getting these. My PVCs started when I was a young mother also. I'm 67 now. They did all the tests, etc., even saw and electrophysiologist. Maybe you can try to see one to reassure you. They are uncomfortable but you learn to live with them. If you keep busy in the day, you may not feel them as much. I feel mine mostly at night. If they seem to happen more with a fast heart rate, perhaps your cardiologist could try Acebutolol for you. It kept my PVCs away for a whole year. I am getting them again, but I try to reassure myself that I've had these for years and nothing bad ever happened to me. When I worry about them, that can make them worse. Fear releases adrenaline which stimulates the heart to throw out the pvcs. From what I've learned, they are caused by cells in the heart that have decided to send out their own electric signals for the heart to beat, and that interferes with the normal beat of the heart. Nasty little cells! But you are not alone. So many people get these, more women than men. Try to take deep breaths and relax and tell yourself it's okay. You won't die from this. Tests showed all is okay except the electric system in your heart is a little goofed up. And I would recommend praying and asking God for peace and to take the fear away. I've gotten several PVCs just while typing this. I've learned over the years that I have been able to live with these, as miserable as they can make me feel. Keep in touch with your cardiologist because you need continual reassurance in the beginning. I always felt better after seeing mine. And be sure he is a good cardiologist. Check his/her ratings online. Oh, also, along with this irregular heartbeat, I raised four kids, survived breast cancer, learned to deal with total sudden hearing loss in one ear from a virus and the accompanying constant ringing in my ears that came with it. Depression from it all....I'd be lying if I told you I didn't get depressed. But my Christian faith helped me to know that the Lord loves me and cares about all I am going through. If He heals me, great. If not, I can still look back and count my blessings and know that so many other people have suffered worse than me. I am truly blessed and need to remind myself of that any time I feel down.
I wish you the best....God bless you as you walk this path many others of us are walking. If I can help again, just click on my user name and you can click on send a personal message, upper right side.
I’m not sure if what I have are PVCs but I do have ectopic beats. Just not sure where they originate from. I wore a 30 day monitor back in May but have been busy with life & haven’t gone back for my results yet. Whatever I am experiencing is definitely terrifying to say the least. Mine have been going on for about a year to year & 1/2. They come in all different forms... I will feel them in my throat & most recently thuds in my chest. I also have spells when I’m drifting off to sleep where I suddenly wake up feeling as though my breath has been taken & I let out a gasp of some sort. Idk what that is. But, I pretty much live in constant fear & anxiety over this although I’ve had blood work, EKGs, echos & 24 hr monitors all say I am perfectly fine. So, I say all of this to say that I can definitely relate. I’m sorry you’re experiencing this.
I often have thousands of these PVCs a day. I have had this condition since 1978 and I'm 67 years old now. It does affect the quality of life. Doctors are not very sympathetic, especially if they have never experienced these irregular beats. They just say they are benign. But that doesn't help you to cope. I read a study that said people benefited from Acebutolol. I asked my cardiologist if I could try it and he said that it was an older drug but worth a try. I am on 400mg twice a day and it has been like a miracle. I might get an occasional PVC in a month, but most of the time I am not aware of any at all. Previously I had like 10,000 or more a day. It might be worth a try to ask for Acebutolol. God bless.