coping PVC's and health anxiety while traveling

[Kaylar88]

I'm curious if other people who suffer from PVC's (and anxiety because of it) have ever gone on a cruise? I have this fear that I'll go into a full blown arrhythmia and need to be med flighted. I have an intense fear of planes and all things aviation so this fear is consuming any joy I have about traveling. I've had PVC's for 12 years and I've had episodes of bigeminy and trigeminy but never an issue that required an ER. That rationality should be enough to ease my mind but it isn't. Any insight or shared experiences are helpful : )

[achillea]

Have you ever pursued serious treatment for your anxiety?  I can assure you there is help out there, and and that you can once again have a normal life.

[Kaylar88]

Other than assuring that my health is in order, I've tried therapy a few different times with no substantial take away. With that and the cost of therapy, I suppose I haven't given it a real shot. I get more from seeing medical professionals to ease my health anxiety. I've spent the better part of the last 12 years living a seemingly normal life, it's just this past year has kicked my *** anxiety wise and I'm not sure why.

[achillea]

I have found that to get sustained relief from anxiety, some *sustained* investment in treatment is needed.  Otherwise, it's just existing between crises.

People always wonder why their anxiety kicks in for no apparent reason, and the answer is partially that anxiety is part of the genetic package they were born with, much as people are born with different levels of thyroid function, for example.

You don't get to choose how active your thyroid is (in spite of what's in the tabloids at the supermarket checkout); you don't get to choose how selective your immune system is; and you don't get to choose how active your nervous system is, either.

When people's thyroids get out of hand, they seek medical care.  When people's immune systems malfunction, they seek medical care.  Yet, when their nervous systems misfire, they do NOT seek medical care for that specific problem.  Instead, they look somewhere else (often the heart).

One has to go to the right doctor for the symptoms at hand.

[Kaylar88]

I'll have to look into that. I've heard good things about CBT, but as far as your standard anxiety LCSW, I've had no luck. Any suggestions on what sort of therapy worked for you or others you know?

[DivineX]

Dear Kayla

I also have been experiencing PVCs for just over a year, take for granted it is less than what you have faced but I feel the misery behind them too.

Here is what I suggest: don't miss out on traveling or taking the cruise. While yes it is somewhat nerve racking to think the "what if" just remember all these years of experiencing symptoms nothing has happened. Yes they are discomforting but PVCs in a structurally normal heart are benign. There are so many causes for them but at our age they are benign.

I have been through battery of tests and have seen four doctors who say not to worry. I assume over the course of years you have confirmed your symptoms with doctors to rule out serious arrhythmia. You could also ask for a short term anxiety med that you could take on your trip that will help alleviate the anxiety too.

Importantly, go have fun :)

Best wishes

Divine.

[Kaylar88]

Yes, I've been told they are benign multiple times throughout the last decade. I appreciate the feedback; solid advice.