Aa
is this tachycardia?
I usually suffer from pac's and pvc's. A little while ago I took my pulse a few times since I kept feeling as if my heart would speed up for 3-4 beats. So I started to take my blood pressure and while the cuff was inflating, I got a long, weird, disturning pvc. After which my heart starting beating like crazy and hard. The bp machine registered my pulse at 120 and pb at 168/93. I stayed at hr 120-130 for about 20 minutes. Is this adrenaline driven or tachycardia? While it happened, I felt short of breath a few times. Help please since Im still very nervous right now. It just happened. thanks
Yes, PVCs can cause sinus tachycardia if you notice a PVC and get afraid of it. I remember when I discovered my first PACs or PVCs (impossible to be sure), I got a real burst in my heart rate after every one (after the "thud" in my chest) - it was due to my anxiety and thinking they are life threathening (before I'd even heard about a ST depression or tachycardia, lol) - I'd give anything to be back there....
R9C: About the bizarre lines: PVCs are easily noticeable on EKG.
http://www.ambulancetechnicianstudy.co.uk/images/PVC_uni.gif
here is an example (first and best pic I found on google). As you can see, if they are present, your doctor WILL find them! :)
R9C: About the bizarre lines: PVCs are easily noticeable on EKG.
http://www.ambulancetechnicianstudy.co.uk/images/PVC_uni.gif
here is an example (first and best pic I found on google). As you can see, if they are present, your doctor WILL find them! :)
I suspected couplet or triplet during this event I described, but I wanted to hear your interpretation. Itdood has been great in explaining many things and has also been a source of great comfort to me.
I basically wanted to know if the pvc could trigger adrenaline driven tachy (sinus) or v-tach, but you're right, only an ekg can determine that.
r9c, So frustrating to have any of this, period!! For myself I just wish I could fully accept them and let my life roll on peacefully. Instead I keep fighting this thinking that this way they'll dissapear, which is plain foolish.
Good luck guys!
I basically wanted to know if the pvc could trigger adrenaline driven tachy (sinus) or v-tach, but you're right, only an ekg can determine that.
r9c, So frustrating to have any of this, period!! For myself I just wish I could fully accept them and let my life roll on peacefully. Instead I keep fighting this thinking that this way they'll dissapear, which is plain foolish.
Good luck guys!
When i had palpitations,i used to went to A&E dept of the hospital where they first took vital signs,where my pulse rate is usually high around 100-110 and BP usually fine..around 120-130/80 and my ECG is in Sinus tachycardia other wise normal ECG as stated in the ecg paper and doctor told me my sinus tachycardia is adrenaline driven ' anixety ' as blood test revealed all potassium level are normal also 24 holter normal execpt for sinus tachycardia.
I did always ask the cardiologist and doctors whether i have pvc or pac supirsingly they said nope,hardly any,if any then it would have show up on the holter or ecg where theres like a bizzare wave line in the ecg paper,not sure wat they are talking about though.The only thing that bothers me with this palpitations are the lightheaded symptoms which could be from anxiety i guess as the cardiologist told me it could be anixety as my echo,stresstest,ecg and holter are fine.Its sure a hard thing to live with.
I did always ask the cardiologist and doctors whether i have pvc or pac supirsingly they said nope,hardly any,if any then it would have show up on the holter or ecg where theres like a bizzare wave line in the ecg paper,not sure wat they are talking about though.The only thing that bothers me with this palpitations are the lightheaded symptoms which could be from anxiety i guess as the cardiologist told me it could be anixety as my echo,stresstest,ecg and holter are fine.Its sure a hard thing to live with.
Hi,
Well, I guess I've spoken with doctors / cardiologists 20-30 times during the last years, due to my fears of heart disease / arrhythmias. In addition, I've read a few tons of science articles and web pages.. I'm self taught in this, and of course, cannot give specific advice or any dx, but at least I can have some thoughts about what is wrong :)
PACs and PVCs can feel very weird in several ways, and the way we perceive them can vary from time to time (dependent on our affinity to notice them, how early in the heart beat cycle they appear, how high your heart rate is, and especially if the mitral/triscupid valves are open or shut when the next sinus beat occur).
I think Itdood have some good advice on how to separate couplets from single PVCs, you should possibly ask him.
The hard beats and tachycardia you mention seems like sinus tach or SVT (but it's impossible to be sure except if you are monitored on EKG). Did it start and stop gradually? If it did, chance of sinus tach (if your heart rate was 100-120) is close to 100%.
Sustained V-tach usually happens only with existing heart disease (after MI or in the setting of heart failure). People with 1000s of PVCs a day often get couplets and triplets, and sometimes somewhat longer runs (10-15 beats, perhaps). A 20 minute (2400 beats) long v-tach run is extremely unlikely, I think. But it's possibly a good idea to ask your doctor :)
Take care, and good luck!
Well, I guess I've spoken with doctors / cardiologists 20-30 times during the last years, due to my fears of heart disease / arrhythmias. In addition, I've read a few tons of science articles and web pages.. I'm self taught in this, and of course, cannot give specific advice or any dx, but at least I can have some thoughts about what is wrong :)
PACs and PVCs can feel very weird in several ways, and the way we perceive them can vary from time to time (dependent on our affinity to notice them, how early in the heart beat cycle they appear, how high your heart rate is, and especially if the mitral/triscupid valves are open or shut when the next sinus beat occur).
I think Itdood have some good advice on how to separate couplets from single PVCs, you should possibly ask him.
The hard beats and tachycardia you mention seems like sinus tach or SVT (but it's impossible to be sure except if you are monitored on EKG). Did it start and stop gradually? If it did, chance of sinus tach (if your heart rate was 100-120) is close to 100%.
Sustained V-tach usually happens only with existing heart disease (after MI or in the setting of heart failure). People with 1000s of PVCs a day often get couplets and triplets, and sometimes somewhat longer runs (10-15 beats, perhaps). A 20 minute (2400 beats) long v-tach run is extremely unlikely, I think. But it's possibly a good idea to ask your doctor :)
Take care, and good luck!
Hi there, Thanks for the response. This is what I felt during the event prior to the tachy:
normal heart beat which I did not feel, then I felt 2-3 beats that felt faint and quiverish, as if my heart did not know what to do next, then a strong flip-flop of the entire muscle (like a big spasm) then hard regular rhythm kicked in increasing to above 100. Once the tachy hard beating started, I felt at the beginning one strong pvc besides the event prior to the tacky. You say v-tach rarely lasts for 20 minutes. How long do they last?
So does what i describe above (excluding the tachy) sound like a couplet or triplet to you?
PS. Are you self-taught in arrhythmia?
Thanks and it's still nice to see you here even if occasionally.
normal heart beat which I did not feel, then I felt 2-3 beats that felt faint and quiverish, as if my heart did not know what to do next, then a strong flip-flop of the entire muscle (like a big spasm) then hard regular rhythm kicked in increasing to above 100. Once the tachy hard beating started, I felt at the beginning one strong pvc besides the event prior to the tacky. You say v-tach rarely lasts for 20 minutes. How long do they last?
So does what i describe above (excluding the tachy) sound like a couplet or triplet to you?
PS. Are you self-taught in arrhythmia?
Thanks and it's still nice to see you here even if occasionally.
Hello (and thanks for advice by the way, I won't be as active here as I used to be).
It is tachycardia (if your HR is above 100 it always is) but you probably wonder if it's sinus tachycardia (normal) or PVC tachycardia.
Your question is (of course:) impossible to answer, but it seems adrenaline driven, for two reasons:
1) During v-tach (PVCs tachycardia) your blood pressure tends to drop due to inefficient pumping.
2) A v-tach extremely rarely lasts for 20 minutes, especially is you don't usually have v-tach.
In addition, I assume you got the tachycardia after the big "thump" after the PVC. This sensation is actually the first normal beat after the PVC. I think (but I'm not completely sure, I hope I've never had v-tach) v-tach and /or svt feels like:
bam--bam---babababababababababababababababababababababa----BAM!!--bam--bam
If the PVC was "long" it is more likely the "long PVC" was a couplet or triplet, not the sensation afterwards..
It is tachycardia (if your HR is above 100 it always is) but you probably wonder if it's sinus tachycardia (normal) or PVC tachycardia.
Your question is (of course:) impossible to answer, but it seems adrenaline driven, for two reasons:
1) During v-tach (PVCs tachycardia) your blood pressure tends to drop due to inefficient pumping.
2) A v-tach extremely rarely lasts for 20 minutes, especially is you don't usually have v-tach.
In addition, I assume you got the tachycardia after the big "thump" after the PVC. This sensation is actually the first normal beat after the PVC. I think (but I'm not completely sure, I hope I've never had v-tach) v-tach and /or svt feels like:
bam--bam---babababababababababababababababababababababa----BAM!!--bam--bam
If the PVC was "long" it is more likely the "long PVC" was a couplet or triplet, not the sensation afterwards..
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I ended up in the ER once with this heart stuff. I was really scared at the time. On a 12 lead EKG I was in complete NSR the entire time for 4 hours. Never once threw a PVC or the like. My HR for most of that time was 130-140, purely adreneline driven. WHen my wife arrived and we talked for a while it settled back down to 90. Normally my resting is 50-60 and I have to get really worked up to get it above 100.
So yea adreneline can really push your HR and it can practically double in a few seconds just from an adreneline surge.
Another experience is my father. He had a heart transplant back in 1988. THink about that, all his nerves were cut to the heart, so how is the rate controlled? Well, the heart's internal pacing takes over, and the default resting rate is 100. When he exercises (even the first few months after the transplant) he said his new heart repsonds to the exercise like the old one did. This was purley adreneline driven. Neat huh?
It's been 22 years! We know the ANS nerves have grown back into his new heart, this is called reinnervation. We know this because his resting is now 60-70, meaning the ANS is sending signals to slow it down. He has PVCs even with the new heart but they are infrequent and isolated, they don't bother him. Cool stuff and I think a good lesson on how things work.