Anxiety causing PVC's...or PVC's causing anxiety

[snooks69]

I was recently diagnosed with PVC's...pretty much out of the blue...I thought I was feeling great the weekend before....I have had panic attacks in the past but never any pvc's....after I was diagnosed with the pvc's I pretty much fell over the cliff....I have had normal results on my echocardiogram, ekg and holter....all just showing the pvc's and nothing more....I am scheduled to have a nuclear stress test next week though my doc assures me everything other test including my bloodwork has come back normal so he really doesn't expect the stress test to show anything.....however, I am a mess over this....I am now on Zoloft and ativan and this week I have had frequent panic attacks.....next week is my monthly cycle too so I don't know if hormones are playing a part in this or not....can your mind really make you this sick and out of sorts.??  I worry that the docs are missing something and I am just going to keel over and die....and soemtimes the panic attacks make me feel like I am dying too.....it's all so crazy...and I feel like it came out of no where...but I do know that the last year I have been under tremendous stress and have been drinking pots of coffee (which I don't do anymore...5 weeks caffeine free cold turkey).....so I guess it's been coming a long time....

[Peter Forster]

The good news is that you have had a normal echocardiogram, EKG and holter test. If your nuclear stress test is normal as well you can reasonably lower your anxiety about your heart several notches. PVC's in someone with a healthy heart do not have great significance.
Now, what can you do to help yourself further?
1. Avoiding coffee and more than one drink a day is a very good idea. Congratulations on your success quitting coffee!
2. Take a look at your self-care. If you want to reduce your risks below where they were before you got this news think about getting started with a physical health program that includes a diet tune-up and gradually increasing aerobic activity program. Probably the biggest risk of the diagnosis is that you will feel scared of being active. Don't make that mistake.
3. Figure out what to do about the stress that you are under. Look at getting more social support, are there folks that you can talk to about anything, no questions asked? Consider meditation or prayer as a way of getting reconnected with positive thought and energy.

It sounds as though you are in good hands with your doctors. Try to leave the assessment to them. You can help yourself by focusing on the things that you can do to take care of yourself better. Think of this as a wake up call to care for yourself and you can turn this seeming negative into a big positive.

[Jaquta]

I'm not a doctor but as a layperson I would expect you to be able to tell, to some degree.  I think that you would need some reference for normal though.

I sometimes feel as though my heart skips beats which feels abnormal and scary.  My doctor often says that physical issues are stress-related so it is hard to know.

I think that anything that we don't truly understand has the potential to be frightening.

If I had been to a cardiologist and test results had come back fine I think then that I would be more open to looking at stress as a possible cause.

Is hard to know how to respond.  I would speak to your doctor for reassurance and if need be consider seeing a psychiatrist or psychologist.  I think that people need to listen to themselves and do what they feel is best for them at the time.  Each person's journey will be different.

[KaffSCREAM]

Hi... I have been experiencing PVC's for about 8 years now... I'm 24 and have three children(all girls) they started when I was taking hydroxicut, W/ephedrine...I was 15 when I started discontinued the pill at 16, and my PVC's were and are felt as "SKIPPED BEATS" very scary thing for me... I've been to the doctor many times from 16 on. Had EKG and all normal. My heart rate is in the normal range as well as my RHR. my doctor rexenly told me I'm most likely really
stressed. I'm hoping this is the case.  These PVC's bothered me greatly years ago, then went away I'm guessing and now I'm getting scared by them again. It's ALL I can think about and I'm constantly checking my pulse for any abnormal rhythm. Can u tell by fingers on wrist or neck if your heart is out of rhythm or normal ?

[wss682]

what about a rapid succession of PVC's in a row lasting about 5 seconds? That always scares me..and yes I have all the tests the past 30 years..

[snooks69]

Thank you so much for your response and your suggestions.  I do have a friend who has been a social worker for years who is meeting with me once a week for 2 hours to talk and show me relaxation techniques...that seems to help quite a bit...she is helping to set goals and giving me the chance to just talk with no repercussions....Thank you for your assurance on my doctors...I do trust them ...but I feel so out of control with all of this and it is hard to not worry if they might have missed something.  I hope and pray that my results from my stress test this week will be normal.  I am quite sure that if they felt things were critical I would have had all of the tests ASAP instead of spread out over the past month.  AND, yes...I have most definitly treated this as a huge wake up call....I have been praying for months that God help me get healthy....wellllllll, I guess that he has answered my prayers.....I have lost 20lbs and changed my eating completely...I started on a mutlivitamin for GROWNUPS instead of my kids gummies....I quit coffee and all caffeine completely....I am trying to meet up with friends a couple of times a week and walk...so I can see what you mean about turning this negative experience into something postive.....Thank you so much.