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My PVCS have disappeared after 35 years
Not a question, just sharing my experiences.
I've experienced ectopics , pvcs, flip-flops or whatever you prefer to call them all my adult life, particularly over the last two years. They have now totally gone. I thought I would share my experience with you to offer some reassurance and possibly some benefit to other sufferers.
I am 51 and first noticed a fluttering feeling in my chest when I was 17. I took little notice but came to realise over a few years that my heart was "missing" a beat. I noticed that I got more of them the day after drinking alcohol, and that was quite often. I spoke to people about it and found that others were experiencing the same thing. I never worried or panicked when they occurred and for the most part ignored them.
20 years or more passed until one day my daughter who was also experiencing them, informed me that hers had gone since she gave up drinking caffeine. I did the same and lo and behold mine disappeared too. Not completely but almost. For the next 6 years I barely had a PVC, even alcohol failed to bring them on.
In April of 2008 things changed. They were back. With a vengeance. And they didn't come alone. Not only did I get the thump thump pause big thump, I was getting continuous weird beats every beat. These I called flip-flops. When I would lie down after drinking alcohol they would start. If I rolled over they would stop for a while then start again. It would wake me up. Sometimes it would start while I was dreaming and I wouldn't wake up so it would continue in my dream. For the first time I began to worry and for the first time I consulted my doctor about it. A quick ecg showed nothing wrong so I was sent to a consultant for tests. A 48 hour monitor showed short bursts of ectopics and short bursts of sinus tachycardia. No treatment was necessary but if it got really troublesome they would try betablockers. This was a road I didn't want to go down.
The bouts continued, I stopped drinking, it helped a lot. I tried everything, antacids, various supplements, q10, herbals, magnesium, potassium, every suggestion on the forums and internet I could find I tried, but still the flip flops persisted.
Then mysteriously around 4 weeks ago they stopped. Pvcs and flipflops completely gone. I drank alcohol, nothing. I drank caffeine, nothing. I didn't know why.
I started to look at what was different over that period of time.
The only difference I can put it down to is this. My partner, although not overweight, decided she wanted to lose a stone. I, also not overweight, decided I would also lose a stone. My partner joined slimming world and I joined in. We changed our eating habits. Basically we started eating healthier as advised by governments and doctors. More fruit, less fat and more exercise. It was about a week after the diet started that I noticed my heart rhythm was improving. Then it improved completely. Fantastically.
So what was so different that after 35 years my arrhythmia had suddenly stopped?
I'm eating very little fat, only lean meat completely trimmed. When we fry we use the spray stuff. Could that be it? Maybe.
I'm only eating 2 slices of wholemeal bread a day. Is over processed wheat contributing to the problem?
I'm eating plenty of eggs.
I drink 2 cups of normal tea a day.
I drink some alcohol most days.
No chocolate or biscuits, never had a sweet tooth anyway.
No crisps or fatty snacks.
Not much dairy, just skimmed milk and low fat cheese.
Potatos, fresh veg, fruit.
Why had the flipflops stopped?
I wondered about it and then spotted a possibility. Here was something very different. I'm eating at least 2 bananas a day. Didn't I read somewhere that bananas are high in potassium and other minerals. I had tried potassium supplements without any success, why should the bananas be any different? I googled banana and there it was, all the health benefits you can shake a stick at. Especially for the heart.
Is that the answer? Bananas? The truth is I don't know. Perhaps it's a coincidence my problems cleared up at the same time my diet changed. One thing I do know is that I'm staying on this diet and will continue to eat bananas every day. If your symptoms are the same as mine give it a go. It might work, it might not, what have you got to lose? Good luck.
ABB Nov 2009
Thanks for posting and sharing!
I think for sure that diet plays a role. Myself and a good friend I grew up with both have PVCs. I tried magnesium, calcium, potassium, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, benzos, exercise, vitamins.....
My friend convinced me he had the most luck with going to a low processed food diet. I did this and lost about 15 pounds. My PVCs also dropped dramatically. I can go weeks without them though once in a while i still get flareups.
I've also read, anecdotally, that males tend to have PVCs more and they generally start in late teens early 20s. They worsen up to 40s, and some folks have reported they completely go away sometime in their 50s. So i suspect hormonal issues or ventricular pacers calm down a bunch as the heart ages.
My philosophy on PVCs is that folks that get them (in a benign way) have great hearts. nature put those ventricular pacer cells (which cause PVCs) there for a good reason, they backup the SA node in case the signal gets blocked or doesn't occur. The ventricles can then take over beating for the heart, as is quite apparent in people with a-fib, the ventricles alone can get the job done though less efficiently. When the ventricular pacers do their job under the right circumstances (meaning nor NSR), it's call an "escape beat". Google "escape beat", it's very interesting.
When they fire when not needed, in the presence of NSR, it's called a PVC.
What I've found from folks that work in health care is that most people that drop over from sudden cardiac death (SCD) have never reported any arrhythmia issues. So their ventricular pacers didn't kick in when needed. My feeling is that folks that never feel a single PVC might not be healthier, to the contrary, their ventricular pacers may not be effective when needed.
People with many PVCs (the benign variety), have the same risk of dropping from SCD than the general population. However, they still bug the living daylights out of me.
I think for sure that diet plays a role. Myself and a good friend I grew up with both have PVCs. I tried magnesium, calcium, potassium, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, benzos, exercise, vitamins.....
My friend convinced me he had the most luck with going to a low processed food diet. I did this and lost about 15 pounds. My PVCs also dropped dramatically. I can go weeks without them though once in a while i still get flareups.
I've also read, anecdotally, that males tend to have PVCs more and they generally start in late teens early 20s. They worsen up to 40s, and some folks have reported they completely go away sometime in their 50s. So i suspect hormonal issues or ventricular pacers calm down a bunch as the heart ages.
My philosophy on PVCs is that folks that get them (in a benign way) have great hearts. nature put those ventricular pacer cells (which cause PVCs) there for a good reason, they backup the SA node in case the signal gets blocked or doesn't occur. The ventricles can then take over beating for the heart, as is quite apparent in people with a-fib, the ventricles alone can get the job done though less efficiently. When the ventricular pacers do their job under the right circumstances (meaning nor NSR), it's call an "escape beat". Google "escape beat", it's very interesting.
When they fire when not needed, in the presence of NSR, it's called a PVC.
What I've found from folks that work in health care is that most people that drop over from sudden cardiac death (SCD) have never reported any arrhythmia issues. So their ventricular pacers didn't kick in when needed. My feeling is that folks that never feel a single PVC might not be healthier, to the contrary, their ventricular pacers may not be effective when needed.
People with many PVCs (the benign variety), have the same risk of dropping from SCD than the general population. However, they still bug the living daylights out of me.
1 Comments
Me to,having lots of them right now,also wearing a hotler monitor for 48 hours.
Hi, I have this site forum printed and your post and keep it filed. I too started suffering with PVCS for the last three years. I was hoping they will just stop one day as the doctor would only prescribe basic medication. Which I never took. The PVCS were disturbing and interfering with my daily life no doubt- every aspect, work, leisure . I experimented a lot with diets (added more bananas, removed the cafeine, eat halthy most of my life- 47 now) and basically found only by chance that it was a vagus nerve that gets irritated (mainly by gluten) and affect my hearts beating. When I went 100% gluten free for some other reason my PVCS completely stopped. Completely. Then I started researching how gluten affects vagus nerve. If I eat something containing gluten the pvcs will start, but not nearly as bad as they werebefore. Ocasionally that also happens when visiting friends, and trying some new food, but I would not eat wheat/rye/barley at all now. And I feel so good now is unbelivable, got my life back. I wanted to thank you for your post because it got me thinking of trying alternative routes and not relying entirely on family doctors. So many thanks!!
We do need to get more magnesium. Something like 85% of the US population is mag deficient due to their lousy diets. Also need to lose weight in the middle as that irritates the vagus nerve which in turn affects our heart rhythm.
Glad to have found this community. This is interesting theory. I still get PAC/PVC almost dailty, but I do notice that when I take in high levels of raw sources of potassium and magnesium, they improve in severity, frequency and length. I have a smoothie recipe that is full of kale, spinach and bananas and I drink at least 3 a week, and it definitely helps in addition to my supplements. I don't mind the flip-flopping about, except mine are symptomatic and I get chest pains and very lightheaded/dizzy when I'm on a bad run. I have literally zero stress in my life - I am very laid back, have a great job that pays well with nice people, in a happy marriage, don't have kids, nothing stresses me out except worrying about my heart - but I'm getting better at learning to live with this arrhythmia.
And watch, one day after posting this question you will have a heart attack (sustained v-tach) LOL. Joking.. good for you, almost hart do believe. Like, are you sure they're gone? Or are you sure you had them to begin with? That sort of thing doesn't just go away on its own. Once a wonky heart, always a wonky heart.
2 Comments
*hard
I had a similar experience to yours.. for periods of time they disappeared seemingly for good.. but then out of the blue they would always return worse than they were before.
I too experience ectopics (skipped beats) runs of atrial tachycardia and other flip flops on a daily basis. I had experienced them periodically since I was a child but I am now 58 and they happen daily all day the only time I didn't have them was when I was sleeping. I had all the cardiac testing and my heart was healthy and sound and I was told it was anxiety or just an irritable heart. It was affecting my quality of life....I was afraid to go anywhere because I would get very anxious when I felt these symptoms. I felt if I didn't go sit down on my couch I would simply pass out. I had to quit my job and I was becoming depressed. The doctor perscribed metropolol tartate 25mg split and taken twice a day. I was afraid to increase the dose and it helped a little but I still felt completely dysfunctional. I started reading info from others going through the same thing and trying different things. I finally hit on something that works for me. I feel like I can live my life again. First and formost Ihad to start reminding myself daily that there is nothing wrong with my heart and nothing bad was going to happen. I had no heart disease so my heart wasn't going to do anything worse than it had already done. with my dr's ok i started taking 50mg of metropolol daily 25 in the morning, 12.5 at noon and 12.5 at 6:00 p.m. I also started taking magnesium daily. I watched my caffiene intake and tried to get enough sleep. This seemed to make things a lot better. I still get them But it is managable and i can live my life with out fear.
Best of luck to everyone!
Best of luck to everyone!
1 Comments
Dear Prettyfish, very happy for you! Had the same feeling, with bigeminies that sucks, could not quit the job though - went through two ablation with the second one not successful I guess. But on your example holding up there.
What a story. Good to know that you are free from irregular heart beats. For me banana shall be the order of the day. I had experienced irregular heart beats some six years ago, was so scared. My first child, my daughter was just born and I was so happy but also worried about my condition. I read on the internet that magnesium helps, so I bought supplements from GNC. Well, after some time Irregular heart beats disappeared. Now after six they are back. I went to the cardiologist and he termed them as benign. He suggested exercise and life style change which is mostly sedantry. I stopped having tea except for the morning and have started to do some walking. My skipped heart beat is better but not gone away altogether yet.
By reading your story I am encouraged and thanks for sharing this wonderful experience.
By reading your story I am encouraged and thanks for sharing this wonderful experience.
2 Comments
What a story. Good to know that you are free from irregular heart beats. For me banana shall be the order of the day. I had experienced irregular heart beats some six years ago, was so scared. My first child, my daughter was just born and I was so happy but also worried about my condition. I read on the internet that magnesium helps, so I bought supplements from GNC. Well, after some time Irregular heart beats disappeared. Now after six they are back. I went to the cardiologist and he termed them as benign. He suggested exercise and life style change which is mostly sedantry. I stopped having tea except for the morning and have started to do some walking. My skipped heart beat is better but not gone away altogether yet.
By reading your story I am encouraged and thanks for sharing this wonderful experience.
By reading your story I am encouraged and thanks for sharing this wonderful experience.
Started getting pvcs about a month ago. Never had them before. Every 4th beat. Only when active, just walking, etc. Damn things made me feel like I was going to pass out. Would have to lay down for 20 mins, then they would go away until I got up again. Went through all kinds of heart tests until they finally showed up on a holter. I really don't eat that healthy and I would always drink 6 or 7 beers every night. Out of desperation I stopped drinking beer. (which sucks) It took about 10 days but now the pvcs are gone. I'm 65 so I guess the beers finally got to me. I will have to live without because I can't live every waking hour feeling lightheaded. It is weird because the pvcs would only happen the next day after drinking beer. So if anybody is stopping alcohol, maybe give it a couple weeks before you say that is not the cause. Everyone is different though. Just wanted to share what my experience was.
Good luck to all.........
Good luck to all.........
What kind of doctor does someone go to you about having heart palpitations and is anyone else that is experiencing these symptoms have Nutcracker syndrome or any other vascular compression syndrome?
just wanted to say that i too have been suffering with ectopic heart beat every few minutes for a while now. I put it down to asthma medication. Well in an attempt to get shot of them - like you i stopped drinking alcohol - no effect - stopped drinking caffeinated coffee - no effect - tried the potassium tabs - no effect. Then they just stopped one night as i was watching TV. It was so noticeable. A lovely peaceful feeling in my chest at long last!! I could not work out why. I retraced my food intake for the day. I had eaten a large banana about an hour or two before they stopped. Its the only thing that i had done any different to usual. Now when i get up in the morning i can feel that tetchy feeling in my chest so i have one for breakfast and it goes away. I have looked up other foods that are rich in potassium and these include Avocados which i love - but so calorific - and spinach, tomatoes and sweet potatoes are also good sources along with cantelope melon. I am making sure i eat a diet high in potassium from now on. I hope the dodgy beat stays away for good! Wishing you well.
Hi I'm scott, im a recovery alcoholic. My pvcs are bad, I stop drinking two days ago, does anyone know if they will stop
thanks for your update. i am happy for you. I have had them on, off since 29, now 67, been without them for 4 days now, however, earlier this evening, they started to come back. I am now convinced more than ever, that they are GERD related, hiatus hernia, etc. otherwise, it is a random mystery, that just drives me crazy. hope yours stay gone. good luck. tom
Wow! Thanks for taking the time to post this. I too have noticed that curbing my diet has done good things to the PVC Issue, and ESPECIALLY cutting down on Caffeine to the point where I really can't drink it anymore. I too eat very little fat, Eggs sometimes, never red meats and rarely chicken. A lot of 99% fat free turkey from Trader Joe's or WFM. A lot of salads. Healthy vinegars like Braggs.
One more thing to add is that my adrenals were shocked in 2010 from a lithotripsy operation I had to have to save a kidney from an extremely large kidney stone. Since that time, I began having problems with PVC's ( not too many daily, usually under 10 but still annoying ) as well as tachycardia sometimes. DEFINITE triggers are sugar products and caffeine products.
So being a Chiropractor I put myself on Standard Process adrenal support products that have as well helped tremendously. My feeling is that most of us burn out our adrenals with diet and especially caffeine. Our systems are hyper-adrenalinized and after a time this creates adrenal burnout. There are many systems designed by both Chiropractors and Naturopaths to heal the adrenals, and the usual total heal time is 3 to 6 months.
I drink 2 cups of Chamomile tea as well daily and this has really helped. In fact if you find yourself in an episode where it is extremely scary and they just don't seem to be stopping, try having a double dose ( 2 tea bags ) of Chamomile tea. Let it seep at least 10 minutes.
Hope this helps. I know from experience how scary this all can be.
One more thing to add is that my adrenals were shocked in 2010 from a lithotripsy operation I had to have to save a kidney from an extremely large kidney stone. Since that time, I began having problems with PVC's ( not too many daily, usually under 10 but still annoying ) as well as tachycardia sometimes. DEFINITE triggers are sugar products and caffeine products.
So being a Chiropractor I put myself on Standard Process adrenal support products that have as well helped tremendously. My feeling is that most of us burn out our adrenals with diet and especially caffeine. Our systems are hyper-adrenalinized and after a time this creates adrenal burnout. There are many systems designed by both Chiropractors and Naturopaths to heal the adrenals, and the usual total heal time is 3 to 6 months.
I drink 2 cups of Chamomile tea as well daily and this has really helped. In fact if you find yourself in an episode where it is extremely scary and they just don't seem to be stopping, try having a double dose ( 2 tea bags ) of Chamomile tea. Let it seep at least 10 minutes.
Hope this helps. I know from experience how scary this all can be.
I just started getting these things about 3 weeks ago and I must say they are pretty annoying. I notice they get worse after exercising, drinking wine and nicotine. My thought is once you think about them, they get worse. I just bought flaxseed oil and I will keep you guys posted. I also notice I have bad gas whenever I have these. Does anyone else experience the bad gas?
Hey, that is very interesting, i am so glad it is working for you..
I have noticed i get more beat beat pause BEAT flop beat beat pause BEAT flop, plus pluse of up to 101-110bpm (you get me) When i h vae eaten a takeaway..
Chinese food is the worst for me (msg?), and now macdonalds as it seems, i had one yesterday and within 10 mins they started from 3pm-nearly 10pm, i started panicking about 8.30, they are so freaky!!
I am making a diary between yesterday to 5th jan when i go see my cardio!! I am only 29 ffs, they are ruining my life!!
Healthy eating is the way to go though, and i love bananas!! I will make sure i have one a day, it is the only fruit i do like...
I have noticed i get more beat beat pause BEAT flop beat beat pause BEAT flop, plus pluse of up to 101-110bpm (you get me) When i h vae eaten a takeaway..
Chinese food is the worst for me (msg?), and now macdonalds as it seems, i had one yesterday and within 10 mins they started from 3pm-nearly 10pm, i started panicking about 8.30, they are so freaky!!
I am making a diary between yesterday to 5th jan when i go see my cardio!! I am only 29 ffs, they are ruining my life!!
Healthy eating is the way to go though, and i love bananas!! I will make sure i have one a day, it is the only fruit i do like...
Cool, that could start a new trend.lol You'll have to post some of your personal recipes.
Still no flip flops after 10 weeks.
If you have the same symptoms as me try bananas.... :o)
If you have the same symptoms as me try bananas.... :o)
sick and tired (and Skippi)...Thanks for the tips on enteric fish oil! Wish we had a Costco nearby. I'm not aware of any in our area, but will check Google to find out for sure. Or, maybe Costco has a website? I'll see.
Costco makes enteric coated fish oil... reasonable priced and no fishy taste/burping for me.
Good luck all!
Good luck all!
Maybe you should try banana daquaris to further push the "boundaries of knowledge and discovery."
I get it from Golden Glow, www.goldenglow.com.au, not sure if they deliver to other countries (I live in Australia).
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