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Are these PVCs/PACs, or are they more? (Will include all symptoms)

Posted , 5 users are following.

Aliens05
Aliens05

So I am 30 years old and male. I am 6 feet 2 inches tall and i weigh 170 lbs. 

I have always been athletic and in sports my whole life. I did basketball, track and football all through high school and weight lifting and basketball after high school.

About 3 years ago (when I was around 27) I began experiencing these "attacks" at the gym or when i drank coffee. These attacks basically began with a THUD in the heart and resulted in tachycardia, tingling feet and hands, blurry vision, sense of impending doom (Like i was going to die any second), trembling hands, and sweaty palms. After these symptoms passed I would always be extremely exhausted and sleepy. 

I went to the emergency room about 8-10 for times during these attacks. While there my blood pressure would generally be 180/110 (or near), pulse would be about 160 resting, and my oxygen levels would be fine. EKG always came back normal, chest X ray normal, CT scans normal, bloodwork normal. 

The ER is convinced they are anxiety attacks (I am unsure). The thing about these attacks is that they PRODUCE anxiety, and are NOT preceded by anxiety. I am generally doing something I love (exercise or basketball) when these attacks occur. Caffeine  has also caused these attacks. 

The last time one occured it was a sudden onset as soon as I did a chest workout at the gym (bench press) it felt like something inside rubbed my heart or kicked my heart and threw me into this attack. It was worse than the other times, and my heart rhythm changed from tachycardia to a quick beat-beat , pause......beat-beat, pause....this is when i got dizzy and felt like I was going to die, along with shortness of breath.

Now some symptoms I experience on a daily basis is fatigue, weakness, sleepiness (even if I got 7-9 hours) and I will experience a couple or a few palpitations. 

My cardiologist says these are ONLY PVCs. Does anyone have any idea what this could be? I have not struggled with this all my life, it is in the past 3 years that it began. I did not and had not changed anything in my life at the time it began. I had not taken any type of medication or supplement different than I ever had in the past (the normal protien, creatine, caffeine). 

Now I do not ever drink any type of stimulant and I still get these attacks every time I work out, unless I just slowly walk. I have done holter monitors, stress tests, heart ultrasounds, and the cardiologist tells me nothing at all is wrong. 

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • annie1119
    annie1119 Aliens05

    Posted

    Hi. When these attacks start it sounds like you could be going into atrial fibrillation. Has the cardiologist mentioned this? By the time you get to the ER the AF has righted itself possibly.

    You can always go to another cardiologist for another opinion. It's worth trying.

    Best of luck.

    • Aliens05
      Aliens05 annie1119

      Posted

      Thanks Annie....no he has not....he stated mt heart is healthy and i have his blessing to push it to my max..however i can barely jog without the PVCs starting and causing this....he has seen my attacks on a holter monitor before.

      I work in a medical facility and a few nurses i work with mentioned afib too....i sid schedule a second opinion for this week at w different cardiologist..however right after i scheduled it my current cardiologist scheduled me for a Loop recorder procedure under the skin to monitor my heart at all times

    • annie1119
      annie1119 Aliens05

      Posted

      That's wonderful. Best way to track it. I hope it sotts out for you.

      All the best.

  • k3rivers
    k3rivers Aliens05

    Posted

    Hello there. Your story sounds very familiar as this happened to me about 10 years ago in my 40s. I did have an ablation which gave me my life back to stop the extremely rapid heart rate I would get during these attacks which ran it over 200 beats a minute. I would suggest searching out and electrophysiologist who may be able to cure some of these symptoms with an ablation. It gave me my life back but I do still have irregular beats daily
    • Aliens05
      Aliens05 k3rivers

      Posted

      Thanks rivers..out of curiosity what did urs end up being? Was it Afib? Also with this ablation does it now prevent the attacks from ever occuring?
  • PJoy
    PJoy Aliens05

    Posted

    It really sounds like a panic attack- maybe being that you had the panic attack while working out you assoicate that with working out. The body is really funny, you may think you are not having anxiety but there are different things that trigger that response. You could get a second opionion, but it seems like you had all of the tests needed and they were negative. Are you having too much caffein? It is also in chocolate and coke etc. Good luck and try to relax. 
    • Aliens05
      Aliens05 PJoy

      Posted

      I have considered this in fact...and still do consider this to be an option..the thing that makes me feel it is not a panic attack is that it does not build up at all....it is an extremely quick entry of attack and onset. Its onset typically occurs by a motion (usually chest or overhead press or squat). I can feel in my chest when mt heart kicks or thuds that sends me into the attack..and it's absolutely immediate...and when i come out of the attack and the rhythm returns to normal again it is absolutely immediate where i can tell within a second that my heart has returned to normal rhythm.

      Now the ER has told me anxiety attacks several times..so this could still be occuring...or occuring in conjunction with whatever else is going on.

    • LyLy
      LyLy Aliens05

      Posted

      Please have your vitamin b6 levels checked. I've had similar symptoms and everything always came back normal until 8 months later a doctor checked my b6. I had b6 toxicity from just a multivitamin. It messed with my heart giving me random high blood pressure spikes, irregular heartbeat, fatigue, weakness and dizzy. When I stopped my vitamin, things got better.

    • Aliens05
      Aliens05 LyLy

      Posted

      Alrighty thanks for the suggestion..i will give it a shot.
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