How do your PACs/PVCs feel?

Mine have gotten significantly better in the past few years. They began when I was 27 and I'm now 33. I've had everything ran from stress test to heart echo to a 3 year Bluetooth heart monitor placed under the skin. All it ever found was PVCs.

The odd thing is that exercise specifically running with intensity like sprints and things where i have to kind of hold my breath such as lifting very heavy weights or squats at the gym will make it alot worse, which is unfortunate because those are the best forms of exercise to stay in shape.

I'm still not 100% convinced its just PVCs for me. I do feel flutters and palpitations which I can understand those being PVCs. To me what still confuses me that i dont think the doctors are still not understanding is that soemtimes what happens is during a BIG palpitations or PVC I will get thrown into one of these "attacks" where I go very breathless, feel like i cannot catch my breath and feel like my heart is racing but yet also like it's not pumping hard enough at the same time, like weak beats almost. I will get dizzy and can't think very well during these. They can last anywhere from 10 seconds to 15 minutes before I feel another BIG palpitation and suddenly I'm completely back to feeling normal (other than being completely wiped out and exhausted).

The doctors never say much about this part of the symptoms and instead focus solely on what the monitor shows which is apparently nothing...

I do take comfort in that I've had alot of these and am still alive and fine. And that all of my tests always come back normal. I am 100% convinced too that these are not panic attacks. They begin most commonly with specific movements or exercises and begin and end completely suddenly like the flip of a switch.. No progression or fading at all. Its like i feel my heart switch into the attack in a split second and then back out.

I want to get a second opinion and investigate further however unable to afford it at this time.

Im glad it has gotten progressively better over the past few years however.

I totally get what you mean! I honestly feel that since we've been checked & all is good with the heart, then its extra heartbeats. I'm keep telling myself this lol... If you've had an echo & all is normal, then that's a good thing! I work at a hospital in the cardiac department, & an echo is a very good ultrasound in determining heart disease & sickness of the heart valves & poor blood flow. Yet even for a hospital worker who works with this kind of stuff every day, it's still worrisome when it happens to you! I get the flutters weather I'm being strenuous or sitting at computer at work. But the main thing for me is the STRONG awareness of my heart. I'm constantly thinking of it & what its going to do next. When I'm busy, its not as noticeable but when I have down time & kids in bed.. i start thinking of it & when I feel a flutter then my mind does not go elsewhere, it concentrates on my heart & what is about to happen next. In all reality it consumes my life 😦

Same for me with the increased awareness, i can feel every beat but soemtimes i forget about it or don't notice it. I do think anxiety has soemthing to do with it at least contributing to it, but i definitely do not think it's all of it.

These heart feelings and issues began at an extremely low stress part of my life during a time that I was in great shape. The first time it ever happened I was just shooting a basketball with my brother having fun not even really running or anything, so I don't think at all that anxiety was the reason for it to start happening. However, i can see now that anxiety does make it worse when im worrying about it. I mostly just make myself forget about it and tell myself not to worry I've had everything done relating to tests , and if it happens oh well because I've made it through them every time i have them so no worry.

I do notice that caffeine does make mine worse for sure. Id really like to have one of these episodes in the immediate presence of a cardiologist or specialist but the episodes scare me so badly that im hesitant to do stuff that will create the episode for the doctors to see.

On the bright side we have no negative diagnosis, nothing terminal or immediately harmful at all. On the downside we don't truly know all of the reasons causes or anything else about these issues.

it is hard getting through regular days with these thuds and bangs happening. some days I swear I'm going to drop dead. I wish I didn't feel them....this starts the fear going in my mind. one leads to more and more and the ones that come close together send me into an almost panic. about a decade ago these started maybe a few per month or none for months. now I have a few per minute anyways. it's so hard to carry on and ignore! mine are pacs and pvcs coming in twos or threes sometimes.

That's hard when they keep coming. That happens to me about every 8 months.. feel a few in a row, then feel dizzy then it starts the damn process all over again. Usually I feel a pac/pvc everyday about 4-8× a day, quick flutter or thud... I'm learning when I'm more stressed or mad at kids, I feel them more. Because of these things, I cant stop thinking of my heart at all times of the day.

So I havent been on here for a while but, what I've been doing recently is taking a magnesium tablet 250mg every night and a sublingual vitamin B12 1000mcg every morning! I have to tell you that sense I have started doing this, my PVCs/PACs have subsided substantially! Now I don't know about anyone else here, but I've been taking a proton pump inhibitor for over 15 years for my acid reflux & I just found out it can deplete important minerals & vitamins after long term use. Not sure if this can help anyone else, but it has sure helped me... so far haha. Will see how long it lasts!

i have had pvc and pac beats very frequently for the past number of years. i am 52, history of svt and pulmonary stenosis. i feel for you and understand completely what you are going through. some days i swear i am about to drop dead from them. i do believe they are related to stress and food for me. carbs make them come in runs. sometimes there is just no rhyme or reason for them and you feel helpless. i am thankful for days they dont bother me too much. dont give them more attention than they deserve if you have been cleared by your doctor. i know some days are super difficult, but hang in there. try magnesium, little to no carbs.

hi ! I'm new to this forum and also suffer from PVCs\ PACs . Im a healthy 44 yo female with no true medical issues other than suffering from anxiety and panic disorder for most of my adult life . My husband was diagnosed with a very large and rare abdominal tumor a year and 8 months ago so needless to say life has been stressful . About 3 months ago is when the ectopic beats started . I thought i has having a heart attack and ended up in the ER which turned into 2 months of extensive cardiac testing, echo , stress test , holter monitor, CT scan. After all was said and done i was diagnosed with less than 1% pvc burden per day which is considered benign. The problem is i feel every single one and they have hindered my life . i get dizzy, anxious and feel constant flip flops in my chest and throat. does anyone have any advice on how to get rid of these things that literally came out of nowhere and are wrecking my life !!!

Hi, sending well wishes your way to both you & your husband! I recently started with pvcs in april 2019. Thyroid underactive for over 25 years (I am 49). Out of the blue i ended up in hospital breathless & scared. They explained it as a "perfect storm" literally that my thyroid became overactive causing some heart issues & like u, every test in the book over few months. sorry this is long. So, some advice,...best explanation i heard was that our "hearts are like our home". They have "structure, electric & plumbing". Your pvcs are the electrical issue u have now. If your "structure" is good (results from your tests for things like heart & valve size) that's a plus. If your "plumbing" is good, blockages, ejection fraction, etc, also a plus. Your electricity goes out when it rains sometimes? That's pvcs. I happen 2 relate 2 analogies lol. I am educated enough 2 get the dr. speak but @ Penn, here in Phila., they made me feel better explaining it this way. I am sure u use dr. google as we all tend 2 do & if u have anxiety (me too), you imagine EVERY situation possible, which can make pvcs happen & its a cycle. Maybe its hormonal, caffeine, other meds, stress...see if you can breathe better knowing 1% is minimal & try 2 tell yourself you deserve 2 relax & not waste time worrying. We cant control everything & thats ok. I know its not easy. I ended up copying my husband, he had afib 2 years ago, I had it after my pvcs & just was cardioverted last week. It is our heart, brain, lungs, we tend 2 worry most about, understandably. But, there are amazing meds & procedures that can help!! For me, metoprolol did not help my pvcs but verapimil did. I lost weight because I got scared of what i was putting my body through then, I gained it back because I felt sorry 4 myself. Now, i do the best i can each day. Be good 2 yourself & use breathing techniques if you know some. I think u will be fine and we all can identify w/the annoying feeling in your chest!!!! Prayers & hugs headed your way!!!

Hi, we are the same age & I wish you had a better doctor!To tell you just deal with it, no goodie! A cardiologist told you that? I hope you find someone professional that offers you more than that! Meanwhile, giving things up like salt, too many carbs, caffeine...1 at a time may help, see which helps them subside if at all? Breathing in through nose count of 2, hold it count of 4 & exhale through mouth count of 6. Repeat as needed, it puts you at homeostasis. Maybe read about other suggestions on a POSITIVE website you can find (anxiety caused by pvcs type of sites). Best wishes, you are not alone!!!

all i have is that i hear you... i know that feeling!! im still here and living and breathing through them. for me stress plays a big part. breathe and know you will be ok regardless of how it feels in the moment.