Just sharing my experiences with pvc's in search of some of the great support found on this site!

Hi all,

Short version of this long post:

I've been dealing with random pvc's for the last 7 years. They occur for minutes, or days, or months at a time, and then usually disappear for days or months at a time...very frustrating to live with. They usually feel about 3 or 4 different ways for me (sometimes I can really feel the thud, other times it feels like a weak extra beat, other times it's like a short flutter). Also sometimes the extra/skipped beats occur every other beat, sometimes every 3rd or 4th, and sometimes it's constantly changing and I feel I have an irregular heartbeat. I've managed for the most part to believe that they are ok to live with as I've passed every ekg, echo and nuclear stress test I've had. The fear and anxiety still rears it's ugly head sometimes when it gets bad, but eventually it seems to clear up. I feel like it very well could be related to gas coming up the esophagus (burping for most people, but I don't burp, the gas never makes it up to the throat but makes a loud burping sound in the chest) Hope this helps someone else just knowing that there are others living with this terrible and frightening condition.

Let's figure this out!

Long version:

This forum is a great resource for those seeking support in dealing with pvc's. I myself am a long-time sufferer as well and reached the point of just wanting to share my experience in hopes of helping others deal with the great anxiety and fear this condition brings.

I first experienced a heart abnormality sometime between 18-20 years old (can't exactly remember as I'm now in my early 50's). They started as a brief, but terrifying flutter. I would get them maybe a couple times a day. Went to the doc and was told everything looked good, and he thought that if I just did some aerobic exercise next time I felt them they would likely go away. Well, that helped put my mind at ease for the most part, but it was still terrifying whenever they occurred. Oddly, after several weeks/a couple of months (again can't remember exactly) they just disappeared. For the next 25 years or so I didn't have any heart issues at all! I was very active and in good overall shape. Diet wasn't great, but when you're young you can get away with a lot more!

Fast forward to around 2014, suddenly pvc's started. They were different that what I experienced as a teen, and they were much more frequent and persistent. After about 10 days, went to the ER and was diagnosed with pvc's...go home and don't worry about it they said. Well, for the last seven years or so, they have been occurring very sporadically. They will stay away for several months at a time, then randomly start back up, sometimes only lasting for a few minutes, and sometimes for two to three months, or any other random time frame in between. I've gotten to the point that they usually don't bother me mentally, but there are times, like recently, that they feel different and I start to worry/mini-panic. Went to the doc recently and they said my ekg looked great, but I know for a fact that I had many pvc's during the ekg as I can usually feel every one of them. Tried a beta-blocker for a few day, but they didn't do anything, and I'm not big on taking such powerful meds due to the potential side-effects. I feel strongly that they are somehow related to gas coming up the esophagus - maybe something to do with the vagus nerve??? There seems to be about an 80% correlation to belching in my case.

Anyway, these pvc's are extremely difficult and frustrating to deal with. Knowing that there are so many others with similar situations definitely helps. I hope my experience can help provide some relief to others dealing with this awful condition.

Let's figure this out!

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