Palpitations (PVCs) EVERYDAY!!!
Posted , 138 users are following.
Im 32 yo female, 3 kids, happily married, with wonderful job, my life is soooo good!! Soooo Why during the pregnancy of my 3rd (there was alot if stress at this time, selling house, buying a house, time frames, changing positions at work, etc) I was having these heart flutters randomly...told my OB and she said see a cardiologist...I told her I have had a random flutter here or there usually during a panic attack. Come to find out after EKG, ECHO, and 24 hr holter monitor, that there were PVCs happening not alot, but definitely showed up......Dr. told me your fine! However I have had these flutters/palpitations/PVCs almost everyday, some a stronger than others, and some are barely noticable. The other night it last so long that my husband laid his head on my chest and could hear my heart beibg crazy. Im going to go back to Dr., Im a mess all day everyday thinking Im going to go into cardiac arrest if it happens. Please help, feed back, suggestions!!!
7 likes, 228 replies
DaveyDee michelle1015
Edited
I suffer with anxiety and although my attacks are random and few, I suffer the similar affects as your good self. Oh, and with all the trimmings that come along with it to. I've had a X-ray, bloods an ECG, kept in hospital overnight only to be told my heart is fine and be on your merry way.
Anxiety is soul destroying and if you let it can ruin , if not control your life. My symptoms more or less mirror yours, sometimes I get a sense of dread wash over me. Then I know I'm going to have an attack, I suddely go quiet, withdrawn, them my heart starts racing I then hyperventilate and then I'm all out of sorts. It lasts seconds though it does seem longer at the time but once it passes, I carry on as mormal. I get the flip flop sensation with my heart, I have dropped missed or skipped beats. Durind an attack my legs go weak and then (I don't mean to be rude) I pass wind loudly.
So, from what I have been told to what I've read and researched has put my mind at rest. Don't get me wrong it still frightens me, but I know it's nothing life threatening. Anxiety has 80% to do with your digestive system, it is NOT uncommon for the normal heart to drop miss or skip beats, these in fact are extra or premature beats, but its the pausr that is noticed.
I read somewhere maybe on here, a cardiologist said there is no such thing as a perfect heart, I was on 50mg sertralinefor Six months and it worked a treat, no attacks, I've come off them now somewhat Three months, and have had only One attack, I've just started doing the box breathing exercise when I'm relaxing and it helps. Also drinking water helps immensely. I'm sure if the Dr said your fine you surely are, but like me, coming on here really does help and put your mind at rest. These are great people on this forum and have far more experience on this matter and I'm sure one will come along with advise x
Trust_no1 DaveyDee
Posted
Hi! I'm in group therapy for stress & anxiety, thanks to the distress palpitations cause. Reading your post about panic attacks reminds me of something I learned in group, maybe it can help with your attacks. The therapist recommended carrying a miniature bottle of hot sauce (or something else intense) in your pocket, and immediately in the first few seconds you feel a panic attack starting, take a swig of the hot sauce. Sounds weird, but he swears by it. He says it shocks your brain into focusing on something else and prevents your attack from launching. He also said if you do end up having a panic attack, remind yourself it's OK to just go take a 30-45 minute time-out and go lay in bed until it passes. Hope what he said helps!
richard49104 Trust_no1
Posted
Sorry for the slow. reply. I hope you are doing much better and the hot sauce trick is working. The last week I have had many of the damn skips from morning till night and more until I fall asleep. Mine sometimes will disappear for weeks or more at a time and then return with a vengeance. I have all but given up hope to rid myself of them for good or at least get less during each episode... I really hope you might find some new answers and if you do..
please tell me. We'll talk again.
maria97452 richard49104
Posted
thanks for sharing this - it's so unnerving living with these! mine have ramped up for no apparent reason- and I'd been doing fairly well for a long time.
Rhosalina michelle1015
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I know you are worried.. Ive been having the exact same thing except mine is all day and night. I have PAC and PVC. I have the Event Monitor on as I type this and it is my 4th day with it.. Ive had the same tests as you - I did the stress treadmill also and the echo cardiogram and the 24 hour holter. When I sit I feel it a lot and when I lay down it is really bad. It flips so much in my chest that it makes me cough. If I feel my pulse I can feel the skip "missing" beat. I cant feel my premature beats but I definatly feel the ones after. My doctor described it as "my heart if full of blood and has to push harder to get it all out due to the delay. I do notice that regular things cause me to feel a shortness of breath or maybe more accurately described in my throat. I feel like I need to breath deep. My doctor told me that this is all okay to live with. It took me a month to believe it. I dont think I want to live with the thumping because honestly it scares me. I have horses and I am very active and I do worry that it will just cramp up and have a heart attack. The treadmill did show that the premature beat went away as my heart rate went up but it did go up to 203! I am extremenly fit but I do know that my bpm spiks high when stressed with work. It also didnt come down for over 10 minutes.. everything else is normal so to speak. I have really low bp. In fact mine was 87/66 this moring so Beta blockers are not an option for me.
are you only feeling the flutter or do you have other symptoms?
I read up about it when I was told Id have to live with it because honestly I didnt like that answer.. But it is true. thousands of people live with it and are okay...
gillian95988 Rhosalina
Posted
Hi Rhosalina, did you get your results from the event monitor? I experience pvc's a lot sometimes when i have them they're every other beat.I stress so much about them...
Rhosalina gillian95988
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Hi there! I did. It showed I have PVC and PAC. He told me that this is 'normal' when I replied 'normal?!" he corrected himself and said it is not going to hurt me.. I do currently have the 30 day event monitor on. He said if it is too bothersome we can talk about beta blockers. But I cant take those as they reduce blood pressure and I already have super low blood pressure so that is not an option. The thumping in my chest finally subsided last week. Nothing has changed in my life so Im not sure why those would stop but I am glad they did. I do still have high BPM when I do things. Are you having any other symptoms? I am like you with the worry. and it has taken me a couple months to get used to the idea of this PVC/PAC. My recommendation to you is realize it is "livable" and isnt going to hurt you. My doctor had me buy salt pills 2grams a day which I got on amazon, drink one large gatoraide and 60 oz of water daily. I have a hard time drinking all that but I do think it has helped. Let me know what your symptoms are..
annabanana2019 Rhosalina
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reading your response was like reading what I write down in my anxiety journal. you describe the heart sensations so perfectly, that I have not been able to find myself. ive been suffering with palpitations, PVCs and PACs, you name it, for years. I am 31 years old and i cant imagine living like this till im old. will they get worse as i age? ive had the echo done and multiple holtor monitors. all come back fine. should i push for a stress test on treadmill? or just move on and learn how to deal. the heartbeats are so distracting that i cant concentrate on work. especially when it beats so weird it makes me cough. how can all this be normal? im afraid i will just fall over and die. anymore advice you have would be great!
jen82044 annabanana2019
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im so scared of mine. ive been wearing a holter for 11 days. the last 3 months the suddenly started and never stopped. its all day on and off, and i feel like its taking my life away from me. i cant enjoy things, im anxious all the time i just feel so defeated. saw the cardiologist who told me they wouldnt kill me and im more than likely ok, doing an echo and stress test in a few days.
i just dont understand what happened to me to go from having these rarely to having them on and off all day.
ive gotten to where i dread the night time, when they come on so strong and feel like the never stop.
i just want my life back. i can tell myself 1000 times it wont hurt me and im ok, but im scared anyways .
36 year old mom of 2 handsome boys ❤
Lpowell jen82044
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You just described exactly how I feel. I have had the rare PVCs here and there for years. Out of the blue a month ago I started getting them all the time. I have had an echo, numerous ECGS, 2 monitors and they all came back as normal and I was told they were benign. I am on beta blockers and they seem to help a little so I dont get them all the time but I still have the random episodes. I am always terrified of something bad happening to me. I have 2 kids and couldn't imagine not being in their lives. I know the doctors know what they are talking about but I can't help but think something else is going on and they need to fix it. I dont feel like myself anymore. I have become depressed and do not want to do anything. I just keep praying that all will be well and I will live a long life.
johnny16874 Rhosalina
Posted
15 years with me have same as you but still fraks me out
joe97764 jen82044
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Hello, I'm new to the site. Want to let you know I have these terribly, I have had stress tests, echo stress tests, heart MRI, ekg's, every test you can think of but nothing has helped. I have it bad for around six months then it goes away for a few months and then comes back. but when I am having them they are terrible.The holter monitor recorded thousands of PVC's. I have recently have noticed more disturbing symptoms , I have been waking up gasping for breath a few times. I know that sleep apnea can be a contributing factor in developing PVC'S so I may have a sleep test. I take a beta blocker but they don't seem to help much.
keisha06991 jen82044
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i feel you! I am 39 years old with two little girls and mine just started recently. ive been having issues with pvcs since April. ive also have terrible digestive issues, numbness and tingling in hands and feet, muscle twitching etc. Ive been to a cardiologist, GI doctor, neurologist, chiropractor. i see a therapist weekly bc i now i have depression and anxiety from al of this. I'm praying this gets better! i hope for you too!!
keisha06991 Lpowell
Posted
I am right there with you!
danielle30334 Rhosalina
Posted
You have described my feeling exactly. the coughing, thumping, etc. i use to get these flutters, thumps every once in a great while and it would give me a panic attack. wore 24 hour holter and never showed anything. Now, recently, they PVC's have been picked up on my E KG because they happen all day and all night long and are awful! It is so difficult to believe they are normal and not harmful to your heart. I was wondering if premenopause is bringing them on. It is going to be very difficult to live with these! i pray they go away!
Mnixon keisha06991
Posted
I have PVCs terribly and never have before the last 2 months. I could really relate to your story of bloating and indigestion and muscle twitching. The PVCs are constant after i eat to the point that i have lost a considerable amount of weight in fear of an attack. I have passed all of the cardiology tests and was prescribed Flecaniad only to "ease my mind". I haven't taken it due to the very serious possible side effects that are worse than PVCs. I have considered a neurologist to have my vagus nerve examined and i know that I have neck issues. Did a chiropractor help you at all?
lauren77398 Rhosalina
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hello fellow PVC strugglers! ive tried to read the previous posts as much as i can but there was a lot to keep up with!
Just wanted to drop my experiences in. im 31, ive struggled with "palpitations" since my second pregnancy in 2019, nothing noticed before then. i was told it was common and would pass but here we are almost 3 years on and theyre as frequent as they ever have been.
ive had two 72 hour holter monitors and im awaiting a referral for EKG (UK Nhs 16 weeks apparently). I struggle with heart burn and indigestion so i take 1-2 omeprazole a week to keep at bay.
finally got the GP to admit she didnt do blood tests for magnesium so could be low since i have other symptoms of it being low too! she said try around 370mg and see how i go. ive previously refused beta blockers until ive had a physical check of my heart via ultrasound since i dont want to mask anything. This is an ECG my apple watch caught the other morning on wake up.
i also suffer from high performing anxiety, i have a 4yo and 2yo so im stressed a lot of the time which the drs seem to latch onto.
did i miss anything? lol
tony52050 lauren77398
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Reading through all the comments on all the threads over the months these things often seem to first appear during pregnancy.
Which makes me wonder whether there is an element associated with hormones, minerals, nutrients and all the other elements of the 'engine oil' that keeps our bodies running smoothly
Many men suffer as well of course, but pregnancy would seem to be an obvious trigger for women.
The medical profession seem more willing to prescribe medication than get to the root of the problem.
If you are able to do so it would be most interesting to see if you could get your blood tested for a wider range of deficiencies than just magnesium.
Indigestion and associated problems also recur very frequently. Anxiety is also right up there also, although of course it may be anxiety follows the problems, rather than be the original cause
richard49104 joe97764
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I am confident Apnea is your gasping problem during the night which wakes you up, however, try to eliminate the fear factor regarding the skips.
It drove nuts for years. Been having them since I was seventeen, I am 77 now, still get them and still living.
Trust_no1 Rhosalina
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I would love to hear the results of your heart monitor if you don't mind sharing. I'm currently wearing a 30-day monitor and I'm halfway through.
nancy08725 jen82044
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I am experiencing the same thing. (((Hugs))) ❤
sartre87 Rhosalina
Posted
..........
richard49104 keisha06991
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tell your doctor regarding your digestive issues unless he already knows. otherwise have him give you something to calm down your Vagus nerve. This nerve can cause many of these problems you describe. Wishing you well
richard49104 Rhosalina
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I wish you the best. It's hard to put them out of your mind, but it helps if you can. I have suffered with them for 60 years, some days bad, other worse...and I am still alive. Relax...it's hard but you can do it.
bethany37078 jen82044
Edited
hi, i resonate with this so much! mine started out of the blue several months ago - I've always suffered with anxiety but never have i had symptoms like this which makes me think its not caused by anxiety? ive tried vitamin supplements, acupuncture and theyre still awful. At night and in the morning is the worst time for me, i find it hard to switch off when i can feel them as i think something bad is going to happen. i have two little girls and its stressing me out that i will die from these!
richard49104 Rhosalina
Posted
It's extremely difficult to relax with these buggers I know but you can try. If mine get to bad I pace around like a nervous chicken and then it seems I don't notice them so much. When you go to sleep lie on your back until you really tire. If you snack to much before bed blame it on the Vagus nerve. Many of us have more suggestions than the doctors because they really don't know the answer and we have the experience and some answers that may help. I am 78 and have had them since I was 17 years old. I get up in the morning quite often and I have many skips..After a while I have a few drinks: (I am not a drunk by the way) , and they seem to dissipate: is it coincidence or the alcohol causing a relaxation complex? I am not advocating alcohol...I am just saying what seems to drive them away for a spell. Who really knows.? I have to wear a monitor for two weeks just for a routine checkup... Will keep you all posted.
gina18787 danielle30334
Posted
You know, perimenopause is absolutely a contributing factor to them. I didn't start getting them until I was 39. I have good days and bad days that are very easy to link to hormones. They are commonly linked to hormone issues with age. My doc doesn't like to acknowledge that though, sometimes you need to find the right doc.
Do you know what your PVC burden is?