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
teri76755 michelle1015
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I feel so badly for all of us, but it such a relief to see that others deal with this too. I've had PVCs off and on for about 3 years - roughly a year before and 2 years after menopause. In the last 4 weeks they are happening constantly. I had a persistent case of tonsillitis in February and I wonder if the PVCs are related to that or to the antibiotics I took. I had an echo last week and wore a holter for 24 hours. Still waiting for results. I've been seeing a heart rhythm specialist for 3 years and he always tells me the PVCs are benign. He prescribed 50mg metroprolol daily which I started 2 years ago. My bp is usually 110/75 or so and HR is in the 50s, so I don't think I could tolerate a higher dose. It just seems very strange that they are suddenly so frequent. It gets worse as the day goes on and are the worst after dinner. I no longer worry that they are signs of a heart attack, but I am worried about wear on my heart over time.
Mauriguy michelle1015
Posted
I'm 44 and on Lexapro. PVC started more regularly this year and makes me more anxious. So unfortunate as if my GAD symtoms were not enough.
Will have myself checked soon but I'm pretty sure to be driven home with PVC for unknown reasons! Terrible feelings....
sandy138 michelle1015
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Hi everyone! I'm a 34 year old mom of two, and, I am also experiencing frequent PVC's day and night. they seem to get worse when im resting, and improve while im exercising. so strange. Ive had them for about 10 years. i had xray done, ekg's, many trips to ER's and every time, I was sent home for pvcs that i will have to live with, apparently. They surprisingly went away on their own for two years, but recently came back with a vengeance. I dont have any other symptoms, just the constant flip flopping in my chest that scares me, gives me anxiety, and makes things worse. I'm hoping to see my Dr soon, because this cant be normal. I'm so happy that I came across this forum because now, I dont feel so alone in my struggle.
sandra06561 sandy138
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Sandy138,
I was wondering how many pvcs are/were you getting daily and if your symptoms have improved? I am a 54 year old female who started getting very frequent pvcs (thumps, double beats, pauses) several times a minute, all day and night, for the past month. Unfortunately, my doctor is only doing visits by phone and will not see me right now. He asked that I double be dose of beta blocker that I have been on for 20 years for SVT. This does not seem to help and makes me more tired. He is finally sending me an event monitor by mail that should be in by the end of the week. This is consuming my life. I almost want to run to the ER, but I am afraid they will send me away due to Covid19. What has worked and not have worked for you?
sandy138 sandra06561
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I was getting A LOT. I would count up to 30 pvc's in one hour, every hour, non stop for almost two months straight, and just like they came, they left. During that time, I did drink a lot of water, and began taking magnesium supplements, eating a lot of greens, and foods with potassium. like, salmon, avocados, bananas, coconut water. I ran into some information (when i was googling pvcs driving myself crazy), stating that low magnesium and/or low potassium levels can trigger pvc's in some people. I figured it couldn't hurt to try it out. Luckily for me, since then, I've only experienced like, 1-2 pvcs in the span of 2-3 weeks. I can totally live with that, instead of the hundreds i was having a day. I understand how you feel about possibly being turned away at the ER, but if you feel in your gut to make the trip, MAKE THAT TRIP. your life matters just as much as everyone else, and they don't turn away anyone with heart symptoms. they'll at least do an ekg. I hope what has worked for me, works for you too!
sandra06561 sandy138
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Thank you for your response. I have read on heart forums before over the years, but always wondered how everyone was doing after they had posted. I am not new to PVCs and have had them on and off for many years, just not in this duration and severity. I went from having one every couple of minutes to having at least 2-8 every minute and sometimes every other beat for long runs. The doctor did not seem to worry when we talked over the phone. I really think unnoticed stress is causing mine and change in sleep schedules. I also had started a keto based diet which I thought was the culprit, but I have since stopped with no effect on lessening my arrhythmia. I will start eating a cleaner diet and and adding foods rich in those minerals.
macada sandra06561
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Hi, I just saw your comment and wanted to let you know that I have been having palpitations for the past 9 days- every day off and on all day. I have had them before in my life but never daily. I am 59 and I have health anxiety. On the 4th day of having them I phone my doc , she is only doing phone visits due to COVID. I explained my palpitations to her and told her that I am not dizzy or experiencing any pain and she told me that they sound like PVC palpitations. She told me that if we weren't dealing with the pandemic now she would send me to the lab for bloodwork, an ecg and a 24 hr holter monitor but she felt that that would cause me more anxiety at the moment because of the covid virus. She did tell me that if it gets worse to where I am experiencing dizziness or pain she wants me to call her back. I'm not experiencing either of those things and hopefully I won't. I go for a fast paced 45 minute walk every morning and I don't seem to feel them then. I have had quite severe anxiety the past couple of years but no palpitations up until 9 days ago and now they are daily. I have to focus on having faith in my GP's advice that they aren't a cause for concern. I am also working on weight loss as I am quite overweight. I live alone and they are scary for me- it's hard not to think the worst thoughts when there is nobody here to talk to about it. Do you deal with anxiety issues even before the palpitations started? I would love to hear from you .. 😃
sandra06561 macada
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Macada,
I am so sorry that you are experiencing these palpitations too. It is so hard for people to understand unless they experience them too. I do tend to worry a lot and probably do suffer from a bit of anxiety at times even without the palpitations. Multiply that by 10 with the palpitations. I have had pvcs for many years (not excessive) and was diagnosed with svt over twenty years ago. Since then I have been on a beta blocker for the svt . In 2017 my doctor ordered a 24 halter monitor which showed I had 1,104 pvcs and some short runs of svt, so he increased my dosage of my beta blocker. Since then I have been fine, until mid March when I went for two days of slow two mile walks. I had noticed an increased amount of pvcs the days before. That is why I started walking to maybe relieve some stress of watching the news of Covid19 and to get out of the house. I also had increased my dosage of beta blocker by 20mg which my doctor had advised to do when I have symptoms. The following mornings after two days of walking....WHAM!!! My heart is now stuck in pvc mode. Back to back (bigeminy) for several beats in a row.I called my doctor who wanted me to double my dosage of beta blocker. No relief and too many symptoms, so I went back down to normal dose. I kept messaging him and begging him to do something. He finally ordered a 30 event monitor and it was delivered to my home. I have been wearing it for 11 days now. I can push a button when I feel them or if the monitoring system detects an arrhythmia it records and send it to my doctor. The doctor's office called me on Thursday and said the doctor wanted me to start taking a baby aspirin and start on Flecinaide for what he saw were some short runs of atrial flutter. No mention of my pvcs so I guess he is not alarmed with them. I agreed to the baby aspirin, but said no to the medication until I saw him in the office for further testing. I have an appt. set for mid May. Some days are tolerable (1-2 beats/min) and some days are terrible (4-8 beats/min). I cannot pinpoint what makes them worse. I try and stay positive and I don't let them bother me, but it is hard at night when they seem to be even worse at times. I am sure it is hard being by yourself. I know when this started I was more scared when my husband was at work ( working 2 24hr. work shifts a week). Did you start a low carb diet when this started? I had started on a Keto diet a week before all of this started, but since have gone off of it and no relief though. I would ask your doctor for at least a halter monitor. Please keep me posted on your outcome of what works and doesn't work. I will post after I see my doctor in a couple of weeks. Message me anytime.
macada sandra06561
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I'm not on a "diet" per se, I've just started my own weight loss plan where I keep my calorie intake at 1500 calories- it's been just over 2 weeks now since the palpitations began and I'm still having the flip flops daily. Most of my excess weight stems from sugar bingeing so I have been cutting that out, although my doc says that sugar does not cause heart palpitations but caffeine does, there is caffeine in chocolate. I wonder why they came on all of a sudden 2 weeks ago? I quit drinking alcohol 18 years ago because it started to give me tachycardia. I have had bad anxiety for the past 3 years since my mum died and I only get about 3 hrs sleep per night but I do lay in bed and rest and that helps- I have had to accept my insomnia otherwise it gets worse and I don't sleep at all. I live alone in a condo bldg. and that creates more panic for me as I don't have anyone to turn to to help me through this, so it ends up on my mind all of the time. I need reassurance to help me relax. 😦
christian04559 sandra06561
Posted
Hello Sandy, I am 49 and have had these for years. Currently going through a rough patch of thumps,thugs,skipped and rolling beats. I get them on and off all day. My suggestion is to get a hold of a cardiologist and have a Stress Echo and halter monitor if possible. I also Have a Kardia 6 lead home EKG unit at home. I have a structurally healthy Heart and have been told its anxiety.. Get all your test done and try not to let them ruin your life, they do suck, wish I had a magic answer for you!
keith70603 michelle1015
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Today started my third day of constant PVCs. I'm 60 years old and overweight, I had an a-flutter ablation a couple years ago it was successful (I think).
I'm having bigeminal PVCs all day relentlessly. was very anxious but now I'm giving up on stressing. I'm going for another halter and blood test but my GP and Card both tell me i have a good heart these won't kill me. But my GP said thats easy for him to say he's not suffering the thumping in his chest .
I have great support at home and wish there was a magic pill to make them go away. I hate the lack of control over this condition. I don't smoke, drink but I wrote the book on being neurotic and anxious. It is so frustrating that our Doctors don't share our terror.
I hope we all get better and enjoy our lives, it is good to know I'm not alone.
gina18787 keith70603
Posted
Can I ask what your PVC burden is? I have them for days in a row, some days worse than others and told my heart is structurally sound but I'm still having too many and I have to see another specialist. Stressful.
kevin73429 michelle1015
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PVC's....
I feel I could write the book. Im a 48 year old male, pack a day smoker, recovering alcoholic...three years sober.
I noticed pvcs almost 20 years ago, very faint and infrequent, but was prescribed a beta-blocker, and life went on.
As I have aged, so have my PVC's. I can have intense episodes daily, skipping 6-10 at a time in succession....to the point of taking my breath away. Ive had two stress test, countless Echo's, X-Rays, trips to the ER, sick days...you name it.
And after all that, you have PVC's, deal with it. What?!
They are scary, especially when your just resting watching TV. I expect them at work when Im climbing a ladder with lumber on my shoulder...but riding my motorcycle...or soaking in the tub, really?
And they change in intensity...some are faint little bumps, some are like someone is inside my chest knocking on the door to get out...very unnerving; oh yeah, anxiety. Ive found that anxiety/panic and PVC's are two peas in a pod...they feed each other, big time. Even an exciting discussion (as someone else pointed out), an angry thought, a deep kiss with a pretty girl, a quick catch of the breath, grunting during a bowel movement...ad infinitum...
For me, cutting back on soda and caffeine helped a great deal...and of coarse smoking aggravates it as well. I also try to drink plenty of fluids, especially during an "episode."
Coughing can help reset my heart pattern during an episode, as can bearing down like your going to the bathroom...and sometimes you just have to rode them out.
There is some solace knowing we are not alone...thanks for the words of concern/encouragement everyone.
macada kevin73429
Posted
Congratulations on your sobriety- that's fabulous!
On a different note- I stopped having tub baths and now I only shower as soaking in a tub increased my BP and heart rate, just thought I would mention that:) ..Mary
Daniellaalyssa kevin73429
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It is so nice knowing I am not alone. I am 30 and started getting PVCs when I was about 23? Right around the time I was diagnosed with Anxiety (they really are two peas in a pod). I was super active growing up, definitely went through some trauma as Im sure we all have , but never once did this skipping, irregular beat that sometimes feels like a kick in my chest and makes me cough because I feel dizzy and anxious. I can feel it trying to correct itself sometimes and can last for several minutes (which feels like a lifetime to me). It can happen just watch a movie on the couch, or with any extreme emotion (happy or angry or sad) even during intimacy. I get scared to exert myself in any way because I know I am risking getting a PVC which can turn into a chain. I feel like they have gotten substantially worse since COVID and I have developed an agoraphobia of sorts.
I get scared to go anywhere alone due to the fear of getting a PVC that can spin out of control and I always think the worst. I even get scared being home alone and fear the what-if's as well.
I have been to 3 cardiologists, had three 24 hour holster monitors, 3 echos, a stress test and a bubble study. I also have a coronary artery CT set up just to put my anxiety at ease and to show there is nothing wrong with my heart. They did find that I have a PFO (a small hole in my heart that I was born with) but it isn't related as this didnt start flaring up until I was in my mid 20s. I suffer from serotonin syndrome so I cannot take any sort of antidepressant for anxiety. I took xanax for a while, and while it helped immensly, the withdrawls were not worth it and its not something you want to be on for life.
I actually just had a bad PVC episode at the grocery store which of course turned into an anxiety attack at the grocery store and it took a good 5-10 minutes of sitting for my heart to finally regain its normal rhythm.
I just want to feel normal again. The cardiologist says its totally liveable, I just don't like being in this constant state of fight or flight. I am convinced Im going to have a heart attack every time it happens.
Also, overshare but I feel like if I hold in my pee and really need to go, I will almost ALWAYS get a PVC. So over this
molly83981 Daniellaalyssa
Posted
i am also afraid to exert myself for fear of Palps. i am told i am told i can workout, but when i do a strenuous workout i have bad palps for like a week. If i am idle i dont notice them or rarely have them. i know its good for me to exercise, but i am scared to have a week of excessive palps. i too go into anxiety and panic when i have many for more
@@than a few days. i feel like im going to die. my husband is so over this. he is no help anymore for therapy lol. i just want to be able to exert myself and live a long happy life with my 2 beautiful children.