PVC Hell

Hi Anne

I feel for you. I started getting them round about February and now they have increased considerably. I had no idea that Bigeminy was PVCs. I have read that these are harmless unless you have heart disease. Can I make a suggestion Anne? What made mine worse, was a couple of months ago I started getting them after eating. I thought it weird and looked at the label of the sausages, then I started looking at everything I ate .... I discovered that I had become allergic to Metabisulphites. This damn stuff is in just about everything! Have a look at the back of all labels under 'Ingredients' and look for the bold writing. Anything that ends in 'phites' is of the same group. I was told to take antihistamine by the doctor, but checked it out on line first. It apparently could cause tachycardia, so I didn't take it. Clearly, I was producing too much histamine. Then about 4 weeks ago, I was stung by a bee. I decided not to do anything about it, albeit the swelling was huge and it was painful. My sister laughed, because I said I wondered if it could work like immunisation? A week later, I decided to try some lovely walnut bread that has sulphites in. I keep improving and am almost back to a normal diet - and yes Anne, putting on a little weight that was lost. I still get them, but a bit less. In fact sometimes they go on for hours and hours and I feel so ill. I feel light-headed and sometimes even sick. My heart feels like a wet fish, thrashing about. I've read in the past how others struggle with this - now it's my turn. Anne, have a look at your foods and drinks .... squash has sulphites in as well. I hope it might help. Please let me know. Thanks. Denise.

hi Anne, I have had for the last 28 years ectopic beats, and have ended up in hospital 5 times with tachycardia, I won't waste your time by whittling on, I have found great relief by accident in taking, dog matil, which was prescribed for me for my vertigo, it is for a lot of things including physiological disorders, I noticed it calmed down my anxiety as well, I do not take it on a regular basis, maybe a couple every few days or so, if that, it actually made me feel calm about the eptopics, it so far has not affected me in any bad way at all, I live in spain and have a blood test every six months which has always been fine, and the tablets have given me no side effects, with the added bonus off almost zero eptopics, I also take Biodramina 50 mg tablets these are for travel sickness, and they take away that stomach tightness normally associated with eptopics, this is the Spanish name for them but i,m sure you can check them out for the equivalent, also stugeron 15 mg travel tablets help, but these I do feel a little drowsy, don't be scared to try them , to be honest i got to the point of not giving a sod about what I had to do to stop them, my life has changed for the good, I hope they help you as well, I still get a small episode when I get up tight , its normally when i forget to take the tablets for a week or so,but I feel in control knowing that I can just take a tablet to smother them down again, right or wrong I don't know , but it works for me, and so far almost every time knocks the eptopics on the head, maybe you have a different reason for them than me, but defo worth a go,

I know your anxiety. I am in the same situation. I've had the PVC's - irregular beats on and off for a number of years. At one point I went to the emergency room because they were happening so often. Of course when I was hooked up to the EKG, there was not a one that occurred. I saw my cardiologist shortly thereafter. He sent me home with a holter monitor to wear for an entire month. The result was it was PVC's and nothing to worry about. The irregular beats will usually leave me for long periods of time. These past couple of months though, I have been having them pretty much every day. My next scheduled cardiologist appointment was for next October. But since they started happening so frequently, I made an earlier appointment. I saw the nurse practitioner earlier this month. She actually heard one of the missed beats as she listened to my heart. The EKG she took that day, she said was normal. But she scheduled me for an ECHO the next week - that I had done on the 12th of this month. She also sent me home with a heart monitor. A new one called a Zio XT. It is very small, about the size of a 9 volt battery that is attached to your upper chest with adhesive strips that contain the electrodes to monitor the heart rate and rhythm. I have to wear it for 2 weeks, then I mail it back in. I sleep with it, and even shower with it on. It records 24 hours a day. If I feel something unusual, I can press a little button on the device and I can write down the event in a little diary that came with the thing. You don't have to write everything down, nor press the button each time. It still records every beat. I have an appointment with the cardiologist the first week of September for the results of the ECHO and the heart monitor.

Just a thought though. I have been suspecting a relationship between what I eat and these awful irregular beats. The vagus nerve and the esophagus play a big roll in the rhythm of the heart. I know that sometimes when I have eaten something too spicy, or that may have food additives like nitrites, or MSG, they are triggered. But not all the time. I know what you go through. And I am hoping that the results will show something and be something that can be treated. I also have started taking magnesium - not sure if it does any good, but I've read that it does. I do wish you the best though.

How are the PVCs now ?

Hi annee.... I know what you're going through. I am 78. and have had them off and on since I was 17. The past week or so have been bad. Tonight they are every fourth beat. I am wearing a Irhythm heart monitor for 7 days. I have worn the Holter and have had echo, cardiogram and all I hear is pvc's pac's. Yes I know just give something. When I go back to my doc, I am going to suggest an anti arhthymic. I will write you again and update you on what I find out. Take care and try to relax.