PVCs ugh now what
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i am a relatively healthy 46 year old man. no family history of heart disease, etc. i recently started experiencing pvcs and it freaked me out. it got so bad i went to the local er to be seen. after a 12 lead ekg, full blood workup, chest xray, and then being monitored for 2 hrs everything came back normal. that im grateful for. er doctor said this can be normal ans since my ekg was normal, they did see some pvcs while monitoring me for 2hrs it was nothing to be concerned about. i have cut coffee out of my diet, i was a social drinker and cut that out. made some other diet changes. i have experienced several episodes since my er visit. trying to meditate and relax more. i would be remiss if i did not admit my stress and anxiety levels were higher. i am planning on seeing a cardiologist for a monitor and try and beat this. any advice would be appreciated. maybe im just overthinking this.
0 likes, 2 replies
anthony60610 jason45767
Posted
I'd recommend getting an echo cardiogram and a holter monitor for a week or so. If this all comes back normal you can have peace of mind that they are benign and nothing to worry about and you'd be surprised at how much the burden of them can be reduced just from hearing those results alone. If they are benign and you still find yourself being anxious about them, I'd consider seeing a therapist for CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy). My life was greatly effected by health anxiety (still is to some degree) but I saw a therapist and it improved my train of thought tremendously. I still have some slip ups here and there but the CBT helps you push those unrealistic thoughts away. Good luck.
PBF2.0 jason45767
Posted
The best way to beat them is to ignore them. It's ridiculous how much of it is inside our head rather than our heart. I have had the full work up including a 30 day monitor. "Benign ectopic heartbeats." That was followed by "You're fine." I didn't have them for weeks.
Actually, I did, but I didn't focus on them so I stopped noticing them.
Any time I start noticing them again and I start focusing on them I feel every, single, one of them. A great example is yesterday: I had been anxious during the morning and started feeling every flutter. By the afternoon I had gotten better news from my doctor about something else and even though I still had them, I stopped focusing on them.
My doctor even once said "What can I tell you to make you realize these are benign and will not hurt you?" That question alone caused me to stop noticing them for weeks.
So go ahead and do the full work up to get peace of mind, and then if they give you the nod "you're fine" try not to focus on them when you have them. It makes a world of difference.