Hi Shaun

yoopertom — Thu Aug 26, 2010 12:33 pm

Author: yoopertom

Posted: Thu Aug 26, 2010 12:33 pm

Pvcs come and go. There are some on this forum that have experienced a complete disappearance of the rascals, others have learned to live with them until they no longer register on their consciousness. Be assured that pvcs are benign, they are like an annoying sensation that can occupy a large part of our mind. Some folks take a light dose beta blocker and that seems to relieve the symptoms in some cases. Others alter their diet as the post above your alludes to and find relief.

There does not seem to be any one fix. However, relax and if and when they do occur continue what you are doing. Try to focus on the activity you are engaged in, or if you are sitting doing nothing get up and do something that distracts your attention from that fluttery, skipping sensation.

You are in no danger. The biggest danger is building an obsession over the sensation and that causes some folks real discomfort. You'll be OK.

Tom

Hi there

Superchips — Wed Aug 25, 2010 3:02 am

Author: Superchips

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 3:02 am

I've started experiencing what I 'think' are is PVC after a quite stressful day (exam results day) and also after eating a bit too much food at dinner. I can't seem to get any sleep at the moment as it is quite an uncomfortable feeling.

The weirdest part is that it mainly seems to happen when I think about them or start to worry about them (oh joy). Do you guys think this is a one off or am I now stuck with them for life, any advice would be appreciated as it is potentially quite worrying.

Shaun

Re: Heart skips a beat--"PVC's"

jlpinftl — Mon Aug 23, 2010 10:55 pm

Author: jlpinftl

Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2010 10:55 pm

I had PVC's in the past and they completely went away when I quit drinking. I still drink some caffeine and watch my salt and BP but have not had any recurrence since I stopped alcohol altogether.

Re: Heart skips a beat--"PVC's"

nh281 — Tue Aug 17, 2010 9:54 pm

Author: nh281

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 9:54 pm

Shaaron,

You need to discuss that with a cardiologist. As far as I know, a PVC every third beat is called trigeminy and is a well-studied cardiac abnormality that doesn't indicate certain doom or anything of the sort. But since it sounds like you haven't experienced that pattern before and you're still on a relatively new medication that affects the heart, you do need to speak with a doctor about it. I'm not intimately familiar with Metaprolol, but like any beta blocker it can cause heart rhythm changes in some people.

Your bouts of SVT sound pretty bad though - I would definitely consider an EP study and/or ablation after you have your baby.

Re: Heart skips a beat--"PVC's"

Shaaron — Tue Aug 17, 2010 5:24 pm

Author: Shaaron

Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 5:24 pm

Hi, I'm new here.
I am 36 weeks pregnant and I've been diagnosed with AVNRT at 9 weeks pregnant. I was placed on Metoprolol 50mg TID and up until now, I would say it's helped. I've had 4 huge SVT attacks (250-270 BPM) during the pregnancy requiring Adenosine to convert me back to sinus rhythm, but generally speaking the skipped beats have stopped and the last SVT attack was about 3 weeks ago.
That is up until now. I have woken up the past 2 mornings with many skipped beats, like every 3 beat is skipping, and no amount of resting is helping. Still taking the Metoprolol but now I'm concerned that maybe I should be more concerned about these skipped beats. Reading this forum, everyone is saying they are perfectly normal/okay to live with....but wow they are very disconcerting.
Any advice?

oh i forgot to add

boostjunkie92 — Sun Aug 15, 2010 2:46 pm

Author: boostjunkie92

Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 2:46 pm

my feeling of something being wrong with my heart started with what i think was a panic attack one day when walking to the bus stop..the pvcs started about a year ago when I took some ecstacy and my heart was "missing beats every few seconds and was freaking me out" for the last 6 months or so I have cut down on smoking and drinking, cut out all sodas energy drinks and any other caffine.

also pvcs aside i often get episodes where everything around me gets "dark" or wierd looking...im wondering if this is anxiety related?

Im new here..My name is Ricky

boostjunkie92 — Sun Aug 15, 2010 2:32 pm

Author: boostjunkie92

Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 2:32 pm

For the past year or so I have been getting Palpitations or episodes where my heart beats really hard or feels like it stops for a second then starts again with a hard thud...Since this has started I have been to the E.R 3 times in fear that I was dying but I "assume" it was just panic attacks...When these episodes occur its usually followed by lightheadedness, the feeling of losing balance for a second, everything around me becomes strange or foreign for a minute including people talking to me, feeling weak in the legs or just in general, hard to breathe or catch my breath. and other small changes to my conscious.

I have seen a cardiologist and have gotten many tests done including multiple EKGs, an X-ray, 24 hour Holter monitor, and a Stress test/ekg...Everything came back "fine".

After my last test (the stress test) and my last followup where the doctor discussed the results and said my heart was fine I began to accept that it possibly was just in my head and that I was fine. That is until yesterday when I went to Six flags and was mildly worried about what one of the bigger roller coasters would do to my heart...I went ahead and rode what seemed to be the biggest one (medusa) and everything seemed ok except for some hard beating but I quickly brushed it off since I was trying to assure myself I was fine...then went on another coaster right after it which was faster and pulled more G-force...after that coaster came to a stop I received several "missed beats" in a row followed by an intense lightheaded feeling and a quick sensation of a pressure rising in my upper body...when I got off the ride I was dizzy and felt as if I was slightly drunk when walking away...all of the usual symptoms followed (weakness, strangeness around me, trouble breathing).

My question is, is it possible that my doctor has missed something with my heart, did the roller coaster effect me that much or was all that just in my head? Cause it seemed pretty real to me even though I was working hard to ignore it...its kind of sad to think that there are a lot of things that i am no longer able to do in fear of losing consciousness or worse...

I do smoke but not alot and when I do its a partial cigarette and I do "party" once, maybe twice a week in which I do get drunk but dont drink more than 8 or 9 beers...I believe that my heart is not up to par because I started to drink alot when I was 18 (up to a bottle or more of liquor sometimes multiple times per week and do drugs, including a 6 month period where I was doing up to a half ounce of cocaine per week accompanied by weed, ecstacy and cigarettes. I am 24 now and fear that I have done some serious damage.

dammbela

yoopertom — Sun Aug 15, 2010 2:01 am

Author: yoopertom

Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 2:01 am

Hi and welcome to the irregular forum:

Stress and anxiety can contribute to a heart condition. There is not necessarily a direct correlation, however long term levels of stress can lead to physical problems ranging from digestive problems to sleep disorders. Too much stress generally is not good if not dealt with.

However, what you describe with your heart skipping a beat is a classic symptom all of us get on this forum. Skipped beats are called pvcs or premature ventricular contractions. It is kind of like pre-ignition in a car engine. It is scary and many on this forum encounter anxiety. However medical science says pvcs are benign. In other words they will not harm your heart.

Think of your heart as your fist. Now make a fist, now squeeze the muscles of your hand so your hand contracts. Now relax the muscles, that imitates heart action. A premature signal for your heart to beat gets triggered from some place in the heart other than the sinus node. Normal heart beats originate in the sinus node. That is why you hear Dr's use the term regular sinus rhythm. If a heart beat originates from some other part of the heart the heart senses the origination is incorrect and cancels the signal. This creates a pause which to us feels like a skipped beat. In fact the pause is the heart resetting the point of origination and triggering a normal beat. If you imagine your fist beginning to contract as it begins to push blood out into our delivery system, and then all of a sudden stops what happens is the hand relaxes open. No strain on the heart. The fluttering and pounding we feel is the sudden dip in hydraulic pressure in our blood system.

So pvcs are not dangerous. They are annoying, aggravating and can just flat piss you off. But, they won't kill you, nor will they contribute to heart disease.

The primary trigger for pvcs seems to be stress, but many people describe all kinds of conditions that trigger pvc events. It is not even considered a problem in the medical community.

Keep reading posts. Hopefully you will learn methods of coping with your condition, but relax you are OK and there are a lot of people on this forum that can add to your information and help you. They have certainly helped me.

Tom[size=12][/size]

Re: Heart skips a beat--"PVC's"

dammbela — Thu Aug 12, 2010 5:54 am

Author: dammbela

Posted: Thu Aug 12, 2010 5:54 am

Can a lot of anxiety and stress cause a heart attack in a person with a healthy heart? I have been to 2 cardiologists and a whole bunch of other doctors to check if I have a heart problem. They've done multiple tests and all conclude that I have a healthy heart. At times I feel a sense of my heart skipping a beat and off and on pain, I do suffer from some health anxiety and it stresses me out. I have a heart obsession I'm always afraid of something happening with my heart. I'm 21 yrs old and overweight but I have been eating healthy. I eat fish, lots of veggies and drink organic juices. So I just want to know if thinking bad things all the time can cause bad things to happen?

Re: PVC attacks

AAJArooji — Mon Aug 09, 2010 3:00 am

Author: AAJArooji

Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 3:00 am

quote:
Originally posted by AAJArooji
I have the same thing with PVC attacks. I have had this for 6 years now. it comes and goes and it is quite scary, however, I told my doctor of my symptoms and did the blood work. My blood work came back as a result of anemia. My iron levels were so low, so she told me that this was part of my problem with PVC's and to take over-the-counter Iron 325 mg plus B-12 1000 mcg which seems to work much better. I tend to get more PVC's two weeks before and after my period. Also, I noticed when I eat baked potatoes (high potassium) seems to help some. Additionally, I have had echocardiogram and Isotope Cardiac Stress test. The tests results were normal. It is annoying to live with this daily and keep thinking that I am going to have a heart attack any minute now. I am so glad that I am not the only one who is experiencing this problem as well.

It's August 8, 2010, I am free from Heart Arrhythmias for over month and half. I believe the Iron and B-12 have helped with getting rid the PVC's. I eat healthy and less caffiene intake. I am comfortable now to work out. I pray and hope it will never return. I hope for of you as well that it will go away quickly. My advice would be to get your iron and potassium levels checked out because you never know that it could be the contributing factor to your PVC problem. Take Care

Re: Heart skips a beat--"PVC's"

Tracy B — Wed Aug 04, 2010 6:35 pm

Author: Tracy B

Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 6:35 pm

Cdog911:

Hi and thanks for your post.

I'm glad you are doing well on Metoprolol . . . I am on the same dosage and it seems to do well for me most of the time . . . . I sitll have some bad times, but am pretty happy with it.

Just a quick question . . . when you were mentioning the tests that you have had you mentioned the King of Hearts???? What is that? I thought at first you were just using a play on words, but it seems as though it was an actual test??? Is that right? and if so, can you explain?

Thanks

Tracy B

Re: Heart skips a beat--"PVC's"

Cdog911 — Sat Jul 31, 2010 1:37 am

Author: Cdog911

Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 1:37 am

It has been a couple years since I posted here, and I wanted to share some positive things with you - especially those of you who are new to the whole PVC thing.

Yes, they are scary. Yes, they make you anxious because, as a group, I figure all of us are the worrying kind. And, yes, it is difficult to just accept your doctor's blanket statement that they are nothing to worry about. After all, he or she isn't going through the experience of that sudden THUMP in the upper left side of your chest.

To help us relate to one another, here is what I experience when I have a PVC. In many cases, I have a 1-3 second warning that it's coming, almost like a ratcheting up in the upper left portion of my chest, then there's that thud feeling when it fires. Through ppl like those found here, I was able to network and discover ways to help myself. As has been mentioned, reduce, if not eliminate all caffeine and refined sugar. At the same time, make sure that you're drinking ample amounts of water, especially at this time of the year. Dehydration will only make things worse for you. And alcohol consumption is a great way to become dehydrated! I drink a MINIMUM of 72 ounces of water every day and an extra ounce for every degree over 70-degrees where I'm working. It has had a profound impact on how many I experience, and how hard they hit. As an aside, diet soda and sugar substitutes are not good. The absence of all sugar caused my body to seek it out and I gained weight regardless of walking 12 miles a day. I've since gone back to SOME sugar because sugar is what your brain monitors to regulate your body weight and the like. Without it, you risk insulin rejection.

I've seen mention of atenolol, a beta blocker. I've been through a dozen different antihypertensives, including atenolol. That drug gave me the most vivid and horrendous all-night-long dreams that I was exhausted all the time. After several other trials with other classes of drugs, my new doctor finally started me on toprol, or metoprolol tartarate, 25 mg in the morning and again at night. This is a beta blocker that is also used to manage anxiety and it's a God send for me. I am able to relax for the first time in over thirty years and it has virtually eliminated my PVC's. It may not work as well for you, but it performs two key functions for me - controls my bp and my anxiety, and in doing so, controls my PVC's.

BTW, in case you're wondering, I've been through all the tests. EKG's, echoes, stress tests, and King of Hearts. The KoH was an eye opener for me because it allowed me to see that the type of PVC's I was producing were benign for a number of different reasons, and thus, nothing to be too concerned about.

Before the Toprol, when I had them, I just shrugged them off. The main problem I had with them is that they would wake me at night, and that, in and of itself, caused some stress through sleeplessness. Today, I can sit down, relax, and inside five minutes be asleep in my easy chair. I'm 45 years old and don't recall being able to ever do that. At its worst, I always felt like I had a low level electrical current running through my body. Today, I can relax and there's nothing to bother me.

If the doc says that you're okay, accept them, live with them, and don't let them determine who you are or what you do with your day to day life. If you do, you become your own worst enemy. Best wishes to everyone and thanks for the much needed help. It does and can get better.

Re: Heart skips a beat--"PVC's"

Mr Good — Tue Jul 27, 2010 2:09 pm

Author: Mr Good

Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 2:09 pm

@ JV -

I am the same and I am sure most of us are - with me i haev had these for years and i know nothing is serious and yet i still seem to have the odd urge to rush to hospital and have to stop myself. aside from that I should be totally conditioned to the PVC's having had them so long.

I struggle with what came first the anxiety or the PVC's I feel without the PVC's I wouldnt have the anxiety/panic.

How much is too much? I have attacks of these things every other beat or 2 normal beats and then skip (repeat) seems a common theme, this can last i various amount of time sometimes i still panic sometimes not must depend on my mood even so there not going way either way. some bad days some good.

I am sure some have them more than thi sand some less - we are all still alive and healthy.

So dont worry about these things - i dont check here often enough to give advice but read through as many back posts as you can they offer a lot of knowledge. be well!

Re: Heart skips a beat--"PVC's"

tatine — Mon Jul 26, 2010 1:17 pm

Author: tatine

Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 1:17 pm

Hi there,
I haven't posted in ...forever...just thought I would stop by to see how it was going for people afflicted with these irregular heart beats. So glad to see so much support still out there.
It was certainly a good send for me when things started getting so out of control for me.
Thanks again for such good people on this thread!

Re: Heart skips a beat--"PVC's"

Mr Good — Mon Jul 26, 2010 12:08 pm

Author: Mr Good

Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2010 12:08 pm

hi all
just checking in. as ive not been here for a while, not had much spare time, and I have been managing without checking back here.
but glancing through the posts always really helps. I have all the same issues with the excerise thing and just lately my skips have been worse than ever!! and thats when I have been quite bad previously anyway.

i have my beta blockers which i try not take unl;ess i have to, but just lately i have had an insane amount of pvc's at times theres hardly a normal beat in between and i cant beleive i am still standing sometimes. I then start to feel dizzy short of breath all the usual suspects and yet everytime i am ok!!!. I cant quite understand because you would think that i would be used to it, wouldnt you. surely it happens everday ffs. but no. every time it seems to be that they go just bad enough to freak me out!

The beta blockers help and i have had to take one every day, just lately. but they dont always cut them out completely! excercise I still do but it does make them a lot worse probably all in the mind but even though I know this, its still impossible to control. still struggling with anxiety and pvc's guys but reading that we all have similar really does help.

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Hi Shaun

Hi there

Re: Heart skips a beat--"PVC's"

Re: Heart skips a beat--"PVC's"

Re: Heart skips a beat--"PVC's"

oh i forgot to add

Im new here..My name is Ricky

dammbela

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Re: PVC attacks

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Re: Heart skips a beat--"PVC's"