Af gone(for the minute) new problem now,pvcs.

[Achant1]

Hello everybody, had to go to A&E last night because I was having PVCS nearly every other beat, not causing chest pain but very uncomfortable and anxiety inducing. Bloods came back normal. I have a holter monitor coming on Tuesday, 72 hours and an echo coming up at the Brompton possibly an mri too. They have upped my beta blockers to 2.5 in the morning and 2.5 at night as they don’t want to give me flecainide until they know more about how sound my heart is. Anyone else experienced this? I am struggling to take on board a new arrhythmia but I guess that’s just the way it goes. I know this could all possibly be benign as well, it’s the not knowing that kills you. Many thanks you lot. Can pvcs be stress induced?

[Lien-Ju]

1 year after my ablation I started to have ectopic beats, something like 30-40 ectopic beats per minute. They didn’t find anything at the hospital, they gave me flecainide for 1 week then it was gone. I realized I have ectopic beats after a large/fat meal or/and if I’m bloated. How is your stomach? It can be totally unrelated but in my case if my stomach is upset ectopic beats appear.

[Achant1 in reply to Lien-Ju]

Thanks for your reply, were they pacs or pvcs? The nurse and doctors say I’m getting nothing from above now, just from the lower chambers, my beats seem to come with rest and sometimes food.

[Lien-Ju in reply to Achant1]

Doctor confirmed me pvcs, the weirdest part is that I didn’t experienced them for at least 6 months following this episode. Now it came back with vengeance especially at night, if I lay down on my left side I feel them every minute and it is nearly impossible to sleep, if I bend over I feel them, if I stand up too quickly I feel them and if my meal is too large and I’m bloated I have a bad episode. Did you see your cardiologist? Don’t know if it’s ablation related. Lately we discovered that my wife was having ectopics beats (couldn’t tell pacs or pvcs) few days in month, doctor tell us it was because of menstrual cycle.

[Achant1 in reply to Lien-Ju]

I am still under dr Markides at the Brompton, so I’m great hands, loads of tests coming up but that’s the way it goes.

[mjames1]

I've had similar runs of ectopics and either they threw me into afib or just went away on their own. Not to minimize ectopics, but as long as they don't throw you into afib, they can be more of an annoyance than a real problem with many of us.

Can't speak to upping the beta blockers and not really a fan, but your doctors are prudent in not starting Flecainide until they establish your heart is structurally sound. Hopefully, by the time they finish testing, the ectopics will go away on their own accord and you won't need it.

And yes, stress can cause ectopics as well as a number of other triggers. In my case it is eating the wrong foods or too much at once. Also exercising. Too much or too little is not good for me. Going on the FODMAP diet has helped me a lot. Breathing excercises per Dr. Gupta online has helped some.

Jim

[Achant1 in reply to mjames1]

I’m hoping they go on their own, the burden today is way less than yesterday. I’m not keen on beta blockers but like you say, no flecainide until we know I’m sound.

[Achant1 in reply to mjames1]

Were your ectopics upper or lower?

[mjames1 in reply to Achant1]

I mostly had PACs and many times in runs -- bigemeny and trigemeny. Now that I'm on flecainide, I have occasional PVCs but very occasional. Maybe now is not the time, but if bisoprolol is effecting the quality of your life, you should ask your doctor for a trial off of them. Like I mentioned, I never used beta blockers or calcium channel blockers on a daily basis until I started Flecainide and now that I've reduced my Flecainide to 25mg, twice a day, my doctor has allowed me to stop the diltiazem. I'm a firm believer in minimizing or eliminating medications when side effects occur, of course only with your doctors blessing. This can involve some experimentation and a doctor willing to go along.

Jim

[Achant1 in reply to mjames1]

I think they’re a bit concerned about the amount I was having, I am under a lot of stress at the minute, but who isn’t? I will take the beta blocker later and see how it makes me feel. The good thing is, is no pacs at all.

[RG72]

I had a very similar episode. I don’t have AF (as in a classic fast HR) but I was getting a run of pvcs that at its worst was 1 beat in every 3 ‘missing’. This lasted for around 4-5 hours (I was in A&E but discharged myself - I live in a country where very few speak English and the doctors didn’t seem too concerned).

I am very convinced that stress was a major factor. My doctors seem to say that stress can be a trigger and/or be a contributing factor but play down it being a main cause. But, like yourself, my episode came at peak stress that had been building and maintained for a long period of time. In my mind it was the biggest notable element in any kind of lifestyle difference. As always, there is no smoking gun for our condition, so I still have no explanation as to why my heart went crazy.

My pvcs diminished over time, but this took medication and several days to normalize to a level where it didn’t seem constant. 5 months on I am now under 30 per day according to my latest holter report. So a small victory!

[Achant1]

Thanks for your reply, the burden seems non existent when I’m moving but regular when resting. I have a holter coming, an echo and an mri. Hopefully I don’t have any other heart problems, my bloods were good the other day so I’m pretty sure I haven’t.

[snak3eyes]

I have ectopic beats daily and it's getting worse. Especially at night. And I can feel them very intensely. It's driving me crazy.I've tried magnesium, didn't work.

I'm on 2.5mg bisoprolol.

They come up at rest.

I can't pinpoint a trigger source. It's random.

I want to find a way to at least reduce the frequency.

Has anyone with ectopics found something that worked for them ?

[Achant1 in reply to snak3eyes]

The arrhythmia nurse told me to take another 2.5 of bisoprolol at night as well, last night after dinner the pvcs were every other beat, 30 mins after taking second beta blocker, calmed right down, are yours upper or lower ectopics? I would get in touch with a professional if your burden is effecting your way of life.

[snak3eyes in reply to Achant1]

Mine are mostly PACs.Now I'm taking bisoprolol just in the morning.

I'll surely see my EP about that but it's going to take some time until then.

[WildIris]

My father was athletic and had a resting heart rate of around 40 (without meds) even in his 70s and 80s. He had his heart tested every year and always had a lot of ectopics and brief PAF episodes, because apparently the long space between beats invites ectopies, but he just joked about it. Life is short, he had enough other problems. I on the other hand always worry about my heart. My goal is to be more calm and cheerful rather than to stop the arrhythmias. (I have also had very frequent ectopies that I feel and worry about).

[Achant1 in reply to WildIris]

Thanks for your reply, your dad sounds like an inspiration to us all, my own father had no heart problems until he was 67 and one half of his heart enlarged, he is now in permanent Af at 75, with cardio myopathy, and you wouldn’t have a clue anything is wrong with him. Do you know what ectopics you are having, mine are now pvcs, very often at rest, which is horrible. My resting heart rate is 57, but much lower when I sit still for a while. Positive vibes are a must, but it’s hard to be positive when your heart is missing every other beat.

[WildIris]

I know what you mean, about the difficulty in being positive. Breathing deeply helps, and telling myself all the reasons not to freak out, then feeling positive in brief intervals. Reaching that way for the part of myself that wants to be happy. I know you didn't ask for advice, that's just what works for me.