Been in sinus rhythm since Jan 22 from cardioversion due to PAFIB. However since July I have been experiencing ectopic beats. An ecg showed that I have PVC and LVH both usually innocent. But I am experiencing the extopic beats most of the day every day. I had a holter monitor last month for 24 hours but still waiting on results. Has anyone else experienced these before and do they usually lead back to Afib? My next appointment with my cardiologist isn’t for another two years and have an echo next year. But still a while away. I am 36 years of age and on 1.25 bisoprolol and 60mg edoxaban and have history with mitral valve regurgitation. Don’t want my afib coming back. Was going to come off my meds this year but have decided to stay on them because of this.
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I do take magnesium taurate. But will look in to the recipe above. I’m not very good at ensuring my electrolytes are well replenished even though I have a good diet.
Can I ask you why you add, Potassium citrate, Beet root powder, salt, and when you say you have to watch your diet, have you identified any foods that cause PVC's.
I have PVC and tachy but so far no AF, I am trying to identify the triggers.
Just returned from Greece 2 weeks, no tachy and PVC's pretty good considering wine large glass lunch and dinner, desserts lunch and dinner.
at home I eat very healthy no sugar, 14 units wine a week and I get tachy mainly around exercise, PVC varies. So , trying to figure what causes the tachy and PVC's
Ectopic beats after conversion to NSR seem to be quite common and from personal experience following ablations, I found them more troublesome so sympathies but they did eventually go away as my heart healed and my ANS (Autonomic Nervous System including vagus nerve) became more balanced and off ‘high alert’ mode.
I think it difficult to suggest anything other than practice of slow breath control that BobD suggests to stay calm and which does help many people but it’s something you need to practice and perfect. Slow your breathing to 7 or fewer breaths per minute, I call it LSD breathing - Long, Slow and Deep ie: focussing on using your diagram to ensure that you are not shallow breathing in the top part of your chest which will put you into high alert, which may well increase the number and severity of your ectopics. I found posture was also very important - when I was not upright with straight back or I bent over in exercise or to pick something off the floor the ectopics worsened.
If you are very symptomatic and the holter results show very high percentage then your doctor may prescribe meds or even ablation but it is worth trying the Lifestyle measures such as adjusting food electrolyte intake, breathing techniques and see if either rest or exercise help or worsen the symptoms.
Keeping electrolyte intake in balance through food intake may also help, I am very wary of taking electrolyte supplements without medical input but may be worth asking your GP or pharmacist for advice. Personally I find water melon with pure coconut water an ideal and natural mix which is my ‘go to’ if my heart feels a little unsettled.
Thanks for your response. I’m a very active person because of my job being a window cleaner, I also run and do press ups. I don’t get out of breath noticable different. But do feel very tired but that may be down to having two young girls and a sometimes demandning wife 😂 . Yes I won’t rush in to the electrolytes, will research and speak to a professional for their perspective. Have a feeling sometimes mine aren’t right though as some days I’m very sluggish and could be because of this?
It seems a long time not to be seen by a specialist given the issues you have suffered at your young age. Is there a reason, i.e. is this something you have been fully checked over for and been told there's no need for more frequent checks? Is your GP involved and helpful?
Too be honest after my mitral valve refutation repair at 13 I was discharged at 16 and told I will live a normal life. This changed when my af appeared in 2021 and since then have been under their supervision as my mitral valve does seem to be showing a mild leak and sometimes stenosis as well as my tricuspid. Personally I don’t think I’m being seen enough, although I’m not worrying or being symptomatic apart from the irregular heart rythym. My past three echo’s have all been different one showing 45% ejection fraction, the next showing I have moderate mitral stenosis, to the next showing I don’t have stenosis but mild regurtation in the mitral and triscupid valve. Recently I have also undergone genetic testing which shows I have the gene mutation which causes noonan syndrome. Although I am now diagnosed with this, I am not typical of someone with noonans as I’m tall no facial characteristics. But have heart problems and lymphoedema problems. The reason for this finding is since my youngest daughter has been born as few doctors have commented on her facial characteristics which prompted us to look in to things and discover noonan syndrome. Because of this I was fortunate to reach out to a geneticist who is part of the lymphoedema team I am under and voice my concerns about my daughter. She were glad to see her and me being her patients test me for it because she believed I may have it because of my history and if a parent has it, then the offspring has a 50% chance of inheriting that gene and the mutation in each affected child varies on pot luck some have more servere needs and others not so much (like myself). My point is cardiology are aware of this yet haven’t decided to make my appointments more frequent, which I’m guessing should be the case for those with noonans. My daughter has a few heart conditions because of this and I’m sure her appointments will be more frequent once we’ve got through these current stages. The NHS is so stretched at the moment. I have never seen an ep either only a cardiologist. I keep considering to go private and was going to see dr gupta until all this surfaced and just currently seeing how the next month goes to see if anything changes with my care plan. My GP seems to be acting, but no urgency and the answers I always ask for seem to always be very blasie. I keep pushing but will feel like I have a basis once the holter results come back and with my new diagnosis. Thanks.
You seem to be being looked after “okay” at least in the round. You also seem to be being very conscientious and careful over things which many don’t seem to be. Well done for that.
In the UK a cardiologist is usually part of a team with other colleagues, one or more of whom will have had catheter ablation training (i.e. be an “EP”). Your treatment will be identical with either specialist in my experience.
AF is not often as important as it feels as it seems the atria in the heart can become over sensitive or whatever it is that causes AF. Valve issues, I gather, can cause it, so that might be your experience.
I would, if I were you and your daughter, try to keep your general health in order, diet, exercise and weight-wise as the real issues these days are cardiovascular related such as diabetes and blood pressure. Poor diet, obesity and lack of exercise are silently leading many into a chronically less healthy future.
Thanks yes I have had to become this way due to admin failings in the past which has messed up appointments and caused huge delays. All I do is ensure all messages get from a to b.
thanks for explaining the ep to me that puts my mind at ease.
Yes I believe valve problems can cause af, but may af started after my AstraZeneca jab. Don’t know if it were related or just bad timing. The majority of people with noonan syndrome have heart conditions such as HCM and pulmonary stenosis. My daughter has both. But it is also common for people with to develop arythmyias later on life so god knows. Some things we don’t always have the answer for why?
I listen to a lot of podcasts because of the nature of my work. I’ve found the glucose goddess and Tim Spector advice to better my lifestyle so much. You are right as a nation we have been led to believe that everything we eat is about calories and saturated fats. Which has taken everyone’s eyes off terrible ingredients put in our foods. Whilst we aren’t as bad as what’s allowed in America. So many people have ultra processed food as part of their daily diets, and it’s causing loads of problems. I found the Middle Eastern/ Mediterranean way of eating to make me feel my best. Whole foods and olive oil is the way to go.
You seem to be doing all the right things - and being. well, a very good dad! Life often doesn't have a "why" just an "is". Our bodies are so unbelievably complex it's amazing that we all make it to whatever age we do!
AF comes from your Atrium, PVCs come from your Ventriculars,
LVH often happens if you have a bit of a BP issue.
Are your Ectopics associated with food? Worse after a meal?
Sounds like your meds are fine, but it could possibly be your Mitral valve?
Depending on the leaflets they can be long hitting the walls of the LV causing the LV to send off PVCs (VEs)
If they carry on, worth a chat with a Doctor he might ask for a Treadmill as benign VEs should go as your HR goes up, to around 130 bpm then restarts as HR drops.
I phone the GP today and they received my holter monitor results on Monday. The lady couldn’t give me any information as obviously a doctor needs to go through them with me. I have booked an appointment for the 31st so will get some answers then. The LVH is concerning me as last year my LV was normal size. So curious to know what this will be? I life a healthy lifestyle up and down ladders everyday, 5-10 k runs each week and hiking too. I eat well although I do indulge at times. As I get older I understand that those luxuries may need to be omitted, but it’s hard because I get so much enjoyment out of food. But yes a diary is good thinking so in case I see any patterns. Will let you all know how I get on.
Yes, loads of ectopics after my cardioversion two years ago, quite often irregular pulse too, but ignore them and get on with things. Doing quite a lot of fast walking, did ten miles walking dogs at local rescue on Sunday. Trying to keep fit and eating lots of unprocessed food, have given up alcohol, and try and get at least seven hours sleep a night. I'm in my sixties, hoping to start (moderate) strength training soon to try and get improve my body mass, you start losing mass after sixty or so. (ps the taurine didn't work for me but seemed to help with exercise...possibly. I dropped the bisoprolol but carried on with apixaban, doctor was ok with that).
Ectopics have been the bane of my life! They became very frequent before AF happened for the first time, and for a long time after that. Then they reduced to almost nothing — I did nothing. I don’t take supplements other than vitamin D and I don’t avoid any foods in order to avoid AF. So after a prolonged period with no AF and minimal ectopics, I caught Covid and it all flared up again, which was very disappointing. My most recent 24h Holter showed about 500 ectopics, which is a lot less than the several thousand that I was getting at one point ie in permanent ectopy. It was constant. Breathing exercises have never had any effect on ectopics or AF. I’ve been incorporating breathing/mindfulness into my routine long before I had AF etc as a way of reducing bodily stress, not as something with any outcome attached. I could list all the virtuous things I do, but I’ve always done these things and none of it prevented AF. I’m all in favour of looking after one’s general health and wellbeing regardless of any diagnosis, so my version of “do nothing” might look like someone else’s “I saw the light”. I hope you find some relief but sometimes things settle down for no obvious reason so take care of the important stuff and maybe spend less time micromanaging the the marginal stuff.
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bad ectopic heart beats
Started with Ectopic Beats then AFibAgain
Ectopic Beats
PVC - skipping beats
