So iv been experiencing very slight discomfort in my chest recently from getting PVCs a Kardia EKG shown up. Also my stomach/belly area occasionally gets discomfort.
I started with palpitations about 2 months ago and all blood tests, chest X-ray and loads of ECGs done by hospital have all came back clear and fine.
The doctor at the hospital pre-scribed propranolol to me to take to take "when required" this was beause I felt anxious about my heart rate going up and some days over 100bpm. I still find this happens when I'm moving around doing daily activities but my heart rate has lowered "at rest" since taking propranolol.
I went back to see my GP as I still felt overwhelmed probly as i kept going off googleing stuff online about PVCs, palpitations, propranolol (my own fault) which then in return has made my anxiety worst.
My GP also put me on omeprazole 10mg so iv always suffered from heart burn and its got worst as I've got older. This has completely gone since taking omeprazole however I now feel cramps, bloating and sometimes discomfort around my stomach/belly area.
I brought a Kardia EKG machine which most of the time shows normal sinus rhythm but recently a few times has come up with PVCs. I have literally changed everything in my life style to try and help from not drinking alcohol, stopping caffeine, to exercising (swimming) to eating more veggies, fruit, low fat food products, wholegrains and no take out foods but I'm still worried I may have a heart condition (not being diagnosed professionally) still still waiting on a 24hour ECG machine from my GP and been referred to the cardiologist, however my GP doesn't feel my referral is urgent but some days I feel so bad I start to worry this is something more sinister so I am trying to get my anxiety under control as I know that is a factor in some cases for PVCs I'm experiencing.
I was never told to completely stop propranolol this was only by people not by the doctor/GP, I only took it "when required" but then started to feel more anxious beause of my fright and flight responces & PVCs, I then upped my dose (advised) by my GP so I started taking 10mg x 3 per day then gradually up to 10mg x 4 per day which I started with bad headaches and also light headedness.
The questions I have for people are:
How long do people get withdrawal wystem for coming off propranolol?
Has anybody had or has PVCs, how do they handle them?
Have people changed the dose of propranolol to help with certain things, heart palpitations, anxiety, chest pain?
Does acid reflux/heart burn really affect your heart palpitations, are they linked?
Thanks for taking the time to read my story
Written by
AWhittaker
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Hi, I suffer with PVC’s and PAC’s. I have had lots of investigations, about 4-5 echo’s (due to having chemo and some for the PVC’s) but all have come back normal. Ectopics which are PVC’s and PAC’s are almost always benign. I’ve been told that they are harmless and won’t strain my heart in any way.
Mine are absolutely triggered by anxiety and stress. I use breathing exercises really helpful, I breathe in for 2-4 seconds and exhale for 4-6 and it was the only thing that worked for me. It took a few days of doing it to work but honestly I was getting a lot of PVC’s/PAC’s a day, like 1000’s. I was convinced I had something wrong with my heart but I have been assured my heart is ‘perfect’. So try not to let anxiety get the better of you, I know that’s easier said than done sometimes, I suffer with Health anxiety after being diagnosed with cancer at 29 but after dealing with my anxiety my skipped/extra beats have been so much better. I still get some don’t get me wrong, but I don’t get 1000’s a day anymore and I don’t let them bother me as much anymore but when my anxiety goes up, so do they.
I hope you find something that helps to ease them soon as I know they aren’t nice and can be really scary.
Im sorry to hear, I can't start to imagine what your going through and have been through since you was diagnosed.So the PVCs & PACs started after you was diagnosed with cancer?
I agree. Breathing exercises really do help majority of the time, just sometimes when I eat something they start up as well its very odd. I feel the same convinced I have a jeart problem. It's nice you've had tests I'm still waiting on 24hr ECG from the doctor and to see the cardiologist but everything else was checked nothing flagged up, I just need to take the advise from the doctors and be happy with the results so far.
Your right anxiety is the main one that triggers them I need to learn how to put everything under control.
And thank you so much I hope all goes well for you as well. X
They started after finishing all my treatment yeah but that’s because my anxiety started then. Once I was in remission my health anxiety started and that’s when I started getting skipped beats. I used to get them after I’d eaten too but then it just happened all the time. As soon as I woke up to the moment I went to sleep.
I’ve had 24 hour tapes to see how many I was having but even though I was having so many, it still wasn’t enough to warrant treatment they said.
I was also told twice that I had heart failure but both of those times were incorrect, one was a typo (they missed out the word ‘no’ but they had written in a letter ‘there were signs of heart failure’. That made me spiral and zone in on my heart which made them worse but I’ve only recently had my latest echo after that typo and he called me a fraud and said my heart was perfect so I’ve had the confirmation that I needed that my heart is fine and that my anxiety is the cause of the skipped beats, sometimes lack of sleep can cause it too.
Hopefully once you have your 24 hour ecg and get confirmation too you’ll be able to relax a little more and it should work itself out. But I totally get how you’ll be feeling, it’s not nice and it ruined my life for 2 years until I got a handle on my anxiety x
Ohh no I'm sorry it's horrible when you feel them in your chest. Is the 24hour tapes the ECG thing? I'm still waiting.
Gosh that sounds horrible what you went through. You'd think they would take things like heart conditions seriously, do you find they affect sleep though sometimes? I wake up feeling my heart palpitation and that's when they start.
Thank you, yeah I'm hoping yo handle my anxiety better and maybe that will help in a way.
Yeah the 24 hour tape is a 24 hour ecg. It’ll be able so see your heart rhythm and how many palpitations you’re having in a 24 hour period.
I find in general my anxiety peaks at night time when it’s quiet so it used to race of an evening or if I was laying on my side I would be able to feel them more.
If you don’t hear anything in a week or 2 I would chase them up for an update. The quicker it gets done, the quicker you’ll be out at ease. Maybe ask for some blood tests to make sure you’re not lacking anything as sometimes iron or B12 can cause heart palpitations etc.
let us know when you get answers. Always hear if you want to talk to ask anything as I know what it’s like and I was a relentless googler and that’ll just make things worse so inbox me if you need to x
Arhh yeah sorry I thought that's what you meant. They was meant to have referred me for a 24hr ECG end of Feb and then I found out they didn't so they did it a week ago but still nothing so I'll have to chase it up after the bank holiday but your right I need some movement at least even if i am still waiting on this cardiologist waiting list. Yeah same in the evening it could maybe be beause we relax and probably feel it more or notice it more. So they've done soo many blood tests since mid February. The last one was for B12 and vitamin D or and hormones. They call came back fine from what they said.
Aww same to you, thank you so so much. I definitely need to stop googling it's always the worst.
Iv lost the number of times iv gone from thinking I have sleep apnea to thinking iv got hormone issues to then thinking iv got a digestive issue then back to my heart then back to thinking kidney failure to then strokes you read all systems and they all seem to link to one another so you then go into a spiral. X
I used to be the same. I still am to some degree but I used to self diagnose myself with all sorts, usually heart related or brain tumours 😂 yeah sooner you get answers the better, so I’d definitely chase them after the weekend. They may not think it’s urgent but they’re not the ones having to deal with it x
Low fat food products often make up for the lack of taste but piling in sugar, palm oils and various things to improve the taste and consistency.
What sort of low fat items are you eating and are they artificially altered? Have you read up about the Vagus nerve which sounds as if it may be one of the causes of your digestion problems?
It's mainly having stuff like fat free Greek yogart, moved away from milk to oak milk and having dark chocolate instead of milk or white chocolate. Iv heard palm oils are really bad so iv tried to stay away from saturated fats, biscuits, cakes milk chocolate anything thats a processed snack really and replaced it with a apple when I'm craving a snack.
Iv been reading a little bit about vagus nerve but not glued up completely with it. I know its connected to your electrical system?
Links sometimes cause posts to be taken down so I suggest you google Vagus nerve and couple it with relevant words for your condition such as Digestion concerns and anxiety. You should get plenty of reading.
I noticed your comment about fat free greek yoghurt and oat milk. Both of those can have terrible ingredients, presumably you have checked what is in the ones you buy and they are "clean"?
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it's horrible when you feel them in your chest. Is the 24hour tapes the ECG thing? I'm still waiting. 
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