PVCS HAS TAKEN OVER MY LIFE - Heart Rhythm Diso...

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PVCS HAS TAKEN OVER MY LIFE

Latoya13 profile image
28 Replies

I think about them everyday, talk about them everyday, and of course feel them everyday. Its been coming up to 3 months now, so hasn't been long but it has been the hardest 3 months of my life. My doctor decided to give me Xanax and I dno if that makes me more nervous, I know how serious of a drug it can be. But somedays I really can't help but panic over this stupid condition. I'm seeing a 3rd cardiologist now and I'm honestly just tired of all the doctor visits and now solid answer. When I went to the doc my BP was 140/83. I don't think I've ever had high BP in my life until now. My ekg was slightly abnormal too which was also a first. I don't know if i was just that nervous that day but honestly it's all becoming too much. I'm tired of being scared of feeling that extra beat, scared that my heart is gonna give out on me. Bed times are the worst because I fear i will pass in my sleep. I can barely go out and enjoy myself with friends anymore because the pvcs distract me. They are nearly impossible to ignore. I had such a bad flare up when I had to go to school that I just ended up going home. Even taking showers has become difficult. This condition has ruined my life and I don't know what to do...

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Latoya13
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28 Replies
Bitrick profile image
Bitrick

Hang in there, I know how you feel. They started for me about two weeks ago and are especially bad at night. Went to the ER after staying up all night the first night, they said I look normal. Cardiologist said the ultra sound was normal so he had me wear a ‘stick on’ heart monitor for a week. I also just got blood tested for Lyme and hormones, so we’ll see if they find anything.

I kept thinking every night would be my last night, and I may not wake up, it was really scary. I’m not one to advocate for religion but praying has given me peace and confidence. I’ve also been spending more time with my family and friends, the people I love the most in life.

I’ve been taking a tums before bed and I think it helps but I’m not sure. So maybe it’s something in my stomach? Still trouble shooting, I’m hoping to hear back about the heart monitor next week.

You’re not alone!

Latoya13 profile image
Latoya13 in reply to Bitrick

Thank you for sharing with me!

Its actually a great comfort to know I'm not alone. People who are not going through this really don't understand how overwhelming this is for me so I'm glad to hear from someone who does understand.

I pray every night and sometimes it does help. Night times really are the worst for me, sometimes i can hear my heart beat against my pillow.

Doctors believe mine was developed by aniexty but it also produces aniexty so I'm just stuck in this vicious cycle.

I hope all your tests go well! And that you find something that can help you through this as i try to do the same. If you ever need someone to talk to I'll gladly be a listening hear!

Bitrick profile image
Bitrick in reply to Latoya13

You said the prescribed you Xanax, did it help at all?

Latoya13 profile image
Latoya13 in reply to Latoya13

I honestly haven't taken it yet. I'm scared to take them. I've heard a lot of negative things about it plus my family dnt want me to take it

Cassandraomel profile image
Cassandraomel

Hang in there! I’ve been going through this for three years. I obsess over all the same things as you! I’ve had so many tests done and seen so many cardiologists. They all keep telling me it’s just extra heart beats or “ectopics” medically speaking. They say they’re a nuisance and that I just have to deal with them.. sometimes I get extra scared before bed as well, however I have an anxiety disorder so that may make me panic more. But, I’m still here, and I’ve had a baby, and I manage to deal with life everyday with them. Sometimes, I wonder how, but I do. I have some REALLY bad days where the heart palpitations are all day, and then sometimes I don’t have them for months. Recently I was just diagnosed with POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia) but, I am waiting for the final testing to conclude this. I was on beta blockers before, which helped a lot, but I have asthma so the beta blockers worked against that. Try to make sure you sleep 7-9 hours every night and eat VERY well. Avoid high carb foods and ONLY drink water, about 2-3L a day. I’m telling you this will help you see a TREMENDOUS difference. I Hope all is well and you get this dealt with ❤️

Latoya13 profile image
Latoya13 in reply to Cassandraomel

Thank you so much for sharing this with me. You have no idea how knowing I'm not alone helps me. Some flare ups are so bad I don't know how I get through but I thank God each time. I hope I can learn to deal with them and be as strong as you. I try to make sure I eat and drink right and get enough sleep but right now it's very hard but I'm working on it. I'm worried though if these pvcs will eventually have a negative effect on my heart, i heard that it can eventually weaken your heart so that thought causes me a lot of aniexty. Everyday just becomes a battle for me and its a lot.

custard1 profile image
custard1

Hello Latoya13, sorry to hear of your situation, I am treated fro Afib, one source of info I have for information is York Cardiology on youtube, have attached one link on PVCs, there may well be more Sorry I cant help anymore youtube.com/watch?v=RG1iR23...

Latoya13 profile image
Latoya13 in reply to custard1

I appreciate you so much! Thank you

I,ve had them for 44 years and I will be 72 soon, I,ve learnt to live with them. In the earlier days they frightened me but when I learnt they would not harm I learnt to accept them , I do have good and bad days but go out, it does limit my life some though.

Latoya13 profile image
Latoya13 in reply to

I've only had them for 2 months and it has limited my life significantly. I'm scared to do exercise but adrenaline seems to be quite a big trigger for it. The worst flare ups I've had is after some form of cardio and sometimes event my arms go numb. I've told the cardiologist about it though and she doesn't seem too worried but for some reason it doesn't make me feel better. What examples does it limit your life if you don't mind me asking?

2468abcmuk profile image
2468abcmuk

Hi

Bit further down the road than you are

Agree eat very healthy avoid alcohol

Keep a diary and every day write what you ate drank ect and note pvc activity and honestly you won’t stay at this level of anxiety : they are horrible and scary but

When you accept them they are much easier to deal with & I would take something for the anxiety just now to help

Beta blockers should really help even a low dose x

Latoya13 profile image
Latoya13

First of all thank you for reaching out to me!

I'm really surprised that doctors seem reluctant to give me beta blockers. Always say something about I'm young I'll be fine. I'm 23 btw. And i honestly dnt want to take the xanax, I'm afraid it will turn me into a zombie or I'll get too dependent on it.

Im trying my very hardest to come to terms with them but i have a long, long way to go.

Beachgirl1955 profile image
Beachgirl1955 in reply to Latoya13

I take metoprolol a betablocker. It really helps

TinCool profile image
TinCool

I've had it bad the last few months. I was in hospital early September with a burst appendix. Then a month later whilst I was recovering I ended up in hospital again as my heart went in to atrial fibrillation. This was resolved through a cardioversion. Since then, I've been having palpitations. Sometimes 100's a day. I think they're ectopic. I started to take magnesium supplements and after about 2 weeks the palpitations disappeared. However, these past two weeks they're back again and they are driving me nuts and getting me really down. Mine are totally random which is all the more annoying as I cannot pinpoint anything in particular that are causing them.

I've got an appointment tomorrow to wear a halter monitor for 24 hours and then the following day have an appointment for an echocardiogram. I suspect they will find nothing wrong phyiscally (I'm 41 btw), as I had atrial fibrillation once before 5 years ago and the echocardiogram then showed my heart is fine. I do hope that the ECG monitor picks up the ectopic beats so at least I'll have something to discuss with the cardiologist with my follow up appointment. I'm hoping that the possibility of medication is brought up as the thought of having to live with these palpitations daily is not something I need in my life right now.

I find a long soak in a hot bath helps me a lot. I use bath salts rich in magnesium. I'm pretty much exclusively on decaff coffee and rarely drink alcohol these days.

I'm sure I'll post on here with the aftermath of my various appointments.

Latoya13 profile image
Latoya13 in reply to TinCool

I wish you all the best!! If you're willing to share i look forward to hearing about the results. I hope everything goes well!

Sereza6 profile image
Sereza6

I have had pvcs since a child and I just turned 73. I would go months at a time without them so I managed to have a life inbetween, including having six children. During the first three months of my 4th and 5th pregnancies I had so many pvcs, then they just went away. I ‘ve had other times where they would last three months, so weird! My kids all get them, and now my 10y.o. granddaughter gets them. They always scared me and I was told in my 40s that they were benign. Now I have been getting pvcs almost daily for about 3 years when I found out I have CAD. I was doing ok with meds but about two months ago started getting a lot more of the beats. I had a prolonged episode a month ago and have had trouble sleeping since and sometimes wake up having a ‘flushing’ feeling. There’s no answers why the beats have afflicted my family...all I know is that it is an electrical probem? I am lucky that I can still do what I want and have energy. But it’s getting harder to cope on the bad days. I get so depressed and just want to stay in bed. I try to count my blessings though, of which I have many. It does help to hear from others who struggle with these.

Coot18 profile image
Coot18

I had Afib and PVC

stints on one artery took care of Afib 2 years ago

this artery was not bypassed 9 years ago

when other 5 were bypassed

I have been taking calcium channel blocker

cut dosage in half

after losing 50 pounds

and reducing BMI to 21

Told by two cardiac nurses and two cardiac doctors

to live with PVCs

wore Horton monitors twice for month each time

also bimonthly monitored stress test on treadmill

for 6 mo before and after stints

heart rate 120 during exercise

monitors revealed PVCs disappeared during exercise

occurred when at rest

still get "funny thumps" daily

but nothing feels different than

what I felt during monitoring

so I don't worry

Knktoys profile image
Knktoys

Latoya

How are you getting along? I have been having pecs for over 20 years but just off abd on but after the flu I have them all day for the kastc3 weeks. Had a monitor and had 1100 pvcs in a day I thought that was a lot but cardiologist says people have 25000 a day that is when they actually try to do something about it. It is so uncomfortable and is ruining my life. I have an 8 year old and it is making me not want to go out of the house or see slanting. Dr gave me a beta blocker but I haven’t used it yet. I am scared of it. Trying some natural things but they don’t seem to help. I am so scared that this is it for my life. Please let me know if you got better I need hope.

Latoya13 profile image
Latoya13 in reply to Knktoys

Hello, i dont know if you saw my latest post, but i was given beta blockers after i went to a different cardiologist, i also had the monitor done and was told my number wasn't too much of a concern. The reason why my doc gave me the beta blockers was because I was very sympathetic physically and mentally. The beta blockers actually changed everything, after taking them i felt an almost immediate difference and I've only taken one pill til this day. Now I will feel a skip beat maybe once or twice a day, on a bad day more, but I go some days not feeling any at all. I'm not sure what beta blockers you doc gave you but they just might help you like they did for me.

If you wish to, please keep me updated

Emerge profile image
Emerge in reply to Latoya13

Thats great news i thought about the beta blockers too but my blood pressure is already so low and i was concerned about an underlying heart condition

anetap4545 profile image
anetap4545 in reply to Latoya13

1 pill healed u. Do u still get them i feel just like u in this post

Latoya13 profile image
Latoya13 in reply to anetap4545

Sometimes but definitely no where near like i used to. I go days, sometimes weeks before i feel a skip or two.

anetap4545 profile image
anetap4545 in reply to Latoya13

I get them now once a week or 3 times. Depends. Are u still on beta blockers? Tried anything else that works? Im so scared

Latoya13 profile image
Latoya13 in reply to anetap4545

I've only taken the beta blockers two more times since the first. I noticed i was really anxious those days so i would feel strong skips. But the blockers helped. There's times I'll get a really strong one out of no where and its extremely scary. But once a week really isn't bad, i get them roughly the same and i just try to ignore it. I heard some people say they tried magnesium and it worked but you have to be careful with that.

alseja profile image
alseja

Hey This week was really bad for me . 10 to 12 skeep beats per minute Pression in my chest and neck ... I took helex very small dose and I went cycling Believe it or not I feel much better now That means that my heart is Ok as I feel bad when I rest. I also take magnes. every day.

Emerge profile image
Emerge

Hey Latoya how are you doing on the xanax? I find it helps me greatly but i dont want to be hooked for life

RTOH profile image
RTOH

Completely share your feeling. Mine started 3 months ago. The skipped beats scared the crap out of me. Reached out to physician and was hooked up to 24 hour Holter monitor a week later. Certainly felt like heading to the ER several times but given I was told these were not helpful as I didn’t have other symptoms. Results shows less than 1% ectopic beats. Unsettled with this I saw a cardiologist. Glad I did as the recorded number of skipped (ectopic) beats were 350 in the 24 hours. Feeling those thought the day is very unsettling. I had an echo following that which was normal. I have a stress test for completion sake but the last 3 months have taken a toll and especially on my sleep now. Vicious cycle that I don’t like feeling them more often at night and worried about sleep as well so I maybe get 3-4 hours of sleep now. If testing comes back normal next step would be a beta blocker.

SeeminglyFit profile image
SeeminglyFit

Hello Latoya,Some really good replies to your post over the years. Interesting to hear what works. I noticed you thought exercise induced PVCs, but I have found that it increases blood flow, thus making me think clearer. Have you found anything that works?

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