Possible Nsvt?

[Fe234]

Hello all,

So I have had ectopics for about two years, thought I think I have always had them, but I started noticing them two years ago when I lost a second cousin to sudden cardiac death. I have had a holter done last year, also ecg and echo, all came back normal, hooter showed pacs and pvcs, about 100 in a day, so not a heavy burden (75 pacs and 12 pvcs, interpolated). Problem is lately they have been getting worse and while I can bear the isolated pvc/pac or even a bigeminy run, what really terrifies me is when I feel a run of them. It only happens twice now, but they feel like a flutter in my chest and a lump in my throat, I feel like 4/5 ectopic beats, exactly the way the extra beat feels when I have the isolated ectopic, but they last maybe 2 seconds so i don’t even have the time to check my pulse, I just freeze until the normal rhythm starts again. Could this be nsvt? I have had another holter done last month but still haven’t gotten the results back. My cardiologist says not to worry about them, but how can he tell it’s not dangerous without catching it on a monitor? Everytime I get the my health anxiety becomes unmanageable and I spend weeks in bed or stuck in the house which really makes my anxiety/depression a lot worse. Any reassurance or answer will be a big help thank you.

[Howtogains_1987]

I have the exact same issue as you. Been getting them since 2006 from what I can remember on and off but only became really noticeable in 2017 when I had two really bad flutters. I was standing in the kitchen and had a flutter, didn’t think anything of it because it happened in the past but then 10 seconds later I had another flutter. I went to the A&E and had my heart checked but my heart was in sinus tachycardia (due to the anxiety). So no abnormalities where showing on the 12 lead. Long story short throughout that whole year anytime I had ectopics or flutters I had countless trips to A&E and the ambulance called out. I seen a cardiologist assured me my heart was fine but still did not alleviate my concerns. At the beginning of 2018 I seen a professor in cardiology who explained to me even if I did have an underlying arrhythmia with the amount of tests that I have had done my heart would be able to cope with whatever it is I was experiencing. He was mainly referring to the echocardiogram. See I had countless ecg’s echocardiograms, heart x-ray and blood tests ect so this did reassure me. Since then I’d get ectopic thuds and flutters but usually just wait till the flutters pass. In 2020 I did have a bad experience getting out of the bath one morning. I had one ectopic thud, followed by another ectopic thud. Then all of a sudden my heart just started beating out of rhythm for a good 30 seconds. Sort of like atrial fibrillation. Going back into sinus rhythm every other beat. It was terrifying. I went and sat on the sofa. What was interesting is when I sat on the sofa I got two ectopics in a row I stood up walked outside briefly and went back to sit back down on the sofa and got another two ectopic beats at the exact time and position I sat on the sofa. This made me think when my heart is in a certain position in my body, it must be irritated for that to happen? Recently in 2022 I did have another terrifying experience where I was walking with my partner and my heart just changed like a light switch. This was something I’ve never experienced before it was like I was getting ectopic after ectopic. It lasted for 10 seconds. I was terrified to think it was non-sustained ventricular tachycardia. The only reassuring thing is, is that it was self terminating. Probably due to my sinus node taking over when my body started producing adrenaline to get it to a rate in sinus rhythm higher than that of the arrhythmia. Getting really anxious and putting myself in sinus tachycardia usually stops whatever it is I’m experiencing. I know this is a long post, but I hope my experiences give you some perspective at least. I’m a 34 year old male. Don’t smoke. Don’t drink. Don’t take illicit drugs. Diet isn’t the greatest but I’ve lost a stone in and a half in the past year. What I have noticed is I never had these issues until I taking anti-depressants at the age of 19. Stay away from SSRI’s they do more damage than good.

[Palpman]

I'm sure most of us here that have successive ectopics have had thoughts that it may be NSVT. When it happens we go into a panic mode for a few seconds.

After 28 years of them I've learned to push them aside and get on with life come what may.

Just this week I was reading an article about SSRI's causing Afib in a medical journal. I cut my Lorazopan down and stopped yesterday but nearly had a panic attack due to high anxiety with a tight chest and shaking. I will persevere though.

[Malayabalaya]

Hi Sorry to hear your story. I had ectopics often bigeminy for 18 months (22% of beats) and I understand your anxiety. Reassuringly ectopics are not life-threatening and neither is nsvt as long as your heart is structurally normal which obviously should be checked out with ECG and Echo. I was given betablockers but they didn’t work but now I’m on Flecainide and they have completely disappeared. Also kept on with Bisoprolol. Have you not been offered medication? Also an ablation could be a possibility. You shouldn’t have to live with this. All best

[Fe234]

Thank you all for your replies, they really help. I’m sorry to hear you struggle with the same stuff, it’s honestly consuming. I stay absolutely away from SSRIs, the only thing I take is low dosage benzos for anxiety. I haven’t been offered an ablation because if it’s nsvt it has never been documented and the burden of my ectopics is not high enough to justify the ablation. I was offered bisopropol but I don’t take it because I have a low resting hr and those few times I took it it didn’t have much of an effect. But honestly, even more than the symptoms, I’d love to find a way to stop feeling like my heart could go crazy any second and kill me in my steps. That’s the obsessive recurrent thought. I feel like my heart beat is never stable and even on the days when I don’t have any ectopics I’m just waiting there for the worst to happen. And I’m afraid no heart medicine or procedure could cure that 😅