18 year old struggling with ectopics (PVC’s) daily

[alizard]

I’ll start by saying that I smoke but other than that I am healthy. I also have quit smoking for months in the past and still had this problem.

Hi, this is my first time being here and posting here. In the past 3 years, I’ve gradually gotten more and more ectopic beats daily and it’s ruining my life. It’s sent me in a downward spiral- I dropped out of school, lost touch with friends and became depressed and anxious.

I don’t even get THAT much ectopics every day but each time it happens, it feels like I’m gonna die. I haven’t been able to figure out any triggers - it happens no matter what. I’ve been to way too many doctors and had way too many ER visits. They all told me I’m fine but I DON’T FEEL FINE.

When i originally went to my GP about it, he immediately prescribed antidepressants (Sertraline/Zoloft) when I had NO HISTORY that suggested I needed them. They did not address the root cause and the antidepressant made things worse.

I guess I just want to know I’m not alone at this point. It’s so depressing and causes so much sleepless nights - and my parents are fed up with it. Everyone just wants me to move on, pick up my life and get a job but I can barely go outside because I’m afraid and depressed.

Last week, I made a really bad decision. I drank over 400mls of spirits and it didn’t go well (I won’t get into it because I’m not sure what’s allowed here). The morning after, I had so many ectopics, and it was the first time anything abnormal showed up on an ECG - sinus arrhythmia. The doctor said I’d be okay.

Thanks for reading my story - I’d love to hear some of your own.

[R2958]

Hi alizard, I'm sorry to hear about your struggles. I know 1st hand how upsetting and debilitating ectopic can be. Even tho according to docs everyone has them, only some of us feel them and are affected by them. Try to keep in mind that they are not physically harming you, and you will be fine. I'm on metoprolol to keep mine in check, but before that I found taking magnesium glycinate supplement really helped reduce the frequency of my ectopic events. Also staying well hydrated, exercising, and cutting out spicy foods helped. A lot of mine were triggered by indigestion. I know it's hard, but do your best to stay strong mentally. Don't let this take over your life, there are ways to combat it. Know that many others out there are fighting similar battles and winning, and so can you!! I am so thankful for this site, it has helped me tremendously in dealing with my avnrt and ectopic issues, and I hope it will do the same for you! Ryan

[alizard in reply to R2958]

thank u so much ryan this was very comforting to read. i’ll try my best to do all that you suggested and see if it changes anything.

[Malayabalaya in reply to alizard]

Hiya Very sorry to hear how much the ectopics have made things so hard for you. I had 22% of heart beats were ectopics. They were not due to anxiety although anxiety can make them worse. Doctors tried betablockers but they didn’t work for me although they do work for some people . Now I’m on Flecainide which is an anti-arrythmic drug and it works brilliantly. Very rarely have an ectopic. Alcohol (excess) is a trigger but being on Flecainide has made a world of difference. Another possibility is ablation where a cardiologist zaps the area of the heart causing the arrhythmia.As has been said you’re not going to come to any serious harm with ectopics but they do affect your life. I hope you can find a cardiologist who will help find a solution. Good luck

[Jack8]

Hey,

I went through exactly what you are, the feeling of thinking your heart is giving up, not being able to breath, feeling like your blood flow is all messed up because of it, realising what judgmental people you have around you who don't understand. This led into horrendous anxiety with panic attacks happening multiple times a day, all that stuff.

It lasted 9 years.

These days, I have almost no symptoms whatsoever. Here's what I did...

Booked an appointment with a private electrophysiologist. This is what you need, not just a cardiologist. Cost me about £150. He took one look at my ECG, told me it wasn't dangerous but if it's bothering me they will do something about it. That something was called a 'catheter ablation', a rather unpleasant procedure where they feed wires up to your heart, usually through an incision in your groin. They then use heat to destroy very small pieces of heart muscle that age triggering the ectopics. You're awake for this, it's uncomfortable and a bit painful when they do the burning, but if your ectopic are as bad as mine were, you know that you'd go through anything to get rid of them. It lasts between 2 and 6 hours.

That one worked partially, but not completely, so in I went for another type of ablation. This got rid of the majority of what remained.

I continued to experience anxiety and panic attacks (going through what you are is a highly traumatic experience) but they gradually waned over time.

There is a link between digestion and ectopics - the vagus nerve connects the stomach and heart (as well as lots of other things), and eating a heavy meal or even drinking a load of water can trigger them. So if you experience IBS symptoms, this can be a link as well. In fact, my ectopics started after a particularly bad stomach infection. I only made this link years later when my mind was clearer.

The final key to feeling better was exercise. Half an hour, three times a week has basically eliminated any residual anxiety, as well as most of what remained of the ectopics

So, your possible solution is -

1) Book appointment with electrophysiologist. A private one. This is pursuant to getting yourself an ablation procedure.

2) Make a note of food that makes your stomach work hard - this is a definite trigger.

3) Do some cardio if you feel up to it. I know it's scary when you're already worried about your heart, and sometimes you may need to reach the "f**k you" stage before you're able to do this.

4) Be patient. There's no quick fix, except possibly the ablation. Whatever caused this probably took years to develop, and it can take years to calm down again, but if you've been told it's not dangerous, you can at least do the exercise thing. It may be horrible afterwards, as I used to find that when my heart was slowing down was when it would misbehave the most.

Don't give up. I contemplated suicide so many times due to this. The world turned into shades of black and I watched others around me progress while I was stuck still, the same as you.

And yet, here I am. It's gone. It took many false starts and thinking it'd gone, only for it to return etc. It took 9 years to finally go, a combination of time, getting keyhole surgery, and knowing my body.

You are not crazy. It's a horrendous experience to go through, the worst of it being that people don't understand, because it's not a fashionable illness like cancer or ALS.

Please make that appointment, because there are doctors out there that are VERY good at dealing with this. 99% of doctors you see day to day just don't care though.

[Lexibics]

I've been having Ectopic beats for years now. Mine showed up on both monitors and an Echo Heart Beat monitor. I was sent for a CT and MRI scan both showed there was nothing wrong with my heart. I was put on Bisoprolol which didn't change anything. So I've just learnt to live with them. Like you I feel every one of them and I was very scared that I too would die. I know there are procedures you can have done for these and antidepressants can sometimes help some people. But as you are so young it might be the doctor is expecting you to grow out of them (so yo speak). It does happen sometimes. I found mind occupation helps to calm me down when I have a bad episode. Also exercise and going to the gym. Oddly I don't have any when I swim. Don't be alone, carry on your life as normal. If you haven't seen one yet ask your Dr to refer you to a Cardiologist. There are thousands of us around the country with this complaint, who all live normal lives with it, as upsetting as it is. But dont suffer alone. See your Dr again for help.