PVC questions - Heart Disorders Message Board

ralve · 06-11-2004, 02:46 AM

Hi all,
This board has been so helpful to me in the past, I really don't know what I would do without the encouragement and the reassurance I get here. I haven't been on in a while due to the lack of a working computer, but now I'm typing on my daughter's laptop, so hopefully this won't freeze up on me! Anyway, I get PVC's all day long, and from what I read on here, this seems like a pretty common occurance. The thing is, sometimes I worry that the frequency of mine could be of some concern. I have a cardiologist here, and have been seen for these, but they don't really seem to have many answers. I haven't had a echo for a couple of years, but have had holter moniters, and recently went in for a check up. I was having so many PVC's that the nurse had a hard time taking my blood pressure. I don't want to go on medication for them because I have tried that before and it either didn't help at all, or helped for a while, and then ended up not working. I have also read that the medication can have side effects, and as long as you can live with PVC's, then you should try to do that. The thing is, they just get so annoying. Sometimes, when I take my pulse, I can have one every five beats or so. Sometimes they calm down, or I just don't notice them during the day as much if I'm busy running around doing stuff. I was just kind of wondering if any of you get them as often as I do. I am 44 years old, and these came on in my early thirties, and have progressively gotten worse over time. It seems sometimes to be related to hormones, but I thought I was kind of done with menopause. I am supposed to be going on a plane trip with my daughter this weekend, and I get nervous when things like that are coming up because these things tend to give me anxiety attacks when I'm in situations such as a crowded airplane. My daughter is only ten years old and I feel nervous that what if I fainted or something, and then that spins me into an anxiety attack. Do you know if frequent PVC's can cause heart failure? Well, anyway, thanks for any help, I guess I'm just feeling anxious about these things when they just seem to be especially frequent, and also harder at times. Thanks for any advice!! Val

lisadp · 06-11-2004, 10:11 AM

Hey Val
I have PVC's all day long as well, sometimes they go away sometimes they just stay for days and days on end, when they are really bad I get them every 4 to 5 beats! I flew from Australia to Canada 37 hours travelling time on the plane, and I was more concerned about the plane crashing than my PVC's they never really bothered me I knew they were there but I was fine! Doctors have told me not to worry! My heart rate isnt fast or too slow I dont get light headed or dizzy and I dont have any pain, they are just as you say very annoying, and the more I worry the worse they get, I have noticed that in times of stress they are really bad and as soon as I calm down they go away! Hope this helps! Lisa

ralve · 06-23-2004, 02:18 PM

Hi, and thanks for the reply! I went on the trip, and was ok, it seems like sometimes if I'm in a situation when I have to be ok, then I somehow deal with it. It just is so frustrating to deal with these things all the time, it really makes a difference in the decisions I make in my life. My husband is living in Connecticut right now, commuting home on the weekends, and it's like I'm afraid to move up there, knowing I'll get anxiety attacks in a strange area, especially up there with the winters and all, and then the PVC's will be even worse. I have them all day long, if I feel my pulse, sometimes it's about every few beats, and sometimes it calms down to once every 50 beats or so. Do you ever notice sometimes a flare up after you eat? I had soup earlier, and it seems like sometimes they get bad after I eat something hot like that. The thing is, I have them all day, but a flare up for me is when I get them a lot harder than usual, and really frequent. It's just sort of scary, cause I don't really know what would be a medical emergency. Maybe it's kind of a bad thing, but I feel like I'll get through this episode because if they were going to kill me, I guess they would have done it a long time ago, since I've been having these for over ten years. I also see a cardiologist here, and he dosen't seem overly concerned, he just recently saw my EKG in which I was having a lot of PVC's, and he didn't really say much. I kind of said that I didn't want to go on any medication, and he didn't insist on that or anything. I was having so many at that time in the doctor's office that the nurse had a hard time taking my blood pressure. I am 44, and sometimes worry that I should have an abalation procedure before I get too old, and maybe have other health problems. I thought these things were due to hormonal changes, but I can't imagine having the amount that I do because of that. I do have a lot of stress in my life, with my husband commuting, and we lost my Dad about a year and a half ago, and even though I had the palpitations before that, they have definitely gotten worse. Also, he died of sudden death, it was suspected that he had restrictive cardiomyopathy due to amyloidosis, but it's not for sure. He was very healthy, and suddenly started getting swollen ankles, and they could never really figure out what was wrong with him. He was even a runner before. Anyway, sorry to babble on and on here, thank you so much for the advice, it just seems sometimes like the thing that I think will help these palpitations go away just dosen't do a thing, and at a time when I think I should be getting them, like if I have had some chocolate or something, they'll calm down. Go figure. Thanks again!! Val