Is this normal of PVCs? Some other questions... - Heart Disorders Message Board

Prototypex85 · 04-11-2009, 11:56 PM

Well, I posted here a while ago about these fluttering sensations that I was getting near my heart when I laughed, yawned, etc... So I went to see a cardiologist and got myself a 24 hour heart monitor. The results said that I had "eight" PVCs through that entire period, which sounded about right because they really weren't that bad that day. He told me that they weren't anything to worry about so I took his word for it and have been somewhat calm about it in the couple weeks since.

However, the past few days some of them have just seemed stronger. Is it possible for there to be stronger PVCs than others? Or am I feeling something else? It's weird, the strong ones seem to only come when I do some sort of exhaling... such as yawning, laughing, blowing, or sometimes even talking. Is that normal in any way, or is there something else I should look at? It feels like my heart is kinda quivering violently for a split second (or sometimes rapidly in the case of yawning/blowing) but I never feel anything this strong if I'm silent. When placing my hand over my left breast, I can feel my normal heartbeats with my hand but not these things... I can just feel something happening inside me. This is beginning to have me very worried, as I'm not sure if these strong quivers are PVCs or if there is something else going on in there.

So the main questions:
Are some PVCs stronger than others?
Is it normal for them almost always occur when I'm talking/laughing/yawning/etc.?
What exactly is a PVC supposed to feel like?
Can PVCs be felt with my hand when I place it on my chest?

I'm 23 male, I smoke and I drink every once in a while... I cut out caffiene and marijuana usage thinking that would help it, but it really hasn't all that much. This is really beginning to worry me, but I don't want to be a pest and revisit this doctor if these symptoms are just PVCs. But I don't know, and it's really scaring me now.

zekat · 04-12-2009, 09:18 AM

You won't be a pest by going to your doctor and asking questions. You are paying for it! You might even think about calling and leaving a message for his nurse. She can call you back with answers & that saves you a trip to the doc!

So the main questions:
Are some PVCs stronger than others? My experience says yes
Is it normal for them almost always occur when I'm talking/laughing/yawning/etc.? You should look up valsalva meneuvers. There is some type of connection between "bearing down" and blood flow or something. I've not researched it to much, but you might find the info interesting.
What exactly is a PVC supposed to feel like? Whatever yours feel like is what they feel like

Since your doc said 8 showed up on the report, then you know exactly what they feel like. Everybody describes their own a bit different though.
Can PVCs be felt with my hand when I place it on my chest? I've never been able to feel mine on my chest, but if I've got my fingers on my corotid artery, I can feel the strange heartbeat.

Prototypex85 · 05-06-2009, 03:52 PM

Well... thanks for the reply.

Unfortunately, these things aren't really improving (they cause no pain but they're very scary when they happen). I've talked to many doctors who say that I have just a handful of PVCs a day, but when I look up information on PVCs I see that they're more random, but these things I get happen only when I talk, yawn, laugh.... it's seriously beginning to depress me, as I'm now afraid to laugh.

I don't know what to do, and I can't get help because nobody seems to know what my problem is. I want to believe that they are PVCs, but I'm really starting to doubt it...

Prototypex85 · 05-16-2009, 10:01 PM

Hey, sorry to be a best again... but I'm just bumping this up in hopes that somebody who has something familiar going on can let me know. A moment ago, I felt the need to cough, and right away I got a strong one that left somewhat of a slight pain in that area. I've heard of PVCs triggering coughing, but is it possible the other way around? I keep asking my doctor, and all he says that I have PVCs and that they're benign, but it doesn't feel like it. All the reading I've done on PVCs make me feel like there is something else going on. I mean, they're supposed to be more random right? Why am I doing things that trigger them? Should I just not talk, cough, laugh, yawn anymore? I don't know what to do...

Machaon · 05-17-2009, 06:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prototypex85

... Is it possible for there to be stronger PVCs than others? Or am I feeling something else?

There are many different routes of current through one's heart. Many things can disrupt the current, that is pulsating through one's heart, including allergic reactions, reactions to chemicals, reactions to stimulants, reactions to foods or drink, reaction to pollutants or irritants, etc.

What you feel depends upon the degree of irritability of your heart's electrical system, at that time, and what part of the heart is being effected by the disruption to normal heart-current.

Quote:

I'm 23 male, I smoke and I drink every once in a while...

Smoking cigarettes causes about 100 different chemicals to enter one's body, many of which can cause disruptions to the heart's electrical system. Some of these chemicals can stay in the body for quite a long time.

Quote:

I cut out caffiene and marijuana usage thinking that would help it, but it really hasn't all that much.

It sounds like a good first step, though. You are trying to remove obvious irritants and/or stimulants.