Managing and Living With PACs and PVCs

Posted by rr1967 @rr1967, Aug 14, 2023

Hello all. I have posted in this forum before and I thank you for your advice. I appreciate more support please.

I am about to turn 56 and I have dealt with PACs and PVCs for the past 20 years. The come and go and now they seem to be getting worse. My cardio, regular doc, and electrophysiologist all say that I am fine and that I have too much stress and anxiety (which I do..I suffer from GAD and depression.) They all say that PACs are benign and that most PVCs are benign.

I had an exercise stress echo in 2019 (all normal). Several EKGs this year...all normal. Another Zio Patch Heart Monitor that I wore for a week. Normal sinus rhythm with PACs. My PAC/PVC burden hovers between 1.5 to 1.8 percent. I have had a recent chest xray and plenty of blood work. All normal. I am borderline type 2 diabetic and my cholesterol and triglycerides are all normal. I do take blood pressure meds and it is well controlled. I try to be active almost every day and I do practice CBT for my anxiety. My resting heart rate is about 55 and my cardio says that is normal.

What else can I do to reduce the PACs and PVCs or manage them? Some days they are fast and furious and some days they simply come and ago. But they are ruining my daily life and causing more depression and fear. They are awful in the morning, reduce a bit in the afternoon, and reduce a bit more in the evening.
My cardio again states that they are fine and to not worry.

I have tried a beta blocker (made my heart rate too low and I was too tired) and a pill called Diltiazem. Really had no effect and made me too tired. I don't qualify for any procedure and the one pill they are still offering me is Flecianide but that one has WAY too many side effects and I have had at least two cardiologists warn me from taking it.
What are you experiences, advice, etc?
Thank you!

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@janepaskvan

Thank you for the advice. Is the patch you're talking about, the one where you push a button when you feel something? I wore one for a few days, but it was difficult. Maybe I can get one again, but it seems like there's little to be done about them. I need to eat protein every meal. If I was to just eat sweets I would have palps immediately. I'm working on eating every 2 hrs like I need to. Hard to do when you're never hungry and have GERD!
I'm sorry about your child. It must have been hell.

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@janepaskvan kid is and was fine. Point was that testing blood sugar can become routine! Good luck with a dietary approach. It helps me too. Luckily I am drawn to protein. I have GERD and stop eating at 5!

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@janepaskvan

I know I'm hypo, but not enough to treat. I had been on Synthroid and it worked fine for a year or so. Then I started getting palpitations, so stopped. When I tried to go back on it I ended up in the ER with palps.
Then a couple years ago I tried it again, in small doses. After 6 weeks or so I developed double vision. Everyone kept saying that couldn't be the cause, cause that's a symptom of Hyper. Anyway, I stopped the meds and 3 weeks later my vision was back to normal. The human body is a strange machine.

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Dr. Rob Cywes, the 'Carb Addiction Doc' on YouTube has a channel with his name. About three weeks ago or so, he posted a video where he talks about the inappropriate treatment of thyroid problems. You might with to take a look.

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