Managing and Living With PACs and PVCs

@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!

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.

I'm having issues with my cardiologist, also. I'm having some scary beats that only come occasionally. The few days he let me have a monitor of course they didn't happen. Now is telling me I'm fine. But my primary is very into listening to me, and will do what I ask, within reason. He is here (Minnesota) on a visa from Canada, where evidently they treat patients better!

The scary beats are almost certainly PACs, or 'premature atrial complexes'. What they are is a missed beat, but the heart compensates with an extra beat in the next rhythm cycle, and the first of those two successive beats is a doozy because the heart has filled with blood in a way it doesn't during normal rhythm...so you get a strong 'hydraulic' boost that courses up your aorta and beyond.

PACs are benign, mostly, and cardiologists and electrophysiologists are loath to do anything about them. Instead, they WILL, or SHOULD, attempt to allay one's fears and to manage symptoms, which are the two worst things about PACs. However, when PACs come so often, which is usually the evolution of most/all cardiac arrhythmias, their total numbers present what is called a 'burden' that might be excessive. Further, PACs do have a negative impact on mortality; a burden higher than 3% for more than months or a couple of years is predictive of an earlier death than might otherwise be the case for the same patient with a healthy heart free of arrythmia. (I hope that makes sense). Note that there is a lot of variation between patients due to other factors such as the presence of other comorbidities, overall health and heart condition, age, and genetic factors, so don't go running off fearful that you're headed to an early grave. Our hearts are robust organs that can take some abuse, and they'll often return to their natural size and morphology after successful treatment.

I do urge you to consider seeing a more sympathetic and determined/open-minded cardiologist because you do need an accurate measure of your PAC burden (I'm assuming I'm correct, but really I'm not a health professional and am only guessing that what you are experiencing are PACs).

Thank you for your advice. Yes, I'm really needing a better doctor, but there seems to be such a shortage. Maybe it's just this area.
I am not sure what my burden is. It is why I want one for more than one day. I get no attempt to allay my fears, other than "you're fine". Nor do I get advice on managing them. I know I have PVCs and PACs. I also have had a heart attack and have three stents in my heart. I would think that would bear watching. I have found that eating every 2 hrs, mostly protein, helps with them. But never had that problem before. I really don't expect to live a whole lot longer, but the time I have left I would like to be worth living.

@janepaskvan around here they put me on a month long monitor (which I did for two weeks). Google "Zio" ECG monitor. It is a patch worn on the chest. Maybe ask if a longer monitor is available for you.

Thank you. Where is "around here?" maybe I need to go there!

I posted info on the Zio ECG monitor on another thread. It is a patch on your chest and you press a button when you feel something going on in your heart. Can be seconds. You keep a log either on paper or in the app of what you were doing at the time. A detailed report is generated. I am in the Boston area. The Holter monitor is bulky but does the job, though the Zio is often worn longer.
https://www.irhythmtech.com/patients/why-zio

@rr1967
Medications when you first go on them can cause physical and mental side affects. Some get some minor and some serous side effects. It like life will be different for each person.

When I first went on Entresto and Carvididol it made me very very tired and achy. I was not sure I could stay on it but my cardiologist asked me try to as the benefits of the medications were very good. He advised me it will take some time for you body to adjust to it so give it a chance to adjust.

So I stayed with it. A couple of weeks later it started to lesson and then more and more to the point it is no longer a side affect. I am not sure that will happen with you but if your doctors are saying the benefit is high just know (and this was what was told to me by cardiologist and PCP) that the body will slowy adapt to it.

I am seeing a heart failure doctor. My blood tests showed more inflammation and wanted me to go on a medication that could help. I was not told about side effects. I started taking and got pain in lower back, my breasts became sensitive to touch and my nipples hurt. I told my wife my nipples hurt. But I thought was from my shirts getting sweaty (exercising) and rubbing on them. I looke up the medication and it listed all the side effects and the serious ones you should advise your doctor of.

The serious ones where the ones I had and notified him. He said that is a sign of allergy to the medication and put me on something else and the side affects went away. So knowing the side affects are common and the side affects that should be reported is something you can to by looking up on medical wet sites.
Good Luck