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Long Term PAC and PVC Suffer. Need your support and guidance
Hello everyone. Thank you for reading this below is my story:
I have been dealing with PVCs and PACs for almost 20 years. They flare up once per year usually. I have had Zio Patch monitors, tons of EKGs, a stress echo four years ago, two heart CT scans two decades ago, many ER visits, etc, etc. All results were normal with the exception of showing PACs and PVC. My burden has always been below 2% when they flare up.
25-e some stats:
1. I am 55 and in good health
2. Borderline blood pressure: usually around 120-130/75-85 most normal days.
3. Borderline type 2 diabetic.
4. I do suffer from chronic anxiety and depression. Twenty years ago I suffered many panic attacks for the course of a year. But they have gone away. Mostly I deal with almost daily anxiety and worry.
5. Non smoker, no drugs
6. I do drink alcohol ( wine or beer) on weekends with my wife, only at night.
7. I am at a healthy weight. Cholesterol and Triglycerides all normal.
8. Resting heart rate: 50-60. Cardio doc states that this heart rate is normal for me.
Well my most recent flare up started two weeks ago and they seem worse. I feel the extra beat the moment I wake up they go on all day until I go to bed. I went to the ER and they did another EKG and ran a bunch of blood work. Of course...all normal. Diagnosis: PACs. Electrolytes also all normal.
In the last week, I have noticed my skipped beats increasing when I move around, go grab groceries, go for a walk, even exercise. This has me more scared than ever. My regular doctor told me not to worry, but I am seeing an electrophysiologist (EP) tomorrow. I did see an EP two years ago and he told me I was fine and prescribed Flecianide to take as needed. I saw the side effects and they scared me off so I never tried them. Eventually, the extra beats went away.
I have also tried Metropolol and they did not work. They also made my heart rate slower so my cardio doc told me to stop taking them.
But as stated, they extra beats are back and I am more scared then ever, especially with them increasing with movement or exercise. I have never fainted or felt dizzy from these. I only catch my breath and feel extra alerted.
Finally, my palpitations also seem to increase considerably after I eat a meal. Is this normal?
Any advice, recommendations, encouragement, support please.
Thank you and my apologies for any typos or writing errors.
RR
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You might want to consider Valsalva/Vagul maneuvers. There are several that can be found on the internet. Also, I posted one that's worked for me when Tachycardia flares up ... I think it's in the Tachycardia discussion topic.
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3 ReactionsConsider another cardiologist for a second opinion regarding your care. Preferably outside the group that you are now in.
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1 ReactionI have PVC’s and take Flecanide 2 x day and
Diltiazem 45 mg at bedtime. So far both of these have worked for me.
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1 ReactionI have the same thing you do. Like after a meal it worsens. Don’t give up hope!
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1 ReactionOh boy, what a life you are leading, right? There are a couple of things that you should try and understand. Extra beats are there as a back-up system for the heart's normal electrical system. So, in that respect, that's a good thing. Your system is working pretty much as it should. Doctors become concerned when there are PVCs (6 or more in a row which turns that PVC diagnosis into Ventricular tachycardia) AND structural damage to a patient's heart. If your heart, through testing, is fine structurally, than PVCs aren't going to put up much of a red flag for your doctor. Most ERs are not going to do much about PVCs either again unless there is structural damage; the one thing they will do is to do labs to make sure you are not havfing a heart attack; for the most part that will show up easily on an EKG. I have an issue with PVCs as well, having between 9500-10,000 a day. I am waiting to have an ablation done at this point. I had a Zio patch put on in February where the PVCs/SVT showed up along with a run of 19 beats of ventricular tachycardia. Having worked as an EKG supervisor, that scared me. The more you worry about this, the worse it will be for you. I spend a good portion of me day so lightheaded or pre-syncopal that I can barely function. I know about all of this and I still worry at least to a certain degree. If you are a coffee or tea drinker, find something else to drink; some people who have PAC/PVC issues canNOT handle any of those types of drinks. Take care.
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2 ReactionsI missed the fact that you said that you drank alcohol; you may want to consider stopping that as well. Take care.
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1 ReactionI have the same symptoms as you and its driving me crazy.
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1 ReactionMe too.
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1 ReactionI’m not sure if I’m posting in the correct way…but I do need help. I’ve had PVC’s for about 15 years. I’ve had all the tests, stress, echo, ultrasounds, CT. Calcium levels at zero. My primary and cardiologist both tell me the PVC’s are benign. They are so troublesome to me. They are definitely impacting my mental health. My anxiety goes through the roof as soon as I feel them. A few years ago I asked my GI if my GERD could trigger the PVC’s and she said no. Now I’m reading that eating can trigger them. I see my cardiologist 1-13-25 and it can’t come soon enough. Thanks for listening I know I’m all over the place but it’s one of those evenings! Be well all.
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3 ReactionsJust because they are benign doesn’t mean it’s not impacting your quality of life. Some people never feel them or aren’t bothered by them others are highly symptomatic. I too was highly symptomatic. I tried different meds until I found one that worked well for me. Sometimes it’s trial and error. After about a year I developed side effects from the meds and in consultation with my EP opted for an ablation. I’ve now gone from 10k a day to under 100. Feeling great. If you’re miserable - push back and ask for treatment. You don’t have to suffer.
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4 Reactions