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PVC nightmare
Hi, it’s me again. I’m sorry, but I’m just struggling really bad and this board is helping me. The PVCs have gotten worse and I had my worst day ever with him yesterday to the point I was having one every five seconds to 10 seconds and I just don’t understand. I took the potassium out of my morning meds this morning and started a multivitamin instead, and I kept the magnesium and for most of the day I thought they were gone minus a few here and there. But every night when it comes about 7 o’clock, they start coming and they keep coming and they keep coming and I just sometimes they feel different and they feel like my heart’s weaker or something. I don’t know how to explain it. I don’t get lightheaded. I don’t get dizzy. I don’t pass out and I know they’re benign because I’ve had every test you could possibly have with every specialist but I don’t wanna live this way. I can’t. It’s too hard. I’m scared to go do anything because I don’t want to ruin everybody else’s time by having a heart attack or going into a fib or something I’m 43. I don’t want to live the rest of my life like this.
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@carbcounter it’s so hard. Hearing “you’re fine. Learn to live with it”. It’s debilitating for me. And my panic disorder makes it a million times worse.
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3 Reactions@chickenfarmer Hi...just wanted to chime in here in regard to TSH. Mine was 15.56 if you can believe that! My PAC's were out of control and I was SO sick. Once we got the TSH back in normal range, I've been much more successful using Diltiazem to control the PACs
@judy3276 thanks for sharing your experience. I haven’t experienced any arrhythmias with that high TSH. My highest value was around 9 in 2022. need to study my traces from that time to see status of arrhythmias. I have read some on the relationship between TSH and arrhythmias there is general consensus that hyperthyroidism is correlated with more arrhythmias however there’s not so much agreement on how hypothyroidism affects arrhythmias. My current TSH level is approximately 4 which seems to be a sweet spot. I’m still searching for an endocrinologist who is versed in thyroid effect on ectopic to optimize as hypo is not fun either. I’m not using any medication but PVC/PAC have disappeared whereas in 2024 about 25% of beats were non sinus. Funny in that I’ve tried Kardia, Galaxy and I Watch. All conclude that PAC/PVC traces are AFIB even though my EP and QALY dispute this. Guess the device guys need to improve their algorithms. This all folds in to my status as post ablation and not on Elliquis. I monitor rhythm frequently to insure I take Elliquis if AF returns.
@drdianeschneider When I started having PACs, I didn't know what they were, but I soon discovered that 1000mg L-Carnitine Tartrate BID got rid of them.
There is a long-term concern with TMAO when taking Carnitine regularly, so I am interested in finding a way to check my TMAO level.
@ for me AF episodes are worse symptoms than ectopic beats. However I’m Paroxysmal and the AF episodes are infrequent and short lasting whereas my PAC/PVCs were numerous and continuous.Symptoms were there but mild compared to AF; still I was huffing and puffing with any sort of exertion such as pushing the dumpster trolley to the street - I began to refer to the ectopic condition as ‘AFIB lite’. Fortunately for me I’ve been able to eliminate them by adjusting my thyroid hormone dose age.
Having lived with PVCs as the only undesirable side effect of an otherwise successful cardiac ablation in 19, I would strongly recommend you see a really good EP, not standard cardiologist, and ask him if he can do tests on you to determine where in the ventrical the misfires are coming from. If they can locate it, then by all means go for a ventricular ablation. Good EPs can do this as easily as they can do a normal ablation in the atrium. BTW, all my heart stuff (afib, ablation, mitral prolapse, mitral valve repair) has been done at Mayo Phoenix, where I have been fortunate to work with Drs that are as good/experienced as can be found. I had such testing for my PVCs last year because how they made me feel when they increased in intensity made me want to get rid of that. But unfortunately my PVCs were found to be in the papilloma muscle in the ventricle, which controls the function of the chordae that open and close the mitral valve. My EP felt there was a 15% chance that an ablation could adversely affect the chordae and then result in me having to have that repaired mitral valve totally replaced with whatever, tissue or mechanical. I'm not ready to go through another open heart surgery but maybe if they get really good at trans catheter for mitral valves, maybe I would consider risking the 15% chance. But in your case, you really should see if an EP can pinpoint the source of your PVCs and then tell you if he can do an ablation to get rid of them.
I'm fine during the day when I'm up and that includes reading in bed or watching TV. At night I can get to sleep but am suddenly aware that my heart is racing or quivering and I wake up and have to get up and walk around or sit at the computer and it calms down. I now try to sleep sitting up and if I think an attack is coming on I drop one leg off the side of the bed trying to have gravity come to my aid. So, needless to say, since this happens every night I haven't had a good nights sleep since the first of December. If I lay down to cat nap I get a little sleep but never enough. I went to the ER December 6 and they checked my blood and hooked me up to a monitor for a few minutes and told me I'd get a call in a couple of days and a cardiologist would hook me up with a Holder. It arrived by Fedex today. I hooked it up. Now I have to wait another 2 weeks plus to find out what's wrong. I read all the articles from PACs to Bradycardia and still don't see a close match. Just have to hang on a bit longer.
@tootall10 It is surprising how many people experience arrhythmia, particularly atrial fibrillation, when reposed at night. My sister in law is one such person.
Sleeping on one's left side is often not advised in forums where AF is being discussed. It seems to make the heart cranky.
One major cause of AF is sleep apnea. The heart never rests long because it is constantly ramping up to 120-150 BPM in order to keep its host alive when they stop breathing 10, 20,30, 50 times each hour. Sometimes for 20 or more seconds. Or they breathe poorly and this goes on for most of the night to the point where the person is largely hypoxic all night long. If you have not been checked for that, maybe ask for an over night polysomnography at an accredited sleep lab. I did, me a lifelong athlete and not a bit overweight. The result? 'Severe obstructive sleep apnea.' This report was explained to me by a third party physician not affiliated with the lab. It was his job to convince me I have a problem and to accept treatment. Neither the lab nor the physician got a dime out of me...all paid by the province, so they had nothing to sell me except to 'splain what had been found. I had to go to a medical supply seller and purchase a CPAP machine, the right model for my particular need.
@gloaming
I'm into 2nd day with a Holter. It sounds like the monitor would pick up this action. Don't think I have sleep apnea but if this is picked up I will definitely have it checked out. Thanks
@tootall10 happy to help. The Holter won't detect apnea per se, just how frequently your heart beats and if the signals cause an arrythmia, which will be depicted graphically for them when they download the data in a few days. It will be hung out there, in the wash, for everyone to see. 😀
Fortunately, in the 21st century, we have come a fair way with electrical heart disorders, and most can be made to submit in time with the correct treatment. At the very end, with no other options, there is always the pacemaker. Literally millions around the globe, all ages, have one keeping them visiting the grandkids, going for hikes, getting your own groceries, etc. They work!