Oh gosh, I am sending you a big dose of empathy. Been there, done that. And, I promise you that this intensity can and does diminish. So here is my pep talk to you!

First of all, trust in the fact that you've been checked out throughly and your heart is sturdy and can handle these PVCs. Everyone has PVCs. Most people are completely unaware of them. They come, they go. It's part of having a human heart. I personally think it is good to pay attention to your heart beat and rate, so good for you for knowing and listening to your body. This will serve you well for the rest of your life.

I'm not a doctor, obviously, but I'm a life long dysrhythmia patient, born with a congenital heart rhythm disorder, undergone ablation via open heart surgery and I've had all sorts of variations of benign dysthymia's for 60 years. Benign does not mean fun or non-anxiety provoking, so I get it. So, my second piece of strong advice is to do the opposite of what you are doing and get busy again and now. The more you sit around and dwell on this, the worse it seems and believe it or not, the more they will happen because the more worked up you are about them, the more stress hormone you release and thus, the more extra beats your heart will produce. (Not very fair, is it!). So, no matter how scared you are, try super hard to get back to your regular routine and occupy your mind on everything and anything else but this. Make your self as busy as possible. Employ any friend, family member, co-worker, neighbor or who ever you can to help fill up your schedule morning to bedtime. Tell them what is going on and get them on board to help distract you! Do your favorite things and new things when you are not working. Go for walks, to see movies or a play, visit museums or exhibits, take a weekend trip away to a favorite place if you can. Volunteer. Get busy. Next thing you know, you'll notice you are not thinking about it as much and just like that, this intensity of the situation will decrease and the number of PVCs probably will too!

I hope someone explained to you that you probably have an irritated spot (foci) or two in your heart that is firing away. This happens even to healthy people and I think they are not quite sure why this pops up, though there is a definitely connection to stress, low electrolyte levels, sleep deprivation and a handful of other things such as too much caffeine and even simple meds people are using that are stimulants unbeknownst to them! You can figure this out. So my third piece of advice is to take a good inventory of what you are putting into your body (and I mean everything) and your lifestyle and make the necessary adjustments. I have had the best luck decreasing extra beats by simply pumping up my potassium level. Whenever I feel more PVCs or get runs of SVT (super ventricular tachycardia) I go straight to my potassium routine. Coconut water, watermelon, banana, baked potato and believe it or not, baby food banana are my go too foods and drinks to get this done. Usually, after a couple of days adding these items in generous amounts, I notice a tremendous decrease in the number of extra beats. I too use magnesium glycinate, as I find it to be calming. Some people like the slow release kind called Slo-mag. I also add a touch of sodium (salt) becuase I tend to keep that low in order to keep my blood pressure nice and low, but it's a double edged sword as when my blood pressure is low, I can get extra beats. So there will be some trial and error here with diet, but what you are doing is working with your electrolytes and trying to get them into a range that your heart likes. If you have a good relationship with your doctor, you could even ask for blood work with an electrolyte panel so you know your levels and see how they respond to a week or two of a potassium rich diet.

And finally, you mentioned the "stressful job." Of course, changing jobs is not that easy, especially if you are in one that is well paying or hard to find. If you have the means, consider some therapy and/or life coaching or career coaching, update your LinkedIn and really work to see how this aspect of your life can be managed. Don't automatically think that your boss will not be supportive if you ask for work modifications or changes. give them a chance. For sure, you should try to learn about stress hormones and how they affect the entire body and recognize your heart is giving you a wake up call with a benign stress sign that something needs to change. You can do this too and I wish you all the best in figuring out what can make your work life less stressful.

One last thing: the type of specialist for heart rhythm issues is an electrophysiologist. This is a specially trained cardiologist with a fellowship in electrophysiology. If you are not in with one, press for a referral. These folks are great because they get the psychological side of a dysrhythmia and things like frequent PVCs, so they have lots of suggestions and resources.

Lots of love and hugs to you. Good luck.