Sigh. PVC’s have me desperate. How to cope?

Wow, never told to stop caffeine. It is known factor on causing a rise in PVCs.

I hear you. How are we supposed to cope? I’ve gone from a few PVCs a day to 100s and I can’t see how I can live if this is the way things are to be. I’m looking at catheter ablation now.

mattb4295, I have had PVCs for decades. I have a ICD/Pacemaker and have it checked every 3 months. When I get the results of a 3 month read I am told I have hundreds of thousands of PVCs and several that are 3 in a row.

The number you are experiencing does not seem extreme. It does though (I am not a doctor) so they cause you a lot of stress. Stress does cause (according to my cardiologist and EP) PVCs. So your stress reaction to them is something you could address with PCP, cardiologist, EP and maybe a anxiety reducer. I take one.

Since I have the AICD/Pacemaker my worry about PVCs has lessened. I know my device will pace me out of tachycardia if needed and if does not work a shock. I have become to deal with the stress knowing that. I have had a ICD/Pacemaker since 2006.

Caffeine can cause more PVCs, I know it is hard to accept but PVCs are normal with healthy hearts. My EP says almost every one has them. Some feel them more than others (like you and me) thus the stress factor. I am told ablations can help (I had one) but they will not stop all PVCs as they are normal occurrences.

My suggestion talk to your PCP, cardiologist, EP about your stress and anxiety about your PVCs. It is important that they know how much affecting you. I see a specialist in psychiatric (Mayo) who prescribes mediation for my anxiety and works with my PCP, cardiologist, and EP with a team approach to treating the PVCs along with your anxiety and stress that can and will affect the amount of PVCs you get.
Good luck,

Julianas, I posted a reply to mattb4295.

The 100s you mentioned having a day is not extreme. I have thousands of them a day. It is important to know they are normal and common. Ablation will not stop all of them just the one area causing some of them. Stress and worrying about them makes them worse along with things like caffeine and high stress jobs or life occurrences.

As I mentioned to mattb4296 make sure you PCP, cardiologist, EP are aware of your stress and anxiety over this and see if they recommend using a anxiety medication which will help reduce your anxiety. I use a anxiety mediation that my psychiatric medication specialist prescribed and worked with my other providers as a team approach to my PVCs. My EP recently put me on a low dose medication to help reduce the PVCs medication wise. So you can see a team approach to this is important to not only treat the PVCs but you anxiety and stress over them. .
Good luck,

I can totally empathize with you. You have extreme anxiety, does your doctor give you anything for that? Fearful in the daytime and extreme anxiety at night is not a good way to live. I have experienced the same thing many times. For exa,ple, my heart is in permanent A-fib. My first pacemaker was a defibrillator /pacemaker as I was diagnosed with sudden death syndrome. I just found out that the second pacemaker I got 2.5 years ago does not have a defibrillator, so iI have a cardiac arrest that will be it. Of course I have anxiety also, at one point i was leaving food and water all over the house each night fearful that I would die in my sleep and my animals would starve to death before anyone found me. As with you this is hard to live with, but you learn to live with it, or you have no lifecat all.

goldpaw, How in the world did they not do a AIC/Pacemaker in your second one?

Your anxiety level must be extremely high. I probably have had 10 shocks over the 17 years I have had a ICD/Pacemaker. Have you tried contacting Mayo Clinics to see if you can get a ICD/pacemaker due to your diagnosis and having permanent AFIB?

Good luck. Also mentioned to them your very high anxiety level. I don't know where you live but Mayo has facilities in Jacksonville, Rochester and Phoenix. Also Cleveland Clinic is another extremely highly rated heart treatment facility and is in Cleveland. I also think they have other facilities elsewhere but not sure if offer the same expertise.

Dear Matt, it touched me so much to read your post as I'm sure it touched so many others on this page. You described these events perfectly... like an ongoing torment that always leaves you wondering if it will be your last breath.

I've had them bad for one year now (at first they were very gentle several years ago every now and again but then they increased to every minute like you)- they started over a very stressful family event out of the blue... all different forms from the pause and "punch in the chest" type, to the take your breath away and weakness in the knees type to the I feel like I'm going to die type.... and then the ongoing fear of when the next one will come--- pure torture and just not wanting to live the rest of my life like this.

I have since found great benefit and comfort-- and some days I would even say I am perfectly well. Here is what helped bring me relief and peace back to my life.

1) simply- start with diet- they are almost always triggered with indigestion. I started eating smaller meals of healthy foods (light protein, whole food starches and lightly cooked veggies) and not too much raw food or salad at one time. A digestive enzyme can be of great benefit taken with the meal. Also- I saw a chiropractor which found a "hiatal hernia" - a part of the stomach that slips above the diaphragm and put stress on the heart. I also used a massager/vibrator on the epigastric area of the stomach and that helped very much. Seeing a chiropractor / naturopath for a dietary adjustment and physical adjustment of the spine and hiatal hernia and starting a stretching plan will do absolutely wonders- I mean miracle wonders. I highly recommend the dietary book: Nature's Diet by Iverson

2) There is another book- Mind Body Prescription by Sarno-- I tell you this is really the heart and soul of the whole thing (pun intended). Every person I ever met with PVCs like us is a chronically nervous and stressed person. If you get command of this in your life-- everything will change... I mean everything. Dr. Sarno outlines how to do this step by step--- literally by telling your body to "stop it" and "I know you are trying to take my mind off the stress in my life, but you don't need to give me palpitations to do it." Also- meditate daily- 5 minutes minimum-- pray if you pray daily... and yoga several times a week... also- a quick jog - 1/4 mile daily will do wonders for both the digestion and the mental stress.

That is really the secret of it all- good nutrition and good calm lifestyle and outlook. Talking to people about your stressors in life will also greatly help, just reading the chat groups helps to know others are in it with you and they are getting through it. You will get better, you absolutely will- just focus on Peace and Love and KNOW that all will be okay.. . and it will. - Andrew

I take Heart Calm which is Triple Magnesium (3 diff ), w/ Q-10 & Potassium. Made in USA 🇺🇸. 90 capsules for $30
http://www.vitalbiologics.com

That’s link or google it .
I take 2-3 of having a bad episode of PVC’s or PAC’s .
Save me many trips to ER .
I feel for you , it’s so frustrating and scary . I feel each one like you ! Have you gotten any better since posting this ? I have chronic gastrointestinal issues as well . Daily , 10 yrs . It’s so hard .

Hey Matt and fellow PVC/PAC community!

- My experience: I am male from New Zealand, 34yo, slim, exercise regularly, don't smoke and sober for 4 years. First ever PVCs were minimal around the age of 26ish - one or two randomly after drinking alcohol or being super nervous. But then I started having PVCs worse back in 2019 after a death in the family and taking on a stressful job. I was having around 100 per day (very minor compared to what I have read here in the comments). Light to hard thumps in my chest or as I used to describe them a big gasp and "pulse" feeling in the middle of my chest.

- Had all the tests, wore the monitor for a week, treadmill and scans - no abnormalities found. So, benign in a physical sense but MAN I feel you all with the heavy anxiety it brings on. It was actually crippling for me at one point, I was actually shaking, angry and crying from fear in a circle that kept repeating. Horrible.

- This is when I got fed up and decided to work on my mind to take back control over my anxiety and I'm happy to say I have been managing them fine ever since. They haven't returned to how there were of having 100s per day. I go through long periods of time without a single one at all. Then if they return I then return to the mindset that got me out. I might have a few a day or a few a week in recent stressful times but they don't scare me anymore. I think that was the thing that made them worse. Being terrified of them created even more and so on.

Anyway, let me give you some things I do:

1. Supplements I take:
Ashwagandha
Taurine
Lecithin
B12 and D
Apple Cider Vinegar with water - morning and night or after fatty meal.
Vitamin C (in powder form mixed in water) not useless tablets.
Curcumin capsules
Garlic Oil capsules (tried for a few months as the research is great)
I also have metoprolol for back-up but I keep it in the cupboard and hardly use it now.
I have also stopped eating red meat which I feel has helped enormously. Will probably go full vege soon I feel.

2. Exercise, cardio and weights (should go without saying). Exercising reduced the adrenaline surges I get from anxiety.

3. This one I feel was very important - I do a Tummo breathwork most days. I can't post the link yet but will soon when I am allowed to. It is Tummo Breathwork by Breath and Flow on YouTube - look it up and do it!

4. And lastly, I also meditate to Dr Joe Dispenza's mediations which are great for giving yourself extreme inspiration and drive to change your thought patterns.

I agree with another guy who said to get tough with yourself and yell at yourself if you need to. Just accept them, accept they are there and make peace with them. If they aren't killing you then it's just something you now live with - which is fine, just accept it deeply. I used to say to myself "well f*** it, If I die, I die". I know this may sound extreme (and of course I didn't want to die) but it was just a way to let myself fully accept the present moment of having them and let my anxiety dissipate. It may take time but this is crucial for getting over them mentally. Go deep into yourself and strengthen your mind - seriously you will not regret it.

All the best everyone!

Here is some ideas to live with PVCs. I have PVCs four or more times a minute. That is considered occasional PVCs. No sweat those. Every human gets them. Sometimes at home while sitting in my chair reading a book I get a spate of them. Then use a moblie ekg device to check them. If you have more than 4 send the resukt to your cardiologist team to have thwm evaluated. Sometimes at Cardio Rehab, while exercising on the monitor, I get PVCs frequently like 8-10 a minute. Frequent is not life threatening. I can sometimes feel them and other times not. I have a cardio KardioMobile ekg monitor for use at home or elsewhere. Get one. Take control of your PVC monitoring and in a few weeks you will know your heart much better and also learn what is normal for your heart. Best 99.00 bucks I ever spent.