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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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I agree 100%. What was your treatment? Medication? Ablation?
I am newly diagnosed with A-fib, and although I am significantly older than you, I also feel exactly as you do about the discomfort, distress and anxiety that these arrhythmias or "extra beats" create! I can also feel them immediately and they often happen at random times. Every time it happens, I need to stop and check my pulse to see if I am out of sync again! I am also in good health otherwise and exercise daily, have normal weight and blood pressure and bloodwork! I find it very unhelpful to be told not to "worry about it." I had cardioversion 3 weeks ago and I live in fear that the A-fib will reoccur full force; I had to live with the condition for 6 weeks before I could get the conversion due to needing to take a blood thinner! I don't know what to tell you except to give you my deepest empathy! I know exactly how you feel about this. I keep reading and researching all the information that I can and I have a good cardiologist so when I see him next month, I will be asking for a Plan B: what to do immediately if the arrhythmia returns. Good luck! I wish you good luck and a solution that works!
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3 ReactionsJeffjaguar4
To start I hope you are feeling better. I have been dealing with PVCs PACs since my early 20s. I’m in my late 40s now. For years I seem to have a few hundred a day now I seem to have thousands. Earlier today for about 30 minutes it was about one every other beat. I drove myself to the emergency room, but they started to subside on my way there, so I sat in the parking lot And then drove back home. Do yours tend to flare up at times meeting some days they almost seemed tolerable, but never gone away completely and other days just seem very out of control. This is scaring the crap out of me definitely bringing on more anxiety and with it potentially a vicious cycle of The skipped beats reading a lot of posts I do see there’s a lot of assault there that fight with this daily really wish there is some cure. Let us know how you’re doing thoughts and prayers.
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3 ReactionsI want to follow heart rhythm conditions
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2 ReactionsGood morning, it's 4:14am, I was awoken at about 3:00am with Bigeminy (PVC every heartbeat).
You sound just like what I am going through, yesterday all day I felt very good, very few PVC's all day 0%-20%. I also thought I was going to have my wife drive me to the hospital an hour ago. I will take a EKG right now on Kardia Mobile at 4:22am. I am at 50%, I have 33 PVC's @ 66BPM.
Now at 4:25am, I am at Normal Sinus Rhythm 0 PVC's @ 62BPM. I don't get it, I didn't even move in my chair.
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1 ReactionI think we have the same thing whatever it is. It is very scarey. Were you prescribed medication?
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1 Reaction13 pages, Heart Health What does Bigeminy mean?
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1 ReactionI too had PAC's - for over a year. They would be every 2nd or 3rd beat, and go on for days. I had no symptoms. The only way I knew I had them was with a home ekg monitor.
My regular Doc, and Cardiologist said "not to worry". Well I worried, and my ECP got a little hot under the collar when I kept bringing up my concern, and my cardiologist indicated that since there are no options for PAC treatment, other than b-blockers, which I couldn't take because of my low HR, no sense in worrying about them. There are thousands of people with PAC's and they are doing well.
Last March, during one of my normal at home EKG checks, I realized that I was in afib, (as determined by my wife who has 49 years of RN ER experience). We went to the ER, and I was in the hospital for 4 days, undergoing many test procedures. I am overall in good health, on rate control and Eliquis anti-coag. Have had 4 attempted cardioversions, but couldn't complete them because of a clot in the left atria appendage. Number 5 is coming up.
Did the PAC's cause in any way my afib? Don't know, but I think so. During my time of PAC's I read about that possibility, and it was one of my concerns at the time.
In my search for the best treatment of my afib, I came across several mentions of ablation procedures for PAC's.
My CRS is keeping me from remembering other articles re treatment of PAC's, but to be sure, there are avenues available for the treatment of the PAC's. Why I didn't see them when I needed them I don't know.
As I have found in researching options for my afib, you have to expand your horizons geographically, (I am traveling to Houston from the West coast for my procedure), and realize that one cardiologist's opinion is just that. The more Docs you talk to, the better. Actions speak louder than words - what is their track record?
In short.... from one laymen to another, do everything you can to address you arrhythmia's now. Afib is certainly different than PAC 's or PVC's.
Bob
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3 ReactionsI am 60 and have suffered with PVC’s and PAC’s intermittently for 3O years. I too have had heart monitors, echos, EKG’s, stress test… Some days more frequent than others. The days the episodes reoccur, I pretty much shut down and rest…
Years back I would feel a weirdness in my throat but now they actually make me cough. I fear traveling on an airplane now. Also have a CAC score of 165. Any suggestions would be welcomed.