Premature atrial contractions: Anyone have any helpful info on this?
I was now just recently told I have Premature Atrial Contractions, or P.A.C, after being on a holter monitor for 48 hrs. I was told this after my higher then normal calcium score, and was told p.a.c. is benign., but im still worried. I was put on monitor after I felt my heart pounding hard in my left neck area. Im wondering if anyone has any helpful info on this? Im really worried acutally, even cancelled my colonoscopy due to the laxative saying it could cause irregular heartbeat. it seems I can feel my heart skip beats at times or speed up! very scary to me. Im wondering if anyone else has this? I am 58 yrs old and am on lovastatin for high cholesterol thanks
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No - I have not (yet) been diagnosed with A-fib. The doc told me I'm "knocking on the A-fib door".
Thanks. I do not want to take over this good post but will say I have convinced my Dr. to not put me back on thinners even tho I fell back into Afib a month ago and it is still going on. Guess we will have that abla talk next visit... I've heard that many hospitals only have antidotes for warfarin and not Elequis or xarelto... both of which I was on at different times & I am prone to cutting myself doing mechanical and chain saw things...
I was on Pradax, which goes by different names, but it's been deemed dangerous here in Canada because it has no antidote, and my cardiologist feels my condition is improved enough that I'm just on a baby aspirin a day. I've had no more A-fib since the ablation
Thank you!! I have not heard of the KardiaMobile. I have a loop recorder (for the past 2 years) but I've never received a summary or any information from it the entire time. I was told it's too old to pick up PVCs.
jddart, are you on blood thinners?
Thank you so much - this is very helpful. I'll check out the phone app today!
Another option if a heart monitor test doesn't capture anything is that you can ask your cardiologist if she/he can get you a device called KardiaMobile, which is a mobile single lead ECG device. It syncs with an app on your phone. If you're experiencing symptoms you just grab the device, and place your fingers on it and it records your heart activity and stores it.
I had A-fib for years and finally had an ablation to correct it, but I still have PACs, PVCs and SVT left over. My cardiologist said it's all benign, but even after 8 years I still hold my breath in fear when these anomalies happen, because they feel too much like the old A-fib.
If you have a cell phone with a camera, consider getting a free heart rate monitor app for it; it lights the camera light and you put your finger over it and the camera lens and the app the graphically shows your heart beats, most apps with sound, and you can SEE the beats STRENGTH so you can see each beat, and if there are extra ones that are only 1/2 as powerful, and of course you can see the missing beats. I commend your doctor for suggesting you learn more about your own body! And the free cell phone app is a grand way to learn! (I have AFIB and keep tabs on it this way)
It doesn't sound like you're getting solid answers from anyone - just lots of tests. Have you thought about taking all your data to a different cardiologist for a fresh look? With your history, it seems you should be getting more definitive answers.
I was recently told by my cardiologist that I have Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVC), and not to worry unless they come frequently. I also have SVTs, are these related?? I was put on a Zio heart monitor for 3 days - will get results Monday morning. I recently bought a stethoscope (my cardiologist suggeseted I know more about my heart). My husband and I can both clearly hear what sounds like a comletely skipped beat, and what sounds like an extra beat. The skipped beat is more often and happens several times within 2 minutes of listening. It's disconcerting. Any idea what we're hearing??