I noticed these at the beginning of the summer when I was going through a stressful time with a friend (I didn’t know what they were). They subsided after 2-3 weeks, then reappeared when i found out my Dad was going to die about a month ago. I made an appt. with my doctor and they put me on a Holter Monitor. I got the results yesterday (the holter moniter was on when my parents were in town, and they were saying how they would be living with us, and just all the stress). Well, I had 3,000 PVC’s in a 24 hour period (the normal heart beats 113,000 times). These are not associated with heart attacks.
From what I’ve read you have to have about 20,000 before they worry about it turning it AFib…or doing an ablation. The doc is sending me to a cardiologist and wants to start me on a low dose beta blocker! I do NOT want to do this right now. First of all, they seem to only bother me during stress, so I need to up the exercise and maybe start doing yoga. I’m hoping when this stressful part stops, I’ll go back to normal. Plus…(ok vanity here), I’ve been losing my hair the past 3 years. STarted with taking Welchol, and I"m off of that now. It subsided, but still the fall out is a bit more than before. I contribute that to menopause and again. I have lots of hair, and I bet I’ve lost maybe 20%. Nobody notices but me and DH because it still is full.
When I read Beta Blockers and hair loss, people are losing TONS of hair. Since it looks like I’m predesposed to doing that, I do NOT want to start Taking these…until I really have an urgent medical condition.
Anyone have PVC’s, or experience with Beta Blockers?
No. But I’d keep the appointment with the cardiologist and discuss your concerns with him/her. Your heart is kind of important. I wouldn’t mess around.
I also wouldn’t blame the PVCs solely on stress. Stress is a part of life, and there will always be some sort of stress.
Conmama I too had PVC’s when my sister was dying. Wore the monitor, got told to get off coffee. It was (OMG) 17 years ago so I don’t remember what my numbers were. I refused the beta blockers. I added another yoga class … oh and that was the year we had terrible au pairs, work heated up and our youngest entered kindergarten.
Other than yoga and making sure DH and I keep walking, I haven’t done anything and heart is still going. Sometimes (like this week when hospital said Mom was 2 hr from the end) I can feel it flop around some. but I just take deep breaths and carry on.
HOWEVER I did and do see cardiologist once a year. I do watch out. Family is prone to clots so I take the asprin. And never miss yearly checks. YMMV.
I am NOT advocating what you can/should do, just saying what I did. and here is a hug because it is FREAKING STRESSFUL what you are going through. {{{conmama}}}
@Esobay thanks! I have looked into Yoga and decided I’m going to do that. I also need to pick up the walking and bicyling…which won’t be hard. I’ll be an empty nester in 2 weeks, so my time will be my own. I have given up coffee, that wasn’t hard, I wasn’t drinking much anyway.
I will go see the cardiologist, but I don’t want to take the beta blockers. How much aspirin do you take? I really want to try and see if these will go away on their own when this incredible stress with Dad dying and fighting with my Mom subsides.
I’ve never done yoga before, and I’m really looking forward to it! From what you are saying, extreme stress brings it on for you, too! Hugs to you!
@conmama, you are sure these are PVCs and not PACs? Usually one speaks of ventricular problems leading to more serious ventricular arrhythmias, such as the dreaded ventricular fibrillation (“v-fib”), whereas a-fib is an atrial problem, as are PACs. Atrial arrhthmias are generally less lethal than ventricular ones. When someone is in V-fib, they are in big trouble and need to be shocked, aka “defibrillation” that you see with AEDs and crash carts on TV. Atrial fibrillation can also be electro converted, but is not generally the same type of emergency as a ventricular fibrillation or tachycardia.
I worked in cardiology back in the day, but am many years out of it and am in no way an expert. Your cardiologist will be your great resource.
That said, I was in a very stressful time of my life when I began noticing lots of palpitations that unnerved me. I wore the Holter, had lots of junk going on, and was given a beta blocker to take only during periods of palpitations which bothered me.
It helped to just have that med in my possession somehow, and on the rare occasions when I took it, it did help. Could have been a placebo effect, I don’t know.
Hi, I did the holter moniter and they said they were PVC’s. My doc is going to set me up with a cardiologist. Until then, I plan on starting yoga, more cardio and I have a call into my acupuncturist. I haven’t seen her for awhile, but she was amazing in getting rid of my muscle knots and helping me with arthritis. I read some articles that acupuncture may work, so I’m going to talk to her and possibly give it a shot. I would really like to manage these without any medications.
Talk to the cardiologist as to whether you are taking the medication due to the number of PVCs, or concern about them becoming V tach, which is a dangerous condition. If you have no symptoms, no lightheartedness, no dizziness, no passing out, just the flip flopping, then perhaps you can do without. It is complicated, and worth looking at family history as well.
Know that A fib and PVCs are very different conditions. The A in A fib refers to the top part of the heart, the atria. The V in V tach refers to the ventricles, or bottom of the heart. Ventricular arrhythmia don’t turn into A fib, though the meds to decrease cardiac irritability can be the same. And both can be related to stress.
Being mindful to limit stress and stimulants is helpful. A diet high in potassium and magnesium can be very important, as lack of these minerals can lead to more arrhythmia. http://www.livestrong.com/article/550444-a-diet-for-pvc/
Anything to decrease stress is good, whether meditation, yoga, exercise of mindfulness practices, or just getting enough sleep at night.
FWIW, I give patients betablockers day after day, and have never heard a complaint about hair loss, though usually if you are hospitalized, there are more significant immediate concerns. A quick google turns up lots of reference to hair loss, however. In future will more carefully scrutinize my patient’s heads!
Nrdsb, I hadn’t seen your post, as it takes me a while to write mine. Know…the rest of you. that cardiac rhythm problems are not an easy topic, and there are a number of variants on the above theme. Which is how cardiologists make their dime, keeping it all straight, and the rest of us out of trouble.
I have had PVCs for about 20 years. My family doc is unconcerned and so was my sleep doc. I do have occasional checks but there seems to be nothing wrong with my heart. They used to scare me when I felt them but once I was told they were benign I learned to ignore them. I do use them as a wake up call that I need sleep or stress rief.
Thank you all. i went out of town over the weekend and have just read all the posts since Friday. I do feel a little better, I was very very anxious when I found this out last week.
@“great lakes mom” thank you, what type of doctor are you again? When I meet with the cardiologist, I plan on asking that question about the A-tach. I also plan on eating more from the link you sent, upping my cardio workouts and I’m going to check into Yoga as soon as I get my son off to college next week (sob)…another stressor.
since I’m prone to losing hair and hate taking meds if I don’t absolutely have to, I will try other alternatives before going that route. I also got in touch with my acupuncturist. She said that she can help…I did read that this sometimes helps. I never believed in acupunture until as a last resort after celebrex and PT, I went to her and she got rid of my pain (arthritis and muscle knots). So, it’s worth a try to me.
I may have been having these for years and never knew it? The doc said some people just don’t feel them. It could have been just this extreme stress and getting older that makes me feel them. Who knows.
I can’t thank everyone enough for responding with their experiences and knowledge. It calms me down some. XO this board is great!
Good luck. Thankfully there are amazing things that can be done - outpatient - to cure cardiac problems these days. A few years back I was diagnosed with AVNRT (Atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia) which basically meant my heart periodically short-circuited. Evidently it had been going on for years, but I had just thought it to be panic attacks. Finally they got more frequent and longer in duration to where I ended up in the ER having my heart chemically stopped to break the rhythm.
I was put on beta blockers, and I had no side effects except being really tired because my heart rate was lowered significantly. I wasn’t on the blockers long enough to figure out an optimal dose. Even on beta blockers I had episodes, but my heart rate would only get up to 160 or so instead of the 300+ without the meds.
I was immediately referred to a cardiac electrophysiologist at Duke, and within 3 months had an ablation. Went home that night and did laundry - other than having to lay still for 4 hours after the procedure, and taking care for several weeks to not open the incisions, it was a piece of cake. I’ve not had an episode since and am considered cured.
I wish you the best of luck. Heart problems are scary!
Hi InigoMontoya…I have read about the ablations and how well they work. I don’t know if you have to have a certain amount of PVC’s per day before they will consider doing them, but I’ll find out. This stuff really is anxiety-filling! I’m so glad you are cured and can relax! It really is amazing the things that can be done.
Ok, thanks. Nurses are awesome and know all this stuff, too. I just assumed she was a doctor becaude I thought she had prescribed beta blockers. Maybe nurses can do that, too, I don’t know.
I also had these and was told by my cardiologist that they were not something to be worried about. However, they were distressing and I was not under stress at the time. I later learned from a poster on CC that they can occur as a symptom of peri menopause or menopause. Once I went on hormone replacement because of terrible hot flashes, they disappeared. They have not come back now that I have been able to discontinue hormone replacement. Make sure to also check your iron, B vits. and Vit.D levels. Hope this helps, I am not a medical professional, but there is much wisdom and experience on CC!