Long time sufferer of "occasional" PVCs... Recent sufferer of an avalanche of them!

If you could elaborate a little on droves, torrents and relentless, it may help to put it in perspective. I had 6000 PVCs/day at one point this year, 3974/day at another, how many did you have? Some people perceive even hundreds/day as too much. In an organically healthy heart, i.e. the blood flow to it is normal, the electrical system is otherwise normal, and the ectopics have been properly disgnosed as benign, they really are nothing to worry about. (I've never been able to convince myself of that, and I doubt I ever will, but the doctors are always so confident that it is nothing to worry about.

Benign PVCs: A heart rhythm doctor’s approach.
www.drjohnm.org/2013/06/benign-pvcs-a-heart-rhythm-doctors-approach/

Diagnostic Approach to Palpitations.
www.aafp.org/afp/2005/0215/p743.html

Life Off Beat.
www.lifeoffbeat.com/

Something another HealingWell member (Tom aka pvct) and I have been discussing is GI tract disturbances as a cause or co-factor in arrthyhmias. I'll include links to some of the more promising articles. In response to my recent bout of PVCs (I've been getting them on and off for 40 years), I decided to have a Endoscopy done (swallowing problems) and Colonoscopy (it was time to have one, I was supposed to have it three years after my first, this was 5 years). Discovered were duodenitis, diverticuli, and a single white plaque in my esophagus. Noteworthy of the Esophagus and Stomach is that the Vagus Nerve runs along the Esophagus and stomach, and is also connected to the heart. The body is unique, the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic nervous system influence the heart rate and force of contraction and digestive processes as well. When one is dominant, the other suppressed, so that during Fight or Flight, by your sympathetic nervous system, your heart is beating fast and harder, and digestion is put on hold. When the Fight ot Flight is over, the Parasympathetic System slows your heart rate and speeds up digestion.

Cardiac manifestations and sequelae of gastrointestinal disorders.
bjcardio.co.uk/2009/07/cardiac-manifestations-and-sequelae-of-gastrointestinal-disorders/

Update on gastric dysrhythmia: pathophysiology,clinical significance and futurehorizons.
This is a PDF Download. Interesting work on Gastric Involvement in dysrrhythmias
aups.org.au/Proceedings/44/63-73/63-73.pdf

Something that most of us don't realize is that many people, perhaps most, with ectopics in significant numbers, don't feel them, and may only become aware of them due to a physical or pre-employment screening. Just because the guy or gal across the table from you at lunch is not complaining of them doesn't mean he or she is not getting them.

Caffeine, sugar, spicey foods, MSG and Sodium in general, and a host of other things, cause some people to develop ectopics and they usually avoid those triggers. Too little sleep, too much stress, over-the-counter medications, prescription medications, reactions between medications whether prescription or OTC or both, reactions between food and medications, thyroid levels, electrolyotes, vitamins, etc. can all contribute to ectopics. But vitamins and electrolytes in abundance are no assurance that they wil tame ectopics, in some people, any particular substance may make them worse. You mentioned potassium, have you had blood levels taken to be sure you don't have too much? Some medications can hinder the elimination of Potassium and too much can be a problem.

Reading about thyroid levels (I no longer have a thyroid), I was surprise to see the term Sub-clinical. People with Sub-clinical issues are people that are in the normal range of thyroid levels but are manifesting symptoms of being hyper or hypo nevertheless. These people are treated and often their symptoms go away. I wonder if you may be the same with ectopics and electrolytes. The doctor looks, says everything is fine, yet maybe for the individual, they need a little more or a little less. I would speak to your Doctor about your Magnesium and Potassium levels, if they are by prescription or at his/her urging, don't change anything without consulting him/her first. Why is your calcium low, how low, have you discussed this with your doctor and asked for advice.

If possible, have comprehensive blood testing done now (including thyroid) then again during a lull in activity, the doctor can make determinations, but you look over the data too. Keep a diary, what do you eat, when do you eat it. What time you go to bed, stress. Take your pulse a few times a day under similar circumstances, you're watching T.V. in the evening, before lunch at work. When we come down with a cold or virus, our heart rate increases. Several years ago, while at work, my heart rate became sporadic. My heart rate is usually is about 60 at rest, I'm on a Beta Blocker, so I took a little bit more Atenolol (which I was on at the time, and my doctor instructed me to take a little more as needed) and had called the Plant Paramedics. I took my pulse, it was 72 and irregular, up from my usual 60. By the time I was taken to the plant hospital, my extra ectopics had stopped, my heart rate had decreased.

Your words, following, could have been written by me, virtually verbatim, I live this myself, I fully sympathize.

"As a grown man, I find myself very fragile at the moment. I've cried to my wife, isolated myself, and have limited my activities with the kids because I am so scared. Based on the tests I've had over the years, I have a structurally sound heart, my calcium scoring is low, my EKGs are good, and I am asymptomatic. So, I should find some peace in that, right?"

Post Edited (JungRulz) : 9/6/2014 5:01:25 PM (GMT-6)

I've had episodes of PVCs that have been upsetting, and I don't drink excess caffeine or live a high stress life, or smoke or take any other stimulant etc. etc. I finally concluded (to myself, no one with an MD next to his name will agree) that my seasonal allergies trigger my PVCs, specifically my asthma.

My asthma isn't particularly bad, and I don't use my albuterol inhaler much (because it makes my heart race for one), but the PVCs that come along with this are most annoying. I've been using my steroidal inhaler regularly, recently doubling my dose because I could tell things were getting worse.

My GP has said that we can try beta blockers to see if that helps, so OP, maybe your DR has some ideas to help you manage your PVCs. I won't do beta blockers because I think they may adversely affect my asthma (natch!) so right now I am cutting back all caffeine (I take one cup of black tea every morning, going to zero ASAP) since my PVCs came back last night.

I also found out, last night, that there are some positional problems - I was lying on my right side and was miserable, on my back and they didn't bother me. I slept soundly on my back.

The one thing that bugs me is that my dad has developed an a-fib that requires treatment. When I went through all the diagnostics everything was benign, but I expect at some point that I'll develop an a-fib like he did (we're alike in many physical ways, but perhaps it's just random, who knows). So sitting here feeling short of breath (asthma? a fib?) and a bit lightheaded (asthma? a-fib?) and feeling the PVCs kind of makes me mad that there isn't a way for me to just *know* what's going on.

JungRulz, thanks for the pointer toward GI issues and PVCs. I'm actually in a solid remission of my IBD and have been since 2011 (3 years!). My PVCs started in a noticeable way in 2012, and have been seasonal since then (spring/fall allergies).

I found it really interesting to read last night about positional variations in PVCs, or at least awareness of them. Perhaps that's related to the vagus nerve, too.