Posted 10/18/2014 3:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hi. Welcome to HealingWell.
Constant PVCs is a relative description. Can you be more specific?
Please understand that no doctors offer medical advice here, but those of us that have experienced heart issues relevant to the poster are usually most happy to share our experiences with others.
I have frequent PVCs, I believe this is the medical term applied to them in my case. Mine tend to come and go, and as I age, seem to be more frequent. I have been experiencing these ectopics, in cycles, for over 40 years. I hate them, every time I experience a new outbreak, I see my doctor.
Though ectopics, including PVCs, PACs, and other forms are common, anyone experiencing more than a few here and there for the first time should be evaluated by a doctor. Even though I've experienced them for over 40 years, if I'm free of them for months, and they recur, I seek medical advice based on my perceived severity. This last time they grew worse on exertion, which is usually not a good thing, though not necessarily ominous, it warrants investigation. So too for having dizziness, feeling faint, pain, and shortness of breath.
Within the last 12 months, I had a Stress Echo in December 2013, tons of PVCs before and after, none during. In April 2014 awoke with insanely persistent ectopics that grew worse on exertion, visited the E.R. twice in a months span, the first on the day when they first recurred. I was having frequent PVCs and for every 3 PVCs, had one PAC. My cardiologist was satisfied with my previous test results and the results from the E.R., but the E.R. doctor had suggested a Holter and when I asked my cardiologist, he ordered one. I had 6000 PVCs/24 hours. Being I wasn't having them while asleep, in 18 hours that averages to 5.5 PVCs a minute.
I started to see an Electrophysiologist, and a HealingWell member here suggested the Beta Blocker Acebutolol, which my Electrophysiologist prescribed. It's one of a few Beta Blockers that has added properties to slightly speed-up the heart rate to counter the Beta Blocker from slowing it down, so that more Beta Blockade can occur without unduly slowing down the heart rate. Nevertheless, it was the first time I experienced PVCs, often in quadrigeminy, which was frequent at that time, without feeling them. When you don't feel them, and have no other symptoms, you worry less.
My next Holter showed 3900 PVCs. My Electrophysiologist that advocated, for my sanity sake, that I have an ablation or be admitted to the hospital for two days so that they could find the right antiarrhythmic drug to suppress them. I started to drink one Ensure a day, one reduced calorie Carnation Instant Breakfast, and eat one banana a day and drink one bottle of vitamin water, just the 100% of this or that, no super potency stuff. Within a week, my PVC count fell from 3900 to a few dozen, and since then has fallen further. Since some of the PVCs occurred under exertion, and I pestered my cardiologist enough, he ordered a stress test. I experienced 0 PVCs before, during, and after the test.
On September 17th, they came back with a vengeance, but they occurred with symptoms of a respiratory infection that has only recently began to subside. The ectopics were frequent, I saw my family doctor, but they went away as the infection took hold.
It's a tough call, ablations for non life threatening ectopics, or even antiarrhythmic drugs. As much as we want relief, there are hazards to either treatments. I'll look back to see if you posted how many you're having.