PVCs won't go away!! 3rd day and making me crazy!!!! i can't relax because of them!

Sure they are frightening, but the more frustrated you are with them, the more you react to them, the more you are likely to get them. The following link is an Electrophysiologist, he diagnoses and corrects heart rhythm problems. He was that in a heart that is structurally sound and does not have an EKG consistent with unstable rhythms, that PVCs are of no significance. He mentions 20,000/day before they would intervene by ablation. That's about 13 per minute.

www.drjohnm.org/2013/06/benign-pvcs-a-heart-rhythm-doctors-approach/

20,000/day is one PVC for every 5 beats of the heart. I get anywhere from 100's to 1000's per day. I'm not happy with it, but in stable hearts, it's actually safer not to treat them than to treat them.

I take Atenolol, a Beta Blocker, it helps to slow the heart rate, which helps with some people to reduce the number of PVCs, and makes the heart beat less forcefully, which helps to reduce how strongly we feel them. Are you on a Beta Block?

Some people never feel them? That's an understatement. Some people have them badly but are unaware of them, so they go on with their lives, eating, working, without worry. But those of us that feel them and have been tested are reassured and despite feeling them can go on with our lives. I had a coworker that had an issue with his heart attributed to a virus. He was released by his doctor, came in through the plant medical center where I work and was cleared for work. He mentioned his heart rate being variable, so I asked of I could take his pulse. I did and was horrified that he had no perceivable rhythm, his heart was all over the place, including a ton of PVCs. Fast, slow, skipped beats, and he can't feel them. That was years ago, he retired, and is still alive. So a perfect heart rate is not necessary to survive and lead a normal life.

Avoid ALL caffeine, cold pills like decongestants that speed up your heart, diet pills, smoking, and limit alcohol to the smallest amount. I edited this post to include my wife's suggestion, namely to stay hydrated, drink plenty of water, not tons necessarily at one time, but a glassful periodically throughout the day. This is something the cardiologist she worked for would tell many patients with benign PVCs. Also, get more sleep if possible.

See a cardiologist if you have concerns.

Be well.

Post Edited (JungRulz) : 2/16/2014 12:30:28 PM (GMT-7)

There are arrhythmias such as SVT or PSVT, that cause rapid rhythms. But the letter s is common in these two terms. S stands for supra. The v is also common in these two terms. V stands for ventricular.

PSVT is Paroxysmal Supra Ventricular Tachycardia.
SVT is Supra Ventricular Tachycardia.

Supra means above. So these terms are saying that the source of the arrhythmia is above the ventricles, which is the atrium of the heart, which is where the heart's natural pacemaker is. The arrhythmias that are of especial concern are tachycardic arrhythmias that occur on the ventricles themselves (the lower part of your heart).

Probably one of the most common reasons that people visit a cardiologist are for PVCs and PACs, the vast majority of which are benign. If doctors thought you had an unstable rhythm, they would be assertive about addressing it. You and I are subjectively bothered by the feel of them, but some people have so many that they get dizzy or feel faint. These people, when properly diagnosed as having benign arrhythmias, are still not in peril from the arrhythmia, even with it so frequent. These people are in jeopardy from the possibility of loosing consciousness.

Just remember, it's a common disorder, and once tested and diagnosed as benign should be of no concern. As I said, many people get them all the time but don't feel them, they are just a common part of the way the heart works.