i really cant stand the ectopics anymore

[sammie]

hi

please for all of you that suffer with these horrid things can anyone give me advice on how to cope i am so frightened by them and at the moment i am having loads of them i am really focussed in on them . its making me not want to do anything or go anywhere for fear of having them. all my rational thinking has gone out of the window . i know i have had a really stresfull couple of months but i am obsessed with getting them
i really can't cope anymore
sammie

[rosebud]

Hi Sammie

I can so sympathise with you.
I have had them for nearly a year and they do terrify me.
But i think thats the problem. I obsess about them too much. I worry that i will get them from the minute i get up to the minute i go to bed.
So i am in a constant state of fear and anxiety and i'me certain that thats what keeps them going. I wake up in the middle of the night thinking i'me having them but i'me not. I am so used to that horrible sensation they bring that sometimes i feel it even when they are not there if you know what i mean. I wish i could say something to help you but i don't know how to help myself. I know deep down if i just ignored them and stopped worrying they wouldn't be such a problem. Its just that they are so vile.
We have just got to ignore the damn things and not let them take over our lives !!
Take care
Traceyxx

[ro44]

Sammie,

I understand how you feel. I have had pvc's (premature ventricular contractions) for 16 years. If you have had them checked out by a doctor then try not to worry. They are nothing more than a BIG nuisance! The more you worry about them the worse they will become. Do you notice a pattern of when they are worse? I have learned over the years what my "triggers" are and that has helped me a lot. It's different for everyone. For me, indigestion is a big trigger. I try to eat small meals and I never eat late in the evening or I will have them all night long. I also know that anxiety is a trigger and for a lot of people caffeine can also bring them on. You might write down when they are the worse and what you were doing to see if there is a pattern. I've had them so long I'm not as afraid of them as I used to be. If they were going to kill me it would have happened long ago. Life is too short, don't let them stop you from enjoying your life!

Rhonda

[Ashman UK]

Hi Sammie,

I can feel for you on this one. I have had these more pronounced than before over the last year or so and the other week have had an ecg which came back all clear and for a week or two felt great and hardly have had any.

This week though ive had a rather bad attack or two on monday and tuesday where they would come in multiple batches but do tell myself in the back of my mind that they are caused by, what i still think and many others do, indigestion and the doctor when i went to see him yesterday after me saying that this must be causing this has changed my tablets from omperazole capsules to ranitidine tablets which are more like zantac tablets you can get over the counter.

As ro44 has said above when i think over the last year if something was going to happen it would have by now to myself so just try if you can to see things day by day and try maybe to be a little if possible happier with yourself. Far from easy i know and im still on the upslope but i have improved alot since a few months ago where the attacks, purely random at any time, would terrify me more than any other anxiety symptom ive had over the last ten years or so.

We are all with you.

Take care for now.

Ash.:-)

[sammie]

hi
thank you tracey , rhonda and ash for replying to my post[:P]

yes i have had several ECG 's that have all been normal but somehow in the back of my mind i don't believe that they are harmless. yes i suppose after 16yrs of getting them and nothing bad happening then i should worry less. i have noticed a pattern to them though i usually get them when i am pre menstrual. if i have had a stressful day i usually get them when i start to relax.and also after eating certain foods.

but thanks for your replies i will try my best not to fuocus in on them too much
sammie

[cazza]

Hi Sammie
I have had these every day for 8 months now and they are so hard to deal with the only advice i can give is try not to focus onthem too much and dont worry they wont kill you
i know its easier said than done i strugggle too!
take care carol

[edwardthebear]

Hello Sammie, I can certainly sympathise with the misery that ectopics can bring. I first started experiencing them in my teens, then for many years they all but disappeared - Well perhaps with only one or two very isolated incidents. Now into my early forties, a couple of years ago the damned things returned with a vengeance. I must admit that this coincided with a very stressful period of my life, but now barely a day goes by without an episode.
They must surely be one of the most distressing of all anxiety symptoms and even after undergoing medical tests and given reassurance that the Heart is in fact healthy can't stop them from having a major impact on the quality of life.
Keep strong and remember no matter how unpleasant they are, they are of little consequence medically. Best Wishes.

[Piglet]

Sammie have you had a good read of our help pages on ectopics cos that's quite reassuring! :D

Meg once told me to view ectopics as no more annoying than a run of sneezes, for some reason that has really helped me.

The funny thing once the real fear has gone you tend to get them much much less - ever since I started regarding them as irritating rather than terrifying I don't get them nearly so much!!

Love Piglet :)

"Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?" said Piglet.
"Supposing it didn't," said Pooh after careful thought.

[looking4answers]

I have actually had these all my life..when things are going ok I don't worry to much but when i stress it seems to make them worse.Lately I think because of depression and digestive system out of tract that it has caused them to be worse..Its so bad now I don't know if there is something wrong or not..But anyway im sure when you just keep going and try not to think about it.. good luck to you .

PRAYER FOR FREEDOM FROM SUFFERING

May all beings everywhere plagued
with sufferings of body and mind
quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid,
and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power,
and may people think of befriending each other.
May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wilderness--
the children, the aged, the unprotected--
be guarded by beneficent celestials,
and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.

[loopy loo]

This is a response to anyone who has had these ectopics for a long time and has visited the doctor about them......please can you tell me...can the ectopic beats make you faint, because i seem to feel like i am going to quite alot. I get these beats constantly, every other beat or so, for months now and they are ruining my life. Also, i have taken amitriptyline on a very low dose for 3 years and recently stopped them because it was thought they could cause them. Anyone else taken this drug??
Would be grateful for any response......if i can find it!! Not very good at this!
Loop loo :shrug:

[jodie]

sammy hun

i have had them years now and at times as you do i get very scared ,
just over the last few months i have started to try and not let them bother me try take your mnd of them and do somthing at the time they are real bad mabe go for a run or a walk ect it dose help some .
pm me anytime if you need a chat i know what it is like to be scared over them but i know now that the more you let them panic you the more you will get them :hugs:

jodie x

[susiegoo]

Here's a link to a good web page that explains about how the heart works, I've just learnt something from it which I was happy with :) Hope it can reassure you that ectopics are commonplace and nothing to worry about. Have you tried diversion tactics, for example, when you feel these beats, try rubbing some of your favourite aromatherapy oil onto your arm or leg or even your temples. This has a two fold action, you are taking your attention away from your worry and at the same time releasing a wonder pong that may make you feel better. My most favourite oil is cinnamon, I love the smell and it also takes me back to the most wonderful holiday I had in Sri Lanka. I sometimes sprinkle a little onto my pillow at night.

[susiegoo]

Doh, forgot the link!
http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/arrhythmia.html

[matti]

Hi Sammi I to have ectopics and they drive me mad. One minute Im bouncing around and happy, the next minute, heart goes, worry sets in etc. I have had mine now for about 10 years and Im still here :o) The trick is not to focus on them(easier said than done) i know. I to was frightened to do so many things that I enjoyed and then I thought DAMNED if Im gonna let this stop me! When I get them now I cough to take my mind off it sounds silly but it works for me. Be strong and Brave Love Matti

[roziexwx]

i have had ectopic beats for 3 years,previous m.i so these worried me more,had all the tests was told to ignore them,my doc eventually tried citalopram for them,said it was anxiety related,well it has worked,no more funny flip flops or irregular beats,i honestly thought it was my heart again,but as i said i am free of those awful funny beats,worst time of my life i had them every day for 3 years,no let up.

[cassi23]

iv only recently started having these, they scare me so much i know i am not myself anymore.

My doctor has toolistened to me heart/rate/pulse/lungs, had 1 ecg which was ok and they say im having ectopics, harmless, made worse the more i think/stress about them...I cannot accept this.

In my mind they still could be dangerous, i think i have a more serious problem and its affecting my life thinking ike this. Iv tried so hard to accept and ignore, which i have to say does work...but my negative thoughts of it being more serious create anxiety and im struggling to cope.

Thankyou for your post, it helps to read the replies. you're not alone in your despair
Cassi

[shaz01]

Hi everyone,

Im also freaking here, I have had a couple of months when I have had them but not to bad, however was fine at work today, came home, sat down and they went haywire, I panicked like mad, felt all shivery and all night they are coming and going. I get so scared with them. Its reassuring that everyone else has the same problem however I dont know how to keep calm when you are having them. I want to head to bed however I dont cause I dont want to give in to them.

Shaz x

[Lawrence]

Hi all
New member here, Yes if heart been checked and all is clear, its the subconscience that triggers it all off. my normal heart rate is 58/62 per minute, GP claims that this low rates can cause ectopic, this could be true.I have suffered for 16 yrs now, I come from a background of anxiety and panick disorders,Yet I am the most calm when all lets loose in the household.
Typical day, get up clear from ectopic,have a few during the day, around home time they get stronger anxiety creeps in, NOt feeling to good have tennis match, shall I go will something happen ? I decide to go, I play 2 1/2 hrs, during this time all ectopics disapear its a great feeling, I stop and within 5 mins there back,I have 1 pint after and hey they go and dont come back till next day, So this to me is all in the mind. I try to take my mind away from the discomfort but have not mastered it as yet. It helps to share with you all and to understand we are not alone in this. I have tried hypnotherapy, I go Tai chi and although I still feel the damned things I can now accept them and have some control over how they affect me. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Good health.