please help pvc worries

[daisydoo]

Hi
This is my first post but need to get it all down. Sorry maybe long.
I started having palpitations when pregnant. Numerous ecg, 24 hr tape and bloods came back as ectopics. Horrible pregnancy with preeclampsia and an even worse birth. Ended up in HDU for two nights. Have guilt about letting my 4 year old see me like this.
Palps continued and started atenolol as BP going high 160+. After a while stopped meds, BP without now 144. Trying to reduce this with diet and exercise. Palps now horrible. Saw cardio doc and had another tape.
which said:
"Underlying rhythym sinus interpersed with occasional premature beats and ectopic beats of supraventicular origin. some sinus tachycardia and ventricular bigeminy but none sustained. The symptom of palpation was noted on occasions associated with sinus rhythm there were also occasions when isolated ectopic activty was apparent"
It finishes with i do not think any further action is needed here.

All the docs have always put it down to my anxiety over all my health worries during pregnancy, birth etc. And i had started to belive them but my heart now only feels strange after exercise. Dont do anything very strenous just walk (up a steep hill) to take daughter to school and everytime about 1 to 2 mins after i stop i get the thump thump stop feel for about 2 to 5 mins. Is this bigeminy?

So my questions.
1. can this really be ok to get this everytime after exertion? Have explained to GP but she just said consultant said it was ok. But he didnt know it was after exercise. And have read scary things about pvc and cool down.
2. Can anxiety really cause all these things in the report?
3. Is that a really bad report or can someone explain it?
5. My report 10 months ago only said normal sinus ryhthm and occasional ectopics. Why is this one so much worse in that short time?
4. My pulse rate was 160 today after the hill. I know im not fit but is this to high and causing heart to get "mixed up" when trying to get back to normal. My resting is between 57 and 75.
5. Is there anymore tests i need to ask for? Having bloods done soon to re check cholesterol so will have other basics done.

I am having CBT and now i have anxiety and it is helping with other areas but i just cant get this out of my head. And think everytime i take my daughter to school i will collapse and die. If i didnt have to take her i would never do any exercise but have to. Was thinking about changing school!! My real fear is leaving my children.

Sorry for going on and thanks for any comments i may get.

[countrygirl]

I know you won't believe it but this is wonderful news as they have caught on tape everything your heart is doing and it is doing nothing harmful. I know enough to understand alot of that report and I imagine your Dr has told you nothing to worry about and its part of being anxious for one reason or another. Premature ventricular contrractions are harmless but extremely unpleasant and the more you worry guess what the worse it gets - anxiety causes a very sensitive vagus nerve and its this nerve that is causing the heart skips etc and fast heartbeat that is so typical of anxiety.

I can't come up with any wonder cure as I have had your problems for over 20 yrs but don't put yourself through what i have done for your own sake!

Remember there is nothing actually wrong with your heart it just has irregular but harmless beats that feel horrible - I am not dismissing how horrible it feels as I know how bad it is and it scares me even though i know its harmless but try and hang on to the harmless but horrible and you may be able to cope better.:hugs:

[dodo]

Have you posted on rlr's chemical palps forum, I have heard he is very good.

[daisydoo]

Thank you so much. It is very kind to post such a lovely reply and made me feel more at ease (also mede me cry-relief). It was just the exercise thing i was really worried about. So i dont have to change my daughters school! Hopefully i can look back and laugh?
How do i post on the other site mentioned? Very new and not very good at this

[skippy66]

The only help I can offer is that you are not alone. Many many people have them and feel them. I have had them for 9 years. My triggers are:

exercise (before, during and after)
eating or drinking (sometimes a sip of water will cause a PVC)
positional - this is a biggie, lying down, bending over or twisting can cause a run of them for me.
a hangover
junk food
stress
alcohol
doing absolutely nothing
cold weather
indigestion

I've even been aware of them while half asleep.

Two separate cardiologists have told me my heart is healthy after a battery of tests. But one trainee doctor who supervised my first exercise test and saw a run of 4 pvcs said "don't jog home" and that has scarred me for life. My second stress test was much better a few years later, and now I'm playing football again (and getting palps).

But they haven't killed us yet. And cardiologists brush them off as normal. So maybe they are harmless. They feel deadly though.

I think stress is an over-used reason by doctors, but in my case I know it causes them, so the more relaxed you can be about them, the better.

I think the key is to submit to them, accept them and allow them to 'do their worst' rather than trying to fight them. I think this approach has the best chance of success.