| AmandaSchUser Since: Dec 2011Posts: 2 | I just discovered this website and you may now know a lot more about your condition since you posted 7 months ago. But, just to pass on some info that I've discovered over the past year with my PVCs. Also, I am a 3rd year nursing student with an interest in cardiology, so I've done some research on PVCs. The fluttery feeling you describe is consistent with PVCs. When I'm having them continuously, like 7 to 20 per minute (it varies), I tend to feel more fluttery. When I'm having them less often, 5 to 10 per minute, I tend to feel the thud. But there's really no rhyme or reason to it. The feeling can vary. Also, I've heard a lot of people tend to feel them more at night when they are in bed. I think it's really just because all of a sudden you find yourself with no distractions and it's just more easily detected. It's very possible that you are having PVCs even when you don't feel them. If I take my pulse randomly when I'm feeling fine, 50% of the time I'll detect a skipped beat within a minute.
I consistently have PVCs. I typically have 1 or 2 per minute. Then I have random bouts where I'll have up to 20 PVCs per minute. These bouts have decreased as I've taken more time out of my day to spend on hobbies, praying, exercising, etc... actions that help me reduce my stress. I've also noticed that having a lot of sugar at one time (3 cookies, a big slice of cake or pie, ice cream or a soda) can bring them on more frequently. There are different triggers for different people. My doctor recommended keeping a food and activity diary to help figure out what my triggers are. I've narrowed it down to sugar and stress, but there may be others.
The feeling your having in your throat sounds like a symptom of anxiety. In panic attacks, a constricted feeling in the throat is a very common symptom. I used to have panic attacks after feeling my PVCs come on strong before I knew what they really were. After learning more about my condition, the panic attacks went away. It's amazing what knowledge can do to help you cope with a condition. Breathlessness, dizziness and fatigue can be symptoms of both PVCs and panic attacks. If I have a lot of PVCs in short period of time, I can become fatigued and sometimes dizzy.
To help with the anxiety, which increases your heart rate causing sinus tachycardia, there are several steps you can take. Some sound elementary and some seem silly, but here they are. Take a cold shower, splash water on your face, place a wet cold washcloth on your nec/face/etc., stand in front of the refrigerator/freezer with the door open, take a walk outside if it's cold. This helps by constricting your blood vessels, which will slow down your heart rate. Avoid heat because heat is a vasodilator, which increases your heart rate. Cold = calm. If you are near a restroom, sit on the toilet and stimulate a bowel movement. This exercise is called a valsalva maneuver. It brings down the heart rate quickly. If you aren't near a rest room. Sit down on a chair and simulate a bowel movement (as long as you don't have to actually go) and try to relax. Repeat the valsalva maneuver several times with intermittent rest periods of 30 seconds or so. If you heart rate is over 100 and you aren't able to bring it down with these techniques, you should go to the ED.
You most likely will not experience SVT (supraventricular tachycardia), but it is a possibility that you could experience SVT if you have PVCs. Don't let this scare you, because it's not likely, but you should be educated so that you know what to look for. SVT is a tachycardic heart rhythm that can develop in people who have PVCs. It cannot be controlled or regulated by your activity, as sinus tachycardia can be with the techniques described above. SVT is a dangerous heart rhythm that may require electrocardioversion therapy (defibrilation). SVT can go away on it's own, but it may not. If it does not go away on it's own, it can cause cardiac arrest.
I met a great cardiologist while doing rounds for clinical. I learned more from him in 20 minutes than I had with 2 other cardiologist (including an electrocardiologist) over a one-year period. The other doctors didn't know about my medical background, so I think they tried to tell me as little as possible. I didn't realize the linke between SVT and PVCs until running into my new cardiologist during my clinical. He's great, amazing and has me feeling better than ever. The other cardiologists had me go through a series of trials on medications that were all wrong for me and actually probably made my situation worse. Now I'm medication free (which PVCs don't require medication) and I have way less bouts than before.
If your PVCs become sever and you aren't able to keep them under control through diet, exercise, stress reduction, or medication, etc. and you feel like you just can't live with it, then you may want to talk to your cardiologist about catheter ablation. It's common for correcting atrial fibrillation, but is sometimes used stop PVCs. First you'll have a cath procedure done to find out where the electrical misfires are coming from and to find out if the cath ablation is advisable. If the Dr. feels you are a good candidate, then you can proceed. The cath ablation is typically an outpatient or same day procedure. It's 100% elective for PVCs since PVCs are considered benign.
I hope this information helps. |