Welcome to CurePVCs User Stories
This section provides users of CurePVCs.com a means to tell their story and learn about other sufferer's experiences.
If you have a story that you’d like to share, you can do so here. In fact, it was the personal need for a facility like this that inspired me to start this website and
publish my own story
. If you are a follower of the Facebook group
Heart Palpitations / Ectopic Beats
it is clear to see that sharing experiences with others on the topic of heart arrhythmias is often all it takes to feel relief and take your mind off it for the rest of the day and/or night.
This section welcomes comments at the end of stories such as how it may have helped, but if you would like to ask questions or colaborate on answers, then please use our
Discussions Section
where questions are more prominent and appropriately answered.
My personal story, and how I beat PVCs...
I had lived with Premature Ventricular Contractions for some 10 years. It started around 1997 when I first started working in an office. The first symptom I ever experienced was not quite the same as the symptoms that came once the disorder really developed. It first started with that horrible flutter or flip-flop feeling that most sufferers experience, but I never used to notice the subsequent ectopic beat resulting in that horrendous thud. That came later.
I work in IT and at that time my lifestyle started to become very sedentary. I don’t believe in my case that the sedentary lifestyle was specifically responsible for my Premature Ventricular Contractions but such a lifestyle definitely contributed to another condition which was. I was in good health but always suffered very bad heartburn. Let’s face it though, with all the drugs advertised on television, and all the prescriptions available through a pharmacy, it’s fairly obvious heartburn is an issue for many. But since mine was hereditary, it was definitely quite an extreme case. Many sufferers have stated that they feel there is a link between gastric ailments and Premature Ventricular Contractions, and while I was not positive that this was the case for me, it was definitely something worth my while exploring.
About three or four months before I first started experiencing Premature Ventricular Contractions, I was consulting my doctor to try to find a way to cure my heartburn. On a daily basis, my heartburn was getting so bad that it was seriously affecting my ability to focus on my work. Furthermore, I found myself getting through double the recommended amount of antacid medicines to try to combat the discomfort.
My doctor subscribed a type of medicine which many heartburn sufferers have probably heard of. The group of medicines are commonly known in the states as Proton Pump Inhibitors (or PPI). There are many variants of this medicine such as omeprazole, esomeprazole, lansoprazole, pantoprazole and rabeprazole but they all do a similar thing which is a distinct and long-lasting reduction of gastric acid and enzyme production. I will not name any specific brands as the PPI industry is a massive business worldwide, and I don’t want to disappear from society because I have voiced an opinion against the giants within the pharmaceutical industry!
After commencing with this course of medicines, I eventually started to experience Premature Ventricular Contractions. I can’t be specific about the timeframe because it took me a while to realize that what I was experiencing was actually Premature Ventricular Contractions, however I later went on to grasp that my condition was related to these PPI medicines.
Before I go any further, one of the things that I and many other sufferers will probably know is that an imbalance of electrolytes in the blood can trigger Premature Ventricular Contractions. Without going into too much detail, electrolytes are salts that conduct electricity and are found in the body fluid, tissue, and blood. These (as well as others) include chloride, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium. Proper balance is essential for muscle coordination, heart function, fluid absorption and excretion, nerve function, and concentration.
Although I was not sure of what electrolyte I was deficient in, popular belief amongst sufferers is that a lack of magnesium is the most common cause. Many sufferers have tried various forms of magnesium and have had distinct success. Unfortunately though, this wasn’t the case for me.
I tried magnesium for a while, but as there are many different types I started to wonder if I needed a different variation. I started to research magnesium on the web but deliberately excluded Premature Ventricular Contractions topics to see if there was another approach to consider. One day I was reading about magnesium intake and all the things to consider, for example intake through supplements, dark green vegetables and a number of cooking ingredients. I’m sure the best source of magnesium is open to debate, but the point that suddenly hit me is that the article stated that magnesium is difficult to absorb in the absence of good digestion. BANG! That was it, after about 10 years, I stumbled across the issue by complete chance.
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