Event timeline added by: PVCHelp

First experienced my PVC's while working on a volunteer project, getting less sleep. I had recently stopped running due to my knees, but I was quite healthy. I was a fit 41 year old person.

It could have been the coffee or energy drinks I was using during that period that brought this on, or genetics or old age. However, I noticed my PVC's while working long hours with little sleep. I was getting around 4 hours of sleep most nights. I was pretty freaked out. I had to get more sleep. Somehow I found out via the internet that I seemed to have a relatively harmless problem. I could not afford a doctor with the insurnace I had so I did not go for a formal diagnosis. At the time, with more sleep, I could reduce the PVCs and they seemed to go away. I was about 41 when I had my first observable PVCs.

Around 2012, I visited a cardiologist and had a holter monitor for 24 hours. I don't have my Doctor's notes, but he reported I definately had it. Around 15,000 skipped beats per day is what I remember. The thumping of the skipped beats was frequent, but not all day. The Cardiologist said there was nothing he could do for me. It was harmless. He did not recommend medication. Just something to live with.

When I was transferred for work, my problem got a bit worse. The skipping beats were worse, maybe due to fear of losing my job. Stress may make my PVCs worse, so much worse that I may have been having some type of panic attacks from the beats and stress. It got better with time, but I was quite anxious about the beats and they appears to be worse or felt worse.

I did a two week juice fast. A big pint or two of juice every morning and when home from work and water all day. Carrots, greens, tomatos, peppers, beets, spinich, zucchini - any veg I could get into the Juicer. Water melon too, which was tasty and very effective. I made fruit shakes too with berrries, banannas.

By around the 10th day NO PVCs! Like a miracle. None. Tons of potassium. Maybe every other nutriant imaginable. This lasted for a few weeks after the fast too. Then the PVCs came back.

I could not eat a vegan Juice diet. I lost 10 lbs. Great for weight loss. Long term, I would need to eat more.

Hey, I assume a vegan diet could cure PVC's too! But I could not do it. However, it was proof of concept. Diet can reduce or eliminate PVC's. Wish I was more disciplined to stick with it.

Since I have expensive, high deductable insurance, I tried to use supplements to improve my situation. Doctors don't seem to have solutions anyway. I would try to use supplements like medicine.

Magnesium seemed to help. Magnesium Citrate pills, and spray salt water, at least three applications per day. I applied the mag to my skin in the mornings and pills later in the day. The liquid does not have the laxative effect of the pills. Can only take so many of those. The spray starts to burn the skin. Still it was definately better.

I found a pill box with morning, lunch, dinnner and before bed boxes for all 7 days of the week. I added the most bioavailable versions of Magneisum (citrate), Zinc (picolinate), CoQ10 so I was taking supplements at least three times per day. However, I don't stick to it as well as I should.

I tried other supplements. L-Carnitine made me feel sick. I could not take large enough posassium supplements, but Orange Juice always eases discomfort when my PVCs are at their worst. B-12 seems like a good addition, but I don't know of a differance. I found that aspirin a day does not seem to do much by itself.

Funny, but a little caffeine seems to help too, but only in the morning and when it wears off, my heart is thumping again, normally worse than before.

So Magnesium, Posassium from juice is it so far.

I found this site last week. A few days ago I found someone suggesting Taurine and L-Arginine here. I found some research papers suggesting these two for PVCs and other heart ailments. L-Argenie is a vasodialator. Taurine helps with electrical system. So these seems logical.

I ordered these on the internet.

Today is my first day with Taurine and L-Arginene supplements. No PVCs for several hours. That was quite an improvement. I took some Mag supplements too and CoQ10.

I took 1000mg of Taurine and 850 of L0Arginene before breakfast and before Lunch. NO PVCs. Wow.

Then I had a salty, maynoaise, nitrate preserved meat sandwich. Boom. PVCs. Note to self - ham, meat preservatives may not be good. Or maybe large fluffy bread is not good. I think it is the meat. Ham has made me tired before.

So, I see a path. Taurine, L-Argenine, Magnesium, Posassium all help. May need to try some isolation experiements for each supplement or pairs or mixes of them. Still seem to be headed a positive direction.

After two weeks of taking taurine and l-arginine supplements, I would say they seem to help.

I have been taking them at least twice a day, morning and lunch. I usually like to add some magnesium either in supplement form (citrate) or spray on the skin.

I wish I had a holter monitor to accurately measure PVC's and accurately manage them. Without that I really can't tell what progress I am making. I don't have a great documenting process. This timeline thing is the best documentation - and it is quite inaccurate.

I have a few bad periods last week, when I was tired from the PVC's or weak. I found drinking orange juice (potassium) helps when I'm at work. Sleep a home, sometimes just a nap.

Lastly, if I was really going all the way with "winning" I would lose some weight! Yep, I'm about 50 over. Summer is the best time to juice fasting, diet improvements.