Arrhythmias Support Group

Cardiac arrhythmia is a group of conditions in which the muscle contraction of the heart is irregular or is faster or slower than normal. Some arrhythmias are life-threatening medical emergencies that can cause cardiac arrest and sudden death. Others cause aggravating symptoms, such as an awareness of a different heart beat, or palpitation, which can be annoying.

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scorpiogirl76 09/05/2011

I have been reading others posts and am so relieved to see that I am not the ONLY one who feels the way I do. I am in the process of many tests to find out if I have a heart condition. I had an echo a couple weeks ago and it came back good. I wore a 24 hour holter monitor and it showed one premature heartbeat which my cardiologist said was benign. What does that mean? I just got of a 24/7 holter monitor (called the King of Hearts) and will get the results this coming Friday. I am on a beta blocker- propranolol- and take it as needed and it seems to help but slows my heart rate way down. I do have a thyroid condition and had my thyroid completely surgically removed a year ago- I also survived a thyroid storm 2 years ago. All this testing began because I started feeling flutters in my chest where it feels like my heart skips a beat or something- I'm now guessing it's premature heartbeats. It seems like I get them more often when I am stressed or anxious. Stress seems to be a big trigger. Is that true for anyone else? I also noticed that when I get them, I panic and anxiety sets in which makes them come more often and then I panic more and it's a vicious cycle of fear. I am reading that these premature heartbeats are harmless- really!??? Isn't there a treatment for them to make them go away? Or is this something I need to learn to live with? I feel like I'm just way too young to be going thru all of this and I cry at times because I just want some normalcy. I want to be able to do things but then I get scared because I think my heart may give out on me. Can anyone share any advice on this?

mmztcass 09/05/2011

Are you allergic to the replacement med that you take? Seems like one of the ladies at the GD board had a problem with the replacement med she took. Her symptoms were similar to yours. Once she made the switch to another replacement med, a generic, she did better.

{{{hugs}}}

DaniRae8808 09/05/2011

I was diagnosed with PVCs (Premature ventricular contractions) about 8 months ago. No, there is no cure, it's a matter of learning to live with them. Stress and anxiety makes them much more frequent.

I have probably 20 a day I feel.... It started only feeling them once every few months but now they are daily. I think I had them before, I just didn't feel them (I didn't pay attention to them) but now, I know they are there and look for them.

I wore a 30 day monitor, they caught the single beat PVCs, and a few runs of them (when I would use a stimulant). So they said no caffeine, but exercise etc... Which I have done. I got so depressed at one point, I didn't want to move, I was so scared I would make them worse and I would drop dead.

But it seems over 60% of the population have them and most people just do not even notice it. Most don't even realize they have it until they are older in age and the doc orders a heart work up.

PVCs are very benign in a healthy heart. My doc says I never need to see him again (My cardio and EP)... no meds etc., which is great but it's the point of getting my anxiety under control and accepting them. I have been getting better at doing it but they still freak me out sometimes. There are many of us who understand and ask "why me".... we come in all ages :) You are NOT alone.

scorpiogirl76 09/06/2011

MMZ: I don't believe I have an allergy. I am on synthroid (brand). I just had a bunch of tests run and will get the results on Thursday. The endo was suspecting that I may not be absorbing it the way my body should be as he's had to increase my dose twice in the last 2 months (without any additional weight gain). I'll know better Thursday- As for my cardiologist- he says the echo showed a healthy heart- that I should be a teenager. He mentioned seeing one premature heartbeat when I was on the 24 hour monitor but it was benign and nothing to worry about. However, sometimes I get these flutters or palpitations in clusters and then I panic.... I hate the feeling. All my thyroid labs have looked perfect (Free T4, Free T3, and TSH) except the last visit which he increased me (due to high TSH). Every time I feel these flutters, I stop whatever I'm doing- whether it's grocery shopping, driving, visiting someone, etc and I go home. I don't understand it. I try to tell myself that I'm not gonna die from it but I'm so afraid that my heart one day is just going to give up on me. IS that a normal feeling to have with these?

mmztcass 09/06/2011

Why don't you get in touch with bransnana any way and ask her? She said something about an allergy to the inactive ingredients in the replacement med, not to the actual med itself.

Hang in there...I'm thinking of you.

{{{hugs}}}

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