I have finally committed faithfully to a exercise routine a little over a month ago. I don't know if there is a relationship between the two but I have had a huge increase in PVCs or PACs (premature heartbeats) in the last 3-4 weeks. They make me nervous because I get runs of PSVT which are often triggered by a premature beat and plus I don't like feeling weird things go on with my heart. I have seen a cardiologist multiple times and he says all these issues are benign. I just had bloodwork and was found to be deficient in Vitamin D so I am taking a vitamin D supplement and I also take selenium for a slightly underactive thyroid and iron for borderline iron deficiency. My diet consists largely of fruits, veggies, nuts cheese, some grains and greek yogurt. I don't eat much if any meat. I do drink caffeine (probably 2-3 servings a day) but I always have and it hasn't made an issue and in fact I used to drink much more. I am due for my period in 2 days and have had probably 15 premature beats in the last few days, it is driving me nuts! Does anyone have any ideas as to what could be causing this? I am not overweight and am generally healthy... I thought that my new exercise plan would be good for my heart rhythm issues, not add to them! ETA: I am 30 years old
How old are you? I had similar problems in my early 40s and my doctor told me it was probably pre-menopausal symptoms. This was after tests showed nothing abnormal with my heart. They eventually stopped and I still haven't gone through menopause so I really was never sure what the cause was.
I was diagnosed with PVC's at 14 years old. I am 36 with 3 kids and I still get them occasionally, but not like before.
Wore the heart monitor for days, did low stress tests, high and all the good stuff in between. Some days I swore it was the end for me. Every doctor told me it was benign. I was born with a pretty bad heart murmur, then it went away. I was declared murmur free at about 2 years. So I always wondered if this was a cause? I asked but you get these blank stares, and then the... well its possible. Never a sure answer.
At the height of these attacks, I can get up to 12 abnormal beats a minute lasting sometimes 2 to 5 minutes at a time. Worst was when I was under a ton of stress, and added caffeine as a stimulant to try to stay awake. I notice it only if I have had a really bad day or more than one can of caffeinated soda and a cup of coffee.
I went to Meditation therapy. Recommended by some hippy, chiropractor friends of my parents. Sounds kooky I know, but I did everything to help control them. It DOES help. If I can wrap my head around whats bugging me and meditate hard enough I can lessen and eventually control them. Otherwise if I cant get the opportunity to concentrate they kinda get out of control and I am miserable for the rest of the day. The worst feeling in the world is when your heart is skipping and then speeding up to catch up.
Before Meditation Therapy, It would cause me to go into panic attacks so bad I would end up in the ER and then they would tranq me like a bull elephant on a circus rampage. I don't like that either. They told me if it gets worse or its bothering me to the extent of me being so miserable I can have a pace maker put in. I dont want that at all. Seriously I think its a lot mental and only a fraction physical. Talk about making yourself sick. I do have a linage history of them. My mom had them, my great Aunt, and my Great Grandma. Both the greats lived to 100, my mom passed away at 56 with Liver Cancer. Her heart never faltered and actually it was what kept her going when she contracted septicemia after emergency surgery from a blocked bile duct. They said she would never recover from it and we agreed as per her wish, that we would go to no extreme to keep her alive. Her heart was just so strong, she stayed with us in an induced medical coma for another month. Kinda am hoping that my heart is as strong as hers.
I have PVC's as well. I find that mine increase if I am sleep deprived, had too much caffeine or if I am under a lot of stress. In most cases, it is the caffeine that make it worse. Have you considered doing an experiment and cutting out caffeine for a few days to see if they go away? Or perhaps switch to decaf to see if they lessen?
I have irregular heart beats. Don't know the technical term for them. I was given a holter monitor, then had a couple of serious tests that I can't remember the names of. After all that the cardiologist said mine were benign too. I have more irregular beats at some time than at others. I suggest that your anxiety over the beats may be causing more irregular beats.
If you've had all the tests then you need to accept that the heart is OK. If you've not had a battery of tests then ask for them so that you can be reassured. When you think about it, all of life has to be lived in faith. We cannot control everything nor can we know the reason for everything. I suggest that instead of trying to figure out why this is happening you work on accepting that your heart is healthy. Once you stop worrying about them, you won't feel the irregular heart beats as much.
I have PVCs and had an AVNRT arrhythmia last year. I also found out I'm Vitamin D deficient (some crazy number like 85% of people are). My primary care doctor said to take an over the counter supplement, but my cardiologist said that wouldn't do anything and prescribed me 50,000 iu 1 x week. I'll go in about a month for a recheck and he expected it to be nearly normal by then. Don't count out the caffeine. One of my friends had PVCs and dropped to 1 coffee a day, then half caff, then had to just stop. She had always drank coffee and other caffeinated beverages. But something changed in her system.
