PVC's and forceful heartbeat

[ALCapshaw]

Hi Gregg,

I had a A-Fib event 2 days after my AVR last week.

One of the (nurses?) told me that Beta Blockers prevent the heart from running away (fast heart rate) by inducing a FORCEFUL Heartbeat that dominates the response. I guess that's another of the 'tradeoffs' we must live with.

I too was put on Metoprolol and posassium and sometimes notice the forceful beats, which thankfully are not overwhelming and do not keep me awake.

Perhaps some adjustments in your medication and/or supplements might be useful. Hope you can get it resolved.

'AL'

 

[greggo32]

Thanks AL

Thanks AL

Dear AL,

I hope you are doing well. Please give me an update on everything. I am doing a lot better compared to when I started this thread. It was helpful to receive feedback from other VR members. It gave me hope and boy did I need it because I was getting a bit despondent!

Greg

 

[sylviayasgur]

hi greg!
good to hear that you are feeling better. everything else ok?
joey, for the first time since his surgery, finally said those magic words to me yesterday : "i don't remember ever feeling this good and strong." i started to get tears in my eyes! i know it usually takes up to a year for things to be at their "best", so hearing this after only 8 1/2 months was, for me, miraculous.
i only wish this upon everyone here on this forum. i feel so blessed. every new day is a gift.
i hope you too will head in this direction, greg.
be well,
sylvia

 

[greggo32]

Congrats on Joey

Congrats on Joey

Dear Sylvia,

Glad to hear that Joey is doing well. It is a long road. It is really funny that you responded to my posting as I was feeling really good over the past 3 days and then tonight I became dizzy and was on the verge of a panic attack. I get scared. Looking back at my day, I woke up at 730am, showered/shaved, ate breakfast, went to work, came home and did stuff, and then went out for dinner. I was going on 12 hours already!!! No wonder I feel a little weak and dizzy. All sorts of scary scenerios flashed by in my mind, "I'm having a stroke", "I'm going backwords", "The valve is failing", "I need to get help". These are all understandable reactions and I discarded each scary thought and then went into the restaurant and ate dinner alone (I'm a bachelor and like a nice dinner) and then went to the supermarket to buy some ice cream so that I can fatten myself up! Anyway, my tangents merely express the pain and stress of the past 6 weeks. Please send my best to your husband. I must let you know that I have enjoyed your replies and postings. I have experienced so many educated, caring, and wonderful folks on this site. I really thank you for your replies. They have helped me to keep faith during very difficult times.

Take care,

Greg

 

[sylviayasgur]

hi again, greg!
it boggles my mind to think back to when joey was first home and those first few months... you sound exactly like he did!!!!
i did all i could not to lose my cool with him (i am an endlessly patient person_ well, maybe not_ and adore this man who i thought was being a real trooper). he just wouldn't cut himself any slack at all.... really, 12 hours???? i can't believe you!!!
i use to call his office and say "ok, it's been 4 hours, i'm coming to get you" and he'd manage to talk me into extra hours. then he'd come home and be exhausted or not feel like as tough and strong as he expected he would be feeling.
i say to you what i said to him : "please, please, be patient"
trust that the doctors did it right. don't jump to conclusions and if you are worried or have questions, call the doc. let him know how nervous and worried you are.
i know how anxious you must feel, i lived with it for months.
keep coming back and i'll keep reassuring you...
email me anytime. i'm glad to be of help (i used to print out some of the postings so that joey would believe someone. he certainly didn't believe me at the time!). i can truly relate to how you must be feeling; i hope that alone makes it easier for you.
stay well, sylvia

 

[Icarus]

PVCs & Palpatations

PVCs & Palpatations

Hi Greg,
I'm kind of in the same boat as you with your PVCs. My Cardio doctor explained over and over, they're not going to kill you, stop worrying and relax. This is not easy to do when your heart feels like it's going to pound right out of your chest.
I worried over them for about a year. It seems that they started after an Angio to check my valve to make sure I had a false positive from a stress test. My Primary Doctor said it might have been a nick within the heart from the angio. Whatever the reason, they seem to have subsided (not go away) recently. The reason they subsided was either:
1) My doctor gave me Ultracet (Tylenol & Tramodol) for my aching sternum. This was still sore 2 years after surgery. The Ultracet worked really well, eliminated the sore sternum and might have reduced the sense of pounding by the heart.
2) The Cardio doctor said I was susceptible to stress bringing on PVCs. He gave me Xanax and after I took it for 3 mornings in a row, they also seemed to subside. Unfortunately, I took the Xanax at about the same time as the Ultracet.
3) When I would get an episode of PVCs/Palpations after they seemed to have gone away, I would do deep breathing and they subsided in a few minutes.
4) I recently took Hawthorn and the stuff seemed to work great. Unfortunately, it played havoc with my INR. As soon as I get it re-stabilized, I will be taking it again. It even leaves you with a feeling of well being and hardly any extra beats.
I don't know if any of this helps but the bottom line appears to be that they go away or greatly subside. When you initially go through them, they'll scare you to death. But like my Cardio guy says -RELAX will you! You're not going to die.
Hang in there, they will go away.
Icarus (Rich)

 

[SHerrin Hutt]

PVC's

PVC's

Dear Gregg,
I too! Have this same problem. And the Doctors here just want tme to deal with it. But i know this can drive you crazy. But know one seems to listen to me though. I had mitir valve replacement on 4/21. I have had problems for over 10 yrs. I am starting to feel more like myself. If it wasn't for the pvc's I would be great.Five month ago I didn't think I would see my 50th birthday. But now I am doiing great. There was a drug they had me on before I had a stoke in Jan. 26,02 for the Pvc. It is areal strong drug I think the name is amoridrone. It has a lot of side effects and you have to have labs & x-rays taken every three months while you are taking it. I hope this helps you.
Sherrin

 

[joy]

Hi all, Greg, did you have a cardiac case manager? I had a really good one( I feel funny, I don't even remember her name) but they told me to call her with any questions I might have. I still get the occasional PVC, but it's decreased a lot now that I told my cardio about it and he put me on 25MG of metoprolol 2x a day. I was under a lot of stress in Jan-march because my husband was getting ready to get out of the navy, and we had no way of supporting the family, but then he decided to stay in the navy. It took a lot of stress off me, and my PVCs went way down. If your cardio doesn't seem concerned with your problems, then maybe it's time to get a new one. Any concern that you have SHOULD be a concern to them. I hope you feel better soon