[Nomo]

SORRY_: I wrote way to much, even for me. But if your bored and have a few minutes on your hands, please read on.

Hi there forum.- Found this place by pure luck and am glad I found a place that focuses one this very subject.

First of i might add that Im a guy at age 25 (still feel 17 in some ways, not sure if thats good or bad)- and im diagnosed with anxiety.

Aside from that i have Extrasystoles as we just call them here. Not sure where that fits in the PVC or PAC genre.

And on of my main issues with anxiety is that I have a hard time trusting that my extrasystoles are as the doctors say "completely benign".-

To give you a quick rundown of my "symptoms"-
They feel like a punch in the dead center of the chest. Inside out from solar plexus.
Not really the pain of the punch- but the power/pressure that would follow such a punch.
(they really feel violent, but might be my head making them worse of course. )

Normally when they drop by, they would come in a single or a pair in an event. If they pop up during exercise they would be in larger pairs of max 8 (i think is the max ive noticed) in 2-5 minutes. But mostly this makes me stop whatever im doing in fear of them.

Aside from that ive had the sensation that my heart has stopped- But.... guessing thats just in my head.
I kinda try to compare it to looking at the clock right at the moment the hand showing the seconds has turned, and it feels like forever til it moves on.- ( if that makes sense)-

I never get dizzy or have issues breathing when it happens-

Ive had countless EKG at the docs office (those that last like a minute or whatever)-
A 24t holter which for now the results are gone, but the doc says there was nothing at that time so dont matter if we find the results again.
IVe had a stress/bicycle test where everything was fine incl blood-pressure. (well all except my conditioning has dropped from not being as active as before.)
I should have been able to go through 80% on the stress test, but only got to 60% before my legs died on me.

I rarely get them when drinking (not that it happens often, but when i drink i sail)-

Also started on anxiety meds (Satralin) which seam to lower the panic - but not really the thoughts behind the panic - But its a start in the right direction i guess.

But yeah. About 1 week ago and back two weeks, i did not really feel any extrasystoles other then minor sensations i could not figure out if they were actually extrasystoles or just acid (have acid reflux)-

Family has no history of heart conditions -except my moms father who in turn is huge (over 2 meters tall and over 200kg) and this gotten an enlarged heart from overeating it would seam.
Normal death rate would seam to be about 80 to 95 years in my family. However my fathers mother died this year at age 60+ (but she also had a rough life from what ive learned)-

These last things are mostly to help convince myself that my odds are pretty good.

My flaw aside from being kinda scared of exercising is that im a smoker.- And smoked since i was about 11 with two periods of combined one year where i quit. (trying to quit again.) So far doctors say I show no signs of damage from smoking, but of course they try to encourage me to stop before I do show some signs.

And as for my conditioning. . . Well ill admit- I can feel that im a smoker and that i havent done much activities lately as I quickly am out of breath if doing some kind of workout. (Why I really want to get back on track)-
187 m high and about 85kg. So yeah a bit more skin on me. .. But nothing that anyone would really notice if they saw me on the street. So not to worried about that atm.

Ive smoked weed in the past (last when i was about 16-17,) but last time i had a bad experience with it and decided never to touch it again. and never have.

On the mental side: :S
Well in short (and ill gladly share the tale if people show interest).- . . . . When most people ask me about my "story" and i give them the "tale" - most reply with something like :" well no wonder your messed up"-

Aside from all the medical/mental gibberish. . .

Im a easy going dude who enjoys the comfort of just relaxing and enjoying my hobbies. Everything from Playing guitar to drawing anything and everything. Movies-games and more.
I have a general attitude that says :" if you show me respect, ill show you respect in turn"-
A therapist once asked me when i last felt happy. . .. And the only answer i could come up with was one night when it started snowing.
I was in my bed(under the window) watching a movie as i notice snowflakes falling from the sky in a gentle matter (no wind at all it seamed.) it was night, and the street light right outside my window made the view even better. I ended up turning of the lights and just lay staring out the window as the snow passed my window in a white/yellowish fashion.
Kinda silly, I know. . . .But think it somehow gives me a nostalgic feeling about a past event i might have forgotten. (was born on Iceland, but dont live there anymore. . . But always loved snowy landscapes. )

But yeah.- There we go. To much info about me I guess. But wanted to say hi, tell about myself and see if people could give me a tap on the shoulder and share what info they think would be valuable to me from what ive written. Good or bad. Just anything i can grab and run with to try and get to a better place.

Hope someone lasted through my whole chaotic post, and hope to see some replies.
I will lean back now and take a peek through the forums post, and I hope i can lend a helpful hand to others later on.

Have it the best out there and have a great weekend when you reach that point.-

[CMoore416]

Hello! Welcome. I'm sorry you are feeling bad and worried. We all know here exactly how you feel. I too suffer from PVCs (what we call them here in us) and they scare mess bad. I get then sometimes every few beats for hours. Exercise brings then on so I stopped but I want to start again so bad. Anxiety plays a huge Roll in bringing them on for me. My biggest trigger

I'm at work and have to go but will post more later!

[dr461]

Nomo, your story is like everybody's on this site. Just believe that the doctors are right, and try to put your mind in that good place of which you speak. Don't dwell on the negative, as you probably will not get rid of the PVCs, they are a fixture in your life, that will come and go. Absent of heart disease, or abnormalities (and, it sounds like all of that is ruled out in your case), you're fine. Just know that you have support from everybody here, and welcome to this board. People aren't into the scare tactic here, and don't google other scare sites. Relax and accept, and get on with your life, as you're okay!

[Nomo]

Thanks for the replies guys.

[mairegra]

Thank you for the story. Sounds typical of most people here. Browse through some posts and you will probably get a lot of info and then feel free to ask any questions. I really related to your snow story. I am originally from England but live in southern California. A couple of years ago I went to stay with my brother in England for Xmas. He lived in an old small town on the side of a river overlooking the town which was a hill with a church at the top with the steeple lit up for Xmas. I was lying in bed feeling sad as I was there because my mother had just passed away. I had the lights out and the curtains open. I could see the river flowing by and the lights of the church steeple and then it started to snow. I felt so at peace and just gazed out of the window trying not to fall asleep but went into a deep peaceful sleep and woke up next morning to a winter wonderland on Xmas Day. I am in no way religious but we had the nicest, quietest, most peaceful Xmas ever despite the circumstances.

[Chaoticdopey]

wow you described me down to the last detail, how and when did your PVCs start if i may ask?

[Nomo]

Originally Posted by mairegra

Thank you for the story. Sounds typical of most people here. Browse through some posts and you will probably get a lot of info and then feel free to ask any questions. I really related to your snow story. I am originally from England but live in southern California. A couple of years ago I went to stay with my brother in England for Xmas. He lived in an old small town on the side of a river overlooking the town which was a hill with a church at the top with the steeple lit up for Xmas. I was lying in bed feeling sad as I was there because my mother had just passed away. I had the lights out and the curtains open. I could see the river flowing by and the lights of the church steeple and then it started to snow. I felt so at peace and just gazed out of the window trying not to fall asleep but went into a deep peaceful sleep and woke up next morning to a winter wonderland on Xmas Day. I am in no way religious but we had the nicest, quietest, most peaceful Xmas ever despite the circumstances.

Yes exactly. Very peaceful experience.- Happy to hear such an experience could at least linger the pain of the loss even if it was only for a minute. But no, not religious either, but indeed felt like a spiritual moment.

Originally Posted by Chaoticdopey

wow you described me down to the last detail, how and when did your PVCs start if i may ask?

Well its hard to say.- Honestly my memories of when i was 16 to 18 are all smashed together. Cant remember which of the 100 events came first. (got run over - had a terrible relationship - fist fight with my moms boyfriend and moved out on my own + more)- But i would have to guess at age 17- After the accident and when everything was falling apart with my girlfriend then and all the issues at home.
Im not sure what my first event was, but the earliest i remember most clearly is at a club where me and the girl had a argument (dont even remember about what)- But remember the more my temper raised, the more bumps in the chest i could feel. Had like 6 in a row and my friend just took me outside cause he could sense the whole situation was messing me up.

So sorry cant say exactly- But about 7 years ago i guess.

EDIT: Come to think of it. . . .Kinda makes sense that would be the time. . . . I must have been in the late 17's to early 18's- Just moved out and gotten the upper level of the house my friend and his mom lived in- (she rented me the upper level, she lived on the first floor and my friend in the basement so to speak. )
But yeah. . . . What im gonna tell you guys now im not proud of, but cant deny it. during that time I had just lost properly the girl that i cared most for. And it wasnt my girlfriend.

(gonna be a lengthy tale, so just skip if it has no interest.)

See right before i moved out of my moms place after getting tired of her boyfriend. My girlfriend went to Spain with her cousin. I found out she had cheated on me over the phone and of course i was pissed. But we had been together for 3 years, so i kinda wanted to give her a chance. (she promised they only "made out" - but who knows) - She also told me i should not worry about anything as the guy was leaving and heading back home the same day i found out.
I was at my friends house later that day and told him about it. Then for some reason i said "God- I hope that dude crashes or something." - - - - 2 hours later on the news they report the same exact bus he was in had crashed. No deaths, and the only one ending up on a hospital was him i later found out.
Crazy really.

But then the girl got back home and she made all the promises in the world to make up for it and that it would never happen again. And i accepted and we tried to get things working.
As time went by, it did not take long to see she was not that focused at keeping her promise. Flirting with guys over the phone and stuff like that.

While in the middle of figuring out if i was just gonna break up or not, me, her and her mom went to see her little brother play with his band at a place i used to work. (concert hall)-
There the most beautiful girl Ive ever seen was hanging out with a old friend of mine. Our eyes kept glancing over on each other and it was clear something was there.

I got home later that evening and tracked her down with the help of my friend and wrote to her.
We ended up meeting at her place once and after that we were just completely in love with each other. Kept it a secret from my girlfriend for over a month while trying to see what it could lead to- The "new" girl knew about my girlfriend and of course she was not okay with it, but eventually i decided that i was gonna break up with my girlfriend to be with her. Before I get to break up, I find out that the "new" girl has a planned trip to go to the states for a year. A plan she had long before meeting me. And i thought about the situation.
-Leave my girlfriend who i still had feelings for to some degree and be with the "new" girl for two weeks more to then not see her in a year. Or listen to the pleas of my girl and see what would happen. i told the "new" girl i could not see it go well with her leaving for a year. So much could happen in that time. So i decided to try and work things out with the girlfriend.
Of course the "new" girl was sad by this. And I eventually told my girlfriend about the situation. Of course she freaked, but did not take long before she took it as a "i missed up, you messed up" kinda deal. But from there everything just fell apart. I moved out of my moms house and then we come to the event in the club and the bumps.

I know that these can be a psychological symptom. . .And i guess it might just be from all those things. Loosing what so far has been the love of my life (sure plenty of time left i hope ) , and followed by a girl I had been with for 3 years.

Think honestly stress and sorrow was the reason i started getting and noticing them.

And yes I clearly know i did a terrible thing.- I just didnt care atm if I cheated on my girlfriend at that time. She had cheated, and she made no effort of showing me she actually cared.- So rather then breaking up, i just cheated on her.

I later found out from the "new" girls friend that she would have stayed from her trip had i chosen her. Of course that pains me even more. . . but then again. I dont wanna be the one who stopped her from living her dreams and experience.

Jup but thats it. Think it was the result of stress and broken heart when i was about 18.....

[Nomo]

Man.... Writing all these i kinda figure out im still madly in love with the "new" girls. Stupid. We are friends on the eversoaddicting facebook. But we never speak. SAd really. Oh well. . .

[CMoore416]

I'm sure the stress from so many things at once played a huge factor. I know I had the occasional bump once every now and then. But back in June they flared up bad. Looking back there was a string of events leading up to it - I had thyroid issues for 5 years then well again, my daughter got very I'll in March, I had issues with my inlaws for Last 3 years, my husband ruptured his discs in back and needed surgery and my marriage was having major issues. Then all the sudden wham - PVCs over and over for days and it caused so much anxiety for me that now I can't be any other way but anxious. Its horrible. So for you it sounds like you have ha a constant battle with stressful situations that your body can now only react this way

[Chaoticdopey]

all mine started about 5 months ago. i think it was the stress frome my 12 hours a day job, and rolling my truck down a 50 foot hill at 10mph. black ice is dangerous at any speed i found out the hard way.. i think no having money to fix it and having to move from my appartment might have triggered all this. it took the paramedics 1 1/2 hours to get to me and my friends in 10deg weather in shorts... we were frozen it was snowing very badly also which didnt help, im still trying to figure out how i didnt have a panic attack when rolling 5 times and having so sit there scared... thank god for GPS or they wouldnt have found us. and thank god we rolled at that spot, another mile in the oposite direction would have been a 690 foot roll down a steep part of the mountain. but i think the biggest stressor was having to borrow the money to fix it and being in alot of debt