Premature Ventricular Contractions and more

Hi Everyone, I am just letting you all know that your docs sound so different
from the ones we have here in England. You seem to have all the best testing
and they take you all so seriously here we must be living in the stone age !
Docs here dont know if they even want to treat PVCs with meds its a trial
when I ask if they think other tests may be beneficial they dont say a great
deal its generally no we have enough info yet they dont do anything about it.
I dont think its taken seriously enough over here ! I think i'll come and
live over in the US for a year or two ! LOL
Love, Leanne.

Hi Leanne.
You asked, so here is my opinion. I think the PVCs came on much more because
of the original stress than the valium. I really think, for myself and it
sounds like many others, that it is this chronic state of stress that starts
messing with the body.
That's my short answer!!!
Susan F

Hi Susan, re:- your grey bits ! LOl
If you think you have problems then you should see mine !
I am 40 yrs young and in the past 3yrs gone "grey" But I say it looks natural
! LOL
Infact come to think of it my hair was pretty boring before the grey anyhow.
LOL
On a more serious note, I think the grey set in around the same yime as my
PVCs.
I dont bother about finding a cure for that one though its just the PVCs that
get in the way.
Love, Leanne.

Yes, Rob, it is. I am glad you are feeling better and have found your
"cure".
Christine

Hi Suzy, Thanks for the info on your "cough" I havn't tried this one yet but
if I dont forget next time round I'll give myself that cough ! LOl
Leanne.

Hi Rob, Just read your posts on Hawthorne. I also would have liked to have
given hawthorne a try but I must admit it is probably the only herb I worry
about taking for the same reasons you have already outlined ! (fast heart
rate etc). Hope it carries on working for you !
Leanne.

Dear Susan,
Yep - I get those jelly legs sometimes too. For me, I do
believe it's anxiey-based, though at times I wonder if it's not
diabetes (that's my irrational fear setting in because I don't have
any of the risk factors). My brother also gets this shaky feeling.
He doesn't get PVCs, but he has a fast heart rate (like in the 90's
all the time). As always, it does bring a sense of relief to
discover someone else has the same symptom, doesn't it? :))
Love,
Val

Hi, No, I have the same cardio that I had when these things started 3yrs ago.
He is a nice enough bloke but all he says is we dont really treat the
condition you have the patients I have dont take meds for this problem BUt if
you like, I can give you some !! In other words the choice is mine. Thats
fine with me but it sure doubts my confidence in hospitol docs ! LOL
And, surely if I do have v-tach (he says so) it should be treat ?
Leanne.

Hello Fellow PVCers,
The Hawthorn continues to work well for me at 900
mg/day. It was amazing how poorly it worked at 1350
mg/day. More is not better, and more than 1000 mg of
Hawthorn is definitely too much for me. It (
actually made my PVCs increase probably into the
thousands per day. Before Hawthorn I was having close
to 10,000 PVCs a day.
I was at a party over the weekend, and had a chance to
see how Hawthorn would work faced with far richer
food, several beers, and various other snack foods.
It worked great right up until I decided to try a cup
of coffee. A few minutes after the coffee, the PVCs
started and continued for an hour or so. They slowly
tapered off, and by the next day were back to the
minimal number I'm having lately on Hawthorn.
It was good to learn that beer didn't seem to affect
my PVCs anything like a small cup of coffee (I like
beer better than coffee). Although caffeine is a
strong PVC generator for me. I can get by with one or
two brewed cups of decaf per day. Most of the time I
drink decaf tea, however. I hope all you PVCers
(especially you 10K/day people) have as much success
with Hawthorn as I seem to be having lately. Waking
up and falling asleep to a steady clock like heartbeat
is one of the greatest feelings in the world. It's
hard to believe that non-PVCers take these wonders
totally for granted.
Rob

Hi Just reading through your posts re:- your heart being in response to your
nerve in your back. I have also had the same thoughts that perhapes its not
the heart its coming from and its the heart picking up from something else !!
LOl
(wishfull thinking) seriously though, I get palps yes but, I get them dozens
worse when I have the grumbly stomach but my cardio (big head) says its not
connected !
I beg to differ, I know how I feel and there's only me who knows when they
get bad.
So folks ! its down to us we SHALL find that cure. LOL
Leanne.

Yes, Lisa - come to think of it, you're right:)) So a reminder in
April or May would be very cool indeed!! Thanks:)
Love,
Val

Val... I'll remind you NOW, and again in April or May, because isn't that
when you will be asked to make commitments for fall?? ;o)
Lisa

I HATE when I wake up, roll over & stretch and yawn.. then BOOM! "Good
Morning, Lisa! It's your heart!!" Maybe when that happens I should use it as
a reminder to eat especially healthy that day, drink lots of water, and go
for a nice long walk!
Lisa

Hi All, Just daydreaming again ! and I was wondering do any of you wake up
with the palps ? also, does anyone seem to sweat more even when its cold ?
Also, ive heard one or two say that when an attack does come on out of the
blue that you "cough" ?
does this do anything for you ?
Love, Leanne.

Hi, Just reading through the posts on blood pressure. And I noticed that when
my pulse is running on the "slow mode " my PVCs are acting at there worst
also !
(although I DONT take my pulse now too often ) I think it freakes you out
even more so I try not to ! LOL
Leanne.

Hi Val, regarding the herbals meds, I feel so relaxed on taking them as they
are the most natural remedies to take and I have a great faith in natures own
"goods" LOL
As for prescription meds I stay as far away from them as possible as I too
had a bad reaction to beta blockers and my heart had a "thunder storm " which
carried on for almost three weeks and even now its worse than it was beforeI
started taking the beta blockers. BUT when I told the cardio this he said it
was PROBABLY going to get like that anyhow ! (very nice chap I'm sure ) but I
have NO faith in him at all.
Leanne.

OK, Val, I'm going to throw in some of my thoughts to you about your post. I
do not mean to try to push my views on you - just thought I'd share my
thoughts.
I do not think you are nuts! I am not a religious person, though I am a
spiritual person. I do not think that Satan is an actual BEING. I see Satan
as a symbolic reflection of the more negative parts of me. So, coming from
my view, I would ask you - Why are YOU using your work to keep you from God
and your family? To me, looking at "Satan" as something outside of me keeps
me from taking responsibility for my actions. Saying "Satan" is making me do
or think this or that puts the blame on something outside of me rather than
searching myself to find out why I am thinking/acting in a certain way. When
I truly ask God/the Universe for answers, they come in - in one form or
another. And I reach a deeper understanding of myself.
So, that's what I thought - and you are free to ignore it if you think I am
nuts!!!!

Hello All,
I must say that most of you differ from me in that you are
willing to try different herbs and medicines to alleviate the PVCs.
I'm scared to death to take anything herbal, and ditto for most
prescription meds too. My usual trend whenever I am prescribed
something is to research it on the net, and then if I decide to take
it, I make sure I take it when my husband is home so that if I suffer
from one of those rare side effects, he can take me to the hospital.
I had a real scare once with Preventil (sp?). I had an adverse
reaction to it, and ended up in the hospital with a heart rate of
about 240. Talk about scared. What a horrible feeling. They gave
me something to calm me down, and kept me in ER until the rate got
back to normal. Then there's the fact that I have a systemic allergy
to all "caines" (benzocaine, solarcaine, anything that ends
in "caine"). We found out about that when I was four, and stopped
breathing the dentist gave me a novacaine injection. My Mom had to
resuccitate me. These experiences have just left me with a tendency
to be leary, which is a shame because I'd love to try some of the
things you all talk about. My palps have been with me off and on
since school started back up, but I've also had the shakiness that
comes with panic disorder. Lately I've taken the Konopin more for
that shakiness than for the PVCs!! I hate that feeling!!! I haven't
been to church in over a month because I'm busy the entire weekend
preparing for the next week of school. I refuse to let that keep me
home tomorrow, though. I AM going to church. I think Satan is using
my work to keep me away from God AND my family. Hope that doesn't
sound nuts to too many of you:)) Enough babbling. Love to all, and
my wishes for a blessed PVC-free night!
Love,
Val

Val,
I sympathize with you about the reluctance to try herbal meds. I
started taking echinacea (sp?) one time for general health and my
pvc's went through the sky. Chalomine tea gives me asthma. Etc.,
etc. Some of us are very sensitive to these things.
-john

Dear Christine,
That sounds low to me, but I know a lot of people who run low,
so perhaps that's normal for you. Are you taking it yourself with
home equipment? What are some of the pressure readings you've had
from the doctor? My cardiologist once told me (and I've heard it
said on this board too) that the lower your pulse, the more PVCs you
have. Best of luck.
Love,
Val

Hello,
I may be back on track with the Hawthorn. Following
Kelly's advice I started taking 900 mg/day instead of
the 1350 mg previously taken. I'm having more and
more hours of PVC free periods per day. Apparently
like Kelly's Naturopathic Doctor advised her, the
dosage is fairly critical, and too much Hawthorn (more
than 1000 mg/day) may actually increase PVCs.
Rob

Rob,
Glad my N.D.'s advice helped you. I always seem to lean towards "more is
better", but the 1000 mg seems to be working good. Less and less PVCs for me.
He also said that if it ever "stops working".. to just stop taking it for a
while (few weeks or so) and then start up again at 500mg and work your way
back up to 1000mg.
Anyway, heres to hoping the current trend continues!
Kelly

Hi Val, Thanks for your encouraging words "benign" I know its scarey when the
heart seems to stop for 3-4beats and you think come on hurry up and start ! I
keep saying the "words" but when these things happen it's so hard to belive
that its near normal for us PVC ers !
Leanne.

hi Lisa, you have explained it beautifully ! exactly how I feel SO, the
question is :-
Why not become a cardio ? you make much more sense than any doc I have ever
seen ! LOL
Love, Leanne.

I found a wellness sight on herbals..... This was of interest to me re the hawthorn....

How are you guys that are still on it.......is it still helping???

I also checked into some others....

any thoughts??

http://www.berkeleywellness.com/supplements/dsSupHawthorn.html

Barb

Dear Leanne,
I have also had those pauses that seem extra long. They haven't
killed me yet:)) I think it's probably yet another variation of
our "condition." It hasn't happened to me very often, but when it
does, I must admit that I find it very scary. Assuming you've had
all the testing done, then just relax and remind yourself - benign,
benign, benign. Easier said than done, I know. Mine are acting up
right now too. Good luck!
Love,
Val

Hi LeAnne,
My heart does this thing, when my PVC's are real bad, where it will seem to
stop for seconds and then one big thump will follow. Sometimes it makes me
cough. I have been taking the Atenonol as needed and not on a regular basis.
When my stress level is high I get them worse. As you know my Dad passed
away two weeks ago and my PVC's have been unreal for about a month now.
Have you told your doctor how long your heart seems to stop? What type of
testing have you had?
Andrea

Hi Jen, It sounds as though you are over the worst of the side effects then !
Well, if the pills are working for you and I were you I think I would go on
your docs advice and keep on taking them. I know if I found something that
worked for me I would definately continue and you have also persavered with
the beggining of the side effects so literally speaking, you sound to be over
the worst.
Good luck !
leanne.

Hi All, Just doing my day dreaming act again and was wondering :-
Do any of you have this type of feeling :-
You can be doing things normally (anything) and then all of a sudden you feel
as though your heart as "stopped" and your head also go's light headed and
you think to yourself my hearts going to pack in this time, its not going to
beat again and it really feels as though your heart as stopped, not just for
one beat but for maybe three or four the feeling i notice also seems to rise
from my stomach before it gets into my heart !
But it really feels as though its stopped for a long time. I know they say it
is only that your heart gives a few extra beats and the pause is the hearts
way of making up for this but mine seams longer than the normal pause ! And I
would love to hear if any of you also experienced this ?
Leanne.

Hi Derick and thanks for the info on the pacemaker. It sounds as though its a
lot of hassle I just hope for you and Katherine it works out ok. How is
Katherine ?
Love, Leanne.

Thanx for the response, Derrick...
Stay Well, both of you...
Barb

Hi Lisa
I'd like a copy of it. Email direct to sosaustr@...
Thanks
Susan B

Ms. Susan Bentley--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
SOS Children's Villages
Australia (SA) Inc.
sosaustr@...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

My friend sent me the greatest, poignant, funny list... 4-8 year olds were
asked the question "What does love mean?" I've seen alot of lists, but never
this one, it is really great. If anyone wants a smile, send me your email
address... I don't want to post it as it's a little long, and don't want to
bug anybody!
Lisa
lt@...

I don't ever mind when somebody pours their heart out <literally or
figurativley
they can ask questions, advice, babble or tell stories! I wish I had the
answers for you, Susan. Wouldn't it be nice if people could remember the
good they saw in one another and hold that and that only when the rest has
fallen away... Anyway, thanks to all of you out there. I really think this
group is great!
Lisa
PS... since there haven't been many new pictures posted lately, I'll put one
up tonight at egroups!

Thats a good one Lisa. The other day when i was cuddling with my son
he told me he could hear my heart going crazy!!!! And i've never
discussed pvcs with him..the truth is i never had any pvcs then i was
feeling fine, just a little windy down below hahahah!!!
mickey
Just thought I'd share a happy experience with you all today, maybe
some can

Lisa
That is so beautiful. The feeling of your little one's head on your chest -
your arms trustingly around her and then her beautiful little comment. I'm
crying happy tears.
Love Susan B

Ms. Susan Bentley--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
SOS Children's Villages
Australia (SA) Inc.
sosaustr@...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Just thought I'd share a happy experience with you all today, maybe some can
find it useful, like Suzy's "polka": My daughter, four years old, crawled
into our bed last night. We were waking up slowly this morning after
everyone else had left for school and work. We were cuddled under the
covers, with my arms around her and her head on my chest. What a lovely
thought it was when she lifted her head, beamed at me and said "Mom! I can
hear a SONG in your heart!"

Hi Majesty and thanks for your info on the med you take. I too have always
been scared of the dangerous side effects of some meds and totally against
taking them for the saqme reasons. I am not too good on Beta Blockers so my
doc took me off them after three months though I know they made me worse.
However, my cardio wants me to try a new type of pill, (flecainide) asking
him, what it was he replied, its a kind of anesthetic to the heart apparently
it dulls feelings coming from your heart.
I didn't like the sound of it and the side effects I have read about are
pretty awsome !
so I told him I would rather carry on with my magnesium and do a wait and see.
I have the pills incase I want to work up the courage to take them but so far
I am managing without ! LOL nerves I think.
love, Leanne.

Hi, Jen. I notice you also take some sort of Beta Blocker hoe much Beta
Blocker is in the pill you take ?
I mean, is it a combined pill ? (mixed with something else)
The dose you take seems very low.
How long have you been taking it ?
And how did you feel when you started to take it ?
Leanne.

Hi, And thanks for your info on the pacemaker. Does it need any maintenance
on the pacemaker once it is fitted ? and, do you think its been beneficial to
Katherine?
love, Leanne.

Hi Kelly,

Yes I have been better (on/off) the past couple of days. I saw you tried to get me online, sorry, sometimes my husbands online, and obviously doesn't respond, and I tend to forget to change the status...oops...

Hope you're doing ok....

take care

Barb

Hi Derrick,
I hope all is well with you and Kathryn.....
Just catching up on posts, thankfully my heart was pretty calm today, so
this isn't a PANIC post...:o)
I was wondering if Kathryn 'feels' the pacemaker kick in when it's needed.
Is it something you feel working, or it just does what its supposed to when
it needs to??
(Just ignore me if I'm too personal :o))
I, like Karen, would of thought the same thing had I seen that EJ video....I
often wonder if my heart will just STOP, when I'm having pvc's and a super
slow HR...
Anyway, take care
Barb

Wow... I bet that was really scary... having to go all through that again.
That is part of my problem... the stress of dealing with the drs and their
offices.
Oh well, deal with it and go on.
Hope all goes well,
Connie

Mickey
Thanks for asking and especially for the prayers. Actually the technician
said "I can't be specific because the Dr. has to make the reading, but I
don't see anything for you to worry about." I was really thankful that she
said anything and especially that. I went back to work with a lighter
heart, but had quite a scare when there was a message saying I needed to go
back and have it re-done...it turns out that there was a problem with the
tape (PHEW!!). So I am going back tomorrow, but I am much less
anxious.Thanks again!
Jen

--- In PeoplewithPVCs@egroups.com, <jlopez@C...
Jen, How did the ultra sound go?? I guess they do not tell you
anything right away. I am sure you are fine. I have been thinking of
you and praying for you, take care,
mickey
Majesty and Leanne,
prescribed it because my blood pressure was moderately high (but then
again I was in a complete panic because of these PVCs), my doc
thought it might help with the PVCS too. I can't really say whether
it did or did not. Right now I have been almost PVC free for over a
month, maybe one or two a day. Anyway, my point was that I also
starting taking it at night on the advice of one of the nurses. I
was really super tired during the day...taking it at night has really
helped. I also think you tend to "sleep off" the worst of the side
effects.
my blood pressure is already really low, and I was afraid if I
started taking it, I would start fainting or something. My
cardiologist said that this medicine had been improved and it was the
best on the market for arrythmias now (we don't know if that's her
talking or the benefits she may be getting from that pharmaceutical
company for how much of this stuff she "peddles" - Am I cyncial or
WHAT?!) Needless to say, when I started it, I was VERY nervous about
side effects (I HATE taking medicine and normally avoid it all
costs!) I did notice some side effects (or nerves) the first few days
- my PVCs were just as bad if not worse, and I was a little
lightheaded, and just felt very anxious. The dr. said to give it a
few days. After a few more days, my PVCs almost went away, but I was
still really tired. That's when I went back and got my dosage
reduced from 80 to 60 mg (the lowest long-acting inderal you can ge!
dr. said a lot of the side effects are often felt within six hours or
so of taking it, and if I took it at night, I would sleep through the
worst ones. I've been on it 2 weeks now, and my PVCs have been
almost non-existent the past week and a half, and my side effects are
minimal to none. I put off meds for so long because I was afraid,
and now I'm asking myself, "why didn't I try this sooner?!" I really
wanted to stop it before the first week was up, but now I'm really
glad I didn't! I hope this information helps!! Good luck! Majesty

Hi Connie and welcome to this lovely group !
I also was the same as you, for three years they were there but didn't bother
me too much then wham, they came and stayed and have been playing havoc in my
life ever since. Do you take any other meds apart from sleeping pills ?
Leanne.

Hi, I've heard so much about the pill you take inderal, What kind is it ?
I take it it's not a beta blocker so is it a kind of nerve suppressant ?
And do you feel any side effects whilst taking it ? ie:- sick/dizzy/anxious ?
Love, Leanne.

Hi, I hope all is as well as can be at home both of you. And I would just
like to ask out of curiosity, how long was catherine having the operation and
how long stay did she have when she had the pacemaker fitted ?
Love, Leanne.

Karen,
Very good question. In the simple terms (i.e. one that I can understand),
it depends upon the type of irregular heart beat as well as if there is any
heart damage. I don't know the medical reasons that EJ had for having a
pacemaker implant or a pacemaker/defibulator implant.
I do know that Kathryn has the pacemaker/defibulator implant and it helps
her a lot. But, I hope that you don't have the problems that she has. Life
is always interesting at our home.
Kathryn has problems with PVCs that convert into v-tach (150/200
beats/minute), she also suffers from Brady tach (very slow beats). In both
cases her pacemaker/defibulator will attempt to repace one or more of the
chambers of her heart to bring things back to "normal".
derrick & Kathryn

Does anyone else's mind work like this? I was just
nursing my baby watching VH1 Pop-up videos and they
flash this thing on the screen about Elton John having
an irregular heartbeat on the way to the wedding of
Posh Spice in 1997 and how he had to have an emergency
pacemaker put in. Now I'm thinking, I have an
irregular heartbeat ALL THE TIME. Do I need a
pacemaker too? Why do some irregularities mean an
emergency pacemaker and some don't? Anybody know?

Hey Rox,
Just wondering how the kids made out at school yesterday? I've been watching on
the news. How are your palps? You've had them for so long that I'm sure at
this point you're a pro at dealing with them. Mine have returned slightly- two
or three a day. I am still certain that it's a vagal nerve thing for me and
that it is tied into my bowels (gross, I know). Anyway, let us know how the
girls are.
Jen
p.s. my echo is today at 2:00p.m.....keep the prayers coming.

Hi, Yes I do think there is definately a connection with the reflux system as
like you when I am hungry or sometimes when I have eaten I get the terrible
growling stomach (lion like ) LOL and my PVCs play up terribly although they
are there most of the time when my stomach is ok i can put up with that but
when it is acting up PVCs also do. I went on the Zooton tablets over the
christmas period first of all and for five weeks my PVCs were ok (not felt)
but then on the 6th week whilst still on the zooton they came back but I am
not one to say but perhaps if i had stayed on them longer without the docs
saying it was doing no good it might have cured things !
I am infact thinking of going back to my lady doc (more understanding) and
ask her to put me back on them for a trial of say 3 months and see how things
go.
The doc who first put me on them examined me (heart/abdomin) and said i dont
think its your heart i think its DEFINATELY your stomach !! but other docs
say digestion isnt anything to go on and say its the heart. God has to help
us if all docs cannot agree ! how are we supposed to trust any of them ?
Thats the reason I took myself all all meds and went onto magnesium (its good
for the stomach as well as the heart) and it certainely seems to have helped
me although some days are still not so good but i think they are a lot better.
leanne.

Hi Val
Hope by now you are feeling better. How do you cope with the darn things
whilst teaching?
Anyway congratulations for getting through them without taking anything.
One small step for pvcer's - one gigantic leap etc. etc. .......just me
rambling on. Obviously I didn't have enough sleep either!!!
Luv Susan (in south oz)

Ms. Susan Bentley--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
SOS Children's Villages
Australia (SA) Inc.
sosaustr@...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Hello All,
Another bad PVC day after several good weeks. I asked for it
though. Let's see - what factors have I got going against me right
now: stress, about 4 hours of sleep last night, 2 cups of
caffeinated coffee today, period a few days away, etc... I know
better, but Sept. is always a bad month for me. So much to do at the
beginning of a new school year. That in and of itself wouldn't be
too bad, but the morale in our building is VERY low right now.
There's a lot of tension between teachers and administrators, and I
have SUCH a physical response to stress. I was proud of myself this
morning though. It's still dark when I drive to work, and driving
has always been a panic-provoking thing for me (when I'm in
a "stressed out" mode). This morning I was having lots of PVCs
during the drive, but I didn't take any Klonopin. I just kept
telling myself to go a few more miles, and see how I felt until
finally I was there:)) I pretty much had a repeat of that on the way
home. Not much fun, but at least I'm hanging in there. I was
thinking on the way home about all of you guys, reminding myself that
I am NOT alone in this, and it helped ease my fear tremendously.
Thanks:)) Guess I'll try to get some sleep now. Take care
everyone. I hope most of you are enjoying a PVCless spell.
Love,
Val

Hi Just reading through the posts and I noticed the post regarding taking
mag/hawthorne. Well, I started taking magnesium 500mg daily and although it
took about three weeks to kick in after that I felt great with a greatly
reduced notive in my PVCs and thought great ive cracked it I felt so good
(ive been taking it 10 weeks)
then this weekend smack ! I felt the old thud thud and I thought I was back
to square one again infact I think they are noticable again BUT I am going to
continue regardless because if it worked before there's no saying its not
going to work again and there could be another reason for the PVCs being
upset (tummy trouble)
so, good luck with your hawthorne/mag.
leanne.

Hi Val, reading through your posts and I noticed you said you have more PVCs
when you have a grumbly stomach SNAP !!! thats what I have ALWAYS said.
I get them most days but when I have had something like chinese or am hungry
or something that my stomach wont relate to my PVCs are DEFINATELY worse !
Infact last year my doc gave me a prescrip[tion for a medication called
Zooton its a
stomach acid releiving pill and for about 5 weeks i was great but then the
PVCs were there. But I was wondering if I had continued to take this antacid
thing wether it might have helped in the long run.
leanne.

Dear Susan,
Thanks for your response. I printed your letter, so that I can
go purchase those books ASAP:)) I don't want to lose God in my life,
but there's such a big gap there right now, and I know enough to know
that He wouldn't put it there!!! Your list of times when you
experience PVCs more was reassuring also - I am the same on every
count! Take care....
Love,
Val

hi Val
sorry to hear you've had a bad weekend. Some books that have helped me are
"Unto the Hills" by Billy Graham which is a daily devotional, "Mere
Christianity" by CS Lewis and "How to Win over Worry" by John E Haggai.
They are all excellent. It's strange about the hereditary thing - I think
there must be some sort of link!! When I am in a bad patch of pvc's I
notice they are definitely worse during the following:-
lying down (especially on my side)
after eating (especially if I rush my food)
leaning on my left side
if I am having indigestion
pre-menstrually
hope that helps a bit!! Love Susan B.

Ms. Susan Bentley--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
SOS Children's Villages
Australia (SA) Inc.
sosaustr@...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Just to add my two cents worth: As far as heredity is concerned, I unfortunately will never know. My mom died at age 53 from breast cancer, and my dad died 2 years after my mom, from GI bleeding, (life-long effects of alcoholism). But, neither of them ever mentioned any heart disease or arrhythmias before they died. I also have 1 older brother, and 3 younger siblings, but none of them have these pesky things as far as I know. Anyway, I guess I am just the lucky one of the family!! Laurie

Hello All,
I've had a bad weekend, but after reading the last 15 or so
posts, I feel so much better. THANKS:)) As far as heredity goes, my
Mom has them too, but she didn't get them until after I started
getting them. Or at least if she had them before, she didn't know
it. It makes me feel ever so much better to hear about all of these
folks who had them their whole lives and lived to ripe old age. Your
story was especially beautiful, Andrea. What a Dad:))
Now a question, and some observations. All weekend I have had
stomachaches off and on, indigestion (with acid reflux, and a hungry
feeling in my stomach when I shouldn't be feeling hungry. I know I
have heard some of you say that your PVCs are worse when you are
having these types of symptoms, but I was just curious - does anyone
know why that would be??? I am also less than a week away from my
period, and I think I've noticed that the stomach problems I'm
describing (along with the PVCs) often occur at this time. Anyone
else notice this combination of symptoms when you're PMSing?
Sometimes when I am feeling that hungry feeling, I'm sure I'm having
the PVCs, but when I check my pulse (I know, I know - I shouldn't be
doing that!!) I'm not having them at all.
I know the stress and caffeine factors are figuring in big
time. Hubby and I are not getting along and I have an increasingly
unreasonable and undoable (is that a word?) work load that is making
me feel panicky. To top it all off, I am an incorrigible
perfectionist. Can anyone offer me any advice (or good books) to
help me with some of these problems? Also - does anyone have any
suggestions for spiritual books to help you out when you feel you are
drifting away from God?
Sorry for all of the heavy duty questions, and really, the
recent posts did help me to feel better, though I know it doesn't
sound that way. Sometimes I feel so guilty because I feel like I'm
always unloading on you guys and not giving enough back in return. I
promise to try and do better. Thanks for listening.
Love,
Val

This is wierd, how come we all have not come out and compared notes on
heredidty before now? (Or mabey we have and I wasnt paying attention?? lol)
My Mom gets them too. Hers started when she was young (28-29) like me.
Although mine started a little earlier than hers....but around the same time.
She is now 53 years old and has been told by many o' doctor that she will be
fine and not to worry about hers. She does not get them as often as I do, but
then again, she is about 150lbs lighter than me too. She told me that when
she was younger, like in her 20's 30's, she used to get them ALL the time
becuase she was heavier back then. But when she lost weight they would go
away. I guess I am hoping that will hold true for me too. It should...my mom
and me are practically twins!
My cardio has told me that he has PVC's and my naturopathic doctor says he
has them too and has had them his whole life. He just says he ignors thems
now....
I guess hearing about everyones realatives who have these kind of makes you
wonder if this stuff isnt genetic in nature......????? But it is also
comforting too :) Knowing that our older relatives have had them for thier
whole lives and lived to ripe old ages. :)
ttfn,
Kelly

Rob
Just a query? Did you start to question the effect of the hawthorn before
the beats came back or after. I was just wondering if it may have had a
"placebo" effect initially. I don't mean to be rude at all here only I've
noticed in myself that for instance when I started magnesium it seemed to
have a miraculous effect for a little while and then they were back. At the
time I wondered if it was a type of placebo effect. Just curious?
Susan B'

Rob,
Yes it seems to be working just fine. I have had WAY fewer PV/AC's. I was up
to about 1,500mg but my Naturopathic Doctor told me that was too much, and
that if you take too much it actually works in an opposing way...so he told
me no more than 1,000mg and that is what I take now. It has also helped to
lower my BP too. But that could also be that garlic I am taking too.
HTH,
Kelly
In a message dated 9/24/00 8:33:37 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
rvdalton@... writes:
<< Kelly,
Is Hawthorn working for you? Is it reducing your
PVCs? Did you try different dosages?
Rob

Andrea,
Your story was beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are so proud of your
father and you have reason to be!!!! It sounds like he was an amazing
man.
When I have pvcs I always try to remember that my father has had them
for 40 yrs now and all my sisters and brothers ( i have 8 siblings)
get them from time to time also, and are all still here. With healthy
hearts i might add!!
Hold on to those wonderful memories.
Mickey
Hello Gang,

Hello Gang,
If this helps and is any comfort here is a story. My Dad, whom most of
you know I lost last Sunday at 78 years old, grew up in Aroostook County,
Maine. At the age of twelve he worked in the woods when he wasn't in school.
He did the work of a full grown man. He enlisted in the Army when he was of
legal age and worked very hard there too. He was in Africa and Italy (where
he met my Mom.) He received a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Medal of Valour and
Medal of Victory. When he returned home he worked 3 and 4 jobs at a time to
provide for his family. When I began having PVC's I discussed it with him
and he told me that he had them too. They started when he worked in the
woods. He was a very strong man. During Potatoe picking time he was the only
Man who could lift the barrells of potatoe's onto the truck. He said that he
had them a lot with physical exersion. Later in life at the age of 75 he did
experience periods of blackouts and did have to have a pacemaker put in, but
it was determined it was not because of the PVC's. He became a paraplegic at
the age of 52 and endured a life of hardship due to this. He was told that
most paraplegic's life expectency was about ten years. HA!....he fooled
them. He lived 26 years from the date of his accident. As he lay close to
death, his lungs filling with fluid last Sunday night and early morning, his
heart, strong and true and part of his great character stayed beating
steadily. His heart did not give out until the end and he had PVC's since
the age of 12. My PVC's do not bother me anymore. I know Dad had them, my
brother has them and my brother too, is big and strong. Lifts weights, jogs,
hikes etc. So I have a sense of peace that the PVC's are just something that
happens when I'm under a lot of stress, physically or otherwise or if I'm
over tired or have drank something with caffeine in it. Hope this helps and
I did not mean for this to bum anyone out.
Andrea

Rob,
Go see a naturopath (N.D) he/she WILL give you advise on how much of it to
take. Mine told me 1,000mg was PLENTY.......but ya never know. You may
benefit from more or less. Somtimes less is more.....get it? :)
Kelly

Hello All,
Just when I was getting ready to give up on Hawthorn
Berry after about 1.5 months, I'm starting to have PVC
free afternoons. Granted it's not as good as no PVCs
(which I had for 2 weeks after 1 month of Hawthorn),
but it's better than nothing. I'll definitely
continue the Hawthorn for another couple of months.
I wonder what's too much Hawthorn? At 1350 mg/day,
I'm under the 1500 Erin took. I figured this small
150 mg difference shouldn't matter. However, recently
I've been thinking I should increase my dosage. My
doctors won't touch Hawthorn as far as giving advice
about dosage or type (e.g. leaves + stem + berry vrs
just berry).
Rob

Val: Sure you don't work for our school district who can't open their doors
until all the molds, toxins, asbestos, etc... are removed thoroughly. 650
kids as of Monday (finally) are being crammed in already jammed schools. The
reason for the investigation into our school was high percentage of asthma,
nose bleeds, unexplained illnesses, hyperactivity in a high percentage of
children and a few of our teachers so sick they are out on disability.
Please check into this matter.... my palps are back too. Probably a few
hundred a day. The hard kind that jolt you from you seat, bed, etc... and I
am leaving for vacation in less then 2 weeks. I hope they quit so I can have
a good time...
Good night all, Roxanne

Hello All!
Well - after reading the posts from the past couple of days, I
can see that I'm not the only one who has had a return of the blasted
things. Whoever commented on how quickly you acclimate to NOT having
them when they disappear for a while is quite right. Fortunately
they are gone at the moment, but they were coming on strong earlier
this afternoon. They kicked in when I was grocery shopping, and the
only thing that I can think of is that I was stressing about other
physical symptoms such as left arm pain, burning in my chest, pain
on my lower left side, wrapping around to my back, yet another yeast
infection (sorry, guys), etc... Sounds like I have to agree with all
of the recent posts about hypochondria too. We are all tuned into
our bodies, that's for sure. I'm practically convinced I have
ovarian cancer, or at the very list cervical cancer. I just know my
repeat Pap smear is going to be "off" again. Now I'm borrowing
trouble. Sufficent unto the day is the evil thereof, right??? Work
has been INCREDIBLY stressful. Our education association will
probably soon file a grievance due to our working environment. They
are doing major construction on our building while we are there, and
many of us are feeling ill. I've had 3 nosebleeds in my classroom
(two students and myself) and we are all folks who don't get them.
I've also had 2 heavy duty dizzy spells (felt fine otherwise).
Chronic sore throat, terrible headaches. I ONLY have these symptoms
when I'm at school. Other people are experiencing similar symptoms.
The building was built in the '20's and supposedly all of the
asbestos was removed a couple of years back. I guess it could just
be mold, dust, chemicals, etc... They are putting in central air, so
many parts of the ceiling are open with exposed pipes. They are also
building a library above our cafeteria, and they are repainting large
areas of the building (inside). Guess we'll just have to wait and
see what happens. I think someone is going to call OSHA.
About going to the ER (someone had asked how to decide when to
go), I now follow Suzy's advice. In other words, I'd have to feel
something VERY different than usual, and perhaps pass out while
having that different feeling. Our emergency room sucks (forgive me,
but I can't think of a better verb to describe it). My entire family
has had very bad experiences there. Inept and no compassion.
Forgive me - I know I'm sounding negative tonight. Odin, my
adorable Rottie, is pawing me as I type. He wants his chest
scratched - the big spoiled baby. See - he knows I need cheering
up. Animals are awesome:)) Take care everyone, and thanks for
listening to this very wordy message.
Love,
Val

Hi Barb,

I looked at that website and it sounds a bit wacky to me. This peppertree sounds like it cures about 100 things. I wouldn't take it, but I'm kinda conservative about herbs.

Suzy

Hi Charlie,

Take a deep breath. Do it. Good.<smile

As far as going to the ER for yet another "benign" diagnosis, I have told myself that I am not going to waste my time or the hospital's time (OR my money) unless I get severe chest pain, pass out, or die. Of course, if I'm dead, I'm not gonna worry about money. :-) However, I have to add that I haven't gotten hours of PVC's for a LONG time....I get short runs every now and then, usually out of nowhere or when I exert myself.

I don't know if you read one of the old messages where somebody said she had a friend who enjoyed the rhythm of her irregular heartbeat.<smile

Hang in there, Charlie.....think BENIGN BENIGN BENIGN....and go for a walk to enjoy some nature and get your mind off your healthy heart.

Hugs,

Suzy

Hi guys,,, I am forwarded a response I received from rain-tree. What do you think???

Hi there feminine Gill,

The ONLY reason I thought you were a man because I thought Gill was short for Gilbert. I know there are Gillian's around (like the woman on X-Files), but I didn't think about that possibility. What you need is a silly feminine name like Suzy where even though I'm 49, people assume I'm about 20 because of my name. Well, when they LOOK at me, they know I'm not 20, for sure.<smile

Suzy

I'm still looking, too, Susan.<sigh

-
Hi Rob
What a shame your pvcs have returned. I went out and bought
some hawthorn capsules (after reading your 'success' story) and
starting taking them a few days ago after a little worry about side
effects. So far nothing has changed but i've heard it can take
several weeks for symptoms to abate. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Keep taking them Rob as I think (reading some internet sites) it
takes some time for effects to be noticed...possibly three or more
months.
Gill

Hi Fellow PVCers,
After two weeks of PVC free life, the PVCs are back.
I'm back to my usual near 10,000/day. I've been
taking 1350 mg/day of Hawthorn for 1.5 months. Since
Erin said it took her 3 months to see a lasting
effect, I'll probably keep it up another couple of
months. However, I don't have the same faith in it I
had a few weeks ago.
On the philosophical and slightly humorous side, after
2 weeks of PVC free life, the marvel was wearing off.
So if you're PVC free long enough, you'll probably
just move on to some other imperfection in your life
and worry about that.
Although I don't see the value of it, I will probably
see an electrical cardio specialist in the next month
or so, and see what he has to say. One non-invasive
test they sometimes do is a signal averaged ECG.
Apparently they can tell from what part of the heart
the ectopic beats start from. Another more invasive
test is the radioactive thallium stress test to see
how your heart is pumping. I'm sure I would not want
to do RF ablation just for PVCs, so I don't know where
this approach will lead. Has anyone gone this route?
Rob

Gil,
I feel much the same way. My kids are young so I don't tell them and my
husband is usually supportive. I also hesitate to say anything to anyone. Some
people know about them at work, but when they ask me I act like they're no big
deal...silly huh? I do not want people thinking that I am fragile or flawed.
Jen
-

Dennis........You need to go to the main egroups page to
unsubscribe.........an email to us won't do... SOrry...

UNSUBSCRIBE

Dennis, you need to go to egroups and unsubscribe. Can't do it here,
sorry......

Rox
Let me know how you do it (not panic??) Tonight actually I am palp free!!!
(don't ask me why or how) I am just up doing stuff and checking in with you
guys. I see Susan is still up at work....it's 9:50pm here. I should go to
bed while the goings good. My son had soccer tonight at 6pm. It was soooo
cold, the kids washed up and cuddled up straight to bed. It was great....
early night!!
Going to watch some more of the olympics and then off to bed too!! (we
of course get delay recordings...oh well!)
Barb

Hi Gord,
We all seem to have walked down the "hypochondriac" path at one stage or other.
Are you having a break in between your old job and your new one? When do
you start and is it the job you want??
Susan (in south oz......still looking at the swimmers bodies LOL)

Ms. Susan Bentley--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
SOS Children's Villages
Australia (SA) Inc.
sosaustr@...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Suzy,
I also have an excellent library of Medical textbooks and equipment
(BP monitor, HR monitor and all that stuff and a great first aid
kit!!). My biggest 'success' was being told by a consultant that I
knew more about cardiology than his medical students. At the time I
remember feeling plesed with myself!!!!! Oh My God!! But since then
I realised I really had to get a life ;-) haha .......
Gord.
--- In PeoplewithPVCs@..., "Suzy Finigan" <suzy1220@e...

Gill, don't forget that most of us thought you were a man.<smile

GET OUT OF THAT HEART FORUM!!!!! I used to subscribe to a mailing list on AOL for arrhythmias that scared me to death. Most of the people there had other heart problems (heart surgery, atrial fib, etc. etc.) That's why I like this group so much 'cuz we are firm with each other yet understanding and compassionate and BENIGN. We're wonderful, aren't we?? LOL

Hugs,

Suzy

Hi Gill,

I feel quite the same. I don't talk about my PVC's much at all to anybody. I have told some people that I have an occasional problem with an irregular heartbeat, but I hardly EVER mention it when it's actually happening. PLUS, people think I'm a cool, calm, and collected person....HA!!

Like you said, that's why I love this group....I can just blurt out all my goofy feelings and fears and you all understand. My mom talked to me a lot about her irregular heartbeat when I was a young adult which is probably part of why they freak me out. She had atrial fibrillation (which I don't have), and eventually had a couple of strokes from the a-fib because they weren't treating it at all. My husband gets PVC's when he has too much coffee, but he couldn't care less. Ahhh, to be like that. He likes coffee better than he dislikes PVC's. Of course, I'm kinda like that with chocolate.<smile

Suzy

Yup, I would definitely label myself as a hypochondriac. Last Saturday I got a bad sunburn at a football game (3 hours in Texas noonday sun). That night I was feeling chilled like you do with a bad sunburn. So, I went and found my thermometer to take my temperature. My husband looked at me like I was from Mars and said, "What are you doing?" I said I was taking my temperature (which seemed perfectly normal to me<g
going faster today 'cuz of the Celexa but I'm trying REAL hard not to take my heart rate.

Suzy<-----favorite TV show is that Trauma thing on the Learning Channel, OF COURSE! LOL

I notice that most of you are quite 'open' with your pvcs insofar as
you talk about them to others.
I am the opposite...very few people know about my condition. I always
appear to the outside world to be a picture of health and vitality.
The only people who know about my palpitations are my husband and
kids and I don't mention it to them very often. I suffer alone sob!
sob!
I think I have analysed the reason for this...in my mind it is a
weakness in me. The reason I say this is because when I get the palps
I often panic and have illogical thoughts about dying etc. I realise
these thoughts are silly and anyone with a strong character would not
act like me. I don't like anyone to think of me as a weak person
therefore I keep my thoughts, feelings and pvcs to myself.
That is why this group is so wonderful as I can vent these silly
problems that I have and hopefully be understood...by some of you
anyway.
If any of you feel the same i'd love to know
Best wishes Gill

Hi Karen,
I've been wondering where you disappeared off too. Although with a
newborn & 2yr old, I just assumed you were superbusy!! and yes they are
benign, benign, benign!! Try to keep the finger off the pulse!! That
doesn't help one bit when you panic, cause you just panic more! Believe me
I know! Hopefully it'll go back to hardly none. Maybe it was just an
isolated incident.
Anyway, welcome back
Barb

Hi Wendy,

I don't know if all of us lead stressful lives, but I would bet most of us are easily stressed. I feel very strongly that there are positive steps to ease your body from the physical symptoms of stress, including exercise, yoga, and other relaxation techniques. THey do seem to make a difference.

Sorry about your divorce. I've been there, done that. Even though mine was also on good terms, it was very, very stressfull. Good Luck,

-bruce

I'm wondering how many of us on this mailing list lead stressful lives, or get stressed out easily. When my life was less stressful, I could go months without a single PVC. But whenever the stress level rises, the PVCs come on. I'm currently going through a divorce and my PVCs have never been this bad. I get them all the time now, but usually in runs. I'll have them for an entire evening, then for a few days I'll just have a couple. I'm finding that my fear of these "benign" PVCs often makes them even worse. If I don't think about them, I don't notice them as much, but when I've had a few I'm hypersensitive to them.

I have been going to the gym on an almost daily basis and find it amazing that I rarely have a PVC at the gym. I'm thinking it might be because the exercise relaxes me and I'm not focusing on the divorce. My gym offers a "Mind and Body" class, which is kind of like a yoga/relaxation class. I'm wondering if any of you have ever taken any class like this, and if it helped? What I need is to find a way to relax and not let the stress from my personal life become so overwhelming. Despite the fact that this is an amicable divorce, I just feel so emotionally exhausted.

Ok...thanks for listening! I don't post much myself, but read almost everything on the list. I find it such a comfort to be a part of this list.

Wendy

I'm wondering how many of us on this mailing list lead stressful lives, or get stressed out easily. When my life was less stressful, I could go months without a single PVC. But whenever the stress level rises, the PVCs come on. I'm currently going through a divorce and my PVCs have never been this bad. I get them all the time now, but usually in runs. I'll have them for an entire evening, then for a few days I'll just have a couple. I'm finding that my fear of these "benign" PVCs often makes them even worse. If I don't think about them, I don't notice them as much, but when I've had a few I'm hypersensitive to them.

I have been going to the gym on an almost daily basis and find it amazing that I rarely have a PVC at the gym. I'm thinking it might be because the exercise relaxes me and I'm not focusing on the divorce. My gym offers a "Mind and Body" class, which is kind of like a yoga/relaxation class. I'm wondering if any of you have ever taken any class like this, and if it helped? What I need is to find a way to relax and not let the stress from my personal life become so overwhelming. Despite the fact that this is an amicable divorce, I just feel so emotionally exhausted.

Ok...thanks for listening! I don't post much myself, but read almost everything on the list. I find it such a comfort to be a part of this list.

Wendy

Hi Leanne,

Regarding meds, I go to www.webmd.com Also, often the medicine itself has its own website with prescribing information. Like www.celexa.com or www.zoloft.com I don't know about the herb question.

Suzy

hi Jacky
Feel free to complain as much as possible!! I get sick of telling it to my
family and friends too. When you haven;t experienced irregular heartbeats
you can;'t possibly know what it feels like!!
My partner is wonderful but even he is at a loss to know how to console me
on "bad" days. Some nights when I have been up for hours with the stupid
things he feels guilty because he has gone to sleep. It's hard on loved
ones as well because they simply run out of things to do and say!!
So - anyway - we don;t mind complaints!!
Love Susan (in south oz)

Ms. Susan Bentley--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
SOS Children's Villages
Australia (SA) Inc.
sosaustr@...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Dear Friends,
I have only been on this list a couple of days, please can I
complain? I don't complain to my family and friends at home about
shortness of breath going up stairs and hills, about a pumping heart
that shakes my body and about extreme fatigue and tired legs and
arms, all due to PVCs so my friends 'reassure ' me with "At least it
isn't life threatening". "Don't think about it then it will be
OK" "At least you know you have a heart"! My husband is very caring
and understanding but sometimes I think I hide too much with my
friendsv.Just venting. Thank you for being there!I know some of you
have experienced these symptoms for years but one year of them has
really depressed me.
Jacky

Gill,
Sorry if my babbling made you worry. I, too, still take the hawthorn
in the heart supplements, it's not in a high dose, I just think the higher
dose of just the hawthorn capsules kicked in some major rhythm in me!
You try it and see if it does good for you. I will keep my fingers
crossed. There is alot on the web about it, look up some stuff and see for
youself.
Take Care
Barb

Barb, that was beautiful. I always have told my kids that life is like throwing a small pebble in a still pond. The ripples from that small pebble expand and expand until they go where the pebble couldn't go. In other words, like your story, you never know what a kind word can do for somebody....one little action or word can make such a huge difference.

Suzy

This was forwarded to me, and I'd like to pass it on to all of you!! I thought it was interesting....something to think about!

To my dear friends...

You're so funny Val!~~ Actually I was on last nite, but not feeling bad,
just babbling!! :o)) I must of signed off shortly before your posts. Did
some stuff after the kids went to bed and watched some olympics.
Thank goodness I had a break from palping yesterday by some miracle, and
today SO FAR! (Don't be surprised if I'm posting panic posts later tonight!
hahaha) BUT I don't want to jinx a good thing while it lasts!
Anyway, Hope everyone is well!!
Luv,
Barb

Hi Val, I noticed you mentioned Jackie from England well, she is actually one
of my family and yes she is still the same, still palping ! LOL she hasn't
been over to visit us for sometime so thats the reason she hasn't spoke to
any of you for some time the only other PC she has the chance to use is the
one at work but her boss can be a grumpy old fool ! I will pass on your
thought's "hope she is ok " when she rings me. I myself am still palping but
think ive found some comfort in my trusty magnesium though I was pushing it
up to 750mg daily and I noticed something that I shouldn't have upon going to
the loo ! so I dropped down to 500mg and seem to be ok for now. It does seem
to mask the symptoms and they havn't been as bad so I say whatever works GO
FOR IT !! LOL
Love to everyone.
leanne.

Congratulations! You have just received an Online Greeting!
To view your greeting, simply click on this pickup address:
http://www.aol.uk.americangreetings.com/pickup.pd?i=91348126&m=8193&rr=y&source=\
aoluk
If your e-mail doesn't recognize the above address as a link, simply copy
and paste the pickup address into your browser's "Address" window.
We hope you enjoy your special greeting. If you have comments and questions,
contact us at mailto:agquestion@....
Thanks for keeping in touch!
Regards,
Online Greetings Customer Service

Hello All!
Welcome to all the new folks who have signed on since I last
wrote. Unfortunately my teaching consumes almost every waking minute
of my time, so I go through spells where I just can't write back, but
I always read the posts. We haven't heard from Jackie (from England,
I think) in a really long time - hope she's ok).
I took a Klonopin about an hour ago because I started to feel
anxious (no palps, just anxious - almost panicky), and now I'm
feeling soooooooo fine. Too bad they're addictive. They relax me
and make me want to talk and talk and talk until I finally fall
asleep, which I should try to do very soon since I have to be up in
about 5 hours!
Knock on wood - I haven't had many palps at all here recently,
but just like some of you have mentioned, they can strike at any
time, and usually when you are least expecting them. Unless they're
nonstop, and one right after the other, I usually handle it fairly
well, but when they're like that I still panic. Not nearly so bad as
I used to, because you can only make so many trips to the ER and
cardiologist before you are finally forced to accept that they are
benign, benign, benign (sounds like behind if you say it fast enough -
Ha HA - can you tell I'm feeling good?) Now don't you all tease me
about this wordy, pointless post, ok? Remember you are a wonderful
group of beautiful, sensitive, caring people who wouldn't dare tease
a fellow PVCer under the Klonopin influence:))
Well - I am certainly not ready for bed, but I think I've
probably done enough rambling. Hope you are all feeling good
tonight. I'm surprised Barb's not on here right now. That's good
news - hope you're sleeping peacefully Barb:) OK - I'm signing off
now - really.....
Love,
Val

I always heard if the drug makes you feel the way you are then it is not for
you.
Christine

I am in Texas too, Jacky!
Christine

Hi Susan B!!
I watched the opening, (although the 1st hour was on/off, while putting
the kids to bed) I thought they were great. I little breath-holding when
they got a little stuck after the lighting, but it looked great in the end.
Barb

Excellent babbling, Barb. :-)

Hi Jacky,
Glad you found the group! I too get runs of bi geminy and tri,
sometimes 5-6 in a row for hours.
Tried beta-blockers, but make me feel totally sluggish and just not right.
Fatigue is definitely felt, especially after a whole day of constant palps.
Too bad the ablation didn't work for you.
Well Take care
Barb

Hi Sue
Wow, finally someone from Chicago!! I too am in the Chicago
area-Morton Grove. Unlike Suzy who ditched us to Texas!! Where are you
around??
I am (soon)32 yrs :o), have 3 kids two sons 6 1/2 and 4 and a daughter
(soon) 3yrs old. I think for me stress and hormones are probably my main
triggers, otherwise they come out of nowhere for reasons I can't figure out!
Anyway glad you signed on... these 'chats' with great palpers truly help
keep you sane!!
Take Care
Barb
ps great family, but you don't look like a palper! :o))

Hi Rox,
Where are you at with the school situation??
I am ready to start going to the gym....probably tomorrow.. I was wondering
if you freak when your palps start during the workout? Did you mention them
to the trainer? That is my biggest fear, being there where no one know's me
and just keeling over!! Hahahaha Silly huh?? I will think of us all and
think BENIGN BENIGN BENIGN!!
Take Care
Barb

Hi Gill,
Just thought I'd add my 2cents here.... I tried the hawthorn in a low
dose before--maybe less pvc's, but no major change, just the usual on/off
stuff. Then I have a "healthy heart" supplement which has hawthorn in it
(about 150mg, I think).
Recently after all the good words on hawthorn, I went back to the
health store, got me a different bottle of the stuff that the lady said is
more potent than just hawthorn berry, its with the leaves & flowers. I have
to admit that I am convinced with the higher dose my heart flipped out
completely, didn't even feel like regular pvc beating. I asked my doc about
it and she said it has effects more like digoxin, which I know of (cause my
dad uses it daily), is for atrial fibrilation. Maybe my body just was more
sensitive to it. Although I still take the supplement with it at a low dose
and it doesn't effect me that way.
Also when I tried the hawthorn berry/leaves/flowers , I took nothing else
on those days. I went back to taking magnesium and a regular centrum multi,
and the heart supplements and it calmed down. Yesterday I added evening
primrose oil, felt some pvc's this morning, took another one during the day,
and they went away.
Is there rhyme or reason to this?? probably not! But if it doesn't
feel good--don't take it is what I think!
Anyway, I babbled enough. Sorry if this makes no sense!! :o))
Goodnight
Barb
ps gotta go watch some more of the olympics

I totally agree with you!!!

Barb

--- In PeoplewithPVCs@egroups.com, "Suzy Finigan" <suzy1220@e...
Hi Suzy,
Maybe you just need to give it time. Usually these side affects do go
away after a while or so I have heard. When my husband was down about
losing his 15 year job at Boeing when they started to shut down the
plant here in Toronto our Dr. put him on Paxil. He only took it once
or twice and he had a severe headache and severe vomittting. He
stopped taking it right away and just dealt with the stress on his
own. He doesnt get streessed about anything, just money. My Father
was put on Paxil after chemo when he comlpained about miserable mood
swings and he has been fine on it.
Good Luck,
Mickey
Hi All,

Ohhhhhh, I'm jealous. Beaches!! My panhandle vacation was gorgeous, but I sure would have liked a beach or two.<smile

Suzy

Andrea,

I'm glad we could help ease your pain a bit. Yes, this group is AMAZING!! Maybe our "hearts which ain't got no rhythm" are compensated by having "hearts that feel deeper", ya think?

Suzy

In a message dated 09/19/00 11:46:32 AM Central Daylight Time,
suzy1220@... writes:
<< Where?
Suzy,
I am in Galveston. Always a bit cooler at the beach.
Jacky

hi sue, welcome to the group. i grew up in chicago, just went back this
year,after 30 years, what a change. take care and talk to you soon. hugs, don

Hi Gang,
Thank you all for being so supportive and for your encouraging words in my
time of grief. I hope you all know just how special and meaningful your e
mails have been. You are all such wonderful people. Everyone in this group
is awesome. God Bless you all. I'm doing OK. Dad is happy I know and
Walking with our Lord. NO MORE WHEELCHAIR. That in itself comforts me.
Thank you again all of you. :o)
Andrea

Hey there, Gill. Don't worry about not participating all that much. Everybody just does what's right for them at the moment. I haven't tried hawthorn berry yet, but why don't you do a search on the internet and learn lots about it. Then you can make an informed decision. That label warning would scare me off, too. At least until I had further info.

Hugs,

Suzy

hi jen, if the echo turned out fine,i would not worry about it at all. the
echo shows just about everything. the people who read the charts do a lot on
speculation. i had one tech tell me on my last chest x-ray,that i had
arthiritis in my chest. after i worried about it for a couple of days,and saw
my doc,and he said it was very slight and normal for a 47 year old. i hate
growing old!!! take care jen, don

Where? I'm in Arlington between Ft. Worth and Dallas. I've actually acclimated myself enough to this horrendous heat that it feels kinda cool at 93. Back in Chicago, I would start to wilt at about 78.<smile

Suzy

<<<I am so happy I have found this group!I
am in Texas too Suzy!
Jacky

Hi Leanne,
Sorry you had a bad effect with Sotalol. With me so far so good. It
is an antiarrythmic beta blocker not one prescribed for hypertension.
I have been taking them for 4 weeks with a steadily increasing dose
until some effect was felt. I am so happy I have found this group!I
am in Texas too Suzy!
Jacky

Hi all,
I was wondering if anyone has tried the hawthorne berry cure
that Rob recommended.
My pvcs are back with a vengeance so i've recently purchased
some hawthorn from the local health shop. However on the bottle it
says discontinue if dizziness or irregular heartbeats occur. Now I'm
reluctant to start taking them. Can anyone reassure me please.
I'm pretty miserable at the moment. Why is it I can be
palpitation free for almost a month and then suddenly thump, thump,
thump - they're back and worse than ever.
They really do get me down badly sometimes. I am fed up
thinking i've at last 'conquered' them only to get them back twice as
bad.
I know I don't participate in group discussions regularly but
am so glad of this group to know there are more like me in the world.
Thank you all for being there
Gill XX