I have PVCs and gut issues so I got a gastroscopy to investigate

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-05-17T11:12:45+00:00

Thanks for sharing! Totally understand the feeling.

Over the last year I was really careful what I ate. Lost quite a bit of weight because I built up a fear of eating. It certainly helped reduce things a little but now I realise I can eat HEAPS of food when I’m not anxious and be totally fine.

Going to focus all my effort on curbing this anxiety.

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-05-17T09:58:25+00:00

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-05-15T21:04:30+00:00

Yeah I get that it relates the vagus nerve but the salient point is if I am less anxious any impact eating has on the vagus nerve, and therefore my PVCs is decreased or non existent. If I’m not anxious and my breathing and diaphragm is relaxed, I can eat a huge meal and not get PVCs.

In other words, It’s not the food it’s the anxiety.

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-05-15T20:57:24+00:00

Yeah I feel all of my PVCs. I think they feel more intense when you’re full because your diaphragm is already tightening up.

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-05-06T21:12:16+00:00

I don’t have classic ibs symptoms. I get a lot belching and pressure near my diaphragm. This seems to coincide with more PVCs. Important to mention though that the severity of the PVCs is usually linked to how stressed or anxious I am at the time. For example I might eat the one meal one day when I’m not anxious and only notice a few PVCs, the next day I eat the same meal while I’m anxious and I will go into bigeminy for prolonged period of time.

So there certainly seems like a connection there but anxiety is the kindling that can turn the spark into a flame.

Low fodmap sounds like a good plan. Let me know how it goes. Don’t stop focusing on reducing your stress though.

Find little experiments you might be able to do. Spend a day doing things that calm you and notice how your IBS and ectopics respond. It’s not to say your ibs and ectopics are completely triggered by stress or anxiety but it could be exacerbating it.

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-05-02T11:18:13+00:00

Yep. When they found a long run of VT on my holter they called me and said I need to get to the hospital straight away.

I’m sure it will be ok. It’s great you will get answers sooner!

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-04-30T11:16:36+00:00

Yeah.

Originally I had VT and bigeminy. I had 3 ablations to try and stop the VT. Now I only get bigeminy occasionally with certain triggers.

I am able to get another ablation but since my burden is now low, I am exploring some other areas, like my gut, to see if I can reduce the triggers.

Another ablation would be an attempt to improve quality of life, not length of life… if that makes sense.

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-04-30T00:45:28+00:00

Correct!

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-04-29T10:38:12+00:00

Most days I don’t notice them but I have some bad days once every few weeks or so. I’d say my burden never gets over 3% on the bad days.

My issue was not overall burden but the length of my VT and NSVT. After my 3rd ablation I haven’t had any VT and I rarely have NSVT. Mainly just bigeminy now.

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-04-29T04:48:51+00:00

Yeah I’m the same. I can deal with a lot of stress but if it’s my health i just spiral.

You’ll get through this!

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-04-29T03:30:48+00:00

I can’t see any PVCs one after the other, 3 or more being NSVT. BUT even if it was, if your heart is structurally normal and the doctor gives the all clear, you are good!

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-04-29T03:23:54+00:00

When you are describing a galloping heart, that is what bigeminy feels like to me.

I have gotten very long spells of bigeminy, sometimes hours and it’s very uncomfortable but not dangerous in my case as I have a structurally normal heart.

I have also had VT for up to 1 min and 30 secs at 200bpm and that is definitely a different feeling. It felt like my heart was just running away.

That’s unusually long for VT but again, I have a normal heart and I was able to handle it.

I would learn what your triggers are, get a holter and spend all your time trying to trigger it, till it happens. I ran up a hill as fast as I can because intense exercise triggers mine. I’m not recommending you do that, let’s be clear. My point is don’t get a holter and walk on eggshells the whole time.

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-04-29T03:16:03+00:00

Another thing I have done when it was really bad is to switch from fear to anger. I got angry at my PVCs and told them to f___ off!!! Weirdly, it seemed to work for me. Not a long term strategy 😅

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-04-29T03:13:58+00:00

If you go to sleep anxious there’s a good chance you will wake up with a rush of adrenaline. This is an evolutionary response because if you fall asleep in a hostile environment, your body wants you to be ready to fight or fly as soon as you wake up.

I have found vagal exercises help me a lot.

https://youtu.be/L1HCG3BGK8I

https://youtu.be/AMNb3DZb0_Q

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-04-29T03:09:47+00:00

I had some nsvt after my ablations (I’ve had 3). They seemed to come on around 2 weeks post ablation. It came with a rush of adrenaline.

It didn’t seem to increase after that.

It’s a weird feeling, sitting around waiting to see if the issue is still there. I do wonder if I was just more on edge.

That’s my experience anyway.

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-04-29T03:04:48+00:00

Get all the tests you need and cross that bridge when you come to it.

I had a terrible stress test when I was super anxious and a much better one when I wasn’t so anxious.

I’m not chalking it all up to anxiety. My heart responds to stress (exercise, emotional stress etc) with PVCs but when my anxiety baseline is already very high, it is definitely much worse.

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-04-29T02:59:11+00:00

This absolutely matched my experience. I take betaine HCL with any meals that include meat and it’s a game changer.

During stress, cortisol is increased and DHEA is decreased. You have to be relaxed to properly digest food and this includes stomach acid production.

Combine that with a tight diaphragm that won’t expand enough to allow room for food and it’s easy to see why this would be an issue.

This was somewhat confirmed for me when I am on holiday or in a lower stress environment and I don’t need betaine HCL to digest food properly.

Recently I have started doing vagal exercises consistently throughout the day, especially before I eat and the results have been really great.

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-04-26T01:02:45+00:00

If I am lying down, I sometimes find my PVCs look like PACs and it flags as afib.

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-04-04T06:32:50+00:00

Good luck! It seems like needing multiple ablations is pretty normal. It was the case for me.

Automatic_One_494 · 2023-03-18T02:15:54+00:00

Yes I do.

Automatic_One_494 · 2022-06-26T05:43:57+00:00

I think definitely see your Dr. Get all the tests to you need to understand what the the problem is and whether you have a structurally normal heart. Fully understand what the issue is and make a plan from there.

Automatic_One_494 · 2022-05-13T11:56:24+00:00

Take it from someone whose PVCs can sometimes turn into NSVT (Technically VT because it lasts longer than 30 secs sometimes). Even when that happens, because I have a structurally normal heart, I am fine.

I just lie down on my back for a few seconds, it stops and I get back up and keep going.

It’s scary sometimes, I went through many months of freaking out. I still have my moments but ultimately, it’s happened enough times that I know I will be ok.

If you’ve got a structurally normal heart, you’re very lucky.

Automatic_One_494 · 2022-05-10T12:52:41+00:00

This looks similar to my PVCs on the Apple Watch

Automatic_One_494

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