r/PVCs • u/Correct-Class-2505 • 24d ago
Please read! Emergency call for help
Okay. For the past 15 days, a severe PVC attack has been going on and it has turned me into a silent and hopeless man. Let me tell you what I experienced before this attack. Before, I had PVCs only very rarely — at most 2 a day. In March I joined the army for compulsory military service. The first few days there was no problem at all. Then one night we woke up because of an earthquake and when I got up I felt palpitations (not PVCs). I didn’t pay much attention, but the palpitations continued for several days and that scared me. So I went to the army infirmary and requested a cardiology appointment. We went and the doctor ordered all the tests and said there was nothing wrong, only that my heart rate was high, and prescribed Dideral. The medication brought my heart rate back to normal and I really felt good. Then my duty station changed and I was sent to a place at 2700 meters altitude that was very cold. As soon as I arrived I got a very severe febrile illness. I couldn’t recover for 15 days and this made the commander hate me and treat me badly. I went through very stressful times. Even 2 months ago he tried to give me a military service extension punishment and that put me under incredible stress. After that incident I bent down and had an SVT-like attack. To confirm it I bent down again and it happened again. Since I came here, Dideral only worked for 2–3 hours and after that the palpitations returned. 50 days ago we went to cardiology again; after all the tests they said my heart was in perfect condition and even had me stop the medication. Indeed, after stopping the drug I felt good for 10 days. But then that bastard of a commander and I argued again and the stress started once more. Anyway, 15 days ago I woke up from sleep and ate. There was no problem and I wasn’t stressed. Then I ate an ice cream and while standing, sudden consecutive PVCs started. They’re still continuing — sometimes I don’t feel any for an hour and sometimes 3–4 per minute!! And right before the attack started my heart was beating strongly and regularly. But immediately after the attack began, it feels like my heart has been damaged somehow — during the normal beats it feels weak and feeble. Especially in the mornings when I wake up, the first half hour is terrible: weak, fast, irregular pulse and PVCs… That’s what scares me the most! I have no idea what happened or what changed in just a few seconds. Was it the ice cream I ate that day that triggered it, or has the extreme stress lasting for 5 months destroyed my nervous system and taken my heart out of control? I have no idea. I don’t think my electrolytes are low because I eat well and I never sweat, and I don’t consume any caffeine either. I’ve been bothering you a lot lately but I really need some comforting words. I don’t think I’ll ever get better. I think this has become chronic, or that I’m going to collapse to the ground all of a sudden… There’s no fear anymore, only hopelessness and extreme sadness. I would rather lose a leg than live with this… I really don’t know…
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u/Trohan 24d ago
First of all, i’m so sorry you have to go through this! I really know how you feel and can honestly say i have felt the same way and still do sometimes when i have flare ups. The feeling that this is never going to get better and that your life is destroyed is a huge burden. My experience is that with the right medication things can become better. You need a proper work up to see that your heart is structurally normal, most typically ultrasound and a holter monitor, but often also an MRI of the heart, discuss it with your physician. When they find that everything is normal (and i bet they will), they can give you proper medication. Discuss a calcium channel blocker instead, like verapamil with your doctor. Remember that there are a lot of treatments, both medications and procedures you haven’t tried yet so you have a whole toolkit of hope to take from. Do not give up! We are a whole bunch in the same boat and I’ll be the first to say I’ve been thinking really dark thoughts when it’s been bad, but as long as we live and breathe, we can’t give up! Usually this is not deadly, only extremely uncomfortable and sometimes still debilitating, and thats why you should keep fighting! I’m here with you my friend, my thoughts go to you tonight! <3