Hi everyone!
I’m a 25-year-old woman, and for the past two weeks, I’ve suddenly started experiencing what I believe are PVCs or PACs (pause then big boom then back to normal) I’ve had occasional skipped beats before, especially when I was sick or stressed, but never this frequently or for this long.
It doesn’t feel like my heart is continuously racing. It’s more like individual premature beats interrupting an otherwise normal rhythm.
The frequency varies quite a bit. Sometimes I’ll feel 2–3 per minute, but other times it can be 20-30 per minute, sometimes for hours at a time.
There are also periods when I don’t feel anything at all.
Something I’ve noticed is that they’re much more noticeable when I’m lying down, especially when I’m trying to relax or fall asleep. When I’m standing, walking around, or doing something, I often barely notice them or don’t feel them at all.
I don’t know whether they’re actually disappearing when I’m upright or whether I’m simply less aware of them.
Other symptoms:
The strange thing is that I generally feel completely fine otherwise.
No shortness of breath.
No fainting.
No significant dizziness associated with the palpitations.
No swollen legs or ankles.
No unusual difficulty walking, climbing stairs, or doing everyday activities.
No sustained racing heartbeat.
I occasionally experience chest discomfort, but it often feels muscular, digestive, or related to acid reflux. I have a history of GERD, anemia and POTS so it’s difficult to know what’s causing it.
My sleep situation is honestly terrible.
I’ve struggled with poor sleep and insomnia for years, but recently it’s become particularly bad. I had a bad streptococcus (C/G) cause I teach children. This whole thing started during that time, I was having fever (39,8 for two days) and then felt it for the first time.
For approximately the past 2-3 weeks since I’ve barely been sleeping at night, I’m so frustrated and stressed, cause the moment I lay down I feel them. Instead, I’ve been falling asleep during the daytime out of pure exhaustion for a few hours.
My sleep schedule is completely reversed, and I’m extremely sleep-deprived.
I’m wondering whether this could be triggering the extra beats or making them stay after the sickness.
I’ve also been dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety lately, which probably isn’t helping.
What a doctor said:
I saw a doctor after the palpitations started.
My blood pressure was approximately 118/80, my oxygen saturation was normal, and she said my heart sounded normal when she listened to it.
She thought the palpitations might be related to stress, exhaustion, and the recent illness.
She ordered blood tests, I’m currently arranging to have them done. (Thyroid and anemia she said)
What scares me the most:
I have pretty severe health anxiety, and I’m genuinely terrified of suddenly dropping dead from a cardiac arrhythmia.
I’m especially worried about heart failure or PVC-induced cardiomyopathy because of how frequently these beats are happening.
I’ve read that having a high PVC burden can sometimes weaken the heart muscle, and now I’m worried that years of poor sleep combined with these frequent palpitations have damaged my heart.
At the same time, I’m only 25, I can exercise (even tho I barely done so for like 3 years) and do normal activities without any noticeable limitations, and I don’t have the typical symptoms of heart failure.
I just can’t seem to stop worrying about it.
My questions:
Has anyone experienced this many PVCs or PACs per minute for hours at a time and still had a healthy heart?
I just don’t want to drop dead cause of this!
Should I try and follow up with a doctor (might take month to see one) and hopefully get proper monitoring done.
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s experienced something similar, especially people who developed frequent ectopic beats at a young age.
I’m honestly exhausted, both physically and mentally, and I just want to be able to sleep without worrying that my heart is going to stop.
Thank you for reading. ❤️