Heart arrythmias, PVC's vit/min connection!

[Cry Tears]

Here's my story.
Years ago age 29, was in PERFECT health. At 5'9" @ 120 lbs I excersised daily.
I'd just graduated from Law Enforcment Sheriffs academy...so could hurdle a 10 foot wall in one leap! LOL!
One day...it all began. My heart went gaaaa-lub,lub, lub...la-lub!
Felt as if it flip flopped over and over. I could hardly take a step without feeling I was going to faint.
I treid desperatly to ignore it as I had a bazzilion things to do that day.
Loaded up our motorhome full with pre-teens headed out for a weekend camporee.
The brakes began to fail....my heart about stopped from fear.
But once settled in camp, I began having those heart flip flops again.
This time very bad and bothersome...couldn't sleep. I just passed them off as stress, too much coffee, fatigue.

Next morning I tried getting up but ended up falling flat on my face.
Several doctors came running, listened to my complaints.

I was taken to the ER where I spent a day being evaluated.
Premature Ventricular contractions, often bi-gimeny...thats bad!. They terrified me!
Was assured these were benign. I had a complete heart evaluation.
Nothing wrong could be found other than I had a mitral valve prolapse and mild heart murmer.
I was put on Beta blockers (heart medication) Inderal, and Valium, then years later Verapamil.
I "suffered" over 10 years of these heart palps...some days so bad it layed me out on my back...
other times they were rather mild, but never completly gone.

The beta blockers only helped "control" them, but did nothing to stop them.
One day I hit pay dirt! I beleive Divine intervention...thank you LORD!
A radio program hosting a cardiologist from Mayo Clinic who had dealt many years with people who have PVC's like mine.

She learned thru years of studies and experience that these were usually from a vitamin and mineral deficiency...
for those who experience these should take Calcuim, Magnseium and Potasium....
She always ran blood work on PT's coming in ER complaining of PVC's...
usually found them deficient in these, even if only slight deficieincy.

I took her advice and began taking these...within a week my PVC's began to let up,
then within a month gone 100%.
I weaned myself off the Inderal LA 80mg I took 3X a day....that was 15 years ago!
Now days...I have occasional PVC...maybe one every 6 months if that much!
Isn't that odd! Years of taking those heart meds, all the suffering and worry and it was simply a vit and min deficiency!

Too bad those high paid fancy cardiologist I saw didn't even suggest this to me.
Put me thru all those horrible test, the worry, stress and expense!:eek:
When 25 cents worth of vit and min stopped them for good! Wow!
Shame on them! Should get a refund and a letter of apology...but that aint gonna happen any more than the ER doc that turned me away saying I had panic attack when in fact I had an anuerism! Idiot doc! She did get a reprimand for that mistake! I fell alseep driving my car after her refusal to do simple blood work...saying I had panic attack! Yeah, you'd feel panicy too if 2/3 of your blood was missing. I wasn't falling asleep...I was fainting from lack of oxygene from not enough hemaglobin...was 5.1 hgb at lowest. What a nightmare....panic attack! Ha!
Stupid, idiot doctor! Should be janitor, not ER doc!
For what its worth! I hope I've shed some light on others who have this.
Cheryl

[kristymaufroy]

Cheryl

I was glad to read your message about pvc's. I am a 37 year old woman that is 5'6 and 122 lbs and I work out three times a week...until two weeks ago when these pvc started. I am short of breath...I have been in the hospital twice within the last week with sob and wild palitations. As soon as this started I cut out all caffeine, alcohol and anything else that might be a factor. I had an echo done and numerous ekg....today I had a stress test where they p/u these pvc every third time with vigorous exercise. I have been on a low carb diet for two years now to loose the post pregnancy weight after my two year old was born. I now am taking a low dose of lopressor and xanax...which I hate...but for now the pvc are being kept at bay unless I really workout. THe doctor told me to chill until I go back to see him on the 2nd. I am scared to death. I suspected maybe a mineral def. because I did not eat red meat and I only took certain herbs and not a multi.
Could this really be it....a mag. def. ?????? They said my potass. looked fine but not one soul has mentioned magnes. THis is blowing my mind and scaring my family to death. Any words of encouragement would be a God send.

thanks
kristy

[pab]

Cheryl

I was glad to read your message about pvc's. I am a 37 year old woman that is 5'6 and 122 lbs and I work out three times a week...until two weeks ago when these pvc started. I am short of breath...I have been in the hospital twice within the last week with sob and wild palitations. As soon as this started I cut out all caffeine, alcohol and anything else that might be a factor. I had an echo done and numerous ekg....today I had a stress test where they p/u these pvc every third time with vigorous exercise. I have been on a low carb diet for two years now to loose the post pregnancy weight after my two year old was born. I now am taking a low dose of lopressor and xanax...which I hate...but for now the pvc are being kept at bay unless I really workout. THe doctor told me to chill until I go back to see him on the 2nd. I am scared to death. I suspected maybe a mineral def. because I did not eat red meat and I only took certain herbs and not a multi.
Could this really be it....a mag. def. ?????? They said my potass. looked fine but not one soul has mentioned magnes. THis is blowing my mind and scaring my family to death. Any words of encouragement would be a God send.

thanks
kristy

magnessium is not on the routine electolyte panel (test) it is run separately,
ask for it to be done....

[mrsdoubtfyre]

If you take any drug that prolongs the QT time (heart rate)
and become low in magnesium and/or potassium, you can suddenly die.

You can read more here:
http://www.qtdrugs.org/

Some drugs have been removed from sale in US because of this type of
effect. Propulsid and Seldane, and Hismanal are examples.

Methadone is the only opiate that will do this.

Estimates are that 7 out of 10 people are low in magnesium. This is due to diet, consumption of diuretics and caffeine, being diabetic, or using some other RX drugs. Serum magnesium only shows dramatic changes, and does not reflect the magnesium in cells.

I have a long magnesium thread at NeuroTalk on that vitamin forum there.
I suggest you all take a look. I cover safe dosing, which type is best utilized, warnings and use in many medical conditions. This board will not allow links to NeuroTalk. You'll have to do that yourselves.

This is an interesting read:
http://www.ctds.info/heart-palpitations.html

Magnesium oxide is a poor source. It is typically recommended by doctors still because their references are very out of date. New studies that measured absorption found that only about 8mg of a 400mg tablet is absorbed at all.

The better magnesium products are chelated or delayed release.

[pab]

magnessium is not on the routine electolyte panel (test) it is run separately,
ask for it to be done....

was having a BAD spelling day....electrolyte

[grr55]

I have a-fib (atrial fibrilation--which got up to 300 bpms), successfully (?) treated with catheter ablation. However, occasionally I have an episode where my heart rate goes up to 150 bpms, so I have to take Zebeta for prevention. I know caffeine can cause this, as too much causes an event, so I severely limit my intake. I have new problems that have recently developed (in the last 2.5 years). Achalasia, and dysphasia. Since I am taking a beta-blocker for my heart, I have been looking into a possible link between my recent disorders and the drug, since my current disorders seem to coincide with the approximate time I began Zebeta. I was taking atenolol for the a-fib, but concerns over excessive joint pain, possibly linked to the atenolol, led me to switching to the Zebeta about 2.5 years ago, the approximate time I began to have symptoms of achalasia/dysphasia. My gastro-DOC doesn't see a connection, but I wonder how closely related the electro/chemical actions of the heart are to the ones in the esophogas. The beta blockers help control the "bad" signals from the Atrium to the ventrical. Could they also be interfering with the signals in the esophogas, and the esophogeal sphincter?

In the meantime, I will be trying a vitamin B regimen suggested at the website www.achalasia.net.

[mrsdoubtfyre]

betablockers may affect the GI system:

http://www.rxlist.com/zebeta-drug.htm

Have you tried a low dose long acting nitrate, like Imdur?
Nitrates sometimes help with esophogeal spasms.

Sometimes doctors give a very low dose sublingual nitro-- .3mg (1/200 gr) may work too, but the duration is shorter. (typical nitro doses for the heart are
.4mg. --so if you try this, make sure you get the correct one, and it may have to be special ordered for you.)

Fish oil also helps with heart arrthymias and may help with GI problems. Low essential fatty acid levels impact the GI tract, and reflux significantly and proper attention to them may restore normal functions.

I am not sure what B-complex can do for you, since some people get MORE reflux on B vitamins. There is something about high dose B-complex with ALL the B's that make them harder to tolerate.

Adequate levels of B12, folic acid and B6, may help heart functions in general by lowering inflammatory homocysteine. But I think the fish oil would be more effective for the GI spasms specifically.