Here's some tips for those suffering from pvc's...

Disclaimer: Im not a doc, just a guy (45) who has had these all his life.

1) Quit worrying about them. This will only make them worse, not that they actually get worse, it's your body tuning into them and noticing every beat, thump, etc, your heart makes. I'm sure some of you can't stand the sound of your heart beating at night and will sleep with the tv or radio on to tune out your heart beat. Sound familiar?

2) Read #1 again. Seriously, one thing you have to realize is, there really isn't a whole lot you can do about PVC's. Accept the fact that you are alive right now and do something productive with your life today, tomorrow and beyond.

3) Get off the caffeine, chocolate, candy, sugar, aspertine, etc. Drink plenty of water, your body needs it!

4) Work out everyday! For some weird reason, the majority of people suffering from pvc's feel better when working out. PVC's should not stop you from working out, etc. There could be other factors that do, but if all you're diagnosed is with PVC's, then feel free to workout. I would suggest walking, 30-60min everyday.

5) Accept the fact that you'll go days, weeks, months, without them and "uh oh...they're back!". Again read #1. Usually stress, diet, etc, will trigger them so find out what's different and usually you can stop them. In my case it's almost always "I havn't had any for a while so why not dig into some candy bars, cookies, etc" then a few days later my heart is going wacky for a few days.

6) Sleep. Avoid this and they will get worse, plain and simple.

7) The "thump" you feel is usually not the pvc but the heart "resetting" itself electronically. This is a good thing. The only time to get remotely concerned is if you have a "run" of pvcs that you can feel, if that happens stay calm and cool, relax, the more you tighten up and get nervous the more adrenaline you're sending through your system causing the heart to beat faster, etc, etc. One Doctor told me, go ahead and faint, at least that will calm you down quicker! lol..

Go into a Hospital and talk to the cancer patients. They would trade places with you in....you guessed it....a heart beat. This can be a wake up call for those that need it.

9) The going crazy part. Seems like a horrible pattern that happens to all first time suffers. You feel your heart skipping a few beats, you go to the Doctor, they tell you "you have pvc's", you research, research, etc, etc, feel EVERY single pvc, you start having panic attacks, "im going to die!!!!!", it takes control of you, you're convinced you're going to die, you get all kinds of checkups, tests, etc. You're probably in the majority if nothing wrong was found in your tests, but still YOU'RE convinced something is wrong, you may be right who knows, you're still alive though, days, weeks, months go by, you're STILL convinced something is wrong, looking back....perhaps you could have done something with that time instead of freaking out? Think about that one for a while...

10) PVC's, like any heart arrythmia, can be scary, but the quicker you learn to just deal with it and not freak out when an episode happens, the better you'll be and you can slowly get your life back. The sweats, nervousness, chest tightness, etc, that usually follows an episode is 99% of the time caused not by your heart but your brain sending signals to your body to "run, get away from this, we're freaking out!!!"

Relax, breath, work out, eat right, sleep, etc. If after all that..you STILL have pvcs, well guess what...that's your heart. That's how it works for you and your body. Live with it, accept it, etc. Continuing to be mentally negative about your heart can do all kinds of weird things to your body and your mind. Good luck, stay calm...guess what...you're still alive if you're reading this.