PVC's while fasting - having surgery

[mhardin07]

I am 28 years old and have had PVC's and PAC's for about 11 years. I take inderal and flecainide every day to help control them.  Certain things I notice can trigger them, and one of those is if I go long periods of time without eating. If my stomach is too empty, I will have them some times. I also have them when I take most sedatives, pain pills, cold medicines that sedate, etc. I am suppose to have my gall bladder removed soon and I am kind of freaking out.  First, my surgery it as 2:30 in the afternoon, so I am going a LONG time without eating. I am scared to go under having PVC's.  Also, since sedatives usually cause me to have PVC's, how will the anesthesia effect me and pain pills afterwards?  Has anyone else exeperienced this? Does anyone else have PVC's when taking sedatives or not eating?  Mt cardiologist seem to think everything is ok because I have an otherwise normal heart.  I am just nervous myself.

[lasvegasgirl6]

yes This happens to me also. I can not go 4 hours without eating oe else I can feel them coming on after i eat as long I don't overeat they go away . Cough and cold meds give me palps and some other meds . I would just tell your nurse going in your anesthesiologist your dr and everyone that attend to you that you have this  begin condition so they will keep an extra eye out for you! I had a appendix removed overy removed and tonsils removed and had a severe back injury that left me no choice but to take loratabs and valium ,the pain is so great it out weighs the fear of skipped beats and I have had them for over 25 years now....... hope that helps

[Momto3]

I think it's very common for PVCs to rear their ugly head when we skip meals.  Strangely enough, it can also happen when we eat too much.  

My EP suggested I avoid cough and cold medications and to do my best to ride out the "bug".  There are ingredients in many of those medications that can bring on the PVCs (ie: pseudoepedrine).

While sedatives may cause PVCs, you may not have the same experience under general or light anesthesia.  At one point, I was having thousands of pvcs everyday and I had to go for several tests/procedures that required sedation.  In my case I had versed or propofol and I was lucky in that the PVCs quieted way down.  When you mention "sedatives" do you mean general or light (conscious sedation) anesthesia?  

Because you are concerned and have some history with pvcs, I agree that you should give the docs and nurses a heads up.  Let them know you are worried.  

Do you have any underlying heart conditions?  I'm asking because it is not very common to be on antiarrythmics for benign pvcs....My doctors were against anti-arrytmics until I ended up with cardiomyopathy.  Up until then, none of the docs were interested in prescribing them, even though I had thousands of ectopics daily.