Sunday, November 7, 2010

Cold & Flu Season

I know every time I'm coming down with something because along with congestion and fatigue, I start to get heart palpitations. When my body is run down, I get the dance in my heart. And I'm not going to lie. It sucks. Not only do I feel crummy but on top of it, I have to deal with accepting my heart palpitations. And not surprisingly, they always feel worse when I'm sick. When you just want to sleep and your heart goes into the dance, it's extremely frustrating. Of course, the key is to prevent colds and flu from even happening in the first place. I try to wash my hands often but with a small child it's hard to avoid everything she brings home. And I always get my flu shot but I know that's not fool proof either. If I do start to feel ill, I know I should start taking care of myself immediately. That means plenty of rest, drinking liquids, and using some alternative healing techniques such as massage, saline solution, hot baths, etc. I definitely do not recommend taking cold/flu medications that contain pseudoephedrine to anyone that experiences heart arrhythmia. Decongestants are known to cause heart palpitations and high blood pressure. Sudafed and Benadryl make me feel like I'm on Speed (not that I've ever tried an Amphetamine but I'd imagine it to feel that way). Some cold medications, such as Coricidin HBP, don't contain decongestants. However, these medications may contain other powerful drugs, like dextromethorphan (DXM), that can be dangerous if you take too much. Follow the dosing instructions carefully. I'm a staunch believer in the Neti pot and Vick's VapoRub.

I got sick last week. And to be honest I didn't do such a great job taking care of myself. The first day I started feeling bad, I continued to push it and ran a million errands. By the time I got in bed later in the day, I could tell I had pushed my body too far. I paid the price with some pretty nasty heart palpitations. But I learned, and the next day I canceled all my activities and did as little as I possibly could get away with while still taking care of my child. I felt a lot better.

I hope you stay healthy this Cold and Flu Season. But if you do come down with something, please take care of yourself.

15 comments:

Kelly said...

Hi Ali, I somehow came across your blog and I do not even think I was searching PVC's! I have recently been told I have these too, though I am professional athlete and has really thrown me off. I would love to be able to talk to you about your experiences with them, if you were up for it. I am curious 'how many' you were diagnosed with? Mine was a ridiculously high #, though I think I am going to just cut down on alcohol and caffeine rather than an ablation as they suggested. Anyhoo... my blog is: http://kellyhandel.blogspot.com, and my email is kellymhandel@yahoo.com. Please drop me a line if you can and maybe we could get coffee (or, decaf...ugh) sometime! I am in Austin too (south Austin)! How Random!!!
Take care and thank you for sharing this on your blog,
Kelly

Ali said...

Just sent you an e-mail! :)

Kenny said...

Ali, I'm going through that right now. Currently, I'm quite ill with a cold/sinus infection thing. I haven't been able to find any definitive information as to why PVCs (or PACs in my case) happen more when we're sick with the cold or flu, but it DEFINITELY does happen.

Luckily, for me, when I lay down they seem to subside. Sitting in a chair at a desk really sets them off.

I also noticed you recommending "Hope and Help For Your Nerves" by Claire Weekes. Best book I ever read for my panic disorder.

Ali said...

Hope you're feeling better Kenny! Yeah, there never seems to be any scientific evidence of an increase in PVCs with colds, flus, etc. But it makes sense when you think about it. If your body is run down, then your body is stressed by the infection. And when our bodies are stressed, we get more heart palpitations. And I'm always fascinated by what positions trigger palpitations in people. For me, being crunched up with my knees up and my shoulders slouched forward, always brings out some nasty PVCs. When you are sitting in a chair, what's your posture like when you get them? You might look into the Alexander Technique. See http://www.alexandertechnique.com/ for some pretty informative stuff on posture and how it effects our health. Thanks for visiting my blog!

dee said...

Love this site! Thought I'd throw in my latest "formula" for when I get PVCs (which often start up after or during a cold -- LIKE TODAY!). I take potassium, pantothenic acid, kelp, taurine, arginine (these last two have been shown to stop PVCs, I've read, and I've used them often the last year whenever they start up), and 1/2 tab of --- copper! This started after I read that copper deficiency could trigger them PLUS realizing that, when I get a cold, I often take zinc lozenges (and zinc counter's copper and could theoretically cause a deficiency, I'm thinking). Anyway, have had a couple times when this has worked for me. Just took some. We'll see. (PS I have the type that do NOT get better when I lie down.)

dee said...

Yep, worked. Now next day and though still have cold, the PVCs stopped shortly after took my recipe. So far so good. By the way, took cayenne at night and the next morning, but the PVCs had stopped before that. Hope they continue to stay away.

Amber said...

Dee, what's the dosage on your recipe??
Fighting a cold and would love for the PVC's to stop.

Amy said...

So thankful for your blog! I had an ablation for SVT a few months ago but now I have frequent palpitations, I have a cold now and they are soo much worse, I was completely panicking until I read this! Thank you!!

Allison said...

Try everything before an ablation. I'm a cardiac nurse and take care of these patients. They are nasty procedures and only recommended when all else fails. I too come down with frequent PVCs when I get a cold and it lingers for about a month or so. It's just a natural occurrence of the body. I try to let my body do its thing and that's how I think we are to function best. Mother Nature has divine wisdom.

Allison in St Pete, FL

Unknown said...

Hi. I've had PVCs for 4 years now. I developed them at 31, a year after I had my 5th child. My PVCs start at certain times of the year and last 1-1.5 months; once in the fall, in February, and in the spring. NEVER in the summer. During periods of no PVCs, nothing can trigger them. I've had good and bad years. During bad times I have episodes of PVCs very 3 beats for hours, during good times I only get a few per hour. During PVC periods, eating, exercise, resting, stress, sudden waking up, or cold makes them worse. Laying on my back helps the PVCs stop. Doc told me to take magnesium, but since my PVCs seem seasonal, I can't figure out what triggers them to start, other than the lack of certain vitamins and minerals. It's so frustrating that doctors can't catch it, but even if they do, there is no cure. My great grandfather seemed to have it, and my dad has it, but he got his later on in life and it's more stress related.

lastdojo said...

I was wondering, how have you been managing your PVC events recently? I have them whenever I get a cold too.

Benny said...

I completely agree with you. There is some good days no matter what I do I don’t have them and some bad days that even sudden movements or worries make me have them. Y have them a lot as soon as my body gets a virus or bacteria. Specially stomach virus and flu/cold virus. It has been 2 and a half years since I had an SVT and I have been suffering with pvcs pacs and runs of something else I haven’t been diagnosed but it seems like positional afib. You are not alone and it’s good to know I am not alone either. Let’s pray for all of us.

Cheyenne said...

I googled this because I used to get PVCs or heart palps a lot, and I haven't had any for about a year.. I've had a cold for several days and now they started again and I got myself all anxious about viral myocarditis trying to figure out if colds cause heart palps. I'm a nervous wreck. I hate this crap!

lastdojo said...

I agree with you Cheyenne. This sucks. But the best thing you can do right now is get in the right mindset. You haven’t had any PVCs for a year (that’s awesome) and you’ll most likely stay that way after the cold is gone. It’s just a stressful situation your body is reacting to. Also give your doc a visit. Get well soon.

Unknown said...

So my pvcs and wierd heart crud are normal with a flu? I get them off and on anyway just alot worse now that I have the flu.