Question: Hello, a month ago I started to have heart palpitations. I was diagnosed with PVCs and have been told they are harmless. A few days after the PVCs started I was also having shortness of breath and the feeling in my legs like I had climbed 3 or 4 flights of stairs upon doing any activities (such as climbing stairs, but also small activities such as stirring a pot). I went to the ER over two weeks ago. They hooked me up to a monitor for several hours, did 2 types of ECGs, a chest X-ray, a lot of blood work and had me walk around with the monitor on. Everything came back negative. The only thing they noticed were the PVCs.

I saw my family doctor who has known me 14 years. He said that he feels this is all due to anxiety. I have suffered from anxiety for a few years now. The last few months my anxiety has been pretty bad and when the PVCs started, my anxiety became rather extreme. My doctor put me on Wellbutrin which I have been taking for 2 weeks now. I saw a cardiologist this past Tuesday. He did an ultrasound of my heart and said it was normal. He also feels my symptoms are due to anxiety. He will be doing a stress test for me in September and said I have no need to regulate my activities.

I have been on vacation now for the last few days. I have been able to relax and have noticed that I am not getting as short of breath and the feeling in my legs (like I have climbed 4 flights of stairs) has been much better. In fact, the more active I have been in the last few days, the better I felt.

We are vacationing 3 hours from our home in Canada. Yesterday was hot and XXXXXXX with no clouds. We spent the afternoon at the beach. I was wearing sun screen but due to lack of shade I ended up with a bad sunburn on my back. I left the beach feeling hot and tired. I had nothing to drink on the beach, and had some cola and some juice when we returned from the beach. In the evening, we went for a long walk and I felt fine. When we came back from the walk I noticed my heart felt like it was beating fast. As the night went on, it did not settle down. I checked my pulse (while resting) and it was between 110 and 120 beats per minute. In the night my stomach felt very sick. The fast heart beat and sick stomach lasted most of the night. This morning when I woke up, my heart felt like normal. I checked my pulse (while resting) several times and it ranged between 83 and 93 beats per minute and has remained that way most of the day now. However, my stomach is still feeling sick.

I was wondering if I need to be seeing a doctor or go to the ER? I am not sure if I have had heat exhaustion or if I have come down with a stomach virus. As I said my heart rate has returned to normal. I I am worried because I have PVCs, my heart rate was high in the night and I have a sick stomach. Is this something that needs to be checked today or should I stay home and rest?
If you could please let me know as soon as possible, I would appreciate it. Thank you.

Hi Dr. Iliri,
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. I really appreciate it.

I am so happy that you are the doctor that answered my question! I am not sure if you remember me, but you have been answering my questions in the last few weeks about my PVCs and the tests I was undergoing to determine if anything is wrong with my heart.

You had said that you thought I was suffering from anxiety and that my heart was likely fine as my symptoms were atypical of heart problems. My cardiologist and family doctor have said the same thing. As I said in my question today, the shortness of breath and funny feeling in my legs (like I climbed a few flights of stairs) has been doing better while I have been on vacation and having an opportunity to relax. To make me feel better, my doctor is sending me for an ultrasound to measure the blood pressure in my legs on Friday! He says he is not worried. The cardiologist said he would give me a stress test on Sept. 21, but he is certain it will be fine as well. I guess I need to work on my anxiety! You helped me very much to feel better while I waited to see the cardiologist!

I guess I got scared last night when my heart beat increased as I was unsure if that is normal. I have checked it this afternoon a few times (at rest) and it has been around 80 beats per minute.

My stomach feels very off. One minute it will feel sick and the next minute it will feel hungry (likely because it is empty - I have only had water today), but I do not feel like eating. I am trying to drink water so I will not get dehydrated even further after yesterday. I was wondering if dehydration can also cause upset stomach?

Thank you for your help again!