Since July of 2005, I've been experiencing frequent premature beats
(PVCs and PACs). I normally get runs of 2 to 4 with a few normal beats
in between, but on some nights I get can runs of up to 50 in a row. I
can have many, multi-hour episodes day after day for weeks, and then
they might stop for a week or two.

I have one other heart problem: I get an afib episode every 25 months,
exactly. I've had three so far: The 2nd was 25 months after the first,
and the 3rd was 25 months after the 2nd.

I'm a healthy 43 y/o male. I've had the work-up (echo, stress test,
holter, month-long monitor). Everything was normal.  By complete
coincidence, I had the opportunity to show to my doctors that I can
distinguish PVCs from afib, so I am not mistaking afib for frequent
premature beats.

The cardiologist tried treating the premature beats with toprol, but
there was no improvement. She said that an ablation was not warranted,
despite the trouble the premature beats are causing me.

My biggest problem is not the big make-up beat, which feels mostly
normal to me, but the *early* beat, which is very unpleasant: It feels
like my lungs are being squeezed or in some way bothered. The early
beat can cause me to cough loudly and very suddenly. When I am having
lots of premature beats, I cough frequently. During periods of very
heavy, long-lasting episodes, I have actually injured my side and
abdominal muscles due the incessant coughing.

My cardiologist is not impressed by my coughing problem: She said
"That's just PVCs". However, I have never noted anyone else complaining
about excessive coughing in all the various postings I have read on the
web.

Is this coughing normal? Is there any way I can stop it, or am I just
doomed to cough my way through life while simultaneously being annoyed
and distracted by a busy chest?