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probably not arrhythmia
5 years ago
General
So, went for a stress-echo test today. Basically you run on a treadmill while they keep an ECG attached to you, then quickly leap off for an ultrasound scan at the highest heart rate you can manage.
Turns out running for 10 minutes while wearing a face mask is... hard work. Feels like every breath gets 25% tax taken off the top. Nonetheless, despite the beta blockers I'm taking, we got up to 160bpm and could get the scan done. Things we learned:
1 - my heart seems to be structurally and electrically sound. Muscles, valves and nerves are doing what they should at rest and under stress.
2 - I have a strong awareness of ectopic beats. Having worn a 72 hour monitor before, I accurately marked a number of them on the timeline. This is basically fine; everyone gets these. They're annoying things, but they aren't dangerous (unless like Sand People they come back in greater numbers).
3 - while my heart can sometimes accelerate after meals, this doesn't seem to be originating within the heart itself.
These things are good news - of a kind. Not a lot of things can kill you quicker than a heart problem, so ruling it out is reassuring. However, the symptoms remain, they are real, and the question is; if the engine is in good shape, what's opening the throttle?
The answer to that was a little less forthcoming. The cardiologist referred to vagal nerve stimulation - which can be caused by, for example, eating a lot. I am however really not eating very much, and have lost 3kg in the past 2 months. Still, it has always seemed linked to meals so... maybe.
The advice I've come away with is basically keep taking the pills to suppress the symptoms, and other than that, try not to worry about it. It may turn out that in some months I can stop taking them and not have a recurrence. He talked about the rise in anxiety and stress levels within his patients, and that pretty much everyone is dealing with some levels of it right now.
All in all, I'm not entirely sure how I feel now.
Turns out running for 10 minutes while wearing a face mask is... hard work. Feels like every breath gets 25% tax taken off the top. Nonetheless, despite the beta blockers I'm taking, we got up to 160bpm and could get the scan done. Things we learned:
1 - my heart seems to be structurally and electrically sound. Muscles, valves and nerves are doing what they should at rest and under stress.
2 - I have a strong awareness of ectopic beats. Having worn a 72 hour monitor before, I accurately marked a number of them on the timeline. This is basically fine; everyone gets these. They're annoying things, but they aren't dangerous (unless like Sand People they come back in greater numbers).
3 - while my heart can sometimes accelerate after meals, this doesn't seem to be originating within the heart itself.
These things are good news - of a kind. Not a lot of things can kill you quicker than a heart problem, so ruling it out is reassuring. However, the symptoms remain, they are real, and the question is; if the engine is in good shape, what's opening the throttle?
The answer to that was a little less forthcoming. The cardiologist referred to vagal nerve stimulation - which can be caused by, for example, eating a lot. I am however really not eating very much, and have lost 3kg in the past 2 months. Still, it has always seemed linked to meals so... maybe.
The advice I've come away with is basically keep taking the pills to suppress the symptoms, and other than that, try not to worry about it. It may turn out that in some months I can stop taking them and not have a recurrence. He talked about the rise in anxiety and stress levels within his patients, and that pretty much everyone is dealing with some levels of it right now.
All in all, I'm not entirely sure how I feel now.
But the more causes that the doctors are able to rule out, the closer to finding out what weird thing your body is reacting too. time to start looking for the zebra.
It's all very annoying.
Got some family wondering about Tetze syndrome possibly, though getting it investigated is..... trouble some.
Not entirely sure how to confirm it or not. Docs over here look for a full check list, if you don't provide it, nothing is ever wrong short of ya nearly dying before them.
For what it's worth, the sternum inflammation I had was very centralised to the front of my chest, persistent, but didn't feel deep, and was noticeably stiff and uncomfortable when bending backwards or twisting to the side. Sometimes it gave me sharp jabs that would make me sit up suddenly. It may be a red herring of an idea, it's just something that I've had experience with, and which was quite scary at the time until I worked out what was going on.
Exactly what's triggering the episodes is going to be hard to work out I think. If I don't get some secondary symptoms to give me a clue as to the unhappy body part, I'm probably just stuck waiting to see if it goes away one morning :/
Well, it is annoying, but since it seems to be harmless mostly, you can live with it. Hopefully it will go away soon.
...I feel kind of bad, because I first worlded the problem and paid to be tested and scanned. From my perspective, it had crippled my life. I was (am) symptomatic, and the ignorance had put everything on hold. I'm still trying to get my focus back, haven't had any for weeks, and I haven't really processed the news I've been given yet or worked out my future plans. OTOH... did I take resources away from someone who needed a diagnosis? Honestly, probably not; the private hospital was basically empty of patients, but that doesn't mean the staff weren't going to be there anyway. The doctors and nurses and receptionists were always going to be there on the days I visited, even if nobody came to see them. Most likely I've taken a tiny load off the NHS by going elsewhere, and I've probably made space for someone else to be seen earlier than they would have.
Probably. It's a real conundrum in a country where there is a national AND private health sector. Is it good or bad to pay, given that it's not so much skipping the queue, as changing to a different queue entirely?
Just because you aren't sick with the pandemic virus, doesn't mean you don't currently need healthcare. There are a lot of people feeling the same way right now, but other health issues aren't going to go away just because covid-19 is suddenly a thing. So please, for your sake, and the sake of the people who care about you (myself included) don't feel guilty about going to see a doctor when you think you need one. Be safe, and healthy, and do whatever you need to do to stay that way.
Have you had a full chemical work up?
potassium and magnesium are heart chems that I'm a particular mutant with/by/about...
normal range on potassium is some thing like 3.8 to 5.0 (how ever they mange it) my personal range is much higher.
If I get below 4.2 I start having trouble.
But because my readings were "normal" they didnt consider that a problem...
when I started making sure my potassium was NORMAL FOR ME, I started fealing better.
when my potassium gets abover 6.3 ish ("dangerous" heart territory according to the "normal" quacks) I start getting the symptoms you describe...(look around you is there any one shooting you with the heart attack gun? JOKE! JOKE! but thats how the "heart attack" gun work/s/ed [the cia "officially doesnt use it any more...] it injected a high potassium solution. the reason the it was nearly undetectable is because potassium burns off fairly fast.)
(My potassium bonifides: Im a kidney patient and we HAVE to watch our potassium. the probable reason for my higher numbers is Im a big guy 150+/- kilos at 1.8+/- metres [sadly 1/3 is fat...]...) as for the cia heart attack gun...I have a trivial mind for silly things found during researching my condition...)
check your diet. Virtually ALL the good and tasty foods have high potasium taters maters most beans most dried frujts...
Heres hopin' yuh get better...