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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
A-fib and GI problems
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests.
A-fib and GI problems
by Joseph-Rich, Apr 22, 1999 12:00AM
Posted by Bette on April 18, 1999 at 08:41:25
I am a 62 year old female who had PAT since age ll...It was controlled by Quinidine Sulfate for years, until a Dr. took me off of it several years ago...I have not had any problems with the PAT, but in the past year--I have had A-Fib EVERY time I eat...and it does not matter what I eat. My Dr. thinks I am crazy as I tell him it is GI related...I wore a Holter Monitor for 24 hrs, and they said don't worry about it, as it is nothing serious...Well..it is serious to me, as I am amost scared to eat anything...My heart will beat twice and skip...Next time it may beat 5 times and skip. I can feel this in my stomach..I was recently put on Celebrex for my arthritis and I think it has made the matter worse. The only other med. I take is Inderal La...40 mg a day. It was given to me for PAT after being taken off of the Quinidine, but I do not think it helps the A-Fib.
It was good to read about others having this problem as up to now, I thought I must be the only one in the world with this problem....Thanks for listening.....
Posted by CCF CARDIO MD - MTR on April 19, 1999 at 22:36:35
Dear Bette, thank you for your question. If your physician(s) interpreted the results of the 24 hour Holter monitor that you wore as "nothing serious," then I doubt that you're having atrial fibrillation. It may seem to you that you have an irregular heart rhythm that is consistent with afib, but the Holter results accurately determine your heart rhythm. If indeed you have normal sinus rhythm with frequent premature beats, then you do not have afib. In this case, premature beats may not be associated with the PAT. Thus, I suggest that you speak to your cardiologist again to accurately determine what your predominant heart rhythm was while you were wearing the Holter monitor. You could also discuss your medications when you have this conversation. Inderal is designed to limit episodes of PAT and suppress premature beats. However, there are other medications like Inderal that don't have the same side effects.
I hope you find this information useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies. Please feel free to write back with additional questions. Good luck!
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart
Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.
