Follow Up question

[SteveO226]

Hello,

I posted a question the other day regarding my skipped beats increasing from 3 to 7 during my EKG from last year to this year, as well as the MD hearing what I believe he called a systolic murmur. I had an echo done yesterday and the doc asked the technician what he sees and after looking it over, he said that he says an arrythmia (which the doctor said we already knew), a mild MR and a slightly enlarged left atrium. However, when I got worried and asked the doctor if this is bad, he said that the guy is only a technician and we should wait for the report to come back in 2 days. I was curious as to why the doctor asked him then. I am on my way today to get a halter monitor for 24 hrs, and the doc said after that is a 2 day stress test. I have still yet to feel any symptoms of any sort but I have to admit, I am freaking out hearing all these new terms about my heart. What does all the technician said mean and is it something I should REALLY worry about? Should I disregard his comments?

Second, could all of this be a result of either taking Prevacid 30 mg or Claritin (not the one with the decongestant) 10 mg every day? I am easily stressed out, as I am as I write this, could that have done all this?

Lastly, my family think after all these tests that I should go to a cardiolist for the 2nd opinion. I want to pick someone real good so I would I go about finding that. If I have typos, I apologize but I am on my way to pick up the halter and have been very nervous since getting all this news. Thank you!

[spachic1]

Hi all and steve,
I emailed you back steve.. I was looking at your original thread.
It seems like the dr really has you stressed out. i would relax if i was you. Normally it something is really bad and life threatening the tech will call a dr right away and you would be seem immedietely. I would tell your dr that this has made you upset and you want at least some words of reasurance. I know that techs can make a person feel real stressed out because they are not suppose to tell the patient what they see and we take that as bad. In your case to much was said and it may all be ok or an easy fix. We all stress easy over are hearts and what they may do at any time. Pvc for one thing is usually related to anxiety and can really cause a person to freak and spend lots of time in the er. I hope you have a great weekend and try to relax. I will pray for you.

Deb

[LynnSB]

You might want to try leaving off the Claritin for a few days.. got this off a pharmaceutical web site about side effects:

>>Cardiovascular System: Hypertension, hypotension, palpitations, supraventricular tachyarrhythmias, syncope, tachycardia.<<

[SteveO226]

I forgot to mention this. The results from my physical also came back and my BP was normal, lungs were normal, chest x-ray was normal and my blood work was exceptional (everything in range), which it was not in the past few years but my healthy diet, I believe, fixed that.

[SteveO226]

Last year, I went off the claritin for a week or 2 before having asecond EKG done and it had no effect on my results. I believe the side effects you are referring to are from Claritin D rather than the regular one since the D is pseudoephederine.

[CCF-M.D.-RCJ]

Steveo226,

Thanks for the post.

Ignore the technician.  It is inappropriate for a tech to give information, which they are not qualified to do, and then not be able to give an opinion for the implications.  The Cleveland Clinic echo lab has a policy against this kind of information divulgence.

Those medicines should not be the culprit for the PVCs.

Seeing a cardiologist at this point to clarify this murky sensation would make a lot of since at this point.

Good luck.