Spoke With Someone From Heart Care Re: Event Monitor Report - Even More Confused Now!

Some of you may have read my post about my Event Monitor report, which said "IVCD illustrated".

Since I won't be seeing my Cardiologist for awhile, I called the Event Monitor company (Heart Care), and spoke with a supervisor regarding my results.

It is my understanding that IVCD can be a precursor to heart block (I have Lyme Disease and conduction delays are on the Lyme symptom list) so I asked why, if IVCD was illustrated, did my Cardiologist not get a call saying something was wrong. The man I spoke with said that He said that the IVCD is a conduction defect, but nothing life threatening, which is why my Cardiologist wasn't notified.

I told him about the Lyme, and how I have read that Lyme does cause conduction delays, but he told me that it was nothing to be worried about, that the tech that took my recording could have seen something once and wrote it down.

I still just don't know what to make of all this. I read articles that clearly state that Lyme can cause conduction delays, and my Cardiologist said that conduction delays could lead to heart block, and this guy is telling me it is nothing to worry about.

If anyone has any opinions or advice, I'd love to hear it!

[kitcurious]

That's a lot of "coulds". You may want to try to stop worrying, wait for your apppointment and get the results then. He's telling you that you do not have a life-threatening problem and that's a good thing.

Wait for your cardiologist's appointment and she will explain the whole test in context. It's probably not the best idea to read a test summary like that without a medical person available to explain it.

Often people latch onto things out of context and take them places they were never meant to go.

Try to relax until your appointment. By then you'll have your Holter results too and know more.

[*Robin*]

I'm trying not to worry too much, but I'm always having the shortness of breath and feeling like I'm going to pass out, so I always think it is something heart related.

The fact that my Cardiologist admits that IVCD is a precursor to heart block gives me the most anxiety. That combined with the Echo "artifact" just has me worried all the time.

I don't think the guy from Heart Care knew anything about Lyme, or it's effects on the heart, which is why I question what he said.

It would be nice to know either way.

[kitcurious]

The guy would know if something was wrong with your heart on the test.
This is what they do.
Even if you have something there are degrees of heart block and first degree is not serious. First-degree heart block requires no treatment even when it is caused by heart disease.
Most of the things people get anxious about don't come to pass and anxiety causes the very kind of symptoms you mention.
Did you have the Lyme test from a regular lab or lab that tends to give everyone positive results on Lyme tests?

[*Robin*]

I had a 3 band positive Western Blot from Quest Diagnostics, and then I had another Western Blot done by Igenex Labs, in which I was "CDC Positive". Since they had to report my case to the CDC, I am supposed to be waiting on a call from the Department of Health.

It's so hard for me to tell my Lyme symptoms apart from what could be heart symptoms. My palpitations have lessened greatly since my Magnesium shot, even though the first couple days after the shot I was having palpitations like crazy.

The guy at Heart Care was some kind of supervisor, I don't know if he reads the tests or not. I wish I was more familiar with this stuff. I don't know much about the degrees of heart block, or how they are treated. I want to avoid IV antibiotics if I can, but I also don't want to need a pacemaker.

I trust my Cardiologist, for the most part, and some of the things she says are downright scary. She is a fan of IV antibiotics, and feels that's the only way to really treat the problem, but I realize that she is not trained to treat Infectious Diseases, she is a Cardiologist. She admits that she is a cautious doctor, but sometimes I just wish she would spell it out for me.

[kitcurious]

Why don't you just try to stop anticipating things (which does absolutely no good) and wait for the results to be interpreted by the cardiologist? I know it's difficult but ultimately it's what you have to do anyway.

There may turn out to be no issue of consequence with your heart , which we certainly all hope, and then you would have been making yourself miserable for no reason. If there is a problem you have good people behind you to forumulate a plan.

Most of the things we worry about never happen.
Try to be positive.
Let us know the conclusions.