24 hr ecg

I recently bought myself a 24 ecg monitor, a Contec tlc5000 and am trying to interpret the results. Some of it looks normal but other parts the graph is over the place. Is this a technical issue with the machine or have I got some kind of serious problem?

examples from the trace:-
http://s752.photobucket.com/albums/xx169/Woltato/heart%20trace/

[chicky2001]

I've never heard of that monitor.  Can't you take the read outs to your doctor to look at?

[is_something_wrong]

Hi,

1) Why did you buy a 24 hour EKG monitor? Unless you are incredibly skilled at EKG reading, such monitors creates more anxiety than they solve.

2) The first picture (probably) show a normal sinus rhythm (I'm no EKG expert), the somewhat alternating heart rate is most likely caused by your breathing. The second one is (hopefully) lots of artifacts and disturbances. You can see the machine pointing out what it assume to be heart beats marked with small red dots. The S above heartbeats is a sign of a supraventricular ectopic beat (PAC). The V is a ventricular ectopic beat (PVC). Don't conclude with anything based on those readings, though. Some parts of it looks like an arrhythmia, but it's probably just electrical mess, especially if you didn't have symptoms.

Did you have severe symptoms during what you recorded on picture 2?

[chicky2001]

If you don't mind my asking how much is one of these monitors?  I went to the internet, but they give no prices.  I noticed this is made in China and is a holter monitor.  It must have a lot of leads to put on just right.

It sure would be easier to have one of these things then waiting 2 or 3 weeks to get a monitor from my doctor and by that time the symptoms subside or go away.  I also have to drive 17 miles one way to get this monitor down loaded and only have 5 times to monitor each time I go.  It's driving me crazy.  I'm leaving now to have it down loaded.  

[Woltato]

I bought it off ebay from China for $775 plus $40 postage. took just over a week to get here (to the UK). I'm planning on selling it on when I've figured out how to use it and finished with it. The reason I bought it is because I'm fed up of the NHS mucking me about taking months to organise appointments and getting fobbed off by the doctors all the time. To go privately is outrageously expensive so figured I'd have a go myself.

It has 10 leads altogether, 6 of which go around your chest that have to be put in exactly the right place, there's plenty of websites that explain exactly where they need to go. The difficult bit is trying to interpret the results, especially as the Chinese instructions for the software that comes with it are somewhat challenging to understand. Think they were written in Chinese and then translated to English using google or something.

[jondsam]

It is an excellent investment.  There is nothing wrong with spending money on the most important thing, your health.  I also have a EKG machine, and a pulse socks.  PVC's and many other arrhythmia are so obvious that almost anyone can interpret them on an EKG.  You are doing the right thing, by wearing it you are able to check your heart rhythm whenever you want instead of waiting forever for an appointment with the doctor. When I have had terrible episodes of erratic heartbeats I was able to doing an EKG at home and then show my doctor.