Arrhythmia- when to seek help?

First, I want to say how much I appreciate finding this forum- it can be so frustrating when you think something is wrong, your doctor says no you are fine and then you come and read and realise it's not all in your head after all!

My question is how bad does it get before you call an ambulance? Does it get that bad?

I have tried to get my arrhythmia evaluated since I became aware of the extent of it. I was boarding with a woman who had 2 sons with Kartageners syndrome. Her son had been sent home with a heart monitor and she tried it on all of us before putting it on her son. I didn't even realise the random beeps I was hearing when it was on me, were my heartbeat.

Every time I went to see a doctor, I was told that I am fine. Lots of people have bradycardia and live normal lives, pulse rate can have a huge variation and not mean anything. Never any lets check this out and put your mind at ease...

I bought a finger tip pulse monitor because *I* want to see what happens to my pulse during the "events" I have been having. I want to establish what is "normal" for me... and so far it has been a slow resting pulse in the morning, varying 48-60 over a 30-sec reading. When I come home from work, its 70-80... slows to 60-70 and by bedtime is 50-60... higher after coffee... pulse stays low all day (40-60) on my days off.

I had an "event" last night. Fluttering feeling at the top of my chest, below my collar bone on left side. Felt light headed, some sort of  pulsing pressure on the right side of my head then just dizzy. My pulse jumped from 70 to 113 in a second and back to 50... then for half an hour or so afterwards, jumped between 58 and 98. I was sitting upright, my pulse eventually regulated to 60-68 with lying down. The fast pulse was very weak on the pulse monitor, slower was stronger. My partner listened on a stethoscope and confirmed the flashing light was in time with my heart beat. What she heard (and we saw) was it would race for 3 or 4 seconds...fastfastfastfast...Then stop. Nothing. Nothing. 2-3 secs. Then a slow, weak, regular beat for a few seconds.. back to the flutter -fastfastfast and then nothing... nothing...

I thought it would be good to have this recorded on ECG to see what was going on, but I know that by the time anyone gets here, it will be over... and then if I have a more serious event, maybe they won't hurry..!

This was just a mild arrhythmia compared to what I have had- they usually have me dizzy, flushed, shaking, heart pounding.

When do you get help? Do I even need help?

[PVC man]

Since you are understandably anxious, I feel it is time to get checked out.  Tests like the Holtor,event monitor  stress test, and echo cardiogram as well as screening for BP and cholesterol levels are non-invasive and can define what's going on.

I think once you have a diagnosis you will feel better and be less fearful.

I would insist on a cardiologist referral for the testing.

Good luck and feel better!!!

[Artaud]

Hi,

I don't believe that the Pulse Monitor is an accurate way to measure the pulse on someone with an arrhythmia. It's likely that, rather than counting 15 to 20 seconds worth of beats and multiplying x4 or 3 respectively, that the pulse monitor merely looks at the time between the beats and extrapolates the rate based on that time. In other words, 60 beats per minute would have 1 second between beats. If the monitor measured 2 beats in a 2 second period of time, it would display 60 beats per minute. If you happen to get a PVC that occurs shortly after a normal beat, the contribution to your pulse would be negligible. The monitor would now need to wait for the compensatory beat, the one we all feel as the thump, and surely would record this. The problem is that the time since the last measured beat is nearly 2 cycles so that the pulse monitor would now believe that your pulse has dropped considerably. A few normal beats in a row, it reads normally, another PVC, and to the monitor, ditto the slow pulse. To the monitor your pulse is all over the place.

See your Doctor, rule out anything immediately serious (perhaps you already have). See your Doctor again, ask for an Event Monitor if he/she feels that it would be of benefit. I wore one for three weeks. (Commonly people wear them for 30 Days). You will be instructed on how to remove it to shower (the electrodes, the white pads with the metal snap in the center, stay on), and how to reinstall the leads. You will be given extra electrodes. When an event occurs, you press a button to record it. You then take the Monitor and phone the reading to a Technical Center that immediately analyzes the results. In my case they told me that I had an episode of PSVT, not to worry. Other times it was just a series of PVCs, I was also told not to worry. If the arrhythmia was serious, they would advise you on what to do. They will also notify your Doctor of all the results.

You would also tell the Technical Center of your symptoms when the events happened and inform them of your activities at that time.  The Doctor can correlate the symptoms with any arrhythmia or other cardiac event of note.

Alternately, you could request a Holter Monitor for a 24 hour period of heart activity. If you get symptoms every day, this may be sufficient.

Good health to you.

[ddavey]

you should definately consider a holter or an event monitor.  as far as what to do in the meantime, it is difficult with arrythmias because they usually dont last very long, and by the time you are seen in an er it could be gone and everything will look fine.  my daughter's doctor always told us that if it lasts more than 10 minutes to call the office or go to the er, and luckily hers have never lasted more than five.  you should see a cardiologist, and until you can get in to see one write down your symptoms during an event, how long it lasts and what you were doing (or eating) at the time.  these are things you have to do while wearing a monitor also   good luck to you   dawn