EP Study Update

Hello All,

Figured I'd give you a detailed description of my experiences yesterday in the event you have to have an EPS at any point in the future.

Checked into Maine Medical Center at 11:00am and was given my very own room. At about 11:30pm they came in to take my blood pressure and the cuff was broken. As the pressure slowly climbed to 367 (that's right folks) and I was begging the nurse to take it off, she finally realized I wasn't just being spleeny. The cuff left marks on my arm that are still there!

The evil nurse then decided to install my IV. She asked me where I wanted it and I told her I didn't care. I just sat there waiting for her to put it in and she acted really annoyed so I asked her what was wrong. She informed me that if I was going to be a patient that I needed to act like one and lay down flat on my back. Ha! She refused to put in my IV until I was laying down flat. I was rather annoyed by this. When she was done the IV was really sore and I've never had one that was so continually painful. When the next shift nurse came in to take over she tried to flush it and it blew my vein. She moved the IV to the back of my hand and it was painless.

About an hour later they told me I'd be going in at 1:00pm and that they needed a pregnancy test. I told them I'd just had a pregnancy test. Didn't matter. They needed a new one.

About a half hour before they took me the realized I was wearing underwear and made me take them off. I'm getting my period so was a little annoyed that I had to order a tampon (I'd only brought pads because of the procedure) and they dumped it off in front of all my family who were waiting with me.

I freaked out and cried for the rest of the time I was waiting. Continued to do so until I was strapped onto the table in the electrophysiologist Lab.

Once in the lab I was "prepped". This entails washing the groin area with alcohol. In my case, they got so much on me that it soaked my entire vulva and got into my urethra and vaginal opening. I thought I was going to come undone and desterilized the area three time as I was trying to wipe the burning fluid off my freshly shaven genitals. It felt kinda like getting icy hot in your eye. Then they decided to strap my hands down so I could touch my newly sterile groin. This wasn't very fun.

After I was strapped they decided to flush my new IV. They ruptured my vein again and it felt like they'd poured lava in my wrist. They told me it was because the IV had been "infiltrated" I guess from being in too long before it was used. Ouchy.

They moved onto my other wrist. The first IV they put in my left hand blew my vein because the needle was too large. They eventually found another vein lower and got it in. If they'd popped another one I was going to punch them. I look like a drug user now, LOL.

The table was hard, long and narrow and above me was a large flouroscope (animated x-ray) machine. To my left were four enormous LCD monitors which displayed the flouroscope and three ECG's. It was like I was at a theatre.

To my right was a large splatter shield and a nurse. At the foot end of my room was a control "room" with a shielded wall with windows and some computers.

Dr. Love finally came in to ask me how I was doing and set up the groin catheter. I only felt the slightly ***** and a little pressure. He was very gentle and they said this would be the worst part! It wasn't. Not bad at all in fact.

He moved the flouroscope over my tummy and turned it on and started to thread the catheters. I watched it move up, didn't feel it, then saw it veer right (toward my kidney?), he pulled it back, twisted it and it kept going straight this time. I did feel it when it got close to my heart and the moment it entered my heart wigged out like I've never felt before.

I started to freak out as it palped continuously until he'd stopped moving them. Not just normal palps either but great big heaving ones. Very uncomfortable. I kept saying "is this normal?" and he just smiled and said, "perfectly." So I felt better.

He flicked the flouroscope back on and I could see the caths in my heart, one up top and one down bottom. The tech behind the control panel flipped a switch and did some test paces. My heart just started to jiggle and jostle and clench the whole while. I could see when he was pacing and it was in direct relation to each palpitation.

One he was satisfied with the positioning, Dr. Love went back behind the control panel and gave my heart holy hell for about 45 minutes, atria and ventricles. He paced and paced and paced and did everything he could to get my heart to react. Came in moved the caths to new locations, paced the frig out of me again. He got all crazy a few times and paced me up to over 200 bpm, ventricles only, so now I know exactly what sustained v-tach feels like, LOL. I never got dizzy once.

When he couldn't provoke a single PVC by all this he decided to doses me up with Isopryl???(adrenaline). First I got level 1 and I felt like I'd had a cup of coffee. Then he paced me for a while. Nothing...

Level 2 - felt like I was jogging... paced me like crazy... nothing.

Level 3 - my heart was literally pounding out of my chest and I could feel lit pulsating in all my pulse spots, neck, brachial, aortic, femural. My heart was going so fast and so hard I was scared for a few minutes. Then he decided to pace me and it got all sorts of crazy for about another 1/2 hour.

He tried his very best and the more he irritated my heart with paces and drugs, the better it performed. Go figure. I guess that my heart enjoys being challenged. I even asked him if he could dose me up with some ovulation hormones but he said it wasn't normal protocol.

In the end, no matter what he tried, where he tried, or how much adrenaline he gave me, my heart wouldn't throw a single PVC or PAC. The only time it did was after the test, LOL.

He told me that he was more aggressive with pacing then he normally is and that there really wasn't much else he could do in an attempt to provoke my NSVT.

It took about 10 minutes for my heart to return to normal resting bpm and he took out the caths, sent me back to my room.

When he came in, he discussed with me the fact that being unable to provoke ANY sort of arrhythmia, especially given how hard he was on my heart, meant that most likely I just have some irritable foci that fire off when I'm producing my monthly hormones. He told me that he'd been worried about what he might find, but actually found nothing except for the fact that I had a terrifically healthy heart.

He decided against the MRI and told me that he'd basically given me a stress test with all the pacing and adrenaline earlier - that I couldn't have performed any better if I was an athlete.

He gave me the go ahead to get pregnant and will just follow me closely once I get knocked up. He also said that 99.9% of people with something wrong would have provoked during such a rigorous EP study. He was very, very confident that I am safe and healthy.

If I decide not to get pregnant he advised that I go on a low dose birth control and take it non-stop to prevent any hormone spike completely. This means, not stopping for a period once a month. He's scheduled me in for a follow-up in 3 weeks.

Any thoughts or questions?  How likely is it that I have something terrible still lurking in there?  I read on a couple of studies that not being able to provoke a VT doesn't necessarily mean your safe.  Is this accurate or exaggerated?

ps:  My heart completely wigged out a little while ago and I tried not to freak out about it too much.  I just don't get how it behaved so perfectly for him, yet I just had a run of about 20 (guessing) PVC's a little bit ago.

[cindy707]

OMG i went thru so many emotions reading your post bypeep...you definately have a way with words to say the least.  And for Nurse Ratchett that you initially encountered i would make it my mission to talk to the chief of staff about her bedside manner..since when do we have to lay down for a line to be put in us?  Oh heck no...sounds like she has a couple of control issues....it sounds to me bypeep like you are one lucky girl here...that doc sounds like he used every weapon he could to invoke your heart to do the dance and believe me after what he did if there were a problem i think he would have found it.  I absolutely loved your post and am still smiling at my computer...you no doubt are still not 100% trusting the EP that was done and anxiety is probably causing your heart to do the dance once again..so relax....buy a lottery ticket.....love your life bypeep.......and dance like nobodys watchin' my friend.....

[jsuter69]

Cindy said it all!! I loved it! I def had mixed emotions...kind of scared now...lol...don't really want to have one done...lol...very graphic! LOL!! I want to read some more of what you got going on inside your mind :)
I really don't think my heart could go through all of what yours went through and live to tell about it!! I'm totally freaked out!
But I agree w/ Cindy, if your heart went through ALL of that and did nothing..wow! You sound healthy as a horse...
Can you tell me one thing...what kinds of symptoms do you feel when you do get pvc's and pac's? I always read about everyone having palps...but hardly ever hear about symptoms...
What actually scares me are the feelings I get when I get an irregular heartbeat....I could be happy forever if I never "felt" anything scary...
Congrats on bein able to get "knocked up" :)

[bbxx]

Wow! You definately made me feel like i was going through it---gave me anxiety galore and a huge hope I never have to have an EP study!!!!!! One question---did I understand you correctly? Did they make you lay there naked through the procedure? I would think they could povide some sort of modesty.

[tom_h]

I read your account above, and I'm sorry that you had such an unpleasant experience.  ALso sorry they couldn't find anything definitive.  I had EP study and ablation done at UMass Medical Center in Worcester, MA. and with the exception of a problem with drawing blood, had a very positive experience, and encountered only a kind, compassionate nursing staff.  I was also under general anesthesia, so I didn't experience any of the anxiety that you went through, and knowing my personality, would no doubt would have experienced too.  I go every 6 months for a blood test, and have veins that are hard to find.  I've had several bad experiences with a couple phlebotomists, and I don't hesitate to say "Ok, stop!  I want' another person to try"  For what we're paying, I want someone who's friendly and will treat me with kindly.  You shouldn't stand for being humiliated.

As for the "shave down", I was told not to do it prior to arriving so as not to risk any chance of infection.  I was even given special soap to shower with the night before and the morning of the procedure to minimize germs.  But I had a guy come and do it, and I was just another bod to prepare, and he draped me modestly while he shaved each side.

My advice..... don't take that crap!

[bbxx]

Glad to hear they gave you some modesty. During the procedure do they keep you modest? Bypeeps account is enough to scare anyone out of having one. Due to my religious beliefs I am very concerned if they dont allow you to be modest, so I was hoping to hear from a girl if they keep you modest during the procedure?

[tom_h]

Welllll, I don't know because I was totally out.  But I believe they drape you to a point where only the puncture site is visible.  The exact location of the puncture is hard to describe, but it's in the leg crease.  Draw a horizontal line thru the middle of the pubic bone, and where it intersects the leg crease will give you a pretty good idea of where the puncture site is.....at least on males!  People refer to it as your "crotch".  I tend to think of that as a little lower down the leg crease! :-)

[bbxx]

Thankyou for info Tom!

[Janpes]

I had the procedure done 3½ months ago and yes they do have a surgical sheet over you covering your bits.
Of course they need to wash you down there with the antiseptic stuff, but who cares about if they see your bits and all. It is all part of their job.I bikini waxed at home before leaving for the hospital, (never know if it was gonna be a hot cardio doing the procedure or not) HE WASN'T :( but the young male nurse taking the readings was!!!! No need to feel embarrassed or anything, I was more nervous about the procedure than being naked.
I had a buttoned hospital shirt on and pyjama bottoms, which they pulled down during the procedure and then lifted up again when it was all over.
After the procedure I needed to pee, but somehow a male nurse pressing on the weights at the puncture site while you try to do it in a bed pan didn't do it for me...lol so make sure you empty the bladder before going in.

You will do fine, don't worry
Take care

[bbxx]

Oh goodness---lol everyone has left me with a very vivid visual on the procedure. lol

[tom_h]

Interesting how things you take for granted are different in other parts of the world.  In the U.S. they give you this sheet with two holes for your arms.  You poke your arms thru the holes, then wrap the sheet around you and tie it.  If you aren't cafeful, you'll go walking around with your arse hanging out.   PJ's.....sounds nice!

[Carrie41]

I hate to say it but I loved your story.....it was really funny.  If it makes you feel any better I have been for two - yes TWO of those EP studies and they couldn't provoke my NSVT either......

Anyways it is nice to see you have such a sense of humour after it.  I can certainly relate to it.

[bbxx]

hmmm, I think we should tell them we want pjs!

[Janpes]

Yeah but they were green ones and slightly disgusting...lol...if you gonna push for pj's then at least push for nice ones ;)

[Mom2four85]

there is no modesty in medical procedures...they've seen everything so much they just think of us as numbers, another procedure to get through.

I do know during mine that I had a drape that was taped over certain parts of my body so  blood didn't get on me (like the mid section) during my EPS and I had both legs (groin/crotch) areas shaved and was open because of the where they insert the tools they use like camera, catheters [sp] etc.  You can ask for a cover  or even for a warming blanket which is heaven but most times you have to specifically ask for them.

I remember in 2005 when I had a Laparoscopy [sp?] for Endometriosis and had a guy in recovery comment on what great tan lines I had! last thing I wanted to hear right then lol

[bbxx]

well, if I ever have to have that procedure done I will call around and find a doctor that will respect my modesty because its what I believe is right or wrong for me. I dont care if they have seen a thousand naked bodies, mine is mine. the good news is there are hospitals out there that are considerate, because i was talking to someone that works at one and they said they really stress comfort and modesty for the patient. I bet the doctors woudlnt make their wives lay their like that while their buddy doctor did the procedure. Maybe I will look for a female EP.

[Mom2four85]

I understand what you're saying, but I think they have to leave the groin/crotch area open completely for the EPS because of the area it is - I would love to hear if there's dr's out there who drape the middle "private" area if you find one.  That's going to be on my list for my next EP and procedure, I guess I've grown immune to having no privacy after having 4 children.

I've had several procedures for different things and yeah they just don't care here - luckily I was so drugged under the procedure in 2005 I didn't care but my mother in law was outside the curtain and it was embarrassing as heck her hearing the guy talking to me; one of those - oh where is that hole to crawl in moments.

[bbxx]

oh, you have been through so much! I hope things get a LOT better for you soon!

[bypeep]

I had a gown on, but wasn't allowed to wear underwear and when they were inserting the catheters they had my gown pulled aside, exposing all my girly parts.  I had to ask them for a wet washcloth to tuck down between my legs to a) keep my vajayjay and friends from saying "hi" to everyone and b) to cool down the burning from the alcohol.

I was more mad about them dousing me with alcohol than being exposed.  Dr. Love is quite handsome. Ahhhhh. :) lol

It really wasn't that bad. I'm just a terrible spleen really.  I get all wound up about things and then in retrospect it wasn't as horrible as it seemed at the time.  I would do it again and more than likely will if this keeps bothering me.