Heart Rhythm Analysis

[Soonerbounce13]

Do these rhythm strips look concerning to anyone?  I have had the weirdest feelings in my chest for a month.  Mostly when I am lying flat and take deep breaths.  I got a lifewatch monitor but didn't have the symptoms for the time I had the monitor.  Then a couple of days after returning it I started to get them again.  I've sent these screen shots to my cardiologist but haven't heard back from him yet.

[Soonerbounce13]

I haven't talked to the actual doctor yet.  One of his nurses called and asked a few questions and was going to report back to the doctor and he should call me and set up another appointment.  Thanks for the discussion!

[MichelleP_3811]

Well that's a bummer but at least you are getting some answers.  Hang in there and keep us posted how you are doing.  Did the doctor make any suggestions?

[Soonerbounce13]

Hello again.  I got a handhelp ekg device from the doctor.  I just hold it on my chest when I feel something.  Of course once I got the device, I stopped having the sensations after a couple of days.  But I did get to transmit a few episodes.  The cardiologist thinks it looks like Atrial Fibrillation

[MichelleP_3811]

I do not deny that you aren't feeling something strange but a lot of really strange heart sensations are quite harmless they just feel frightening.  I just find it hard to believe that what the phone is putting out (some scary looking rhythms) is an accurate representation of what your heart is actually doing especially based on the color of your skin.  It will be interesting to see if your real monitor matches what this app shows.   Please keep us posted.  I am highly interested.

[Soonerbounce13]

I believe this app uses the color changes in skin.  You stick your finger over the camera and it detects it.  I know it's not perfect, but with me being able to feel my heartbeat during these sensations, it matches pretty closely to what I am feeling.

[MichelleP_3811]

I think the point is we don't know if we can trust that the images you are seeing on your phone are an accurate interpretation of what your heart is really doing. If we knew it came from an ekg machine then that would be different.  I would even trust it more if it came from the hand held you will get but from a phone app not sure how it would be able to translate the signal from your heart so there might be a lot there that isn't really true.  Could be but there might be a lot of artifacting.  I would wait until you had a proper heart monitor to know for sure.    

[Soonerbounce13]

Thanks for the replies.  I guess I just figured that you would still be able to tell something from the heart beat pattern too...even if you don't have electrical signals

[MichelleP_3811]

I am confused how a phone app can read the electrical signal from your heart.  I guess I would have to see it in action but it doesn't sound like a trustworthy way to see what your heart is doing.  To be honest I would have tried the 30 day monitor again until you get it caught.  The hand helds also won't necessarily get the doctor all the information he may need like the ones you wear do.  The ones you wear will catch the beginning of the episode where the hand helds will only record what you are feeling after it has started.  Seeing the start is sometimes helpful for the doctor especially with the issue I had of having an svt.  It also may get a longer strip to see how the issue progresses.  This all said, it sounds like your heart is generally healthy which is a good thing.  This means that whatever is going on your heart can tolerate it well.  You are tolerating it well if you are not passing out or having trouble functioning so that means that whatever is happening is very likely not a big threat to you even if it turns out to be something like Ventricular tachycardia.  

But whatever it is, it sounds like stress and anxiety and simply the adrenaline of a busy life gets it going for you so work on that and things may settle down.  As well avoid caffeine and energy drinks, sugary foods and carbohydrates.  Avoid eating heavy meals and try not to eat at least 2 hours before bed.  Acid reflux can cause the heart to act up so address that and try to drink lots of water.  It helps the heart function better.

Try not to stress about all of this or feel bad about any of it.  Arrhythmia problems really are sometimes hard to catch.  And something about doctors can cause the symptoms to run and hide.  I don't know why but you aren't the only person that happens to.  Maybe we relax feeling like we will get some answers and so being too relaxed eases the stress on the heart.  Not sure but try not to worry.  If you are not having difficulty functioning with what you are experiencing and your heart is overall strong and healthy you very well have more of an annoyance on your hand than anything else.  It is important for you to be heart health mindful as you age since you have a sensitive heart but odds are you will fair fine except for having a bit of a jumpy heart.  But do try to get what is going on captured so you at least know what you are dealing with.  As itdood stated, I wouldn't trust the pictures you showed from your app so whatever is going on may be even less concerning than how it feels to you.  Take care and please do keep us posted on how things are going.

[itdood]

Can't tell rhythm from a heart rate monitor.  The electrical waves need to be analyzed.  I take back what I said earlier, everything I said will be inaccurate..  I've seen these apps before, the waves are pictures that are built into the app and are just played back as it detects a pulse.

[Soonerbounce13]

I'll clarify a few things.

Back in January of this year is when I first started having these "sensations".  It was right before our third baby was born.  The sensations last for weeks.  If I focus and can tell they are there.  If I lay down it gets more intensified and that is when the heartrate drastically increases.  So they went away in february and then came back in April.  That is when I went and saw my family doctor.  He did an ECG and wasn't concerned.  But by the time I went and saw him, the sensations weren't so bad.

A common thing I noticed was that I experienced them when something was about to happen in my life that would cause stress or anxiety.  I personally didn't feel stressed out.  In January it was a new baby.  In April it was the NBA playoffs.  My favorite team had four straigt Overtime games lol.  They went away in May. They and came back in June.  I told my doctor I wanted to be referred to a Cardiologist.  (I'm pretty healthy.  5'8" 180 pounds).  The one thing I was worried about is I have a caved in chest.  SO I was thinking maybe it was restricting the space in my chest.  I'm 29 years old.  

So anyways I went to the Cardiologist.  At the time, of course, I wasn't really feeling the sensations anymore.  He did a 2D ultrasound of my heart and gave me one of those LifeWatch monitors with four cables.  I wore that from July 3-August third.  I never had any of the same sensations while wearing it.  Everything looked fine from the ultrasound and monitor.  Then a couple of days after turning in the monitor I started to get sensations again (and still am at the present).  Nothing really stressful has gone on except for potty training our two year old.  But that hasn't been bad.

So I call my cardiologist and they want me to wear the monitor again.  I said I didn't want to b/c it was such an annoyance, expensive, and there is the chance the sensations will not be occurring when I get it.  (they seem to last for two to four weeks at a time).  So they suggested putting in a device under my skin!  I said no to that.  So now I am waiting on a handheld device that i can hold to my chest when feeling a sensation.

The pics above are from a simply iphone heartrate monitor app.
I will say that the sensations do seem to be intensifilying.  With previous episodes, I would work out and not feel a thing.  Now when I go running I can definitely feel it.  And it is causing me more stress and lack of sleeping worrying about it.  It's calusing my wife stress.

It is just frustrating b/c everytime I go to have it looked it at goes away and I feel like an idiot.

I think someone made a comment about it looks like I was moving around?  I was still for everyone of those but it is simply looking at heart beat through the finger.  SO it isn't very accurate but it does reflect the beats I feel physcially

[itdood]

p.s., the very last image looks like garbage.  Looks like you were moving around, perhaps.

[MichelleP_3811]

I am not educated to be able to give you a good interpretation but they don't look normal to me.  It looks like a number of things are going on but again I am not qualified.  No matter what though I am sure your doctor will want to have you wear one of their monitors to catch what this is.  What sort of symptoms do you have beyond feeling weird?  Are you passing out?  How long does it last?   What do you see the cardiologist for?  Are there heart health issues or is it healthy?   Do the symptoms stop when you sit up?  In general I would advise you to visit your cardiologist to have the symptoms captured and evaluated.

[itdood]

I don't know much about that monitor.  The more resolution of a monitor, the better the you can see what's going on.  Resolution is increased by the number of leads and where they are placed.  The resolution in the one pic in the first post looks very low.

I am completely guessing, but the waves in the beginning looks loke bigeminal PVCs.  meaning, PVCs every other beat.  normal beat, PVC, normal beat, PVC, normal beat, PVC, then you go into a normal rhythm.  The first half looks like bigeminy to me, PVCs.

In your second post, the second image (http://imgur.com/buIQ20q) looks like it might be ventricular tachycardia.  I am completely guessing because I don't know much about this monitor that you used, someone who knows a lot about the monitor itself would need to take a look at these.

[Soonerbounce13]

http://imgur.com/joe3wU1
http://imgur.com/buIQ20q
http://imgur.com/29gFiVV
http://imgur.com/X7nLY2H