military and heart problem

[bnichols11]

I am currently active duty army. I had my first episode of fast and very painful heart rate which caused me to pass out in sept 2010. i had never felt any thing like this before, i was driving home from physical training in hte morning and passed out driving. I thought at the time i was having a heart attack, nov 2010 i had an EP study in which my cardiologist could get me heart to do anything abnormal, so therefor he put me on an event recorder......jan 2011 i opted in for a loop recorder because i couldnt keep up with the sticky pads and stuff. i had lots of very small but very painful episodes since the implantation but only one that caused me to pass out which was in mar 2011. My cardiologist was very worried it was VT so the next morning I underwent another Ep study, he could ony my heart rate go up for a sec or two then it would go back to normal. So he went aead with my ok and did an abaltion where he thought the problem was. Its been about 2 1/2 months and i havent had any high heart rates that i could feel and the loop recorder did show any tachy. But my pain has never went away and it still feels like i have episodes up to 15 times a day. I can go weeks with nothing wrong feeling great, then ill go a week or two and have almost nonstop pain for a week......i am getting medically discharged for high risk, but im still concerned about whats goin on, my cardiologist thinks itll pass, i think hes crazy. If anyone can help it owuld be appriciated

[cindy707]

I think its a great idea to get a second opinion but i will tell you the chest pain that i felt was at times like a fast ice pick stabbing my heart for a nano second and then the pressured feeling.  It gradually went away and i was told it was a part of the healing process.  Its always best to be safe then sorry my friend so i vote for the second opinion..i know for myself the first couple of months they almost started watering me like a plant because i kept running back and forth to the office thinking i was dying...i am so sorry to hear about your brother but try to remember other than heart attacks your heart is your own and most times strokes are caused from extremely high and uncontrolled blood pressure or blood clots.....either caused by physical issues with the heart......be safe bnichols and set your mind at ease for you and your family because peace of mind is priceless trust me...let us know how it works out okay?

[bnichols11]

no the loop recorder is still in my chest, my doc said he wanted to make sure that we caught it if it happened again. I think thereason why is that we told me after the ablation he had to keep burning it because it coming open. The pain is sometimes a dull annoying pain and is sparatic. Sometimes its sharp like someone stabbing me in the heart. But with all the life saving courses i have taken in the army, i naturally feel my paulse and put the other hand over my heart to try and feel a speed up or slow down in rate. If it really takes 6 months for it to heal all the way then the skips I feel here and there should go away. I think I'm goin to see another doctor. I have a child and wife at home and dont feel like ignoring something that could be life threatning. Also my older brother who was 28 died last oct, from a stroke. When the organ doners came to see what they could use, they discovered that he had something wrong with his heart. At that time there was no brain activity so the fact that he had something goin on in his heart didnt really come up because the doc said it had no effect on his stroke. thanks for the input!

[cindy707]

You have to remember when you have an ablation that it takes up to six months for all of the symtpms to finally abate.  At two and a half months you are at the halfway part of it.  I had an ablation almost 5 years ago and i remember those first 6 months like it was yesterday...i didn't believe a word anyone told me, was scared out of my wits and lo and behold they were right.  You have to remember that your heart was poked, prodded, penetrated and zapped on top of that and it takes time for the hearts swelling to go down, for the heart to re teach itself to have the rhythm flow in the right order instead of the bad way that it used to....i am a little confused tho..what type of pain are you experiencing bnichols? Is the pain different now after the ablation then it was before the ablation?  Usually when people pass out when they have rhythm issues its because the pulse rate drops to low as well as your blood pressure...the good news of the day is that for the most part it sounds like the major scare is over and now you just have to deal with the residuals of what is going on.....its never a good thing for anyone to pass out for so many reasons but you have to give the ablation time to do its job my friend...it was the best thing i ever did for myself and now for 98% of it its just a memory.....try to re post that pain you are feeling so that we can weigh in....they removed the loop monitor right?

[DeltaDawn23]

Do not let them tell you nothing's wrong!  Keep asking, getting 2nd or 3rd opinions if necessary.  I was told I was having panic attacks for the last 7 years and it turns out my symptoms are due to Afib, with a rapid ventricular response.  I was also told I was depressed.  My primary care doctor said to me once, "If I don't hear back from you, I assume everything is fine.  It is up to you to tell me if it is not."  If you have the availability of a teaching hospital nearby, sometimes they can unravel problems smaller hospitals cannot.  Also I am hearing good things about the VA hospitals lately -- that they have improved immensely in patient care.  

good luck -- keeping you in my thoughts.