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Avatar universal

Could this be v-tach?

Hello doctor.  I am 44 years old and have a long history of pvc's which I handle very well.   However for the last few years I have been having some fluttering sensations that last about 10 seconds.    I have had 3 echocardiograms in my life time, one being not quite one year ago.  Everything looks normal structurally.  Today however I had a bad episode and I am very scared.   I was making my son lunch and my heart started to flutter, and I immediately went to feel my pulse in my wrist to see what the rhythm is and there was no pulse!  The pulse was absent!  I started feeling light headed and I started panicking and yelled for my son to help me.  Then my heartbeat kicked back in and it started beating normally again.  This whole episode from beginning to end last about 15 seconds.  Afterwards I felt very hot in the face and lightheaded for a few minutes and then totally normally.   Now its been about 40 minutes since the episode and my heart rate is normal and regular.  Could this be vtach or any other rhythm that could cause an absent pulse.  I know its hard to diagnose over the net and without an holter monitor but what would be your professional guess as to what is happening here.  My doctor is away until July 3rd and I just don't know what to do?
7 Responses
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Avatar universal
Hey Tickertock!! Nice to see us old timers still kickin uh??? lol
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have had the same thing. In fact I just so happen to be cutting a doctors hair at the moment it happened. it was pretty freaky...and he could not feel my pulse and it totally freaked me out. he said my bp may have been pretty low freak me out. I have also had my heart go nuts and Ive tried to take my pulse and nothing then it sends you into a total panic.. so your not alone
My question is when the doc said its rare for a normal heart to have VT does he mean VT or does he also mean nonsustained vt. I have nonsustained vt and have a structually normal heart had all the test and to eps and both times they could not induce the nsvt..
Helpful - 0
84483 tn?1289937937
Forgot to add sometimes lightheaded, sometimes not, but always the flushing in the chest neck and sometime the face.
Helpful - 0
84483 tn?1289937937
Yes sometimes I reach for pulse none can be felt for about 3seconds or so, at times I can feel my pulse with it usually a little weaker and faster, but not much faster, also regular compared to how my heart feels in the chest, kinda weird!
Helpful - 0
230125 tn?1193365857
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
VT and VF is the big concern of people with symptomatic PVCs.  What I tell my patients is:

could it be VT--yes, it could be

Is it likely VT-- No.  VT is very rare in structurally normal heart.  It is more like to have a string of PVCs or even a drop in blood pressure (either as the cause of or the affect of a fast heart beat from the upper chamber).  This would be much more common.

You are correct that without a monitor it is impossible to tell.  You should discuss it with your doctor.  They may put you on a 30 day  monitor but if this is the first time it happened, it is unlikely they will capture an event.

I hope this helps.

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you for your comment.  It really made me feel a lot better.  My question to you though if you don't mind is - do you get the "absent" pulse too?  You see, that scares me the most, when I cant feel the pulse for like 4 seconds and then boom, it is back and in the meantime I feel like a big head rush and kind of lightheaded.  Do you feel lightheaded also when you get these episodes?  Again, thank you for comments.
Helpful - 0
84483 tn?1289937937
I get these seem episodes about 8-10 times a year maybe less, very frightening. I had one yesterday morning left me flushed and red. I don't know what it is , its feels like a bunch of PVCs without any regular beats to me, even though I rarely have PVCs anymore. I started taking celexa 10mg daily and clonazepam 0.25mg twice daily about a month ago after seeing a psychiatrist for the first time in my life as I've been having panic attacks daily for about 6 month now, got to the point I couldn't cope anymore, just today the celexa was changed lexapro. I must say the celexa worked perfect for the panic but it had a few undesired side effects thats why the change to lexapro to see if they are minimized.Just want to I been having episodes like that for over 20 years none has ever been caught just simple PVCs, they seem to very elusive. My guess is and its only my guess its probably a run of pac or pvcs with no regular beats in between or a very short burst of a-fib but one can't really speculate for sure withour documentation. The good news is even though frightening it probably isn't dangerous.
Helpful - 0

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