Aa
Defibrillator at 39???
For many years I have had episodes of heart flutters and what felt like quivering. I went to a Cardiologist four years ago. After wearing a holter, stress test, and echogram he said, "Sounds like atrial-fib, don't worry about it, it is not life-threatening!" I lived with this condition for years. I am a firefighter in Oklahoma and was fighting a house fire in December 2000 when I felt the quivering. Since noone actually recorded this rhythm, I went to the paramedics on scene and had them hook me up to their monitor. They said, "I was in V-Tach!", which quit on its own within minutes. The emergency room doctor diagnosed the rhythm as SVT. During an Electrophysiology study, V-Tach was induced and an ablation was not possible. The next day they implanted a Medtronic defibrillator. One week before my first post-operative check up, I had another episode which I received two shocks at 30 joles. During this episode, I was conscience and felt ok as usual. This was the same feeling I have had in the past. When they read the ICD, I was in V-fib. They placed me on Sotalol 80mg twice a day. Since I have been taking the medication, I have not had any episodes. Although, the heart flutters seem to be constant now. I have worked out with free-weights and ran most of my life. I would like to start working out again, but I am afraid! I have never had an episode from weightlifting, but usually after running I would go into the rhythm. Also, they thought I would be able to return to work as a firefighter. I do not see any possible way to return to such a "safety sensitive" job. What do you think?
Is atrioventricular tachycardia different then atrial tachycardia?
The doc had drawn some diagrams for me, so that's why I remembered the av-nodal area was in between the upper and lower chambers and is where there is a strip of muscled that improperly conducts rhythm through this junction. And it creates a short circuit of some sort.
The doctor said today that it's nearly impossible for non-cardiologists to tell, in some cases, v-tach, from a-tach. And in my case, only the paramedics saw the tachycardia. He said even some cardiologists couldn't distinguish and that's why he was often referred to. So I thought, since he seemed skeptical of the a-tach thing (5%), and distinguished them as different from wolf-parkinson's white and this av nodal thing, and that he wanted to EP soon, seemed concerned, that perhaps his worry was v-tach.
Got my holter on now, and I'll keep posting to let you all know what's found and when, over the next few weeks. I hope someone out there finds this helpful, for I've learned a lot in the past few weeks about arrythmias that I didn't know about.
The doc had drawn some diagrams for me, so that's why I remembered the av-nodal area was in between the upper and lower chambers and is where there is a strip of muscled that improperly conducts rhythm through this junction. And it creates a short circuit of some sort.
The doctor said today that it's nearly impossible for non-cardiologists to tell, in some cases, v-tach, from a-tach. And in my case, only the paramedics saw the tachycardia. He said even some cardiologists couldn't distinguish and that's why he was often referred to. So I thought, since he seemed skeptical of the a-tach thing (5%), and distinguished them as different from wolf-parkinson's white and this av nodal thing, and that he wanted to EP soon, seemed concerned, that perhaps his worry was v-tach.
Got my holter on now, and I'll keep posting to let you all know what's found and when, over the next few weeks. I hope someone out there finds this helpful, for I've learned a lot in the past few weeks about arrythmias that I didn't know about.
I had my appt. with the ep. He was much more knowledgeable then the other cardiologist whom I'd seen, and the other cardio has LOST my records, nice, fortunately my PAT was dx'd in the ER.
This doc felt that I had a problem, given my symptoms, 60% as a-v nodal (something problem), 35% Wolf-Parksinson's White, and 5% actual PAT. He felt the problem was more severe then just PAT and wants to do a EP study, but through my neck, as my veins there are very accessible, due to muscle mass removed over them during a radical neck dissection. OUch! This sounds painful!
First he wants to re-halter me as a standard, tomorrow. And he also wants to re-tilt table test me, because he side he has done 20 X more tilts then the other doctor, who gave me the more controversial nitroglycerin (which I spit out anyways)..., and then he wants it done with isuprel, big medication phobia here, esp. with IV medication. That will be in a week or two. If that is negative, which they know right off, then you schedule for an EP study. Now if the EP study is negative, I have no clue what direction to go in.
This doc felt that I had a problem, given my symptoms, 60% as a-v nodal (something problem), 35% Wolf-Parksinson's White, and 5% actual PAT. He felt the problem was more severe then just PAT and wants to do a EP study, but through my neck, as my veins there are very accessible, due to muscle mass removed over them during a radical neck dissection. OUch! This sounds painful!
First he wants to re-halter me as a standard, tomorrow. And he also wants to re-tilt table test me, because he side he has done 20 X more tilts then the other doctor, who gave me the more controversial nitroglycerin (which I spit out anyways)..., and then he wants it done with isuprel, big medication phobia here, esp. with IV medication. That will be in a week or two. If that is negative, which they know right off, then you schedule for an EP study. Now if the EP study is negative, I have no clue what direction to go in.
Keep us updated. Did the doctor say it could be serious?
I had my appt. with the ep. He was much more knowledgeable then the other cardiologist whom I'd seen, and the other cardio has LOST my records, nice, fortunately my PAT was dx'd in the ER.
This doc felt that I had a problem, given my symptoms, 60% as a-v nodal (something problem), 35% Wolf-Parksinson's White, and 5% actual PAT. He felt the problem was more severe then just PAT and wants to do a EP study, but through my neck, as my veins there are very accessible, due to muscle mass removed over them during a radical neck dissection. OUch! This sounds painful!
First he wants to re-halter me as a standard, tomorrow. And he also wants to re-tilt table test me, because he side he has done 20 X more tilts then the other doctor, who gave me the more controversial nitroglycerin (which I spit out anyways)..., and then he wants it done with isuprel, big medication phobia here, esp. with IV medication. That will be in a week or two. If that is negative, which they know right off, then you schedule for an EP study. Now if the EP study is negative, I have no clue what direction to go in.
This doc felt that I had a problem, given my symptoms, 60% as a-v nodal (something problem), 35% Wolf-Parksinson's White, and 5% actual PAT. He felt the problem was more severe then just PAT and wants to do a EP study, but through my neck, as my veins there are very accessible, due to muscle mass removed over them during a radical neck dissection. OUch! This sounds painful!
First he wants to re-halter me as a standard, tomorrow. And he also wants to re-tilt table test me, because he side he has done 20 X more tilts then the other doctor, who gave me the more controversial nitroglycerin (which I spit out anyways)..., and then he wants it done with isuprel, big medication phobia here, esp. with IV medication. That will be in a week or two. If that is negative, which they know right off, then you schedule for an EP study. Now if the EP study is negative, I have no clue what direction to go in.
What does a-v nodal mean? (in regards to Savannah?
Tim:
It's a real shock when this happens to you isn't it? especially when you're a fit healthy person. Running on the treadmill brings on worse arrythmias than weights and cycling, but generally it can happen any old time in my case. apparently I have so many PACs that excersing causes them to degenerate into a fib. But WORST of all is swimming! I haven't been in the water for years because of the wierdo heartbeats I get as soon as I jump in. Have you ever noticed this?
Victoria:
thanks for your comment. I have had every test you can imagine, including thyroid tests....all normal except for a tilt table test which was positive.
It's a real shock when this happens to you isn't it? especially when you're a fit healthy person. Running on the treadmill brings on worse arrythmias than weights and cycling, but generally it can happen any old time in my case. apparently I have so many PACs that excersing causes them to degenerate into a fib. But WORST of all is swimming! I haven't been in the water for years because of the wierdo heartbeats I get as soon as I jump in. Have you ever noticed this?
Victoria:
thanks for your comment. I have had every test you can imagine, including thyroid tests....all normal except for a tilt table test which was positive.
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