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Heart failure?
Hi all,
Before I start, I should state that I am not looking for a diagnosis here, it would be idiotic of me to even think about asking for one given that no one here knows my medical history.
What concerns me is this - for the last couple of years, I have been having spells of tachycardia and now have a resting heart rate of 110-130bpm. This constant tachy state leaves me tired and breathless. Fast forward to about 8 weeks ago and I have noticed that I am breathless almost constantly (and different to my usual asthma breathlessness - it feels different), am completely exhausted (not just your standard tired after a day of working, it has gotten to the stage where I have phoned in sick a couple of times as I just can't get out of bed - this is so NOT me!). I also have mild odema in my lower legs which stays indented when pressure is applied.
Past medical history - I am a brittle asthmatic and overweight (not massively) due to daily steroid medications, I also have chronic anaemia (10+ years) which is of unknown cause.
I went to the GP regarding the tachycardia and she ordered a 24-hour holter monitor, urine collection test and an echo. I had the echo yesterday and asked the nurse if she could tell me my ejection fraction. She told me that they had stopped doing that as it was only a measure of the EF at that specific moment in time and can be misleading (false positive/negative). She said that everything looks fine.
If I am honest, I was hoping for something to show up, if only to have a cause and something to treat. I have looked into the symptoms of heart failure, but does this "normal" echo mean that I definitely don't have it?
Please don't get me wrong, I'm not wanting a diagnosis of heart failure, especially at the age of 30, but it seems to explain everything, and I am desperate to get rid of all of these symptoms which are getting in the way of my daily life.
Thanks
Susan
Before I start, I should state that I am not looking for a diagnosis here, it would be idiotic of me to even think about asking for one given that no one here knows my medical history.
What concerns me is this - for the last couple of years, I have been having spells of tachycardia and now have a resting heart rate of 110-130bpm. This constant tachy state leaves me tired and breathless. Fast forward to about 8 weeks ago and I have noticed that I am breathless almost constantly (and different to my usual asthma breathlessness - it feels different), am completely exhausted (not just your standard tired after a day of working, it has gotten to the stage where I have phoned in sick a couple of times as I just can't get out of bed - this is so NOT me!). I also have mild odema in my lower legs which stays indented when pressure is applied.
Past medical history - I am a brittle asthmatic and overweight (not massively) due to daily steroid medications, I also have chronic anaemia (10+ years) which is of unknown cause.
I went to the GP regarding the tachycardia and she ordered a 24-hour holter monitor, urine collection test and an echo. I had the echo yesterday and asked the nurse if she could tell me my ejection fraction. She told me that they had stopped doing that as it was only a measure of the EF at that specific moment in time and can be misleading (false positive/negative). She said that everything looks fine.
If I am honest, I was hoping for something to show up, if only to have a cause and something to treat. I have looked into the symptoms of heart failure, but does this "normal" echo mean that I definitely don't have it?
Please don't get me wrong, I'm not wanting a diagnosis of heart failure, especially at the age of 30, but it seems to explain everything, and I am desperate to get rid of all of these symptoms which are getting in the way of my daily life.
Thanks
Susan
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