Can you help me?

[crlarne]

I have irregular heart beats. They started in September 2008. I garden so I was out in the 100 degree weather everyday, and I really did not pay enough attention to liquids. I went to my doctor, and he thought my patassium was low. He did an EKG. and the heart rythum was find, but the heart was skipping. It beats fine for a while the it skips. He checked the normal things, and everything came back ok. He put me on one 25mg of a bata blocker. I had been told not to ever take bata blockers because I have sleep apnea. I was not too happy with this, but I have been taking it. I do not have high blood pressure, actually it is a little low. No high bad cholesterol, I do have high good cholesterol. My doctor sent me to a cardiologist, that doctor sent me for a stress test. That is the one with the tread mill and also the xray. The diagnosis was Mild Anteroatial Reversible Ischemia sorry I do not know how to spell that and it is not in my dictionary. Then he scheduled me to get an arterialgram this tuesday. but he wanted me to go to the lab for some bloodwork for some of the minerals like megnessium, calium, then to come back in two days. When I went into the office, a person took me to a room for a dopular heart test and test on the two neck arteries. After that was done, she said I could go home. I saw the doctors nurse and asked him how the blood work came out. He said they were normal. Now my question is, this doctor scheduled the arterialgram before all the tests were done. Isn't that out of order? I  don't feel real good about this, and I really don't know why.  Please excuse all the incorrect spellings, I know nothing about the heart. I have never known anyone that had something wrong with their heart. I have been reading in my books trying to learn, but it is confusing. Thank you so much

[crlarne]

Thank you so much. It really helps to find guys like you and Brooke.

[crlarne]

Is that doppler test for the heart going to show a blockage if one is there? Yes, I think you may be right on the smoking.
thanks

[Brooke_38]

Breast attenuation and attenuation artifacts complicate interpretation of myocardial perfusion SPECT imaging studies. Sometimes the results of a stress test produces a heart image that looks like a defect. but in reality it is a pseudo-defect that gives a false positive test result.

This is due to interference with the heart image from non-heart tissues in men (diaphragm attenuation), and in women, the breast tissue "breast attenuation".

When non-heart tissue attenuation is clearly the cause of an abnormal image, nothing additional needs to be done.

I agree with Jerry in regard to the smoking...This should be the first thing you eliminate. There are too many health related problems that occur in people who smoke. This is certainly something that could account for your symptoms of "skipped" beats. I hope that you have luck as you try to quit.:)    

[Jerry_NJ]

Brook will provide the best details, but I can offer a few general points.

Please don't give up on "traditional" medicine, go through all the tests, that's the only way to learn the "mechanical" condition of your cardio system.  

Stop smoking, that goes without saying, and I said it anyway.  There are no redeeming values in smoking.  If it isn't the main problem now, it is contributing to the problem and will almost assure problems in the future.

Go no-caf on the coffee and tea and soda if you drink them too.  This is a good general practice, and clearly called for while you are looking for a cure.  

[crlarne]

I have another question. What is breast Attenuation?
I have very high good cholestoral. Don't know the numbers. I don't have any high blood pressure. I don't have anything except a skipping heart. I do drink coffee and smoke. I have thought about quitting and see if that is it. Also thought about going to a holistic, or homeapathic doctor. There is a doctor about 50 miles from me who went into health foods.

[crlarne]

I forgot something on the last message. I will just do a list, maybe that will be better.

Sept 2008  I went to my primary doctor for heart skipping.
                 He did an EKG the rythum was great, but of course the skips were there.
                 He ordered me a monitor. I don't know what kind, but I wore it around the  
                  clock for three weeks. I was hooked to the computer the entire time. If I
                  felt something I went to the monitor and answered some questions. That
                  test came out good no problems.
                  He sent me to the lab for blood for a chem 14.
                  Everything on that test was good.
                  Then he sent me to the lab for a stress test. Treadmill and xray.

                   The nurse called and said she was setting up me an appointment with the
                   the cardiologist who had done the stress test, because the test showed
                   Mild Anteroatical reversible Ischemia. I ask what all that meant and she did
                   not know. I don't know if the spelling is correct.

                   I went to the cardiologist and he said he wanted me to get an                
                   arteriogram because there might be a blockage and if there was he would
                   put a stint in the artery. His nurse made the appointment. He sent me to
                   the lab for more blood work, and made me an appontment at his office for    
                   Friday (yesterday). I went in but did not see him. A person did a doppler for
                    for the heart and the carotid arteries. As I was leaving, I saw his nurse and
                   ask him how the blood work test came out. He said they were normal.
                   I think I am just upset, because he made an appointment for the
                   arteriogram before he had all the tests in. Maybe the results from the
                   stress tests tells the story, but in that case, why did I have to have the
                   other tests?
                   I hope this is makes more scense. Thanks
                  
            
                      

[Brooke_38]

Hello...

Understanding the heart and how it works, arrhythmias, tests etc. can be very confusing and overwhelming for many. So to get your history correct. You were ok until this past Sept at which point you noticed skipped beats, you had a normal EKG, normal Labs and was given a perscription for a BB.

I'm a little confused about the statement regarding your cholesterol...Is it normal or high? If it's high (what are you #'s Total_ LDL_ HDL_)

You saw the cardiologist who gave you a nuclear stress test which resulted in a finding of Mild Anterior Reversible Ischemia. This finding is typical in woman resulting from breast attenuation.

I think you had all of the proper testing done. I think he may have scheduled you for the arteriogram in the event that the carotid doppler was positve for a bruit. THey may have suspected that you had a blockage somewhere in your arterial vasculature.

Are you still schedulaed for this arteriogram? It is an invasive test and I'm not quite sure that with all your negative findings it is being performed?