Short runs of V-tach

[Dawn Charl]

I will be 50 yrs old in a few weeks.  I run 4 miles, 5 times a week and have been running for about 10 yrs. I don't smoke, drink, or even drink pop.  I have 2 cups of half caffiene coffee in the morning. I am not overweight. I have been bothered with heart palpitations for years.  Recently I started having palipitations and dizziness.  It happened about 4 times one morning.  I had an echo that showed a borderline low ejection fraction 50-55% and a holter monitor that showed short runs of v-tach.  
Do I need to be concerned?  My dad died at the age of 40 after referering a basketball game.  They found him dead and said he had a heart attack.  
I also get very short of breath.  Sometimes running can be very hard, and sometimes it's easy.  I also get a heaviness in my chest and on occasion, chest and neck pain.
The symptoms are troublesome to me and I would really like to be able to run without being short of breath, I would also like to stop the heavy feeling in my chest and palpitations.
I am concerned about the borderline low ejection fraction.  Shouldn't it be higher since I am so active?
What treatment would be beneficial?

Thanks for your response.

[Mom2four85]

woops that should say the mri was the day before not 2 days....sorry my days blur together sometimes.

I had an Ablation on Wed, Cardiac MRI on Thurs, Cardiac Cath & PM/ICD implant on Friday then went home Saturday evening.

[Mom2four85]

the cardiac mri was 2 days before my pm/icd implant; after you have it installed you can't have anything to do with mri's again because of the magnetic field

[PikaPika88]

Hi Lisa, when you have your cardiac MRI, it was before or after the implantation of your ICD/Pacemaker?

[Mom2four85]

Dawn sorry to hear you're going through this.  Have you had a full work up or seen a cardiologist? Did they suspect anything caused your father's heart attack?

You have quite a few of the same symptoms that I've had and they suspected ARVD or cardiomyopathy is the cause.  I had a cardiac MRI which was inconclusive and alot of things point to ARVD (Arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia).  Google it and see if any of the symptoms fit you or your dad/family.

I would have a full work up with a cardiologist and see what the other tests say.  Get your test results and ask lots of questions, and don't be afraid to get a 2nd opinion or even a 3rd if you're still having problems.