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363281 tn?1643235611

Need to vent and suggestions about heart skips, etc.

Well, here goes, this might be long, I really need to get this out and hopefully some light shed on all this.

I have been plagued with different heart skips and rhythms for many years, they started when I was 38. Here is an outline of them:

1)  I never had any before we moved to another city, that was when my dear mother, that same night, woke me up saying she was "dying" she was in and out of hospitals for 9 years, had triple by-pass surgery, leg amputation, etc. Her attitude was also stellar though. Anyway, I first had an episode about a year after her first hospitalization, 1997, I wad bending down cleaning the car and I felt those horrid skips. I had my friend take me to the ER, they immediately put a holter monitor on me, I wore it for 24 hours. The results were great, it said it was a great reading and I had only had 3 ectopic beats. Well, that calmed me down and I don't recall having anymore that bothered me until mothers death.

2) Mother's death was 2005, about a year after, I noticed the "skips" and runs coming a lot more frequently. it was then that I started to go to the ER more, and my GP. I was given holter monitors to wear and a couple of echocardiograms. They all were "normal" the 7 day even monitor said I had PVC's, PAC's and atrial run, but other than that all normal. I am not sure how many I had but was probably close to may 100? My regular 24 hour monitors always had under 25. I must admit, I had many moments of being very scared and sometimes they lasted a few hours, but that was rare. Well, this went on and off for many years, but, I will say I would go a long time with any as well. Now, the next time they got worse again was during my daddy's illness and resulting death which was 2012, but his symptoms started 2010:

3) I could see my daddy getting thinner and weaker by the day after mom died, they had been married 61 years, and he took it so hard. Well, 6 years later,is when I noticed him going down hill, he refused to see a doctor, and this was upsetting as well. He died from a myeloproliferative disorder 2012, that is a form of blood cancer. Well, after that, my arrhythmia started in again, as did shortness of breath, etc.

4) 2012 later in that year, I got married to man from New Zealand, I move over here and since then, my skips have been terrible, we had a honeymoon here in New Zealand, and the entire time I had non-stop skips, but I later found out on my own that those were due to some synthetic progesterone, when I stopped that, they did too. Later, however, about a year, they were back and  it was with a vengeance. They got worse in 2018 when my husband was diagnosed with bowel cancer, he was in the hospital for 85 days, they got it all, but he almost died a few times, and is still having some complications. My skips stayed at bay until he came home from the hospital, then they really started, they finally went away and did not return until 2019, they returned but not for as long, but still scared me. Again, Steve was hospitalized for complications right before Christmas.

5) Now we are in 2012, they have been unmerciful. They started back near the end of January. I had had a horrible scare of vertigo, when I layed down in bed, I spun, I called 911 and they did some tests to rule out stroke, nothing was wrong, so they left, but, I called them again but I had another episode. The EKG was border line normal and all else fine,but I was so scared. Well, a week or so later, is when the skips and arrhythmia started and they have been with me since. Some days I may have none, but mostly they are with me. A month ago I called 911 and they came again, took the EKG, etc, they said all was well, but when I saw the EKG, it said it was NOT normal, that the ST-T was abnormal and could be due to myocardial ischemia. I asked the tech and they said they ignored the readout and went only by the tracing and mine was fine. I did not believe them, so later, that day, I went to the ER, they took another EKG and had me on the monitor, it was all "normal" and the doctor said the same thing that the EMT did, that the machines often gave those readings but they only go by the tracing. So, I was sent home still scared. A couple of weeks ago, I went to the ER again, this time for quick, mild back and chest pain, and skips. They hooked me up to the monitor, did cardiac blood work and the EKG, all was "normal" so after keeping me for 4 hours, I was sent home. The pain is dull and doesn't last long, it starts in my back and goes under my breast and rib, I have been told I have fibro and costochondritis in the past, so who knows.

6) So, according to everyone, I  am OK, but I don't believe it. I have literally begged to be able to wear another holter monitor, the last one I wore was 10 years ago back in the states and lots can change. Well, they refuse to let me wear one and I am going crazy over fear. My GP had told me he would refer me to a cardiologist so I could wear one,but he didn't, all he did was ask her what she thought, she said my skips, etc are benign (how does she know, she has never met me or seen a holter reading from me) and that I should be on beta blockers. Well NO WAY, I will NOT take them. My heart rate is not fast, I average between 65 to 75 beats a minute when not upset. My b/p is great, it averages 105/65 to 117\75 unless I am nervous, then it goes up to 144\80 or a wee bit more. I usually average about 10 skipped beats or runs a day, sometimes less. I just want to wear a monitor to rule out the fact that some of the weird beats and runs are not sinister. Sometimes, I will feel my heart beating just fine,then a long pause, the it starts again, there are no extra beats to make up for it. I also have where my heart goes beat, beat, beat, beat, etc, then a pause, then it goes very fast for about 10 beats, then pause again, and then back to normal. I also have the PAC's and PVC's, at least I think they are those.

7) I do have a hiatal hernia and when I drink water or eat, if I bend over or walk the weird skips, etc will start.

So, there you have it, I just want to get back to normal again, I want that monitor, I think it is cruel that I am denied it. I could go "private": but then I would have to pay, so, I go "public" like most do in New Zealand, that way it is free, but that is when you are at the doctor's mercy and are on a wait-list or sometimes denied the procedure. We are on an extremely limited income and can't afford any thing extra, but I must have peace of mind. I don't know how I am going to convince my doctor to refer me for a monitor when the cardiologist he wrote too also said I don't need one. But again, how does she know, she has not met me or seen any holter readings, etc. It is soooo frustrating.
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20748650 tn?1521032211
COMMUNITY LEADER
I hear ya!

With regards to beta blockers: metoprolol is sort of a tic tax for heart rhythms. It’s not super effective but not super dangerous either. It provides a low degree of coverage for a very broad amount of heart rhythms and has little to no risk of serious side effects.

If the doc wants to give it to you I wouldn’t feel too apprehensive about taking it; the drug really isn’t strong at all.

Unfortunately not being strong also means not being as effective. With regards to drugs for heart rhythms the more likely the drug is to cure you, the more likely it is to cause dangerous side effects in general.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
Thank you, but I truly don't feel I need one. You see, my resting heart rage is always between 65 to 80, and my b/p is good. The only time I have a rise in numbers in both is when I am scared, which is normal. Most days both are always steady, so, I don't see the need to take one. All I wanted was that monitor for reassurance, but well, I guess it isn't going to happen, so, I must place my faith and trust in the Lord to not be afraid and for healing if there is anything wrong.
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