Unexpected Medical Treat Coming** ( update 4/30 )**

[Narragansett]

A couple weeks ago, I went to my new primary care doctor ( PCP ). She is very thorough and ordered a bunch of inhouse tests as well as some imaging.

One of the things done inhouse was an EKG. The tech hooked me up, and started the test after which she left the room. Then came back to complete the test. I said what is wrong. She said doctor will talk to you. Great!

Doctor says it appears that I have AFIB. Oh joy and rapture. Starts me on Eliquis blood thinner. She hooks me up with a great cardiologist who does an echocardiogram, and gives me a heart monitor to wear for a week.

Doctor calls me yesterday with results. Echo test is great. Pressure and heart rate are fine, valves work fine. no problem.

The heart monitor results say the same as echo test, plus there is no AFIB. Then he says, but there is something strange with your electrical system. Some signals are weak, and my heart stopped twice for 5 seconds in a week during the daytime. All news to me, I did not feel anything.

After a long discussion, I have an 8:30 AM appointment with an electrophysiologist to discuss a pacemaker today.

All this because of a botched EKG.

42 years in electrical construction and six master electricians licenses and I can't fix my own electrical problem.

Update ******Device installed 4/29. All went well. Just sore.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Glad to hear they can fix you back up to specs!

Ivan

 

[StrawHat]

Pete,

Just go to the tattoo parlor and get a post imbedded in your neck. Then, hook up a couple of 9 volt batteries and you should be good to go!

Kevin

 

[robvious]

everyone that I know that has had a pacemaker was delighted with having it, and wished that they had done so sooner... glad they caught it before anything nasty happened.

 

[pharmer]

Tell me you are not on a "Beta Blocker." I was on Metoprolol for years. A little over a year ago I noticed irregular beats/ stopped for several seconds/ heart rate 30 BPM. Stopped Metoprolol; now, heart rate 66, blood pressure meds down from 5 to 2, blood pressure 130/80 (in Dr's office) a significant drop. I went through all the tests/ monitoring for nothing. Switching Cardiologist was the "cure." Joe

 

[The Last Standing Knight]

A couple weeks ago, I went to my new primary care doctor ( PCP ). She is very thorough and ordered a bunch of inhouse tests as well as some imaging.

One of the things done inhouse was an EKG. The tech hooked me up, and started the test after which she left the room. Then came back to complete the test. I said what is wrong. She said doctor will talk to you. Great!

Doctor says it appears that I have AFIB. Oh joy and rapture. Starts me on Eliquis blood thinner. She hooks me up with a great cardiologist who does an echocardiogram, and gives me a heart monitor to wear for a week.

Doctor calls me yesterday with results. Echo test is great. Pressure and heart rate are fine, valves work fine. no problem.

The heart monitor results say the same as echo test, plus there is no AFIB. Then he says, but there is something strange with your electrical system. Some signals are weak, and my heart stopped twice for 5 seconds in a week during the daytime. All news to me, I did not feel anything.

After a long discussion, I have an 8:30 AM appointment with an electrophysiologist to discuss a pacemaker today.

All this because of a botched EKG.

42 years in electrical construction and six master electricians licenses and I can't fix my own electrical problem.

As someone who had just completed a battery of cardiological tests myself, I would suggest you seek a second opinion before taking any action based on one doctor's diagnosis.

My cardiologist told me all sorts of things that I KNEW were not only NOT necessary but had I gone through with them would've been harmful to me. They definately didn't like my refusal.

It had to do with milking the insurance. (for example- my cholesterol is outstanding, yet they wanted to put me on some expensive meds for it).

You may have a problem...or you may not. In this time I have found doctors to be more intersted in your wallet than your health.

Just some friendly advice.

 

[WR Moore]

Wife got MRSA after a pacemaker battery change. While in there, they decided she hadn't needed the pacemaker after all.

Couple of years back I was hospitalized and they found a laundry list of things. Afib included, but it was way down the list. They seemed really puzzled that I had none of the usual symptoms. Cleared up on it's own (we were waiting for someone to wheel me down to have the heart shocked to restore normal rhythm when a guy ran in and told everyone my heart had resumed normal operation at 1700 the day before) and 30 days on a heart monitor showed no trace.

Bear in mind the Docs have bills to pay. AGREE with post #6.

 

[NFrameFred]

Getting old is a privilege not afforded everyone . . . but it ain't for sissies !
Glad you got a good report - pacemakers are a lot more compact than just a few years ago and maintenance/adjustment a lot less invasive.

I survived my "widow maker" heart attack and then a few years later got titanium knees, so I'm satisfied to keep from having to add any other 'bionic' features as long as possible.

 

[Narragansett]

Tell me you are not on a "Beta Blocker." I was on Metoprolol for years. A little over a year ago I noticed irregular beats/ stopped for several seconds/ heart rate 30 BPM. Stopped Metoprolol; now, heart rate 66, blood pressure meds down from 5 to 2, blood pressure 130/80 (in Dr's office) a significant drop. I went through all the tests/ monitoring for nothing. Switching Cardiologist was the "cure." Joe

I am not on a beta blocker. Today my heart rate was 66 and BP was 124 over 68. I do take 5 mg of lisinopril

 

[Onomea]

I take metroprolol. Prior to taking it, I had premature ventricular contractions 40% of the time. Since, 4%. Not that I notice either way.

Everybody's different.

 

[Golddollar]

Doctor calls me yesterday with results. Echo test is great. Pressure and heart rate are fine, valves work fine. no problem.

The heart monitor results say the same as echo test, plus there is no AFIB. Then he says, but there is something strange with your electrical system. Some signals are weak, and my heart stopped twice for 5 seconds in a week during the daytime. All news to me, I did not feel anything.

Sure it's not just a corroded switch? Maybe you need to carry jumper cables

 

[Skeet 028]

I have a PM. My heart rate without is 30-40. With the PM it is 62. But I also have AFib. So I take a blood thinner to keep strokes from occurring. I do take Metoprolol and another drug called Pacerone. My first cardiologist I went to wanted to do an atrial ablation. which is very invasive. When I suggested something a little less invasive he more or less cast me to the winds. Ablations such as that cost approx 80 grand...and the average rate of them working 1st time is about 15-20%...Talk about paying for the Beemer or Mercedes. Doc I finally got hooked up with got the AFib straightened out. the PM does very little for the AFib but it keeps the heart rate up so I don't pass out...but it lets them know if it does happen.

 

[Bald1]

220 , 221 whatever it takes.

 

[Kenna]

Find the Hot then grab the conduit. Should Help. Dad had Afib a while back Dr went down his throat with paddle and jumped heart back to rhythm. Hes 93. My best to you.

 

[tops]

I decided that years ago and I have saved the insurance co. and myself several dollars.
I also check on the side effects of medicine that they prescribe. I have very bad kidneys and when I had a knee replaced the doctor prescribed a pain med. that is hard on kidneys. I got the medicine changed.
A kidney dr. told me I needed to take a Potassium pill. I looked at the results and my Potassium was in the middle so I didn't that the pill but it was in the summer and I ate tomatoes at least twice a day and when I went back he said quit the Potassium pill. I told him I never started the pill and explained why my Potassium level was higher than the earlier reading. He cut that visit short
I really believe that if I didn't check behind the doctors I would be in worse shape than I am. I'm 82 and can still do some manual labor so I must be doing something right. Larry

 

[GaryS]

I've been telling people for 25 years that you can't just be a patient. You have to be an informed consumer of medical services.

Being a paramedic has helped me do that, but there is a lot of information available these days. You also have to carefully evaluate that.

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) can be life threatening or it can be mild. It also has a lot of potential complications from heart attack, to Congestive Heart Failure, to Deep Vein Thrombosis, to Stroke.

Because the blood does not flow out of the Atria smoothly clots can form and travel to other parts of the body. In addition to rate control, blood thinners are used.

I'm pretty good at reading EKGs and if you know what to look for, it's easy to recognize. The key to recognizing any cardiac dysrhythmia is knowing what a normal rhythm looks like. Also, looking at a lot of them helps.

I've been lucky with primary care doctors because I can have intelligent conversations with them. I know enough about the commonly used medications for cardiac disease to ask good questions. On the few occasions where I've bee prescribed a med, I ask for the lowest acceptable dose.

Pacemakers have improved in every way since the first ones were used. Very, very few people have complications with implantation.

I decided that years ago and I have saved the insurance co. and myself several dollars.
I also check on the side effects of medicine that they prescribe. I have very bad kidneys and when I had a knee replaced the doctor prescribed a pain med. that is hard on kidneys. I got the medicine changed.
A kidney dr. told me I needed to take a Potassium pill. I looked at the results and my Potassium was in the middle so I didn't that the pill but it was in the summer and I ate tomatoes at least twice a day and when I went back he said quit the Potassium pill. I told him I never started the pill and explained why my Potassium level was higher than the earlier reading. He cut that visit short
I really believe that if I didn't check behind the doctors I would be in worse shape than I am. I'm 82 and can still do some manual labor so I must be doing something right. Larry

 

[Spajohn]

What you really need is to get a new set of rings and a valve job. Maybe a new set of plugs while you're in there.

 

[Rustyt1953]

I am PM dependent. I have been in AFib for almost 14 years. I am 4.5 years into my second ICD (I got 8.5 years out of the first). I am forever grateful that this technology has advanced this far.

The most reassuring asset I have is Ruthie. As a nurse she is a dogged medical advocate and every procedure and consult is under her scrutiny. Twice she cleared unseen roadblocks for me that I missed.

Had I to do it all over again I might go this route.

 

[Golddollar]

I am PM dependent. I have been in AFib for almost 14 years. I am 4.5 years into my second ICD (I got 8.5 years out of the first). I am forever grateful that this technology has advanced this far.

The most reassuring asset I have is Ruthie. As a nurse she is a dogged medical advocate and every procedure and consult is under her scrutiny. Twice she cleared unseen roadblocks for me that I missed.

Had I to do it all over again I might go this route.

I still say that thing looks like a thermostat for a 1971 Chrysler.

 

[johngalt]

I'm not a cardiologist, but have seen plenty over the last year. I would be highly suspicious of someone who wants to discuss a pacemaker due to some intermittent skipped beats and no other problems.