/Heart Arrythmias

[Guest guest]

-

You may remember that a few weeks back Iwent into panic mode over my doc

finding (via holter monitor) some heart rythm abnormalities. U were very

helpful and gave me guidance and advice and I did seek out a cardiologist,

who I saw last Friday.

The cardio guy did another ekg - which was normal (though ekg are basically

of no use I think - my Uncle died of a heart attack in the taxi that took

him home from having an ekg during the course of a physical exam!). He took

my history and he took my blood pressure. I have no shortness of breathe -

no swelling of extremities and no chest pain. Just that gawdawful

pounding/palpitation. I had to give him copies of my most recent blood work

in which all was normal except my lipids - LDL 178, Cholesterol 252, HDL 46,

Trigly. 180. My BP was 170/100. I take beta blockers now (have for

about 20 years) for high BP - a familial problem handed down on both sides

of the tree. I take 75 mg of Tenormin. Over the years my Bp periodically

would start to climb again and my dose would be increased - I started out

with 25 mg.

Doc says lipids are " horrible " - but I don't agree when I listen to those

of my peers (on statins) and family. Though I realize mine isn't below the

" standard " - they are far better than the 300 range and some 500 ranges of

friends and family. My BP has been a concern of mine for a while and the

regular doc tried to switch me to Diovan, while weaning the Tenormin and

when reducing the Tenormin by only 25 mg and adding the Diovan, my pressure

was running around 180 over 110. When I am not anxious, i.e. out in a

store where there is a cuff, my pressure runs about 135/140ish over 80/90ish

now (whereas two yrs ago that was 100 ish over 60 ish.

So doc has increased the Tenormin to 100mg. He says Beta blockers are the

common treatement for " heart awareness " i.e. palps. He agrees with u that

there is no danger - BUT given my BP and lipds - I could have underlying

issues. And this was what I was afraid he would say and send me off for

testing galore. I only agreed to a stress test (w/o contrast) and a echo

cardiogram. When I got home hubby asked why I refused the radioactive

stress test and I said I thought it was overkill. Now we are in a

" discussion " about whether I should have the radioactive stress test.

Soooooo - two questions - (l) did u ever try beta blockers for palps? (2)

is it really necessary for radioactive stress test given I have no chest

pain, no shortness of breath - good chest and lung sounds and no peripheral

edema?

Tks for ur input

Dusty

[Guest guest]

Dusty,

You wrote:

>

> ...(2) is it really necessary for radioactive stress test given I have no

chest

> pain, no shortness of breath - good chest and lung sounds and no peripheral

> edema?

The thallium will show where your oxygen is going ... or not going when

it should. It can allow you to see problems developing long before you

have overt symptoms. On the other side of the equation, the risks are

pretty minimal. Just stay away from my lab for a week afterwards, or

you'll mess up my nucleonics.

Chuck

[Guest guest]

Hi Dusty,

I read fairly very recently (October 2006) that the British Heart Foundation are

saying, after some research I believe, that calcium channel blockers and

diuretics, not beta blockers, are now the best first line treatment for

consistently high blood pressure and palpitations, both of which I have. My

blood pressure went into double figures top and bottom for the first time in my

life. The doctor put this down to moving house and my eldest son taking ill

around the same time. I told her that for a time, since developing

hypothyroidism, my heart sometimes thumps rapidly just for a few seconds, enough

to cause me to feel aware of a slight discomfort in my chest, then it goes back

into natural rhythm. Instead of suffering the effects of 'white coat syndrome'

i.e. your blood pressure shooting up when you visit the doctor, my pressure was

back to MY' normal' a bit on the high side having had my blood pressure taken

and producing a normal wave ECG. The doctor said she would probably start me on

the above treatment. Around the same time, there were lots of articles in the

national press and elsewhere saying statins did not appear to work so well for

women as they do for men. That made sense to me, as I have read many times, that

female symptoms of a heart attack differ from men, and hence sometimes get

'missed' in a diagnosis. Not trying to scare you with the last bit, just sharing

information.

Val

/Heart Arrythmias

-

You may remember that a few weeks back Iwent into panic mode over my doc

finding (via holter monitor) some heart rythm abnormalities. U were very

helpful and gave me guidance and advice and I did seek out a cardiologist,

who I saw last Friday.

The cardio guy did another ekg - which was normal (though ekg are basically

of no use I think - my Uncle died of a heart attack in the taxi that took

him home from having an ekg during the course of a physical exam!). He took

my history and he took my blood pressure. I have no shortness of breathe -

no swelling of extremities and no chest pain. Just that gawdawful

pounding/palpitation. I had to give him copies of my most recent blood work

in which all was normal except my lipids - LDL 178, Cholesterol 252, HDL 46,

Trigly. 180. My BP was 170/100. I take beta blockers now (have for

about 20 years) for high BP - a familial problem handed down on both sides

of the tree. I take 75 mg of Tenormin. Over the years my Bp periodically

would start to climb again and my dose would be increased - I started out

with 25 mg.

Doc says lipids are " horrible " - but I don't agree when I listen to those

of my peers (on statins) and family. Though I realize mine isn't below the

" standard " - they are far better than the 300 range and some 500 ranges of

friends and family. My BP has been a concern of mine for a while and the

regular doc tried to switch me to Diovan, while weaning the Tenormin and

when reducing the Tenormin by only 25 mg and adding the Diovan, my pressure

was running around 180 over 110. When I am not anxious, i.e. out in a

store where there is a cuff, my pressure runs about 135/140ish over 80/90ish

now (whereas two yrs ago that was 100 ish over 60 ish.

So doc has increased the Tenormin to 100mg. He says Beta blockers are the

common treatement for " heart awareness " i.e. palps. He agrees with u that

there is no danger - BUT given my BP and lipds - I could have underlying

issues. And this was what I was afraid he would say and send me off for

testing galore. I only agreed to a stress test (w/o contrast) and a echo

cardiogram. When I got home hubby asked why I refused the radioactive

stress test and I said I thought it was overkill. Now we are in a

" discussion " about whether I should have the radioactive stress test.

Soooooo - two questions - (l) did u ever try beta blockers for palps? (2)

is it really necessary for radioactive stress test given I have no chest

pain, no shortness of breath - good chest and lung sounds and no peripheral

edema?

Tks for ur input

Dusty

[Guest guest]

http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/newscommentary/a/personalstories.htm?nl=1

thus is a great newsletter and some interesting personal stories hope this

helps susan

/Heart Arrythmias

-

You may remember that a few weeks back Iwent into panic mode over my doc

finding (via holter monitor) some heart rythm abnormalities. U were very

helpful and gave me guidance and advice and I did seek out a cardiologist,

who I saw last Friday.

The cardio guy did another ekg - which was normal (though ekg are basically

of no use I think - my Uncle died of a heart attack in the taxi that took

him home from having an ekg during the course of a physical exam!). He took

my history and he took my blood pressure. I have no shortness of breathe -

no swelling of extremities and no chest pain. Just that gawdawful

pounding/palpitation. I had to give him copies of my most recent blood work

in which all was normal except my lipids - LDL 178, Cholesterol 252, HDL 46,

Trigly. 180. My BP was 170/100. I take beta blockers now (have for

about 20 years) for high BP - a familial problem handed down on both sides

of the tree. I take 75 mg of Tenormin. Over the years my Bp periodically

would start to climb again and my dose would be increased - I started out

with 25 mg.

Doc says lipids are " horrible " - but I don't agree when I listen to those

of my peers (on statins) and family. Though I realize mine isn't below the

" standard " - they are far better than the 300 range and some 500 ranges of

friends and family. My BP has been a concern of mine for a while and the

regular doc tried to switch me to Diovan, while weaning the Tenormin and

when reducing the Tenormin by only 25 mg and adding the Diovan, my pressure

was running around 180 over 110. When I am not anxious, i.e. out in a

store where there is a cuff, my pressure runs about 135/140ish over 80/90ish

now (whereas two yrs ago that was 100 ish over 60 ish.

So doc has increased the Tenormin to 100mg. He says Beta blockers are the

common treatement for " heart awareness " i.e. palps. He agrees with u that

there is no danger - BUT given my BP and lipds - I could have underlying

issues. And this was what I was afraid he would say and send me off for

testing galore. I only agreed to a stress test (w/o contrast) and a echo

cardiogram. When I got home hubby asked why I refused the radioactive

stress test and I said I thought it was overkill. Now we are in a

" discussion " about whether I should have the radioactive stress test.

Soooooo - two questions - (l) did u ever try beta blockers for palps? (2)

is it really necessary for radioactive stress test given I have no chest

pain, no shortness of breath - good chest and lung sounds and no peripheral

edema?

Tks for ur input

Dusty