Palpitations

So here I am. Sheesh. I don't know anymore than I did when I started this thread. Oops! Yes, I do know more! I learned about pulse deficit, pulsus paradoxus, and pulsus differens! Yes, I talk to myself and I answer back!

Well I had an EKG, a holter monitor test, and and echocardiogram. It took the doctors **** a month to read the tests. The print out on the EKG said that it could not rule out an anterior infarct. The doctor said that the EKG print out was wrong because there was some kind of problem with the leads or the computer, said the EKG was normal without ordering a second EKG. The next doctor reads the holter monitor report and says in the absence of hyperthyroidism that I should be worked up for "inappropriate sinus tachycardia" (IST). The third doctor read the echo and said that the echo was essentially normal, except for some calcification on the mitral valve (nothing to worry about) and for mild tricuspid regurgitation. So here I am. Sheesh. I don't know anymore than I did when I started this thread.

Yep, I think that you're right. I found this little note on a website for doing cardiac assessments: APICAL RADIAL PULSE Checks Peripheral Perfusion One Nurse Checks Radial Pulse One Nurse Checks Apical Pulse Normal: Radial = Apical Poor Perfusion : Radial Pulse Deficit From: www01.homepage.villanova.edu

Thanks for the information Kiddonurse. I know that I have some serious heart palpitations that awake me from my sleep and sometimes I get pressure in my chest. I just want to know if it is mental or physical. Whichever it is, it has got to be treated. I don't know which dx would be worse! Tsk! Tsk! The doctor that is supposed to be reading the strip is an electrophysiologist. Hopefully, he'll figure it out. Thanks again!

The nurse didn't say. She just said to keep my 2D Echo appointment. I'm going to be really irritable waiting for that day. It isn't until July 18th. The stress from waiting could make me stroke out! :angryfire I keep thinking that I may have POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). Oh well, I just have to try and be calm and wait.

The nurse didn't say. She just said to keep my 2D Echo appointment. I'm going to be really irritable waiting for that day. It isn't until July 18th. The stress from waiting could make me stroke out! :angryfire I keep thinking that I may have POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). Oh well, I just have to try and be calm and wait.

Well the preliminary report is: Lowest heart rate - 64; Highest heart rate - 141; and mean - 90; and one pvc. No SVT. They have to let a cardiologist read it to let me know anything more. It didn't help that I didn't have any real bouts of palpitations while wearing the Holter monitor. I was told that it could take the cardiologist up to a week to read the report.

Well the preliminary report is: Lowest heart rate - 64; Highest heart rate - 141; and mean - 90; and one pvc. No SVT. They have to let a cardiologist read it to let me know anything more. It didn't help that I didn't have any real bouts of palpitations while wearing the Holter monitor. I was told that it could take the cardiologist up to a week to read the report.

Update: I'm going in tomorrow to get the Holter monitor. I'll let you know what the results are.

To those that suggested that I asked the doctor about a wearing a holter monitor: Ok, I was told to advocate for myself as I would a patient (good advice btw). I called the doctor's office today and I spoke with her nurse and told her about my symptoms; and I asked if she thought that I would benefit by wearing a Holter monitor. She said that she would notify the doctor. I will let you know how this comes out. Thanks

It was Mag Ox. I don't understand why they didn't put me in the hospital overnoc so that I could be monitored. What does your hospital consider a critical magnesium level to be?

Also, it's kind of like "If it isn't written, it wasn't done." Get's nurses in trouble all the time. :stone

Stretched Thin, I'm glad that you made this post! I'm going to print out all of the responses and have my family read it. Maybe, this will help them to understand how I feel, and why it's so hard for me to go all of my children's school functions and stuff. They don't understand the concept of feeling "jet-lagged"! They do understand that they need money for the things that they want! I've got to get them to put 2 and 2 together. It's either one or the other! Thanks

I'm supposed to be getting a 2D Echo done in July. I don't know if that will show a conduction problem or not. It could be done on a day when my heart rate is normal...you know what I mean? Oh well, I'll let you know what I find out. All of the responses have been very informational. Now, I know why we have to check the apical pulse when giving Lanoxin (not the heart monitor, sat monitor, or bp monitor, or radial pulse). They all can be different. As said, the true pulse rate is the apical rate. Doesn't matter if you have two different pulses in bilateral arms. Thanks