Mended Hearts Open Forum

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  • 1.  Ventricular Tachycardia

    Posted 09-28-2020 15:53
    I'm 67 yrs old, have heart failure, hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy, an LVBBB, several septal defects and heart murmurs. Tests done in 2019 showed very little carotid plaque. I also have some pulmonary issues caused by one of my meds. My meds have been tweaked so many times it's hard to keep track.

    A few weeks ago my cardiologist gave me a heart monitor to wear for 24 hours because my blood pressure had been fluctuating wildly, palpitations had returned, and I had a dry cough. Today I saw him to hear the results. The heart monitor recorded one 5 beat episode of rapid heartbeats. 

    Dr. Patel says that overall, I'm in stable condition. My EF is up from 40 to 60 since I was diagnosed in May 2019. I was able to do my most recent heart stress test on a treadmill instead of chemically, which he says is uncommon. I exercise daily, eat healthy, faithfully take my meds, report symptoms and am a good, cooperative patient (I'm sure my mother would be proud of that). With only 5 beats, the tachycardia could have been a fluke in an otherwise low-risk patient. But... he wants me to consider having a cardiac catheterization. The idea does NOT appeal to me. Medical tests and surgery don't freak me out, but I am so danged worn out from the many tests I've had in the past 18 months that the idea of yet another one makes me tired just thinking about it.

    I don't know what to do. Would wearing a heart monitor again, perhaps for a longer period, record any more tachycardia events? Am I being foolish to avoid the cardiac cath? Sometimes it seems like my disobedient heart has taken over my entire life. I've trudged through month after month of depression and anxiety about my heart and only in the past month have felt better adjusted to my new normal. To hear about yet another potential problem has my little brain in the shadows again.

    Well, thanks for listening to my latest pity party.


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    Jean McMillan
    TN
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  • 2.  RE: Ventricular Tachycardia

    Posted 09-29-2020 07:00
    Hi Jean,

    I think you need to consider whether your not wanting to have a cardiac cath is a result of not wanting to undergo a potentially unnecessary invasive procedure or whether it is because you fear what a positive test might mean.

    If it's the former, then you can always seek a second opinion from another cardiologist.  If it's the latter, then you need to understand that fear of a potential future event always is based on an imaginary idea of the future.  Even if that event actually does come to pass, it is never experienced by you the way you imagined it, because no amount of imagination ever can capture the moment by moment reality of the thing when it actually is occurring.  Our imagination about some fearful event just doesn't take into account positive or even humorous experiences or outcomes that become part of our living through the event.

    So, if you're looking for medical advice, get a second opinion, but if you're hesitancy is based in fear, then consider how often reality has differed from what you feared it might be before it actually happened.  Maybe do both.

    All the best,

    Ira

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    Ira Reid
    Hoboken NJ
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  • 3.  RE: Ventricular Tachycardia

    Posted 09-29-2020 07:40

    @Welcome to the group. 

    I too went through a period of many PVCs. Wearing a twenty-four hour monitor revealed I had 29,000 of them and I thought that I was recording a "good" day and the doc wouldn't get a true picture. 

    If I were you, I'd go for a longer recording monitor to give your doctor a truer picture as to how often this is occurring or talk to him about one of those watches capable of ECG monitoring to give you a day to day picture. As much as you don't want to do it, a cath is probably your best diagnostic tool to see what is going on if they can't get a hold on controlling the PVCs.  I am here to tell you that after many tweeks of meds, mine subsided.  

    This is something that you need to get under control, so stay on top of it. Talk to your doc about your options. Good luck to you. Keep us posted. 

    Annette



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    annette smith
    saxonburg PA
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  • 4.  RE: Ventricular Tachycardia

    Posted 09-29-2020 09:37
    Jean,
    Congratulations on daily exercise, healthy eating  and faithfully taking your meds. Many people in their 60's are first diagnosed with tachycardia and this is not uncommon. I suffered from PSVT, or random episodes of rapid heart beats.  I was prescribed medications to control PSVT which I no longer need to take.  If your cardiologist recommended a cardiac catheterization, they want to be certain there are no other underlying heart issues.  After a short visit to your medical center's Cath Lab, you will have a results of a through medical diagnosis and peace of mind.  Medical technology is advancing so rapidly, it is wise to take advantage of these diagnostic procedures.
    Best of Luck,
    Vic Fabry

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    Victor Fabry, CEO
    Greylock Advisors, LLC
    Short Hills, New Jersey
    fvfabry@gmail.com
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  • 5.  RE: Ventricular Tachycardia

    Posted 10-02-2020 07:26
    Thank you everybody for your thoughts about this. I've decided to ask Dr. Patel if wearing a heart monitor for a longer period of time would give us a clearer picture. Part of my problem is that we live way out in the country and getting to medical providers who accept our insurance is so time consuming. 

    I always swore that I'd never become the little old lady who can talk about nothing but medical problems, and here I am now, that very same little old lady!

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    Jean McMillan
    TN
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