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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