Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6

Original poster

heart condition

131 replies

Evita · 24/01/2004 16:31

Don't know if anyone can help with this, but maybe writing it down will help me anyway.

I've just been diagnosed with having an abnormal heart rhythm which may or may not link to some serious underlying cause. However, I've been feeling pretty lousy with it: depressed, lethargic, dizzy, breathless, etc. And what I'm really worried about is how I'm going to cope with looking after my 15 month old with this going on. I get in a real fret at the thought of my passing out suddenly when she's in the bath or when she's in her cot in the daytime. My partner often has to go away so I'm here alone and we have no close friends or family around who would even know anything had happened to me.

Is there any kind of social service I could call on to help me in this kind of situation?

OP posts:

twiglett · 24/01/2004 18:38

message withdrawn

Luckymum · 24/01/2004 19:01

Hi Evita.....that's pretty scary for you. Are you likely to faint or pass out suddenly and are you taking any medication?.. Perhaps you should get a medi alert bracelet in case anything happens while you're out. Not sure what you can do whilst at home though....do you have any friendly neighbours who you could at least give you some help if something happened when you were alone?

Chandra · 24/01/2004 19:19

I agree with Lucky mum, try to find somebody near to you who you can dial in an emergency, and stick a post it with emergency numbers to the telephone or better still put them on the memory.
Have you passed out before? normally this things don't occur out of the sudden, if you are not feeling OK don't do anything that may become dangerous as bathing your baby. Choose the time of the day when you feel better to do these things.

I hope that you get better news soon. If it helps, some time ago I was diagnosed with a heart problem and got very worried while waiting for the appointment with the cardiologist, I was also feeling dizzy, lethargic and couldn't climb a couple of steps without breathing as if I had run the marathon. After a scan, the cardiologist said that it was something very minor and I didn't need to take any precaution out of having it checked every three years. The lethargy and dizziness I was feeling was caused, believe it or not, by lack of excercise and because in all the worry I started to sleep badly and got a little depressed. Not saying that this is your case, but don't loose the hope, probably the next diagnose will bring better news.

Original poster

Evita · 24/01/2004 20:56

Thanks for the replies.

Chandra, I really hope that happens to me!

As for neighbours, I live in a tower block, on the 21st floor (wonderful views of the Thames) and my neighbours are all a bit strange. Anyway, what worries me most is actually passing out and no-one knowing. But will take all those precautions about not doing bathing etc. when I feel faint.

OP posts:

popsycal · 24/01/2004 20:59

is there someone who could ring you at a given time each day when your dh is away?
do you have a daily routine - eg going to a particular shop?

Original poster

Evita · 24/01/2004 21:15

Yes, actually I get a friend to text me first thing in the morning when my partner's away and if I don't reply after 3rd text she's ordered to get worried. But she lives right on the other side of London and has 2 kids so it's not ideal. I have a sort of daily routine, but hey, you know London, no-one speaks to anyone, well not in my neck of the woods anyway.

OP posts:

popsycal · 24/01/2004 21:17

the text idea is a good one....could you text her every so often (arrange a time scale) and if she doesnt get it then.....
a thought?

Original poster

Evita · 24/01/2004 21:21

Yes, it is a good idea. The problem is as she has 2 v. little kids she doesn't always manage to get my texts or text me. I could do with someone kid free with tons of time on their hands! My mom's so technologically inept I can't ask her.

OP posts:

popsycal · 24/01/2004 21:22

bet there are some mumsnetters close by who will do it
i would text you...but live very far away!!!

Original poster

Evita · 24/01/2004 21:22

OOh, if there are any, please come forth!

OP posts:

misdee · 24/01/2004 21:28

i cant help with the txting thing i'm afraid as i am outside of london (herts) but i kinda know what u're going thro. my dh has aheart condition which is pretty serious. he wears a medic alert necklace (apart from today as dd2 nicked it and wore it all day) and is almost always with someone. if he is out longer than expected then i do panic.
have u passed out b4? or is it the thought of passing out that scares u? my dh has never passed out, but has had a few black moments and dizzy spells.
maybe u should teach your mum to txt. my mum has got the hang of it now, so has my dad altho he is slower.

SofiaAmes · 25/01/2004 09:41

where in london are u? Hppy to hlp. If I can.

Original poster

Evita · 25/01/2004 11:47

sofia, I'm in the South East. Where are you?

misdee, sorry to hear about your husband. Is he going to have surgery or anything to help? I kind of feel as though I should never be alone at the moment but it's hard for me to arrange that.

OP posts:

misdee · 25/01/2004 15:07

its possible he'll be having a transplant at some stage but atm its drug therepy to keep him stable.

have the docs given u any indication to what this may be? or is it a case of waiting to see the cardiac team/echo/ecg?

noddy5 · 25/01/2004 16:01

I have a similar condition.When I was 1st diagnosed I really panicked.I had a 2 year old who is now 9 so you can see I am still here!A few lifestyle modifications and a good cardiologist are a great help.I am in the south east so get in touch if it is poss.Im not quite sure how it works.Try not to worry medicine advances every day

Original poster

Evita · 25/01/2004 20:54

noddy5, can I ask you what your condition is? If you'd rather not do it here, please feel free to contact me on my email address. It would be very good to talk to you more. Where about's in the SE are you?

misdee, I'm so sorry to hear about your husband. It must be very stressful. I've already had some tests which show an electrical problem in my heart. I wish I could explain it in more detail but I'm pretty confused about it. I keep trying to get more info via the net but had no real luck. It could either be something v. scary or something that can be managed with drugs. I have to wait for more tests and to see a cardiologist. What's really frustrating is the waiting list's so damned long even for emergencies. I'll be lucky if I get seen by May. So I'm suspended not knowing what to expect.

OP posts:

misdee · 25/01/2004 22:08

waiting for appointments is very stressful. as well as dh having heart problems dd2 has been waiting to be seen since nov. it took several appointments and referrals b4 its been sorted out and her appointment is in feb. so it will be almost 4months since they discovered something which could be harmless (murmur) or something more serious.

can i offer advice, dont search too hard on the net. i found a lot of sites were very out of date in regards to my dh condition and they scared the sh*t out of me.

SofiaAmes · 26/01/2004 00:38

I'm in west london. doesn't sound like I'll be close enough, but let me know if there is anything I can do.

expatkat · 26/01/2004 01:44

Evita, I also have a heart arrythmia & have spent a lot of time worrying over the years. What if I faint while the children are in the bath etc. But the fact is, arrhythmias aren't necessarily dangerous, and there are ways of dealing with them. Try not to worry until you get more tests. The fact is, if the doctor was VERY worried about your health, you'd be in hospital now having testshe wouldn't let you go home to faint while your children are in the bath. And don't look up arrhythmias on the web eitherit will worry you more, and you just don't have enough information yet from your doctor.

You can drive yourself to distraction worrying about an arrhythmia, and then the anxiety makes you feel the palpitations and symptoms all the more. I actually went into cognitive behavioral therapy so I could stop worrying about it, so I understand what you're feeling. But try not to worry. Anything to do with the heart can sound very serious, but it isn't always. . .and most often the problem can be treated. Wait until you have more information, and in the meantime just go about your life.

When you get more information, update us and I'll be happy to talk to you about it more.

Just as an interesting aside: In September 2001 I'd had a worrying episode and was told I needed more tests. I could not believe the NHS was making me wait 6 weeks, though, just for the first of the tests. So I decided to circumvent the system & travel to New York, where I'm from, to see my cardiologist there. What bad luck that I found myself in NYC on 9/11. So, ironically, my worrying and inability to be patient put me in a more dangerous situation than the actual irregular heartbeat.

Original poster

Evita · 26/01/2004 10:17

Thanks expatKat, yes I know what you mean about the net. I've already decided not to look any more. It does scare the shit out of me, makes me think I could keel over dead at any moment! I think I feel better about it when I'm not feeling the symptoms of it so much. Some days, apart from feeling tired, I don't feel too bad. Others it bugs me all day, i'm exhausted, breathless and my heart skips beats every 5th one or so and it is scary.

OP posts:

dinosaur · 26/01/2004 10:32

Another arrhythmia sufferer here Evita, although no longer on medication which is why I'm going ahead with having this third baby.

I'm in East London - Hackney - not massively close to you but if there is anything I can do, just ask please.

noddy5 · 26/01/2004 10:58

evita I have sent you an e mail.All the other advice on here is sound.It is unlikely you would have been sent home with an acute condition.Wait for the tests and try to stay calm

butterflymum · 26/01/2004 11:43

All good advise so far, especially about staying calm. If, however, you really cannot settle and are worried about being on your own, perhaps something like this might be a consideration (they are not just for old folk). Other comapnies may offer something similar.

butterfly

butterflymum · 26/01/2004 11:44

Ooops, advice

expatkat · 26/01/2004 14:28

Evita, this might be reassuring. If your heart is skipping a single beat every 5 beats or so, you're probably having "isolated" pvc's or pac's (premature contractions). I have that too, sometimes lasting for weeks. It is tiring & almost slightly painful at moments. But as uncomfortable as that is, it is not dangerous unless there is some underlying defect in the heart, which is presumably what the cardiologist will be checking when you get your tests. There are much more dangerous rhythm irregularities than the one you're describing--in fact what you describe is actually considered "benign." But obviously you need to get a sonogram of your heart first to be sure there are no underlying problems. I have a healthy & normal heart, so I've been told to ignore the skipped beats, or take a beta blocker if it gets out of hand. But I also occasionally get SVT's (which I think is what Tony Blair had some months ago) which are slightly more serious, but apparently v. common.

I'm in America, so can't help in the way that others are offering--but I can offer total empathy. Even with all the reassurance I've been given, I still hate it when dh goes away, or when I'm alone, especially where I'm living at the moment--1.5hrs from nearest hospital. But seriously, the worry can turn into something much more lethal than the heart condition.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6