echocardiogram showed possible weak heart muscle - am panicking a bit

[lirael]

Had an ECG and echocardiogram (ultrasound) today as part of a routine checkup for my prolapsed mitral valve. Have had MVP my whole life but have never had any treatment, so was expecting this to be nothing to worry about. However the consultant said that the ECG showed that my heartbeat was
" all over the place" and the echo had identified a possible weakness in the heart muscle. He did say that the echo results may have been affected by the ectopic beats, and that they would repeat it once they've got my heart rate under control. I have come home with a 24 hour ECG machine strapped to my chest, which will then be analysed. Depending on what this shows, I'll be prescribed medication to regulate the heart and then the echo will be repeated. He said my mitral valve looked pretty strong and he didn't think the ectopic beats were originating from there. He described it all as 'odd'

I have always had loads of ectopic beats and have had a number of ECGs over the years, though none in the last 10 (I'm 52). Cardiologists have always put it down to the MVP. Anyone had experience of an irregular heartbeat affecting echo results or a diagnosis of a weak heart muscle? Have been googling cardiomyopathy and scaring myself silly . have had a bit of dizziness and fatigue recently, but had put it down to the menopause...

Let me know what they do and how you get on.

I had it done on a bicycle and he said " Now you are going to be doing it uphill". I failed miserably, of course.

Think now they have you on the tread mill just going faster, but not sure. They could tilt the treadmill so make it more like a slope.

Somebody may come on later who has had this done more recently.

When you say you failed, do you mean you had to stop? I'm Ok at walking, but have always hated walking uphill! Always have to stop, but its generally legs rather than breathing or heart - well maybe a bit of breathing! Am slightly worried because I did get very out of breath a couple of weeks ago walking back up to my SIL's house with two bags of shopping. Tight chested, breathless, the works. But then did an uphill walk the next day with no shopping and was OK.

I did the exercise stress test last year - on the treadmill. It starts off slowly, then they will speed it up and increase the slope, usually in about 3 minute intervals. I think they try to get up to your max heart rate which, IIRC, is 220 minus your age. As I'm 66, I got up to about 160 bpm. Felt dreadful after! As if I'd just run a marathon, and I can barely run 20 yards for the bus! They did offer the injection if I couldn't manage the treadmill, but I had a go anyway, and got the all-clear. They did infuse the contrast dye for the echo, and everything seemed fine.

OP.
Mine was done quite a few years ago, but I did have one 10 years ago or a bit less on the treadmill, that I'd forgotten about.

I was supposed to do 6 (?)minutes, but only managed 2.
I didn't have the dye injection either time. I was discharged as just being unfit doc proceeded to test blood pressure and pulse for severalminutes afterwards to see how quickly my hear recovered.

The first time I when I was younger, on the bicycle, there was a pulse monitor inbetween the handlebars, and when it reached 200 he said "STOP". I had reached my limit much too soon.

I did have an echo a few years later with no contrast dye, and was diagnosed with a leaking aortic valve - not serious but not mild either but was 63 by then. Also a very mild Mitral Valve stenosis, but heart muscle was fine.

I was discharged from clinic 3 years ago, so not had a check-up since.

I'll be 70 next year so not doing that bad considering I've been "unfit" for almost 30 years

Let us know how you got on tomorrow.

Thanks both - I'm not too worried about the test itself just the results! Although I'm not very fit, I can walk without getting breathless - I'm 52, so should be able to! Don't know about the dye injection - what's that?

The contrast dye is for the echo cardiogram which can show narrowed arteries and blockages, I expect. I didn't have it but had mine done 6 years ago.

The injection is for people who have weak muscles and cannot get their pulse rate high enough. I already had and still have a high pulse rate around 90 sitting still, so was not suitable for me. That applies to the treadmill test.

When I was 40, I felt fine, but with the treadmill 20 odd years later, it was my legs that gave out and I said I couldn't do what he wanted me to do, but they did not give me dye injection as my pulse was too high.

Your Thursday appt. I'm a day ahead of myself

Wow, this is a timely thread for me!
Hope you are ok op?
I am 40 and had a terrifying episode of AF 3 weeks ago.
Was blue lighted to a and e and monitored on CCU for 24 hours. Given a beta blocker and blood thinning injection.
Sent home to await an appt for a 24 hour heart monitor and an echo.
My monitor appt is on Monday.
Sadly yesterday I had chest pains and was tachy again so got rushed in again (not resus this time thankfully!) but it was scary.
If I have AF is it something I will have all my life? Is it life threatening?
I have 2 dc aged 9 and 4 :(
I am scared.
And I don't scare easily.

Badvoc
Only your cardiologist can answer the questions to your particular problems after the echocardiogram and 24hour ECG results.

I got lots of info from the British Heart Foundation. It is scary, but once you have a diagnosis and prognosis you will be assured of any treatment and regular monitoring and will be looked after.

:(
Yes.
I just wish the tests were over and I knew what was going on.
You say you have had heart issues for many years digerd?

Gosh Badvoc that sounds scary. But I don't think they would have made you wait three weeks for tests if you were in immediate danger. I was lucky last week as was only booked to see the consultant and for the ECG, but they had an echo cancellation, so I had that too, and then they just happened to have a free Holter monitor. So with the stress test on Thurs it will all have happened in 9 days. Of course I am panicking that all this haste means they think something is really wrong (even though I don't have any real symptoms). I have two DCs, aged 11 and 10 - DS2 has autism and relies on me hugely. Its scary stuff.

I am sorry to hear that lirael. My eldest son has sen so I sort of know what it's like to have a more dependant dc.
And my youngest has been very poorly for nearly a fortnight now (he spent 2 days in hospital last week) so I'm feeling very overwhelmed ATM.
Am so glad you are getting the testing over with quickly. I would think exactly the same as you, but as you said, it was a cancellation so try not to dwell on scary thoughts (easier said than done, right?)
What is a holter?

24 hour ECG. I had one years ago - they give you a little chart to fill in if you feel palpitations and the times/activities. I was driving to work and a cat ran out under my car wheels. When I went back to the hospital they asked me if I'd felt any palpitations while I was on the monitor and I said 'Only when I ran over the cat'.

:)

I'll keep this thread going - we can hold each others hands.

Thank you! X

*Badvoc
Sorry about your little boy and all this worry can trigger temporary heart problems, but don't need to be permanent ones.

I was diagnosed in 1985 with an irregular pulse - going faster then slower then faster, but GP didn't seem to worry about it. My Dad had recently died an I'd moved to another country and it was all very stressful.

The 24 ECG showed no heart problem - no echo at that time- except a high pulse rate of 90.
Only after my DH died 13 years later and moved back to UK, did my ECgs show an abnormality, but the hospital ignored them. A later Echo also showed nothing wrong, but a year later I had a private echo which showed the heart valve leakage.
There is no treatment for that only the open heart surgery with a pig's valve, or a man-made one which requires blood thinning medication as they tend to form clots. So hoping not to need either.

Think now they have you on the tread mill just going faster, but not sure. They could tilt the treadmill so make it more like a slope.

It depends on the protocol, the main two are Balke and Bruce, Bruce is much more common.

For Bruce protocol both the speed and the incline are increased at regular intervals.

For Balke the speed initially increases to a brisk walking speed then just the incline is increased, again at regular intervals.

OP these machines beat everyone, there is no actual end, but the staff will not push you beyond you capabilities. The most boring tests are on marathon runners, they go on for ages, but the machine beats them in the end.

As you are fairly symptomatic they will be looking for changes to the ECG early on. If they induce AF or VT they will stop the treadmill and lie you down.

They will have all meds on hand to reverse that if it happens.

Badvoc

AF is treatable. Most people in their 70s have it and don't know.

It can be treated with medication, ablation or pace and ablate.

Ablation is a procedure where they track the individual activity throughout your atria and if they can find a pathway causing the AF they destroy it with radio waves or freezing.

Ablate and pace is when they can't find the source, or new sources start then they ablate parts of your body's natural conducting system and insert a pacemaker to take over.

If this happens you will need it checking and possibly reprogramming either every 6 months or every year, depending on the hospital.

OK now I've scared you, remember the first step is medication and for most people this is all you need.

AF is dangerous because the blood isn't being pumped effectively so it 'pools' in the atria and can cause small clots, if these get pumped to your coronary arteries they can cause a heart attack, if they get to the brain a stroke.

This is why people are normally given a beta blocker for the rhythm and an anticoagulant to stop clotting.

Good luck to anyone undergoing these tests.

Please remember not to call the clinical physiologists 'nurse'.

Sashh - thanks so much for coming onto this thread. It's great to have an expert view (I'm assuming you work in the field?) Hope you don't mind a couple more questions.

If my Holter had showed AF, would they give me the stress test?
If it only showed ectopics, is that why I'm having the stress test - to see whether they increase when I exercise? (I think they don't btw - exercise seems to make my hear rate more regular - though obviously faster)

Thanks

heart rate not hear rate - my ears are fine

Thank you digerd.
Back to gp with him is morning and got to go back again on Friday but she feels he is perking up. Hard for me to tell. I am just so tired and anxious about him it's hard to be objective.
She said that he must have been very very ill last week to be on an IV and that his white count was sky high :(
Sashh..thank you for your post. ATM I am not on any meds at all - which seems to surprise the paramedics and doc at the hospital
I am scared, yes, but I like go know the facts, even if they are scary. Knowledge is power etc :)

lirael

Quite often the holter and stress test are ordered at the same time to cover all bases.

If the disappear on exercise then that can be significant and lead to different treatment options.

Just got back. Had the Bruce test (I think) - started with slow walking, then they increased the pace and the incline. I got onto the third level and to 84% of my max heart rate, but was feeling pretty breathless by then, so asked them to stop. Was very anxious before and during the test - heart jumping all over the place - and as a result don't think I pushed myself as hard as I could have done - just felt scared about what might happen (suffer from health-related anxiety at the best of times). Recovered very quickly after stopping - within a minute or two. So hope they got a good enough reading. I was wrong about the ectopics stopping during exercise - there were loads

What I hadn't realised is that they take your blood pressure before and then at intervals during the test - mine was 154/88 to start with (higher than usual) and I know it changed during the test, but can't remember exactly how, except it never went sky-high. In fact I think the top number dropped (have a feeling this isn't necessarily a good sign).

Woman who took the test said it would be a few weeks before I got the results. I asked if the consultant would call me earlier if there was anything serious wrong and she said yes. So just have to wait now...

Thanks for the update and at least that bit is behind you. Just the waiting for results, which I know is the worst anxious time for everybody.

When you say your BP was 158/88 to begin with, do you mean before you started or when you began to walk on the treadmill?