Heart Condition 2

[expatkat]

Does anyone know what happened to the Heart Condition thread?

Evita, what's the latest? Did you finally get a second 24-hour monitor to wear? Any results yet? Is everyone else feeling OK?

Reiki is a hands on form of healing.One of the mums at the school offered to treat me when she found out about my health.I can honestly say it has helped I feel less stressed today as I felt relaxed all day yesterday and even slept last night.She says I should come at least twice a month until Im feeling much stronger and then whenever I feel like I need a top up(she says I'll know )even my dp noticed the difference.I got up today for the first time in months and made the coffee for dp rather than the other way round!Am having another on Mon or Tues next week so will keep you all posted.Also have several hospital appointments coming up so maybe I will see some change there

did you guys know that you should avoid certain products if you have an arrhytmia? for example, nasal decongestants in either spray or tablet form. I've known for some time that decongestant tablets are bad, so I always avoid them, of course. But I thought sprays were topical & harmless. I was wrong. This morning I used some nasal spray for a cold, and almost immediately my heart started racing and getting ectopic beats. I went to the doctor here & was told that DEFINITELY nasal sprays are to be avoided if you have an arrhythmia. I had a couple of dodgy moments when my heart felt like it was quite getting out of control, but after the beta blocker kicked in, I started slowly to feel a bit better. Though I would pass that story on by way of warning.

Thanks for that expatkat. I've also found some medications make things worse - paracetamol plus which the plus is in fact pure caffeine!! No, I still haven't had an appointment through and still have felt too exhausted to chase it up. It's all I can do to get through the basic things of the day, any extra thing, even making a phone call doesn't seem to happen at the moment. Dp is v. busy and away quite a lot at the moment so I'm just taking everything day by day.

Noddy5 I know quite a lot about Reiki as an ex partner of mine used to practise it. I keep meaning to find some source of relaxation, I'd like a massage now and then. But really we're SO broke at the moment it's not possible. I'm so glad it's helping you though. Better than that sleepy milk you mentioned on another thread?!

The sleepy milk is good but the reiki has given me an overall well feeling which is amazing.Next session monday am so will keep you posted

Evita, do you have an appt yet? I'm not trying to pressure you, I'm just curious. Your wait seems endless, even to me.

I had an episode on Saturday that reminded me a little of the what you and hulababy & others have described. . .I was in a 3-hr meeting, feeling a little peckish, though I HAD eaten earlier in the day. When the meeting adjourend everyone headed to a nearby restaurant & I hopped on my bicycle to meet them. I couldn't catch my breath and no matter how many times I stopped to rest my heart ratewhich was at 144-150 beasts/min-wouldn't slow down. I arrived at the restaurant, sat down, drank a full glass of water and still it wouldn't slow down. I stood up and nearly passed out. Finally I asked someone to drive me home, where I lay down, elevating my feet (as in instructed in the past by my cardiologist), ate something, and the symptoms went away within a few minutes. The whole thing lasted about 45 minutes. It was uncomfortable (though I've had this happen often enough that I wasn't particularly scared) & I'm sure I looked like a fool in front of everyone, having to excuse myself & go home because I couldn't catch my breath. I guess it's sort of an unusual way to bow out of a meal. I feel like another, better person would have just sat there breathless & endured the lunch.

I had my consultant's appointment this morning and the last monitor testing found nothing new out. So it would now appear that sometimes I have this irregular heart beat, sometimes I have tachycardia, sometimes both and sometimes neither. There isn't really anything the hospital can do about it. It is no life threatening and it is not constant at the moment. When it is there it is uncomfortable but hopefully now I know it can't actually damage me IYSWIM I should feel better about it. I do feel frustrated at not knowing what causes it, although through my own investigations I know that some things do make it worse - alcohol in excess, exercise, cold weather and stress. It will be interesting to see if it improves once I leave my job in July.

God I recognise that.I always feel really bad just before my period and today I thought I might fall over in the playground.Sometimes I feel worse when I stand still after Ive been walking it is sometimes easier to keep going.Been really stressed this week our house move fell through at the last min.My reiki healer has gone on holiday hope she can help when she gets back.Hope you feel better I am interested in your doc's advice mine have never suggested anything to stop an episode.

hulababy, thank you for reporting on your appointment; I'd also been wondering about you. It sounds like your diagnosis is quite similar to mine--one of these "benign" arrhtymias that feel like it's going to kill you but probably won't. I take a betablocker sometimes to relieve symptoms when they happen. Was that suggested to you?

Noddy, do you not have any recourse when you have an episode, ie an option to take more medication or "tricks" to get the heart rate down? I'm sorry to hear you weren't given advice, but maybe what you have is different to what I have & what works for me wouldn't work for you, so I feel unable to give advice either. Sorry to hear you've been feeling rotten. I was under the impression, though, that you've gone through long periods of feeling fine, is that right?

ps noddy, sorry to hear about the house. rotten luck.

Yes I often feel fine for up to 2 weeks at a time and sometimes I think it will last!My heart speeds up but doesnt slow back down quick enough lots of things trigger it off especially if I rush around after eating My tablets take 2 hours to be released so sometimes if desperate I break one in half-not supposed to-and that can work in 20 minutes would like to try something else though

I see what you mean. Do try the lying down with feet elevated. That brings it down quite quickly for me. Every cardiologist/gp I've ever had has said to do that. . .must be pretty universal advice.

expatkat - nothing has been suggested yet. I have to monitor myself and report back to my gp, who will then get sent all of the details from the hospital's tests and dx. If we find it starts to get worse again the gp will then be able to do something if need be. I think, as you say, it is just something that although feels horrid won't actually harm me as such. The consultant told me that my heart would be able to cope with the ppalpatations for about a day and a half - hope I never get to try that out!

Sounds like Saturday was a bit of a nightmare episode for you FWIW I think you did the right thing in going hope and getting it under control. That's what a better person should be doing, it'd be a daft one who'd soldier on regardless.

I have decided that I am going to start putting myself first more often when these things happen. One of the things I know makes it worse is stress. And my current school is terrible and is making me stressed all the time, hence my heart feels worse on school days and on the evenings after. So, I am leaving it and will do som supply work for a bit. Not the only reason, but my heart and my health was one of them.

Hi to you all. My dd suffered from a fast heartbeat in the past. A couple of tips to slow down your tachycardia, I haven't read the other thread so sorry if I'm repeating.......An ice cold, fizzy drink; making yourself gag by putting your finger at the back of the throat (yuk!);trying to make your ears pop by taking a deep breath, pinching your nose closing your lips and trying to blow out.

HTH

Gosh, luckymum, those ones are new to me!

expatkat, NO BLOODY APPOINTMENT YET!!! I must phone tomorrow, I know I must, I just need a bit of peace and quiet to do it. I think you were entirely sensible to go home from that meal.You wouldn't have enjoyed it and what if you'd actually passed out? That would have been horrible. How's the writing going?

Noddy5, good to hear from you again too. Sorry about your house.

Hulababy, that's pretty good news from your consultant isn't it? How long did you wait for your appointment? It's been at least 3 weeks now since my 24 hour tape and I haven't been sent an appointment, do you think that's a long time or average? I'm in London, the hospitals are pretty stretched.

Let's see:

I had the real bad palpatations in October.
Had a 24 hour monitor sometime between now and December but can't remember when; was sent for my cardiology dept. after the test
Cardiology appointment was in December
48 hour monitor at end of January and an ultrasound)
Already had 2nd cardiology appointment made (was done at December one) for today.

That's much quicker than for me! I did phone today though and was told I'd be getting an appointment through 'soon.' Soon. Don't like that word. Must remember not to use it with dd.

Any word on the appt, Evita? You must be a basket case.

I'm worried about my heart today, as it's acting up a bit. Despite the past reassurance I just find it so scarylike you can't trust your own body. I'm worried about life in general these days, & know anxiety is partially to blame for the irregular palpitations and weird jumping aroundbut there's not much you can do to "force" your body to stop being anxious. I noticed you're starting antidepressants, Evita. I hope they help you cope & maybe even have a knock-on effect on your heart. Keep me posted.

Sorry to hear your not feeling so great expatkat. I have good and not so great days, but know there is nothing I can do about it. Doesn't really help though!

Evita - any news?

Hula, how do you feel mentally on not-so-good days? Do you feel worried about the palpitations, or have you accepted the diagnosis that what you have is really nothing to worry about, just uncomfortable? I find it hard to accept the diagnosis for some reason. I keep thinking a heart that does what mine does just CAN'T be normal. Does that make sense? I'm better by the way since taking some meds earlier today. Thanks for the sympathy.

Depends really. Some days I just try and ignore it, take time out to rest a bit and then get on. Others, if it is happening lots - not just palpatations, but the uncomfortable feeling - it drives me mad and I do let it get to me. I still find it odd that this can be classed as 'normal' as my friends don't have it. But I have no choice

What about you?

Hi Hula and expatkat, good to hear from you!

Sorry to hear you've had a rough day expatkat, but good to hear that the meds helped a bit. Take care xxx

I got an appointment through for mid-May, seems a long way off but at least it's a date. In the meantime I go up and down both physically and emotionally. At worst I get terrified I'm going to keel over and die, at best I manage to stay calm and enjoy things with dd. But I feel a sense of it all the time, like I'm on borrowed time or something like that. My thoughts are frequently very morbid like that and that's why I decided to try an antidepressant but I haven't started taking it yet, I'm worried the side effects will make me feel even worse!

Evita I know what you're saying. I have felt the same way, and only recently10 yrs into this, reallyhave begun to feel a little less morbid.

What I'm hoping is that your appointment will reassure you AND find a way to treat your problem, so that you'll soon feel as though a huge weight is lifted & that you're not going to die imminently after all. I imagine your life will feel much different once this gets sorted.

(Sorry this is so long; I don't have time to make it more concise.)

I, too, have that worry that any medication is going to make my condition worse. For a long time I had sort of a fear of medications, and it even took me longer than it should have for me to find the courage to take my heart medications when necessary. Apparently that attitude is common in depressed/anxious patients. I'm told there's a way in which we resist treatment. . .which always seems like bullocks, but that's what they say.

I wonder if a benzodiazepenelike valium or something to be used SHORT TERMwould be better for you. It would help with the constant anxiety and your sleeplessness. And they'd be unlikely to have bad side effects. But for some reasonI imagine because of their expensethe NHS seems reluctant to prescribe them. I have to get them for my MIL from the US because no doctor will prescribe them to her even though she uses them EXTREMELY infrequently.

I'm not sure the valium/xanax idea is so practical under the circumstances, but I wonder if it isn't a better possibility for you (?)

hello all glad this thread is back.My heart has been playing me up every day recently .Have had a v stressful time with house sale falling through followed by a severe toothache.I cant sleep at all and I have the jumpy feeling in my chest all day long ATM.My legs also feel really jellyish when Im having a bad spell.Does anyone else get this?

I have the legs & arms feeling like jellyfish, but I've begun to wonder if it's caused by stress more than the palpitations. I find that anxiety causes (in me) all kinds of weird symptoms that sometimes make me feel v. unwell and/or weak and/or out of it. Sorry to hear you've been having a rough time. Like I was suggesting to Evita, can your doc prescribe something to be used short term for these periods of anxiety, so you are less likely to have the heart play up?

noddy5, I've had the wobbly arms / legs and am sure it's anxiety, sometimes cold tingly hands and feet too. If you have an anxiety attack it cuts the circulation off and that causes it as well as breathlessness. Before I started with this heart thing a lot of years ago I used to get the odd panic attack and they can be really scary.

expatkat, the NHS don't prescribe valium because it's so addictive. There's a policy against using it in England. I've often thought it would be my choice to take it if I could. I've looked up the other anti-depressant and it seems to have some horrible side effects which I can't face right now. Are you feeling better from your wobbly day the other day?