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Original poster

DS has to have a 24 hour Mobile Heart ECG monitor thingy on Friday till Saturday. Anyone else's child had to have it? Anything I should know?

29 replies

ghosty · 28/08/2007 10:28

DS is having strange doings and pumpings in his chest. Has had it for over a month and he is getting rather distressed by it, hence a visit to the doctor followed by blood tests and an ECG and now a 24 hour ECG mobile thing stuck to his chest as he goes about his normal day and night ... I am a bit worried but am trying not to think about it too much as I don't want to panic or anything ...
Does anyone know what it entails? The monitor that is, Is it bulky and uncomfortable at all? Will he be able to sleep etc?
TIA

OP posts:

FioFio · 28/08/2007 10:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster

ghosty · 28/08/2007 10:31

Thanks Fio ... much appreciated ...

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Original poster

ghosty · 28/08/2007 10:45

bump

OP posts:

LadyVictoriaOfCake · 28/08/2007 10:47

ask for spare stickers in case any come off.

not sur ehow bulky the one he is getting will be, some of the ones peter has had ion the past have been very bulky, newer ones are a bit bigger than a standard ipod and get worn round the neck i think.

pistachio · 28/08/2007 10:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster

ghosty · 28/08/2007 10:50

Aw, thanks misdee , thanks for taking the time to post I know you have a lot on ... {{{}}}

I hadn't thought of spare stickers ... I will remember. Will he be able to do his normal thing at school do you think or will I have to tell his teacher to keep him quiet and in at playtime?

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LadyVictoriaOfCake · 28/08/2007 10:52

he will need to do his normal activity.

i know when my sister did one for 'research' as a teenager she had to press a button if she coughed or sneezed, but not sure if peter had to.

Original poster

ghosty · 28/08/2007 10:52

crossed post pistachio ...
Yes, it does sound like the same thing ... and you answered my question about doing normal things ... thanks

OP posts:

saggarmakersbottomknocker · 28/08/2007 10:52

Hi ghosty. How old is ds?

dd had one quite a few years ago(she was maybe 7). The box wasn't very big, IIRC she had it on during the hols so wasn't at school, but she slept fine . There's a picture of one about halfway down on this page. dd's was older than that and a little bulkier.

Hope it all comes back clear.

nailpolish · 28/08/2007 10:53

ghosty my dh had 24hr bp monitor, dont know if its exactly the same thing but it ws like a bulky oldfashioned walkman (remember them? with the shoulder straps) and it measured his bp every 15mins daytime and every hr overnight. it beeped when a reading was done
inside the 'walkman' was a strip of paper and when he took it back the clinic they read it
with your dh he may have thin cables, if he wears a teeshirt in bed he will be ok

good luck

nailpolish · 28/08/2007 10:53

sorry your ds not your dh

Original poster

ghosty · 28/08/2007 10:53

doh, x post city ... ....

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nailpolish · 28/08/2007 10:54

he should be able to wear a teeshirt and tidy the cables under his pillow with the 'walkman' thingy and itll be fine

hope everything is ok x

saggarmakersbottomknocker · 28/08/2007 10:54

I wouldn't ask them to keep him in ghosty - he needs to do what he would normally do. Including racing round the playground and tantrumming over what's for tea

nailpolish · 28/08/2007 10:56

ghosty, the dr/nurse will probably tell you to let him do his normal activities, otherwise they wont get a true reading of what happens during his everyday life

if you give them a t imetable of what he did that day they will match it with the readings "oh his hr went up then when he was running about, thasts fine" (etc)

eandh · 28/08/2007 10:56

My DH has one of these every 6 onths to monitor a heart condition he has had since birth. Like someone else said no bigger than a walkman the only thing he finds rwstricting is that he always has to have the day off work as he cannot do his job effctively as he drops the monitor to often we give the reading down the phone then I return the monitor to the hospital

Original poster

ghosty · 28/08/2007 10:58

DS is 7.

He started complaining about a month ago of having a 'big heart beat' every so often. Sometimes he would say that his heart felt like it was trying to come out.
I didn't take him to the doctor straight away because I thought it may be a stitch after exercise or something like that (DS plays a lot of sport) but it has no regular cycle, eg, it can happen when he has been sitting watching tv for an hour and he says it has no relation to 'feelings' (I always ask him if he is worried about anything or excited or scared).
I took him to the doctor after it happened one night and he burst into tears saying it hurt ... he was really distressed about it ...

OP posts:

nailpolish · 28/08/2007 11:00

poor wee soul

saggarmakersbottomknocker · 28/08/2007 11:02

Oh bless him ghosty. dd has runs of ectopics (extra beats) occasionally.

Original poster

ghosty · 28/08/2007 11:14

yes, ectopics ... that was one of the words the doctor used ... couldn't remember it lol

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saggarmakersbottomknocker · 28/08/2007 11:21

They sometimes feel like a missed beat rather than an extra one. Like there's a longer gap and then a big beat. Did he have ectopics on his ordinary ECG?

Original poster

ghosty · 28/08/2007 11:25

No nothing showed up on the normal ecg ... so the doc said that was a good thing but he still wanted the 24 hour thing and to refer DS to a paed.

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Original poster

ghosty · 31/08/2007 02:27

Well, he has had it fitted. At 10am this morning. All these sticky things on his chest connected to wires that go into a walkman sized unit that is on a halter around his body. I then took him into school with instructions to the teacher to note anything unusual ...
DS felt very important as they are 'studying' the human body this term and she asked if he could show the class and tell them what it was all about
Have to go back tomorrow at 10am for it to be taken off.

OP posts:

MynamesMikeIswimlikeafish · 31/08/2007 17:06

Hope it's OK ghosty - or not - or it's something simple. You know what I mean, if it shows something you'll worry, if it shows nothing you'll probably still worry

LadyVictoriaOfCake · 31/08/2007 17:06

sagger is HL down?

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