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If she actually has a HR of 170 that is accurate, ongoing and persistent, she needs to be seen in the ED immediately. | My daughter ( F, 18 y/o, 5'5', 165lbs) has been feeling poorly for a 6-8 months. She had COVID a couple of months ago and symptoms have are much worse in the last month or so. Symptoms seem POTS-like. She feels light headed, breathless, dizzy, HR goes from ~65 lying down to ~155-160 on standing. Today she tells me HR has been around 170 all day and she feels really lousy. (She using an OTC pulse ox to measure.) She has a cardiology appt but not until March and a PCP appt but not until April since she's at school and it's a new provider. What to do? Is this a on call nurse sort of issue? Or a trip to the ED? Or wait till tomorrow and try for an early appt? Try a couple of Valsalvas? Wait it out until her cardio appt? Or? She's away at school if Boston, what to do? Thank you |
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How high is your cholesterol? Since youre only 37 and they are pushing statins pretty hard, I would assume that your cholesterol sucks and you almost certainly should be on atorvastatin or rosuvastatin if it is being recommended by two cardiology providers. Small hiatal hernias do not generally cause chest pain, and for sure do not cause dizziness. If your chest pain was worse with exercise, its concerning for micro vascular disease, with a normal CT.Overall while statins do increase glucose intolerance, they overall have a net benefit in decreasing risk of heart attack and stroke. While your glucose numbers may change, its less about the glucose numbers and more about reducing downstream effects.It is kind of silly frankly to avoid metformin without knowing if youll have GI side effects or not. You likely will unfortunately need metformin in the future, statin or not, and if you dont tolerate metformin there are other alternatives out there such as GLP-1 agonists and SGLT-2 inhibitors that also help with cardiovascular risk. | Im a 37 y.o. transgender man with pre-diabetes and high cholesterol/triglycerides. I had chest pain and dizziness several months ago and went to cardiology for tests. Stress echo was normal, though the symptoms were still made worse with the exercise. I was sent for a CT scan with contrast. No blockages or abnormalities. They did find a small hiatal hernia. I asked if that could cause chest pain and they reluctantly admitted that it could. I say reluctantly because despite my results being normal, she wanted to put me on a stronger statin. Ive been on statins for years and it has impaired my glucose tolerance. Rather than go on Metformin, I opted to go on strict low carb diet, monitor my glucose and lots of walking. Ive done that for two years and Im almost back in to anormal A1C. Ive worked very hard. I also switched from Simvastatin to Pravastatin. The latter has some preliminary findings suggesting it doesn't effect glucose tolerance as strongly. One of the worst statins for this...is Crestor. The cardiac nurse is convinced that I need to be on it. So I tried it for a month and surprise - my glucose is impaired again. (Morning was usually 160 at worst, two days ago it was 300. My diet has not changed.) I said no thanks to the Crestor and asked to be put back on Pravastatin. Nurse was really pushing back saying its still worth the risk because my cholesterol was too high on the Pravastin. I agreed to double my dose of it until we sort out this dispute. I get a call today from the cardiologist resident who was approached by the RN about my refusal to take Crestor. I get the same spiel about how its worth the risk. I explain patiently that A) I show no signs of heart disease. B)that my chest pain was very likely the hiatal hernia (which will be addressed separately)C) That although I understand their logic, I have worked very hard to keep my Diabetes controlled without Metformin. The common side effects of which (fecal incontinence and nausea) Ive seen with my sister and would very much like to avoid. Cardio Resident says she will "consult Endocrinology but they will likely say the same thing". Add to this that Im on Testosterone Cypionate , which she says can cause the triglycerides to read high. I told her to make sure she mentions this when she talks to the Endo. I feel like I am being forced onto a medication that I dont consent to. Here are my questions: 1) could Testosterone cypionate cause a false high reading of triglycerides on a blood test? 2) Am I being foolish in my refusal of the more aggressive statin? 3)Are there other options I am not seeing? |
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Wish you the best, really with this the only way anybody could provide any sort of advice would be a review of complete medical records and all lab findings | Male 35 physically active no issues before non smokerRecently my entire body swelled up like edema was in the hospital CK level super high but leveled out and started attacking itself over the last year I've gone to every doctor possible. My body is losing skeletal muscle mass and spams for the last year with no clear answers. I'm swimming in all my clothes and no matter what I do nothing helps. Excessive exhaustion and sweating as well.Went to cardiologist but she was vague on my test and scheduled a ct was wondering if anyone had suggestions after echo and ekg were negativeI've been to go a rheumatologist, neurologist, etc and no one has answers for what's going onThis is the latest from my cardiologist but if anyone else has ideas pleaseRAC sign is present, suggestive of anomalous coronary circulation with retroaortic course. |
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again, really need complete work up and medical notes to provide any insight here | Appreciate it al labs have come back completely negative only thing that's been consistently elevated but wasn't that much of a concern was CK levels everything else you could think of from any type of test normal |
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Normal sinus rhythm with a PVC. Not concerning. | 32F, 130-140lbs, have asthma and history of postpartum preeclampsia. Former cigarette smoker, currently vapes nicotine.ECG in comments.Ive been feeling huge thumps in my chest, several times a minute. Called 911 a few days ago because I wasnt sure if I was going to keel over, have never felt this before, and was scared. EMT thought I was in AFIB. ER doctor says no, just PVCs and to reduce my stress, stop vaping and limit caffeine. That these are harmless and I dont need to worry.Sometimes I feel lightly dizzy when it happens. I notice them when Im falling asleep. I notice them just sitting here, and the last few minutes, Ive been feeling big thumps pretty much every 15-20 seconds. Theres no way thats normal right?Can someone tell me if I need to ask my PCP for a referral to cardiology? Or tell me what youre seeing? This is truthfully scary to me and so uncomfortable. |
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EKG interpretation requires a very comprehensive understanding of cardiac electrophysiology, anatomy, and pathological processes, including the mechanisms that various arrhythmias, ischemia, and, in your particular case, previous procedures/ablations have on these functions. Without attempting to delve into the "why's and how's" of what these very complex squiggles mean, the short answer to your question is yes: inverted T waves in lead V2 can be completely normal in many individuals (that "dip" you're referring to after the QRS is the T-wave, and inverted just means that it's flipped upside down). | 33F 144lb 55 ex-smoker x13yrs quit 2018 non-drinker Dx GPA with kidney/sinus/joint/skin involvement 2002, CKD2, chronic migraine with aura, SVT ablation 2017 dual AV node, sepsis 2018 from PID due to improperly placed IUD, dysautonomia (dx recently from tilt table test), Sjogrens, hospitalized in November for hypoglycaemia (glucose 2.7) still being worked up by endo but symptoms resolved after Rituxan so they are thinking autoimmune hypoglycaemia Im not going to list everything because its just depressing and not relevant. Basically a big mix of autoimmune disorders and premature degenerative conditions related to treatment for GPA Currently taking ..Rituxan infusions every 6 months, next one in a couple of weeksPlaquenilLipitorZoloftWellbutrinGabapentinCyclobenzabrineEltroxinVyvanseZopicloneDomperidoneZofranTopiramateOxycodoneTriptans for migrainesSome PRNs Im forgettingSo I just want to know if this ECG is normal. Ive never gotten any alerts for Afib on my Apple Watch before and today during a particularly brutal migraine with lots of dry heaving, I got a few alerts (this ecg isnt of the Afib ones). If you move the sensor, you can get different lead ECG readings (according to my cardiology nurse). I placed the sensor over V2 (I had to look that up) to get this reading and the big dip after the QRS complex (also had to look that up) looks off to me when I compare it to the normal image on Google. Is this something I should be concerned about? Migraine has started to abate but I feel weird. Heart was pounding in throat the whole time, especially when on my side. Some shortness of breath. Mostly feeling better now.Thanks for your time, help (hopefully) putting my mind at ease and teaching me something in the process :)Edit - also, not sure if relevant but I got my 5th COVID vaccine (the bivalent Pfizer one) on Mondayhttps://i.imgur.com/mA1T0Vz.jpg |
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Did you place the back of the watch on your chest (in the V2 lead position) and then touch the crown with your finger to get this? If so, then the inverted T wave you are concerned about would not be a valid finding. The voltages in the precordial (V) leads in a 12 lead EKG are measured in relation to the average of the 4 limb leads, not just one arm which the watch is doing. EKG tracings from Apple Watches are good for determining heart rhythms but not much else. | Thank you so much for the education :) |
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It would be theoretically possible to get a tracing with accurate wave morphology between 2 limbs with an Apple Watch, but it could be inverted if the polarity is switched. Please dont try this though, it can only serve to stress you out more. As long as the watch says sinus rhythm, you are probably good. Ask your physician for a standard EKG is you are concerned. | Thats exactly what I did. I was told you could use it on that area and even on the ankle to replicate different ECG (EKG?) leads. Thank you for the info!! Phew! |
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Did the watch say an EKG tracing you performed showed afib or was it from monitoring from the heart rate sensor? | I appreciate you geeking out with me explaining the technology moreI find all of this stuff so fascinating. I got 6 Afib alerts today but I read there are a lot of false positives, especially with younger people. Will go get a full 12 lead to make sure. Thanks again! |
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Thats a bit concerning. Be sure to show those EKG tracings to your cardiologist.Many of the medications you list can can affect heart rhythm and interact with each other. The Vyvanse particularly would not be good to take if there is a question of atrial fibrillation. | An EKG I performed while having palpitations showed Afib, which is why I started trying to get different lead readings was trying to see if it was a fluke or not and get as much info for cardio if necessary (Holters suck). Didnt happen consistently when performing recordings back to backsome would say it detected Afib and others sinus. |
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No way I can address something this complex and nuanced in this forum. Please discuss this with your personal physician. | I think its long QT? Something QT? Pharmacist mentioned that I was on a lot that increased that risk so Ive been careful with the domperidone and zofran but I had to take both today. In your opinion, are there any meds you would cut? Other than the Oxycodone - I have a plan for that. I know you dont know my full medical history but I would love to eliminate some of these meds. Are there any redundant ones? Ones that work against another one? I wont take what you say as medical advice and discontinue meds or anything - just curious what another doctor would say. Appreciate it!Edit - and stopping Vyvanse for now until I talk to cardio is probably the best. I dont take it every day anyways |
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5-HIAA testing is for carcinoid syndrome, not pheo | Thank you for the advice! We havent thought about pheochromocytoma. It does seem to line up. How does that get diagnosed? The website I was reading just a minute ago said a 24-hour urine test which she did when her GI doctor wanted to test for carcinoid syndrome/neuroendocrine tumors with a 5-HIAA urine test. I think they were only testing 5-HIAA though and not anything else so not sure if thats what they test for when checking for pheochromocytoma. Shes also had a kidney ultrasound and two abdominal (including kidneys) CT scans with contrast. Would they have shown up on those or is it one of those things they have to be specifically looking for?Shes reached out for therapy. She actually is a counselor herself so we tend to think she had the proper coping skills herself but as time has gone on with this, she has reached out to former colleagues, specifically to try to schedule EMDR therapy which has been very helpful for her in the past.The tricky part with it being related to anything COVID-related is she's never actually tested positive for COVID. So we don't know that she's had it even though when she searches for others dealing with her symptoms on reddit, it often takes her to posts in the covid longhaulers subreddit. |
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I agree with another poster - she needs to have a PCP that can consolidate her information and testing to help you guide where to go next. I think you keeping this list is fantastic to help you advocate for yourselves.There are a few things here:The white plaques found on the colonoscopy Spring 2021 is of very high interest especially given that the cause was not determined. Was it ever biopsied? It may be worth another repeat C-scope because it sounds like the most recent direct visualization was an EGD. Low grade colitis from inflammatory bowel disease doesnt always show up on a CT scan.I also think her autoimmune workup is incomplete from the blood work listed. In addition to this, viral illnesses (such as the one she had in 2019 that may or may not have been COVID) often can trigger the beginning of an autoimmune condition. The blood work ANA and RF is by no means comprehensive. Why was an RF checked? Was she having joint pain as well? With a family history, autoimmune conditions are very high on my listnose symptoms, lung symptoms, microscopic hematuria, peripheral nervous system issues beings up differentials including: GPA (granulomatosis with polyangitis previously known as Wegeners Granulomatosis) and Anti-GBM (Goodpasture) Disease which are autoimmune vasculitisI would recommend checking for vasculitis: ESR, CRP, C3/4, ANCA, Anti-GBM, cryoglobulinsOther autoimmune conditions can manifest with GI issues too - there is a lot of overlap. Whether she has joint pain or not, I would check CCP, HLA B27, Sjogren panelSystemic scleroderma is a possibility too which would include Anti-Scl70 labsIf she has joint pain, a synovial ultrasound of the hands / feet may find active joint or tendon inflammation which would support an inflammatory condition as well.I hope this information can help bring your wife some answers and hopefully treatment | I would test Seum Copper levels and Zinc. Copper deficiency can cause peripheral neuropathy, histamine intolerance (copper is a cofactor of DAO), dysautonomia (copper is a cofactor of DBH, required to convert dopamine to norepinephrine), EKG abnormalities.Copper deficiency can be caused by zinc toxicity, and zinc has become a very popular supplement "to prevent" COVID. Too much zinc supplementation without Copper can lead to copper deficiency.We havent looked into that. She doesnt take any zinc supplements so were not sure what would cause her to have copper deficiency or zinc toxicity. Well write it down to mention to her PCP at her next appointment.She has been checked for carcinoid syndrome. Her GI doctor suggested it and she had both the CgA blood test and 24-hour urine 5-HIAA test that luckily both came back in normal range. |
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A lot of those blood tests I mentioned any primary can order as well as the synovial ultrasound.Its hard to approach an MD about specific tests but I think its worth asking. It just depends on how you think your doctor is. I have patients ask me for specific tests pretty often and we just make a joint decision on if its worth it in shared decision making.As for which specialty? rheumatology and GI would be the ones in my opinion. | I greatly appreciate this response as its extremely informative!The white plaques were never followed up on unfortunately. Her blood in her stool cleared up shortly after so she let it go.I definitely agree with you on the autoimmune thoughts. I had no idea there were so much more to test for. What kind of specialist would she see who would run those kinds of tests and how does she approach it with that doctor? Just tell them she wants to be tested for everything? |
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The point of getting testing like this done is to go over it with a medical professional who can then make recommendations. The echo and stress test are normal, your cholesterol is too high. I'd suggest that you find a primary care doctor. | Hey. I am male 24 Height 5:10 and weigh 87 kg. I don't drink or smoke. For a few months i have been suffering from left sided chest pain that radiates to my left arm and back. I also suffer from shortness of breath at times. I decided to get my lipid profile done and my cholesterol levels came back very high. I then decided to get Echo Cardiogram and Exercise Tolerance Test and some other blood work. Can you take a look at my reports. Thankshttps://imgur.com/a/SiBOG1Phttps://imgur.com/a/yKBhqsFhttps://imgur.com/a/aK6RuWchttps://imgur.com/a/IWwMi1vhttps://imgur.com/a/UaEOvP2 |
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That's a good thing to talk to your PCP about. GERD is a common cause of non-cardiac chest pain. | I did. Was recommended to start statins but i am yet to start those. I wan't to see if the levels could be brought down by lifestyle and diet changes first. I just can't figure out why im experiencing the chest pain. |
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Nearly all of the things youve described are seen on essentially every echo report. Trivial and trace and mild regurgitation are seen in one or more valves of (what I estimate to be) the vast majority of healthy people. The regurgitation is only really abnormal if its significant (moderate or severe). Its important to mention any at all, though, so the previous report can be compared to any future ones (among other reasons). The reason theres a lot of could not assess...poor visualization all over the report is because this was a transthoracic echo. If they need better visualization of those structures, they would need to do a transesophageal echo which is a really not-fun procedure which requires you to be sedated, and is usually reserved for people with high suspicion for infective endocarditis or severe cardiac disease involving the poorly visualized structures.The rest of the findings could be related to pulmonary arterial HTN, which youve already mentioned. PAH is not the same as hypertension in general. The lung circulation is separate from the systemic circulation (though obviously the two are connected) and PAH is usually due to changes in the lung structure or function. For example, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis (scarring in the lungs), or - my attendings personal favorite underdog in the world of heart/lung issues - sleep apnea.The full report of any diagnostic study, like an echo, is always going to have something that doesnt sound completely normal in it - the wonderful world of incidental findings. Thats why its important to go by what the cardiologist or other ordering physician interprets from the echo. Its also why every diagnostic report has a disclaimer along the lines of correlate with clinical findings. In the context of your presentation, the echo that you had done was essentially normal. Its what my own echo report said despite results that could have been used to diagnose someone with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction had they been a 68 year old with blood pressure of 155/100 for the past 25 years, extra heart sounds, and shortness of breath.Your echo was done, I presume, to look for rheumatic heart disease in the context of your clinical findings (which could be consistent with that, though its rare to get this from only having rheumatic fever once). These findings arent really consistent with RHD. The mitral valve is slightly thickened, which may be the result of the rheumatic fever, but the report does not show mitral stenosis (the expected consequence of RHD).What Id recommend doing is writing down the findings youve seen on the report, including your concerns about what they could mean, and other good questions youve asked in your post here (like about pulmonary artery hypertension, and the poor visualization of certain structures on the echo and how important these inconclusive findings would be to a diagnosis) and take them with you to the next appointment. Because your cardiologist has a more complete picture of your clinical presentation and other health info, they are the best person to help guide you through the report, why they do not feel this echo has shown the underlying problem, and the next steps to take.Best of luck to you, and thank you for the question! Echo reports are always confusing and concerning to many who arent aware that many of the abnormal findings are often normal variants, so this is a great post to discuss that with. | 35 yo female 5'7" (170 cm) 180lbs (81.6kg) Caucasian and Native American I have previously had high blood pressure, but as of the last year or so my blood pressure has become very LOW for undetermined reasons, with my most recent reading being 101/60Primary symptoms: Decreasing general health for the past ~3 years, primarily presenting as severe fatigue, syncope + nausea when overheated or standing up too quickly, needing a minimum of 10-12 hours of sleep every night to feel rested, general malaise.I have asthma, ADD, MDD. Drink occasionally; previous occasional smoker but quit ~5 years ago. Same for recreational drugs -- on occasion when I was younger, but none for at least 5 years. I had previously been diagnosed with Rheumatic Fever in 2015, which seems VERY relevant here, but every doctor I've tried to discuss it with brushes it off when I mention it.So, last month I finally got a referral to a cardiologist, after years of trying to get one, and I was given a heart monitor to wear at home for two weeks, and then on Dec 23rd I had an echocardiogram ultrasound done. After trying and failing to get ahold of them by phone, Friday I FINALLY received a letter in the mail with my results. The front page of that letter states that all my tests were normal, and no follow-up is needed.THEN, that same letter goes on to detail in the next few pages that I have a small left ventricle, sinus tachycardia with an average heartbeat ranging from 90-150 bpm, paradoxical septal motion, mild pulmonary valve regurgitation, a thickened mitral valve, mild mitral valve regurgitation, trivial tricuspid valve regurgitation, and then it states that my "right ventricular systolic pressure could not be estimated due to inability to detect peak tricuspid regurgitation" and that my pulmonary valve stats were also inconclusive due to "poor visualization".The "inconclusives" I suppose could go either way, and I don't know if those are something I should try to get more testing for to clear up or not. But the rest definitely does not sound "normal" to me, and based on a quick Google search most of those things seem to be more common in someone who has had previous cardiac surgery, which I have not, and/or they usually go hand-in-hand with severe pulmonary hypertension, and as previously mentioned, my blood pressure has been consistently LOW, to the point of being almost abnormally so, for at least the past year.So, is there anyone who can confirm that all those abnormalities could be found, while still falling within the "normal" range of test results? Am I just reading too much into this, or am I right in thinking that my cardiologist didn't do his job properly, and a second opinion is needed?Update: Wow this really took off way more than I expected! I went to bed early last night, was busy with other stuff this morning, and then I'm American, so I have been thoroughly distracted by the absolute shitshow going on in DC ever since..., so I haven't logged on to Reddit to check back on responses until just now. Thank you to everyone for what looks like some very educated replies; I'm working my way through them and will try to respond more thoroughly tomorrow after a good night's (hopefully) sleep! |
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Hello. I'm not a native English speaker so the terms "mild" or "moderate" got me a little confused at first. The medical student and the cardiologist gave a very good explanation as to why those are really normal findings, those are normal findings in my country as well. Still heart rate isn't normal, and symptoms persist so there is still a problem. Now we now it isn't in the heart. I also think that the rheumatoid fever isn't something to be worried of there was only one event, the echocardiogram findings demonstrate mitral valve thicken but not an stenosis, I agree with the rest and think that is not a problem. There are not-doctors that are thinking about POTS/dysautonomy, I came here to tell them they are not crazy, I also suspect that. However dysautonomy is diagnosed by discarding other illnesses, and with only the findings of an echocardiogram it cannot be diagnosed. I would ask with internal medicine for a second opinion and more tests, first you have to discard hypothyroidism (not likely), adrenal dysfunction and endocrine dysfunctions. The recommendations to better your symptoms are drinking more water, change positions slowly: if you are in crouch position stand up as slowly as you can, from laying down sit before you stand up. Try doing some non impact exercise (not a good idea: weight lifting, running, crossfit). Hope you get better and find some answers. Stay safe | Sorry for such a late reply, but the past few days have been a bit busy for me. Thank you for such a detailed response!So, the echo actually wasn't done specifically to look for Rheumatic heart disease -- that's just something I thought might be relevant or related to the problems I've been having. It was primarily done because I've been having these periodic attacks of such severe fatigue I can barely get out of bed, and when I do manage to get myself upright, I get out of breath and heart-poundy with even the slightest exertion, and am just generally extremely weak and disoriented -- I can't lift my arm over my head for more than a couple seconds, can't stay standing very long without sitting or leaning heavily on something, etc... and if I try to fight it and actually KEEP myself upright and moving around for more than a minute or two -- ie, to take a shower -- it quickly progresses to my heart feeling like it's gonna pound out of my chest, then nausea + room violently spinning, very rapidly followed by syncope. I'm not sure if it's full or partial syncope because I'm not sure if only being "out" for a few seconds or so qualifies as full syncope or just partial -- but I definitely black out briefly and collapse, and then spend awhile feeling violently sick and dizzy and shaky (and cold-sweaty) after I come back to. These "attacks" (episodes? Not really sure what to call them) come and go, but when they happen, they generally last about a week (roughly 3-4 days of being really bad, then another 3-4 days of recovery before I'm relatively back to normal again.) I've figured out that my Adderall prescription seemed to be a primary trigger for these attacks, so I've recently quit taking that altogether, and I'm hoping that will drastically reduce the attacks... but they've definitely happened at other times even without any triggers that I've been able to pinpoint, so it's not the Adderall that was CAUSING it (also it didn't happen every time I took the Adderall, which is why it took awhile to pinpoint that being a huge trigger) -- there's something underlying that's going on, and the Adderall just seemed to trigger whatever that "something" is. But I'm not sure what it is that triggers them other times.So, my cardiology workup was primarily to try to figure out what the hell is going on with me as far as all that. I was honestly really hoping the answers here would be along the lines of "yes, something DEFINITELY got overlooked or mixed up, you need to call and insist on a follow-up appointment and let your doctor know he effed up and x, y, and z needs to be immediately looked into further". I mean I'm not looking for a malpractice suit or anything, I understand mistakes can happen... but I just really wanted to hear that it WAS a mistake, because I'm SO. FED. UP. with these goddamn symptoms.I have been in and out of doctor appointments CONSTANTLY for three years now. And I haven't been able to work for those three years because jobs just fire me for having to call in too often. And despite three years of endless appointments and efforts, I feel like I'm still no closer to having any answers... so I was REALLY hoping this would finally provide some. I would rather have an upsetting diagnosis at this point, than continue having NO diagnosis at all. Knowing what IS wrong would be so much more useful than just knowing one more thing that isn't -- once I know what IS wrong, I can actually get a treatment plan going for it, and maybe I can finally start getting my life back on track. I used to be super active -- worked full-time in a restaurant, on my feet running around 40 hours a week; spent my free time riding bikes, hiking, and gardening, as much as possible... and now I can barely do any of that. Very short hikes, small amounts of gardening... but none of the rest. I want my life back.Or worst case scenario, with a diagnosis I could at least apply for disability, if getting my life back isn't an option, and have some meager bit of income again, anyway. I could start processing the fact that getting my life back close to where it was before just isn't gonna happen, and deal with that, instead of holding out some hope of being able to be "fixed" -- at least somewhat -- once I finally know what's wrong. With answers, I could at least do SOMETHING. With no answers, my life just stays in this shitty limbo indefinitely. And I really, really thought this was going to be what finally gave me some answers. It 100% FEELS like it's my heart that's the root of my problems... and I was even about 2/3rds through one of the attack weeks when I had the echo done, so I thought for sure it would show something while I was right in the midst of it, especially. So I just can't wrap my head around how everything could be "basically normal."I suppose that all wasn't exactly clear in my "symptoms" summary -- I was just trying to rush through and get to the echo results, and didn't really feel like typing out the whole story -- so I just figured "fatigue/syncope/malaise" would cover the gist of it.I do really appreciate your response, though... I just wish it was what I actually wanted to hear. I just don't know how much more I can take of hearing "nothing seems to be wrong" when something is so obviously, seriously wrong. I know it's not psychosomatic; any doctor who tried to tell me it's "anxiety and/or depression" would probably find themself in possession of a brand new, shiny, second asshole by the time I was done with them... but this never-ending lack of answers does sometimes make me wonder if I'm going crazy. It feels like I'm being gaslit -- but by medical science, not by a person. |
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Multiple myeloma usually has high calcium, kidney disease, anemia (low blood count) and bone disease. You mentioned none of those. Low anion gap is hardly used in the emergency setting, and usually will need retesting if blood to see if it was a one time occurrence. | 48 year old female 54 normal weight female. Went to the ER for chest pains on the left side that were consistent for about two months and have since subsided in the ER had a normal chest CAT scan with contrast. Low anion Gap. I was just looking back at bloodwork from ER visit in December and noticed Anion Gap was 1/mol/L but Albumin was normal 3.9 and total protein normal 7.2. The Dr didn't mention this to me. And just saw this now. So worried about Multiple Myeloma now. My sodium was low 131 and SGPT (ALT) was low 12. The only thing they mentioned was elevated Hgb 15.5 and Het 46.3% but said nothing to worry about. Can anyone give their opinion. Ive also been to the gastroenterologist and cardiologist, upper endoscopy and colonoscopy normal and all cardiology tests were clear just showed some palpitations upon exertion. |
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Anion gap is calculated by (sodium + potassium) - (bicarbonate and chloride). Most of the time when it is reported as low it is because there is slight variation in these factors from any random blood sample leading it to be falsely low. This is why they usually repeat it, and usually it normalizes. | Thank you for the response. Several months ago I did have elevated calcium but have been retested two times and calcium was normal. I was taking a lot of gas x and alka seltzer for the chest pain that I had gone in for.Also had bloodwork three weeks prior and anion gap and albumin and globulin were normal. Would that change so fast? |
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Internal medicine doc here but in my differential is Adult Onset Stills Disease which can still present in children and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. The salmon colored rash lasting a few minutes is textbook for Adult Onset Stills Disease.I'm assuming she had blood cultures done at one or multiple points during her admission. Did she have a procalcitonin tested? Did she receive any antibiotics? Any steroids like solumedrol, prednisone etc? Does she still have joint pain? Does this rash show up only during febrile episodes? Any auto immune conditions in the family like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, hashimotos? | 8F, 78lbs, no medication. She was in the hospital for a long time but they discharged her. She is still in pain, please help. I attached the notes of her discharge.The patient is an 8-year-old white female with five weeks of fever, rash, arthralgias. Last month, the patient noted foot pain involving both left and right feet, as well as a blotchy pink rash on the leg that proceeded to spread to the trunk and then arms and then face during that week. The patient had low-grade fevers with temps to a max of 101. This has progressed to the week prior to admission higher fevers with T-max of 103.5. The patient has endorsed muscle pain, particularly in the right leg and arm, and PMD had seen the patient this week noted right knee and right index finger swelling. There is no noted weight change over this time period. No noted diarrhea or swollen nodes. The rash the patient described the week prior had an acute abrupt onset and 5-10 minutes later would dissipate.Rheumatology was consulted on the patient from admission. Lab studies were sent to rule-out an infectious etiology for rash. Strep culture was negative. EKG was also performed to rule-out a prolonged PR interval. EKG was within normal limits. A DNase B antibody was 547 and an ASO titer was 300. While results were elevated, the patient did no meet clinical criteria for rheumatic fever and diagnosis that was most likely entertained was systemic JIA. Further lab work included an ANA which was negative, rheumatoid factor which was negative, a CRP on admission was 8.6 mg/dL with an ESR about 80. CK and aldolase were within normal limits. Ferritin was elevated at 663. LDH was within normal limits. CBC was reassuring with normal white counts, hemoglobin and platelets; findings nonsuggestive of leukemia. Hepatic panel within normal limits. A chest x-ray was done to rule-out mediastinal mass, and that was negative. From an infectious standpoint, Parvo, CMV, EBV were all negative. Clinically the patient was noted to have a salmon-colored transient rash that would come and go throughout the hospitalization lasting a matter of minutes. No definite arthritis on examination. Oncology was consulted given the history of arthritis and fevers. It was felt in the setting of normal cell lines in evaluating a smear, which revealed no blasts, no indication of hepatomegaly or splenomegaly and uric acid and LDH within normal limits and x-ray that was normal, they felt that further oncologic evaluation was not indicated and a bone marrow was not indicated at that time. Cardiology was also officially consulted because the patient had a 2/6 ejection murmur on the exam. Cardiology felt the murmur was a flow murmur and evaluated the EKG, which they read as within normal limits, and decided an echo was not indicated to rule-out valvular disease in the setting of the rash and arthritis in an attempt to workup acute rheumatic fever. |
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Yes, the evanescent nature of the rash in this context twigged me to Still's as well. There is a known juvenile onset form that falls under "SoJIA" (Systemic-onset Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis), considered a version of Still's.OP, this sounds exactly like a form of arthritis to a clinician who takes care of children. I agree that what comes to mind for your mother as "arthritis" is likely too limited, and that definition might need to be expanded in her mind. Could you look at this, and maybe share it with her? https://www.arthritis.org/diseases/systemic-juvenile-idiopathic-arthritisAbout a third of the way down that page is the SYMPTOMS section, with subsections on Fever, Rash, and Joint Pain. Please read it and see if it rings a bell. Best wishes. | NAD. My son has Adult onset stills disease, also considered SJIA when in a child under 16. His symptoms were rash (with fever) that could disappear when the fever went down. Muscle aches, joint pain. Enlarged spleen, liver. Elevated CRP, ESR, ASO, and Ferritin. Liver enzymes elevated from the swelling. He is on high dose prednisone and biologic injections. Hospitalized for 3 weeks.Its rare op, but your sisters case seems so similar. It needs aggressive treatment early on for the best chance of success/possible remission |
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It depends on if you have arrhythmias. Have you ever had atrial fibrillation? Did they ever do an exercise stress test?Most of the time it won't effect pregnancy but if you have ever had atrial fibrillation the risk of degrading to a ventricular arrhythmia will be increased in pregnancy.Talk with your cardiologist, it may be beneficial to start a beta blocker depending on your history. | 27, female, 5ft 8, 190lbs, folic acid & vitamin D supplement medications.I am 16 weeks pregnant and have Wolff Parkinson White syndrome. I was diagnosed in 2012 but have been asymptomatic for around 8 years now. Today I was at maternity and was checked by cardiology where WPW presented itself again on my ECG. I had an 2 ablation attempts in 2012 & 2013 where they werent able to get the extra pathway.How will this affect my pregnancy and delivery options? |
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First off, let me say I am very sorry for your loss.All the following assumes you live in the US:I believe the specifics varies by state/county, but any unexpected death (with or without surgery) is by default a coroner's case. This means, someone at the hospital (doctor or nurse) is legally obligated to call the county coroner and report the death. The coroner has the discretion to order an autopsy, i.e. say yes or no they believe one should be done. In this situation, I would think they definitely would, and the body would be transferred to the coroner's office to do it. Even if the coroner says no, they don't require one, the attending doc of the patient can request an autopsy (to be done by the hospital.)I guess in your shoes I would do the following:Contact the surgeon and ask if the case was reported to the coroner. If not, why not. If they did call, what did they say about an autopsy.Then ask how you go about arranging a private autopsy. The surgeon might not know, but should be able to get you in contact with people in the hospital who can help you find out.Any respectable surgeon would want to know what happened just as much as you do. If you find him being evasive on the subject or refusing to return your calls, contact the hospital administration. Admins know medical legal risk and this is absolutely a red flag in that regard. | I'm not sure what details are most important here, so I'll try to sum things up clearly. I need to determine if I should pay for a private autopsy, the problem is money is tight. However, if it's likely someone messed up, I want to take action. This hospital has something of a reputation when it comes to problems with infections, and previously they messed up on a friend of mine, their mistake nearly led to the amputation of her arm. Luckily that time they caught their mistake, and the $250,000 medical bill wasn't placed on my friend.Male665'10"215 lbhad been on 5mg oxycontin for a bruised rib, took something like 30mg total a dayRough timeline:Day 1 he went to the ER for an infected toe. They referred him to another ER because the infection had spread to the bone and they needed to amputate. His GP said he had no diabetes. He may have had a case of bronchitis.Day 2 he's dealing with bad conditions at the hospital where his surgery will take place due to overcrowding in the non-covid section of the hospital while they give him antibiotics prior to surgery.Day 3 surgery takes place, surgeon reports everything went quickly and smoothly. Dad texts me after, saying everything went well. I talked with him and he sounded tired, but didn't seem out of the ordinary post-op.~14 hours later, a nurse says he was talking with my dad, he was joking with the nurse and the nurse "got his pain level down" and continued his rounds. An hour after this, my dad starts to gasp for breath, starts coding and they move him to the cardiology section where he passed.Some possible weirdness:The surgeon led me to believe there would be an autopsy, though he never directly stated there would be one, as he said my dad was relatively young and the surgeon didn't know what could have gone wrong. However, the surgeon had either already signed off on no-autopsy or did shortly thereafter. Going back to our conversation, the surgeon never said "there will be an autopsy" he just said "the coroner will have to tell us what happened" or something along those lines.I waited for a couple of days to hear back the results, but the hospital then lost my dad and the stuff he had brought in with him, they lost him for something like 4 or 5 days, with us calling every day after the 2nd day after his passing trying to find him and his phone so we could get his contacts and notify people. We still don't have his phone, so we haven't been able to notify all of his friends as the majority of their contact info is in his phone and we don't have it yet. |
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Interesting assuming your flair is correct and you are not in medicine it seems more likely there was a miscommunication. I've seen bad outcomes but i have never seen or been involved in a "coverup." In PACU Im on the phone with the family/proxy immediately informing them of even relatively mild complications like blood loss requiring transfusion (1-2 units not MTP).At least in general surgery, the patient/their PCP will see what was done on post-op imaging. You can't hide from radiology! | I have had an experience in a hospital like this, as the mom of a patient. The procedure was absolutely botched and we did not find out til later from a nurse who didnt realize they hadnt told us the entire truth. It changed the procedure for pyxis picks in our local hospital, because they picked the wrong medication and it went through two nurses and a pediatrician and was administered to my newborn, premature son.Every business is going to protect its own interests, and I consider doctors a business entity as well as the practices and hospitals. Mistakes are understandable but for a mistake to make it through 3 medical professionals and not be caught til hours after the fact is inexcusable.All this to say, mistakes happen and even on a big scale. I wouldnt think it uncommon for this sort of thing to happen. |
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This very sudden event does not sound like a surgical complication. It sounds more like a pulmonary embolus or heart attack, possibly an acute allergic reaction. WITHOUT RECORDS I CANNOT CLAIM THIS AS FACT. Edit: I just noticed you mentioned they moved him to the cardiology floor. A cardiac event seems more likely.You can request a copy of his medical records if you want to know more.Pulmonary embolism was my first thought as well, but of course its my first thought regardless of the situation because, well, gotta CT somethin.Sorry for your loss OP. I hope you are able to find peace within all of this. | irst off, I know the pain of losing a parent and Im terribly sorry.Second, NAD, but my field of work happens to be in medical malpractice, specifically investigating licensed medical professionals.Malpractice is generally defined as medical negligence, but this comes in many forms.What I would do is request any and all medical records IF you can legally. Or whoever can, they need to and are allowed under HIPAA. The records we see from doctors are very general, they are required to log and note just about everything and a lot of detailed notes youll never see unless requested.It appears if any negligence happened it was after his passing. The fact that they lost him is NOT ok.Id also be curious to see what medication he received after surgery or in the hours before his passing. Incorrect dosage or medication is a lot more common than people think.Anyway a malpractice attorney may not be the best route yetThey would have a coroner examine the body and can sometimes determine cause of death without an autopsy hasnt a cause of death been given to your family yet?If they cannot determine cause an autopsy would be performed and the family has to consent.The family also has every right to request one, but you may have to pay for it.I would gather that information for sure and any and all medical records |
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Saying that hospital staff killed your dad is a bit of a stretch, but you do deserve an autopsy like you asked for.Reaching out to get records from the hospital and getting a lawyer could help. You could also reach out to the medical examiners office and see if theyre even aware of this case, if they havent heard of it, or if they rejected it. | In my hospital, the surgeon has no decision making in a coroners case. A mandatory coroners case is if a patient dies within 24 hours of admission. Furthermore, if any patient dies in my hospital, the charge RN or patients RN calls 1) the coroners office. 2) organ donation. 3). The family, and 4) the funeral home or cremation. The surgeon has nothing to do with the decision of a coroners case, the coroner decides. If the coroner decides no autopsy is warranted, the family may have there own independent autopsy completed at their own expense. Your fathers surgeon signed off because your father was no longer his patient. I hope this helps, and I am truly sorry about your father. |
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Its really hard to connect a sudden event like this to a relatively benign surgery i.e. toe amputation. I cant envision a scenario where the surgery was a direct cause of his death. If it was a PE and he wasnt getting SQ heparin in the hospital, maybe you have a case, but even that might be a stretch. The vast majority of deaths in the hospital were beyond anyones control, but of course there are exceptions. Despite popular belief, its hard to kill people.I think it's most likely that they didn't make any mistake that caused this death, especially with just an amp of a digit, but I would think this definitely would deserve an autopsy. He probably had a PE, STEMI, something catastrophic either unrelated to the surgery or a very unfortunate complication of the surgery, and was in a part of the hospital for very non-acute patients that don't really need much monitoring when it happened. | Is there a way to get a coroner to do it? The county coroner said they won't since the surgeon signed off on it, so as far as I'm aware I need to get a private autopsy done, which is a pretty large financial burden at around $7,000. I'll absolutely pay for it if it's at all likely that they messed up. I can't stand the thought that they could face no repercussions for any mistakes they made. |
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An incomplete RBBB is generally a benign and incidental finding. I would not worry about it at all. I often dont mention it to patients if I see it on their EKG because it doesnt really meaningfully increase risk of anything nor does it typically indicate underlying cardiac disease. Think if it as simply just being the way your heart is wired. | Im a 32 year old male, smoked tobacco from 18-22 and switched to vaping, regular use of marijuana and no other drug use since age 22, I used to abuse cocaine. Went to the ER twice, once for a short lived but stabbing center chest pain, other visit I was sitting watching videos and my heart started pounding out of my chest and reach 150-160bpm, but absent of pain, both times EKG and X-ray were explained as unremarkable and was given an ER diagnosis of palpitations/anxiety. I went to my PCP yesterday and he asked if any of the ER staff mentioned a incomplete RBBB. I told him they did not, I reached out to ER doctor and he said the computer read out printed an incomplete RBBB on the paper but upon human examination it wasnt the case and was likely caused by me being underweight. My PCP said this is highly unlikely and ordered a chemical stress test and a cardiology appointment for May 5th, I trust my PCP but hes new to me so I dont know him very well. Can an EKG false read a RBBB or is my PCP correct to be suspicious? If I do have an Incomplete RBBB what does that mean for someone my age? Waiting on the next appointment is giving me anxiety and just want to understand more about whats happening. Thank you in advance for your help! I have a family history of stroke but not cardiac failure. |
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That certainly sounds like a challenging case.You should review what happened with the anesthesiologist as they can provide the necessary context and course of events to what happened. Having the anesthetic record available will also be invaluable.Also, brain surgery carries additional risks, with significant pauses in heart rate being due to several different mechanisms. Most likely, this will not be an issue in other surgeries. However, it is impossible to know without more information.As for your chest pain, while broken ribs can happen, there can also be pain in the joints as well as muscles and other tissues. The soreness should eventually get better in the next week or so. | 34F, Canada, Cushings Disease with associated type 2 diabetes, hypertension, etc.One week ago I underwent a transsphenoidal pituitary adenoma resection. Midway through the surgery my heart stopped and they had to give me CPR. Not sure how long I was out for (the doctor said I was back before he had time to get the life-saving medications). My heart stopped again right at the end of the surgery. I woke up from anesthesia having my chest x-rayed and being asked a bunch of questions to see if I had any neurological damage.X-ray showed no fractures and ECGs were normal. The cardiology team didnt really know what happened and just said something about a vasovagal response with asystole. They discharged me from their care. I ended up developing diabetes insipidus so I spent 5 days in hospital.My chest still hurts something fierce. The headaches, fatigue and the hormonal rollercoaster from the tumour being removed is a walk in the park in comparison.Is the pain just muscular if the X-rays were clear? How long can I expect this to last? I feel like I cant take deep breaths or move my arms without pain. I complain but Im very grateful to the doctors who saved me!Should I be cautious going under general anesthesia in the future or was this just a freak thing?Thank you! |
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Broken ribs are notoriously hard to see on X-rays were looking more for breaks that are also very out of place, or a collapsed lung from the fracture. So you could very well have a broken rib that wasnt seen. | Thank you! Yes all the doctors seem a bit mystified by it. I have follow-ups with the surgeons in a couple weeks so I will get more details. I admit to feeling a bit freaked out by the experience. And the chest pain has been killer. |
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They might just talk to you about your symptoms and what happened. Family heart disease history. Might have you wear a heart monitor to catch any arrhythmias that might happen if/when you feel lightheaded etc. or do an echocardiogram but I say might given that you only had one episode and all blood work / ekg are normal. | 26F. 510, 150lbs. Non smoker, exercise 2x per week.I had an episode a few weeks ago where I felt lightheaded for about 15 minutes. I also had heart palpitations and feel very anxious (heart palpitations started after light headedness). This improved with deep breaths. I havent had an episode like this previously but have in the past felt heart palpitations when stressed.I spoke to a doctor at the time who sent me to the ER. I had blood tests, 2 ECGs, blood pressure tests and an X-ray which were all normal, but was sent to cardiology as a follow up.I have also since spoke with a GP who said they likely think my symptoms were a panic attack as I do suffer from anxiety and health anxiety. That said, I still have to see a cardiologist to confirm.I have my appointment tomorrow and Im very anxious about it. What will happen? Whats the likeliness of needing further tests and what would they be? Im worried about having to do a lot of follow up tests as Im travelling soon and need to be fit to travel |
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There honestly isn't any indication to go into the ER if you're wearing the MCOT monitor. While you have it on, detection of an arrhythmia is automatically transmitted to a central surveillance station for further analysis and possible intervention. If something concerning or life threatening was going on, someone would call you about it immediately. | Gender: Male. Age: 21. Weight: 160. Diagnosed with asthma.Some months ago, I went into the emergency room for heart palpitations. I am prone to heart palpitations during anxiety, but those are caused by tachycardia. They feel like a fluttering in my chest. These heart palpitations feel like my heart stops and then THUDS into my chest. When I went into the emergency room, they were relatively infrequent. I was referred to a cardiologist.During my cardiology appointment, the doctor told me that I had a heart murmur. He ordered an echocardiogram, an MCOT monitor and a stress test. The echocardiogram came back negative for any abnormalities and I have four days left on my MCOT monitor (which is like a monitor that sits on a patch above my heart and monitors my heart rhythm 24/7). I never had the stress test done.Since that appointment, I've had these beats relatively infrequently. Maybe four times a night tops.Starting last night, I began to have them much more frequently. Much more frequently. And it is only one PM and it's happening maybe two or three times already. My question iswhen are these skipped beats concerning? When should I be worried about dying? Should I go to an emergency room? |
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Are you having any other symptoms with the skipped beats? Like chest pain, shortness of breath, lightheadedness/dizziness, vision changes, or numbness/weakness/tingling anywhere, that's any different from your baseline? If so, then those would be indications to present to an ER. | Wellthe people monitoring the data have made it clear that MCOT isn't an emergency service and that all of the information from the monitor is being sent to my cardiologistwho isn't at work until tomorrow. So my thoughts are that he hasn't even seen any of my data since this has started. I just had another skipped beat. They're happening very frequently.The site says that they will only contact me if specifically requested by my physician, who isn't working weekends. I'm quite scared because these beats are happening much more frequently than normal. |
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It sounds like PVCs (premature ventricular contractions) which feel weird but arent life threatening. | Whenever I have the skipped beat sensations, there's like an anxious feeling in my chest and sort of a feeling like my body is heavy. It is the same sensation that I get during panic attacks but much less severe. The sensation never lasts. It goes away immediately after the beat. I'm terrified these fuckers are going to kill me. I have no idea why all of a sudden these are happening so frequently. |
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CMS/HCC is just a designation for billing stuff (CMS = Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services)."Ambulatory referral" - referral to an outpatient cardiologist (not being sent to see them urgently in the hospital)Syncope is the medical term for fainting, or becoming unconscious.The optic disc is a spot in the back of your eye where we can see the nerve that gets information from your eye and brings it to the brain. "Anomaly" just means that something looks funny (since they don't say anything else here, I can't say how it looks funny).In short, for your passing out or possible seizures, they're sending you to see a cardiologist to make sure it isn't your heart. For the funny thing they saw in the back of your eye, they're having you see an ophthalmologist. Sounds like all of this is a very reasonable workup for your issues.Hard to say with that general explanation - it'd be more helpful if you have the medical name of the condition. | Thank you so much! I was told I had a blockage of some kind? I cant remember exactly what its called now. Essentially the 2 parts of my heart arent in sync with each other. Thats why I got the heart monitor. Is that something to worry about? |
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Based on his username the original respondent is the best to answer this question though. | I believe its a first degree atrioventricular block. |
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The workup youve had is incredibly thorough and it couldnt find anything pathological. Short of a heart attack (which is almost impossible at your age) there wouldnt be any significant changes to your cardiac physiology since that battery of tests was done.Anxiety is by far the most likely cause.From the sounds of it, it is probably anxiety. | 27F. 213 pounds.Preexisting conditions: pcos, endometriosis, factor V, anxiety, depression, and under active thyroid Medications: propanol 40mg, levothyroxineLast year I started having random heart palpitations. I went to the ER. I had an ekg. In the ER they determined I was normal so they gave me a referral to cardiology. Since then Ive had a 30 day heart monitor, echo, and a stress test. Im told that all the results read normal and Its probably anxiety playing a part.On Friday I had a weird sensation happen. Its happened a handful of times and I mainly feel it at nighttime while laying down. It is in the middle of my chest and its a cross between a flutter and a spasm. Like it gets tight for a second. It makes me cough and I breathe in to get it to stop. I can also slightly feel them in my lower neck beating. I also woke up this morning a little weak in that area. It freaks me out.I have some slight occasional pinching just like I do with the other palpitations (Im told that can be normal ) but Im not in pain. I dont have a headache. My blood sugar is normal. My bpm is normal. My blood pressure is a little lower than where it usually sits but its still in the range.Im seeing a NP on Monday but I wanted to ask if anyone has experienced this or knows what it might be before I get told its just anxiety again.Disclaimer: Im not saying it cant be anxiety but every time I go to the doctor EVERYTHING under the sun is anxiety and its hard to get past that diagnoses when you feel like something is off |
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There are many types of heart block of various degrees of seriousness. It's not possible to say from this info what you have | I (24F) had an ekg done yesterday to investigate consistently high blood pressure (around 140/85 or higher) and both high (122bpm) and low (53bpm) heart rates. The ekg showed that I have a heart block and they explained that my heart is skipping beats and part of it is beating slower? They seemed pretty concerned and asked if I had any chest pain or dizziness, which I said no - but that I am almost constantly nauseated and tired.I have a lifelong history with nausea and fainting that Ive learned to control by avoiding triggers like heat, cardio, or becoming overwhelmed emotionally. They said since Ive been experiencing symptoms for so long, its probably not immediately life threatening and sent me home. But they insisted that I go to the ER if I feel like Im going to faint at any point and I was given an urgent referral to cardiology. How concerned should I be?Stats: 24F; very rarely drink, no cigarettes, no vaping, daily weed; Diagnosed with bipolar, adhd, and anxiety; Currently taking Trileptal 675mg and lexapro 10mg |
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Or bundle branch or fascicular. | Depends on the type of block you have. Is it a first or second degree, Mobitz or Wenkebach?For a third degree, you'd've had to stay in the hospital, I guess. |
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As an ER doc, I can hopefully help map out the in's and out's of what "should" dictate a referral to a specialist vs. what constitutes the need for a recommendation to go to the ER.The answer is...you ready for this?...If the presentation is...an emergency. Poof. Mind blown..."You condescending asshole!" I hear you saying to yourself. But, no, seriously, this is power to you. IF your PCP, for some odd and unnecessary reason, says, "Based on your symptoms, you need to go to the ER. NOW!" Calmly tell him, or her, "But, I thought that dark and scary soul-sucking hell-hole was only for emergencies. Yet, I've had these symptoms for months. Why is this suddenly so emergent? Please just refer me to a cardiologist who can help me with my chronic cardiac issues." Then, feel free to bat your eyelashes, if you so choose, as they sit in the cesspool of being completely and totally wrecked by reason. | I'm a 19 female, no drinks no drugs no smoke, "loose ligament syndrome"(modern day gHSD and hEDS, basically hypermobility spectrum disorders) runs down the matrilineal line. I couldn't inherit the diagnosis because diagnostic process changed, but same symptoms. Because of that, I'm very sedentary- chronic pain and bad joints makes even walking difficult to do for any extended period of time.Because of the loose ligament syndrome thing, I was supposed to have seen a cardiologist a while ago(if it's hEDS, increased risk of aortal dilation). On top of that, just learned maternal grandmother is also medicated for high cholesterol and bp, and had a heart murmur.I just scheduled a doctor's appointment for the 18th of February- just with my gp for a physical, and I'll go from there. Scheduled it after I went to an urgent care for something unrelated and they took my bpm three times(137, then 111 laying down, then 102 as they had me meditate for a minute). I have tons of symptoms that I just attributed to an autonomic condition like pots or something, and didn't bother treating because "it's not fatal"- common mentality in my family. However, these symptoms all also apply to cardiac issues. Things like chest pain spreading to shoulder blades + neck, feeling like a lump in my neck during hot shower + palpitations, blood pooling in my feet, breathlessness, dizziness, cold hands and feet, etc etc. I'm also wearing a Fitbit to help give general metrics(I know Fitbits aren't concise) to the gp.Anyways, because of these symptoms, I'm concerned that my gp will hear this and send me to the er (the gp office is connected to a hospital), rather than referring me to cardiology. These are all symptoms I've dealt with for months if not years. Not entirely afraid of that, I just like knowing what to expect and am trying to mentally map out possibilities.I'm curious to know at what point a doctor decides to refer a patient vs send them to the er? Especially if it's something the patient has been dealing with for a while(like in my case), vs something brand new?Update: nevermind had a heart event and I'm at the er now. So, fun reminder to go to the er when the internet tells you to, rather than waiting it out. |
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Ahhh dang. At the very least, I hope you get feeling better soon! | Yeah I put an update at the bottom, I'm at the ER after a cardiac event |
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It is not uncommon to have small, old infarcts as people get older.The important thing to do if these are seen is secondary prevention, meaning modifying risk factors to prevent future infarcts. This sounds like it is already taking place through the measurement of her HbA1c and lipid profile.As to whether anything is done about the existing vessel narrowing will depend on her particular case and where in the world you are and should be discussed with her team. | My mother has undergone an MRI brain without contract as she was suffering from double vision, major headaches, fatigue, imbalance, and frequent of coordination. The MRI scan consequently showed a small 7x4 mm nonspecific focal area of white matter high signal change seen on T2 and FLAIR sequences in the left centrum semiovale. The neurologist then advised to undergo a CT contrast scan alongside a lipid panel test to infer on the MRI findings.As per the CT scan, below were the findings:Atherosclerotic changesOcclusion of the right vertebral artery at the origin, partial visualization of the cervical segment, retrograde filling of the distal V4 segment and PICASignificant narrowing of the left PCA distal P2 and P3 segmentMild narrowing of the proximal right ICA about 40%.Right A1 segment is congenitally absent, the rest of the right ACA is hypoplasticThe lipid panel test showed the following:Lipid panel-LDL 3.34, total cholesterol 5.61Momentarily, the neurologist has requested a HBA1C and liver function exam, in addition to the echocardiogram and a 24-hour blood pressure monitoring from cardiology standpoint. He has concluded that the previous MRI reported a lesion suggestive of old ischemic infarct.I am looking for advice regarding the next viable steps as the healthcare from the country I am currently in is not up to par/adequate. I am extremely distressed and worried about this case as my father has suffered from a hemorrhagic brain stroke 12 years ago and cannot lose another parent as a result of a medical condition. I am the sole carer of both my parents who works 10 hours a day. Please advise me. |
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This will again depend on local practice and your mothers wider medical history and functional status.As an example, in my region we wouldnt consider it unless stenosis was greater than 50% and even then, the vertebral arteries are very difficult to access safely and generally only consider thrombectomy of small vessels in the acute phase. | Thank you for your reply. Greatly appreciated. Could I just ask in regards to the occlusion of the right vertebral artery and the 40% narrowing of the ICA - how dangerous/worrisome are those findings and should we opt for any surgical intervention?The neurologist has suggested to get her on Lipitor 20mg daily for 3 months and an anti platelet treatment (although she took aspirin before and had a huge drop in ferritin levels equating to 2.7 and edema, which led to her having to get iron infusions). The neurologist hence recommended plavix as an alternative. |
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The number of 50% is an example of what we would use in my local practice - it does not necessarily represent the targets in your area/situation. That is a much more nuanced question that can only be answered by your team. | In regards to medical history, my mother has been extremely healthy, no smoking or drinking, and no other medical issues. However, it is essential to note that her father and sibling have passed away from a heart attack, and two others have undergone open heart surgery.So, from my understanding, operating on the vertebral artery is extremely dangerous, and for any other stent operations regarding intracranial and extra cranial arteries, the stenosis should be larger than 50%? But what is the likelihood of her ICA percentage growing to 50% and in how long? Considering she suffered from an transient ischemic attack recently reflecting in the MRI, how would you assess this case? |
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Sounds like congestive heart failure. He should see a doctor asap. | Hello, Im posting on behalf of my 76 year old father. He had double bypass surgery back in 1995. Other chronic conditions include Afib, medically managed cholesterol, and he is a regular drinker (mainly beer and wine). His medications include Metoprolol 50 mg, Xaralto, Lipitor 40 mg, Lavazo 4000 mg, baby Aspirin, Coq10, and D3. He has dealt with very swollen feet for years and always has a dry cough. He is not short of breath or wheezy at all. In fact he is quite active, he walks about 3-4x a week, lifts with a personal trainer 2x a week, does Pilates reformer once a week, and yoga/stretching lesson once a week. He has gone to Cleveland Clinic for a full physical every year and they feel that everything is managed from a cardiology perspective. They cannot treat his Afib via electric shock for whatever physiological reason, and he doesnt want to undergo a major surgery. According to his Apple Watch, his resting heart rate is 45 for the past 13 weeks. He had a vascular doppler of his lower extremities and they found that his veins are larger than normal but no blockages. His lab work has not shown signs of kidney problems. What is most concerning to me, is that no one ever seems to be concerned about his cough. My dad is convinced its allergies but he wont take an allergy pill because it makes him tired and wont see an allergist. I would love an opinion about his very swollen feet (picture below in comment) and persistent cough. I feel like it is abnormal and we shouldnt be taking everythings fine and managed for an acceptable answer. I think that it is a symptom of something else happening in his body. What do you think it could be and do you think he should go get a second opinion? If so, where? |
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Cardiologists take a broad approach to reading an echocardiogram, not just looking to see what measurements fall within a range. Your cardiologist is the best person to tell you if your echo is normal or not.This is a normal study | Left Ventricle: The ventricular size is normal. There is no left ventricular hypertrophy. Global LV systolic function is normal. The left ventricular ejection fraction is 70 %. LV diastolic filling parameters are c/w normal diastolic function.Right Ventricle: The right ventricular size is normal. Global RV systolic function is normal.Left Atrium: The left atrium is normal in size.Summary and Conclusions:No previous studies for comparison.Normal LV size and systolic function. LVEF= 70%. Normal LV filling pressures.Normal RV size and systolic function.Normal biatrial size.MEASUREMENTS AND CALCULATIONS:Left Ventricle: Normal Aorta/Left Atrium: Normal IVSd: 0.6 cm (0.7-1.1) LV FS: 40 % (>25%) RA Area A4C: 11.8 cm2 (<18) LV EF (Biplane) 70 %. (54-74) Right Ventricle: LV Mass 66 g (67-162) RVd A4C: 2.8 cm (2.5-4.2) LV RWT 0.40 (<0.43) TAPSE: 15 mm (>16) LV EDV 2D: 44.5 (56-155) IVC Diameter: 1.8 cm LV ESV 2D: 13.4 (19-58) LV EDV index: 31 ml/m2 (35-75) LV ESV index: 9 ml/m2 (12-30) |
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Acrylate allergy is most likely followed by nickel next. | Please can I have some help identifying exactly what material has caused a nasty skin reaction in my 5 yr old? (Female, Caucasian, no health issues but has had other topical reactions in past)She had a tonsillectomy a few days ago and her skin has reacted to the sponge backing on the electrodes they stuck to her chest during surgery. (I know it's only the sponges, as the welts are in perfect circles)I've identified the electrodes as Ambu WhiteSensor 4535M https://www.ambu.co.uk/cardiology/ecg-electrodes/product/ambu-whitesensor-4535mThe data sheet says the sponge is material is "polyester polyurethane reticulated". Google tells me these are two different materials? Is there a common name for this stuff that doctors use, and is it a common medical material that I need to look out for in future? |
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I'm a neurosurgeon so I'm kinda talking out of turn but....I did rotate thru CT surgery as an intern long ago, so maybe it's still valid.Have they done a CT or MRI of his brain? If yes and it's normal, rest easy. A negative imaging study (especially MRI) rules out a stroke, which means there's little for neurology to do, other than diagnose "encephalopathy after surgery/bypass." However, if they've done no imaging, I'd consider that odd. My ICU has a low threshold to get a neurology consult and imaging, and someone having language issues and a facial droop for 5 days after heart surgery would certainly trigger it. | 65M, 5'9", 140lbs, Asian / Chinese, NYC, no medications <-- My Dad's InfoI'm in a stressful medical situation right now, and need some help / advise. My dad had an emergency aortic valve and ascending aorta replacement 5 days ago due to aortic dissection 7 days ago. He was in the OR for ~11 hours because they first attempted to repair a part of the ascending aorta, took him off bypass, saw that things weren't going well, then put him back on bypass again to do a more aggressive procedure of replacing the aortic valve and the ascending aorta including the arch, so it was a very long amt of time on bypass.Yesterday he was moved from the Cardiothoracic ICU and into a normal hospital wing due to a bed shortage in the ICU. I've noticed since he came out of surgery that he has a facial muscular abnormality on his left side (his left mouth is slanted up) and is having difficulty speaking/writing (he is slow to utter syllables, is misspelling very easy English and Chinese words, can't pronounce English and Mandarin words to the point where it is not possible to have a conversation with him without both my mom and I guessing while he attempts to partially speak / write). The cardiology team told me yesterday that they don't think they need to bring neurology in to examine him because it may all be normal effects of the bypass. I am really worried there may be signs of a stroke (he can't read/write properly and his mouth is crooked) and I am wondering why nobody at my dad's hospital is concerned with a neuro eval. What do you think - should I push back more for a neuro eval or is this normal? |
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I think a CT is a reasonable step. Quick look to rule out something concerning like a bleed or a stroke. | No, they have not done imaging of the brain yet. If this were your family member, would you advocate for CT or MRI? Thank you so much for replying to me so quckly. |
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Glad you pushed and got some answers. Heart surgery puts people at risk of both bleeding strokes (because the blood is thinned during surgery) and well as embolic strokes (because things can flick off arteries, valves, and even repair devices like aortic repair grafts). It's important to differentiate between the two, since a bleeding stroke is a contraindication to many/most post op blood thinners.I hope your dad's recovery goes smoothly. He might ultimately be a candidate for inpatient rehab, which can definitely accelerate recovery after a stroke. It's usually done at a different facility than where the surgery was done. The physical, occupational and speech therapists that work with him now will let you and the surgeon know if he's an appropriate candidate for it. | Thank you so much for your help. Using info and confidence from this thread, I was able to push/advocate with the hospital over the last few days to have the surgeon finally order a CT scan and....blood clot in the frontal lobe. A stroke team then confirmed an embolic stroke immediately. He will need to have another procedure to remove fluid around the heart.It suprises me that if I had not pushed for brain imaging, my father would have been discharged as if nothing was wrong. I can see why having family/children may sometimes be the difference between good care and terrible care. It feels good to have a baseline data point and it sounds like aspirin + therapy are the only treatment that we can seek after his condition hopefully stabilizes (low blood oxygen levels, fluid in heart and lungs is in hard to reach places, etc.).The power of Reddit continues to shine. I am grateful for this community. |
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Everyone here will tell you the same thing your doctor told you.Take a deep breath, Relax and wait for the next appointment. No one can tell you any different without examining you. | Female 35 / 55 / 195 poundsI attended my physical today and my doctor said that I have a heart murmur. This hasnt ever happened to me. She told me not to worry but now I have a cardiology appointment. I have severe health anxiety. She said its likely from anxiety or a small leak? - she said since I dont get out of breath its unlikely its serous? |
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Looks like classic premature atrial contractions (PAC). Can happen in times of high stress. Usually benign, sometimes in the setting of new arrhythmia. Beta blockers can reduce occurrence so maybe cardiology might want to discuss atenolol dose.Sounds like you might getting into a cycle that precedes panic attacks which makes people feel like they are having a heart attack eg short of breath, chest pain. Then fear of a similar episode happening again causes stress and then you cycle right back into stress induced PACs. Breathing exercises are golden when you feel youre about to enter one of these cycles. In through the nose 4 seconds, out through the mouth for 6 seconds. Do this at least 4 times and focus on breathing.See what cardiology has to say. Very unlikely anything serious. | Sex - FemaleLocation - EnglandPre-existing conditions - Chiari Malformation with Syrinx, IIHSurgeries in previous 12 months - Stents fitted to transverse sinus & ICP monitorMedications - Aspirin, Antenolol, Acetazolamide and progesterone only pill (to stop cycles, I am sterilised so not used as birth control).Issue - Hi. I am currently waiting an appointment with cardiology following a trip to A&E with tightening pains in the chest when experiencing a double heart beat. This was evident on the ECG the hospital took and appeared similar to the ones taken with my Apple Watch. It has been queried if it may be bigeminy(?). Ive attached an image in the comments from today. The episodes are becoming more frequent and happening for longer periods. I dont want to bother our already busy hospitals when these happen just to have an ECG and be sent away to wait the referral. Can anyone suggest anything I can try to stop this happening? I dont drink given my pre-existing conditions, have never smoked and Ive cut out caffeine already with no results. Thank youETA - Ive taken blood pressure when these are happening and readings are totally normal, reading with picture in comments was 114/66 |
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A lot of good answers here, I'll just confirm what the others have said. Pretty much all the answers I read are correct. It's not uncommon for our heart valves to have a tiny bit of leak (regurgitation), it's nothing to worry about. As far as the IVC. It's a touch on the large side but it could just be a normal variant. It could also mean that you are very well hydrated and there just happens to be a lot of fluid in your veins making it look nice and plump. | 22F. 115lbs. 5'2. History of gallbladder removal. History of lupus. I take aderall for ADHD and hydroxychloroquine for my lupus, as well as birth control.EDIT: Heres the full reportI saw a cardiologist a month ago and wore a heart monitor for 2 weeks and had an echo done. I went in because I have a consistently high heart. The heart monitor didn't show anything concerning according to cardiology and I was diagnosed with inappropriate sinus tachycardia. Well, I got my report back.Everything was normal besides two things that I read on the report:Trace mitral valve regurgitation.IVC is dilated at 2.5 cm.This freaks me out a bit because my doctor didn't mention any of this to me and he won't respond. On the 2D measurements, the only abnormal measurement was my LA which was 2.8 (reference range 3.0-4.0 cm).The reports from the mitral valve stated:Regurgitation: TracePeak E: 0.9 (0.6-1.3 m/s)Peak A: 0.5 (<0.7 m/s)E/A Ratio: 1.8 (0.75-1.5)The only other measurements that were high were my Pulmonic Valve:Peak Vel: 1.1 (0.6-0.9 m/s)Peak Grad: 4.5 (<=3 mmHg)I am really freaking out. How concerning is this? Is the dilation, regurgitation, and high values concerning? |
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I'd interpret this as basically not concerning. IVC of 2.5cm by itself can be normal in adults as long as there's good compressibility and respirophasic variation (not commented on, but given lack of tricuspid regurgitation and normal right heart function, would highly doubt any abnormalities). Most likely, this just means you were well hydrated at the time of the study.Regarding the mitral regurgitation, trace amounts of regurgitation across the mitral and tricuspid valves can occur in otherwise healthy adults without any significant pathology or cause for concern. Given that the rest of the report shows normal systolic and diastolic function, I'd be really surprised if the regurgitation they describe is significant or would cause any symptoms. | Thank you so very much for this. It is very much appreciated. I had assumed that my doctor wouldve told me if it was concerning but I just wanted to double check. I do have very plump veins which makes blood work easy for me lol.The hydration would make sense as I hound down so much water throughout the day (close to 90 oz). I was over hydrating too much and ended up depleting my electrolytes so now I add electrolyte drops to my water.Again, thank you so much for taking the time to respond and fantastic username. |
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When quality of life starts to decline, it is important to look at quality vs. quantity of life. If you want her to live as long as possible then yes she needs to continue to see her specialists unless they say it isn't necessary.If her goals are just peace, dignity and comfort rather than trying to extend life then focus on this instead. Her geriatrician can help with this. | My (74F) mom will likely be diagnosed with Alzheimer's later this month by the neurologist when we go for a follow-up after an inpatient stay for delirium. She is currently in a memory care facility. She has DM, OSA, and CHF with an implanted defibrillator. As I step in to manage her appointments I was wondering if she needs to see all her various specialists still. She will be seen by a Geriatrician for primary care, and I assume Cardiology would still be needed due to the defibrillator. But would she still need endocrinology and a dietician for the DM? What about Neurology and Psychiatry after the diagnosis? I got the impression from the Hospitalist that no treatment would be coming for Alzheimer's. Her DM and OSA have always been poorly controlled due to her non-compliance. I don't want her to get worse, but I'm also wanting to be as efficient as possible with the appointments since I'm on my own. |
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Sounds like the initial problem here is that they can't get good enough images of your mitral valve, so that's why the doctor is suggesting the TEE (trans-esophageal echocardiogram). This will require sedation (usually moderate sedation, like getting your wisdom teeth out). This is a very safe procedure, so I'd suggest it as a good next step to get all the important information your doctor needs. | I have pasted the findings of my regular echo below (The tricuspid regurgitation is new) I apologize for the formatting. It wouldnt allow photos.I am a 31 y/o female and just had my yearly follow-up with cardiology. Suddenly my doctor says she is very concerned about my MVP due to my age, and scheduled the esophageal echo.Naturally, I am terrified. I have a four year old, and Im supposed to be getting married. I have issues with anesthesia and Ive been a mess at work all day at the thought of having heart surgery - or possibly not waking up.How serious DOES this sound? I believe a doctor when they say theyre concerned. But Im freaking out right now. Normal left ventricular size and systolic function with an estimated EF 55%. Mild left atrial enlargement. The mitral valve is thickened and the anterior mitral valve leaflet is elongated. There is bileaflet mitral valve prolapse and an associated eccentric jet of moderate mitral insufficiency. There is mild tricuspid valve regurgitation. Dilated IVC without respiratory variation consistent with elevated right atrial pressure 15 mmHg. Estimated PA systolic pressure at the upper limits of normal 34 mmHg. Given decline in LV systolic function (previously 65%) and technically difficult images with difficult to view mitral insufficiency, will discuss with the patient moving forward with a TEE.-Left ventricle cavity size appears normal. Left ventricular systolic function is normal with an ejection fraction of 55%.-Left atrium cavity size is mildly dilated.-Right ventricle cavity size appears normal. -Systolic function is normal.-Right atrium cavity size is normal.-The aortic valve is probably tricuspid. The leaflets exhibit normal excursion. There is no regurgitation.-The mitral valve is thickened and the anterior mitral valve leaflet is elongated. There is bileaflet mitral valve prolapse and an associated eccentric jet of moderate mitral insufficiency.-There is mild tricuspid regurgitation. RVSP is 34 mmHg.-The pulmonic valve was not well visualized.-The aortic root at the Sinuses of Valsalva appears normal in size.-The inferior vena cava demonstrates a diameter of >21 mm and collapses <50%; therefore, the right atrial pressure is estimated at 15 mmHg.-There is no pericardial effusion |
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Likely from normal trauma | 3f 3ft tall 34lbs No medications Medical history: Uncomplicated pregnancy and no complications during delivery (vaginal) VSD and heart murmur present at birth but resolved on its own and was cleared by cardiology at age 2 She does have sensory issues and possibly autism were awaiting evaluation.We play doctor a lot because going to the Dr has always been something shes had a hard time with and when I was checking her mouth I noticed she had some red dots on the inside of her cheeks. While I dont believe it to be anything worrisome I wanted to just check. I got the best pictures I could of the red dots I saw. Theres a single one on one side and about 6 on the other side. I tried asking her if anything hurt like her mouth or throat but she didnt respond and is not always able to communicate clearlyI just noticed it today, so I am unsure about the duration and how long its actually been there. |
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The reversible defect on the "lexiscan report" is showing that after injection of a drug to simulate the effects of exercise on your heart, there is an area of the heart that doesn't appear to be getting enough blood flow. The concern would be that there is a narrowed coronary artery in this area.These findings are not always accurate but warrant a coronary angiogram, where a small thin tube is threaded up into an artery usually in the wrist, to get a better look at the blood vessels and find if there is narrowing. If there is coronary artery disease, the options would be medical management, a cardiac stent, or recommendations for surgery.I'm reassured that you seem to have normal heart function and currently have no symptoms, and don't have diabetes which can cause some difficult-to-treat coronary lesions. "Incredibly concerned" is an unfortunate word choice, positive stress tests are a very frequent occurrence and you are stable. Don't get ahead of yourself you will know more after the cath about whether there is a problem and what to do about it. | 42F, obese, hypertensive but controlled on meds, normal cholesterol but low HDL, arthritis, recent ankle reconstruction (July and October), seasonal allergies, depression/anxiety.Following a bout of awful GI issues for a week in December, I developed noticeable PVCs. They have progressively gotten more frequent, so I saw my PCP in January. She referred me to cardiology following a normal CBC and MBP.I had a two-day chemical stress test and echocardiogram yesterday and today. I finished around 0900 today and by 1330 I was scheduled for an emergency heart cath tomorrow.I never spoke to the cardiologist, only his nurse. She said he was incredibly concerned about the results of my tests, but didnt elaborate. I was in shock and didnt even think to ask why he was concerned.The results were uploaded to the My Chart app and I tried to read them, but its all foreign to me.Lexiscan reportEcho reportWould anyone be willing to help me understand this? |
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Clopidogrel and aspirin do not affect your red blood cell or hematocrit that being said you should speak with your cardiologist before stopping those medications | 31M,169cm,95kgI want to ask. previously I had taken aspirin and clopidogrel as instructed by the cardiology clinic. at the same time I had an appointment with a gastroenterologist because of a stomach acid problem and the gastro doctor told me to stop Clopidogrel. When I take Aspirin and Clopidogrel Blood test like Red blood cell Hemoglobin Haematocrit is high and it was abnormal last month. My question, If I stop clopidogrel on the instructions of the gastro doctor will it cause 3 types of blood readings to increase more in the future |
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No your esomeprazole should be fine | 40/F 5'7 175 lbs: gerd, anxiety, bile reflux, asthma, allergies. Cardiology concerns- calcium score of 149, ldl 191, total cholesterol 281, family history of heart disease at a young age.My cardiologist just prescribed Rosuvastatin 40mg. The bottle says not to take within 2 hours of magnesium or aluminum antacids. Does that include esomeprazole magnesium? I usually take all my morning medications (esomeprazole, zyrtec, fluoxetine, vitamins) together- do I need to wait 2 hrs to take the statin? |
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Hi. I am very sorry for your loss.Some cardiac arrest cases do happen in healthier individuals and can be fatal. Not all cardiac arrest cases are treatable even in an emergency.It's normal to feel lost right now, but you will get through this. Grief counseling may be helpful in your situation for closure. | My father was in his late 40s and went on a walk. He was 160 lbs and 54 and vegetarian, didnt drink or smoke, and exercised pretty regularly. He called my mom and told her he couldnt breathe. She drove to him and got there within two minutes (he wasnt too far from our house). When she got there he was unresponsive and another passerby had started cpr and called 911. He revived before the paramedics got there and was able to talk to my mom. He even called her on the way to the hospital in the ambulance and told her he got there. As soon as he got there he lost his pulse. They did cpr on him and tried to revive him for an hour before they called his death. Im very lost. How could he have been revived on the sidewalk but not in the hospital. I thought cardiac events were treatable if they were caught within the first few minutes. He had calcium deposits on his heart and had tested positive for covid two weeks prior. Any insight would be greatly appreciated as Im looking for some understanding and closure.Edit: thank you all for your comments. Ive read all of them and really appreciate the insights you all have given into what could have happened. Im talking to a doctor about getting a cardiology consult for my siblings and I to make sure there arent genetic/other issues. Im also making sure my family will get the updated covid booster shots. My dad was pretty religious and we therefore cremated him as soon as possible, because thats what he would have wanted, and tbh I value fulfilling his last wishes more than an autopsy at this time. Ive also gotten my mom and siblings into grief counseling and am looking into options myself. Thank you again for all your kind words. |
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Im sorry for your loss. Without an autopsy or knowing your family history its impossible to know. He could have had a pulmonary embolism or myocarditis leading to ventricular arrhythmia as a result of his COVID. He could have a genetic syndrome such as Brugada or ARVC or the like. He could have suffered a massive heart attack though thats probably least likely. | OP, Im NAD but my dad passed suddenly and unexpectedly from cardiac arrest 10 months ago as well. He was 66, and had received a clean bill of health from his doctor 2 weeks prior. I just want to say, I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. I know how youre feeling. Grief is such an incredibly tough journey, one that Im still in. The first few months are the hardest, I got into grief counseling immediately and talking about my dad to someone really helped me. Just know that everything youre feeling is ok, and its good to ask questions. My thoughts are with you and your family.sacca:OP, I'm NAD, but as a hospice volunteer, many hospice organizations offer grief counseling services even if the person was not involved in their hospice program. These sorts of orgainzations might be a place to start for grief counseling.Grief is different for everyone, and for many it's like a roller coaster that eventually levels out, but the ride is uncomparable to anyone elses - give yourself time and space especailly now. I lost both my parents a little suddenly (they were in their 80s, but not much warning) and for me, years later, the roller coaster has become much flatter, with more tender memories than anything else.Another person: Adding to the story chain for OP.When I was 27, I had a massive widow maker heart attack in my larger artery (LAD). I was only 27.I didn't know I had a blood clot in my heart, because I didn't know I had a clotting disorder. The LAD was 98% clotted. Sometimes there's more silent things happening in our bodies.I'm really sorry for your loss OP. |
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Im sorry this happened to you. My father died In A similar manner, playing tennis. He was in great health, it was a terrible shock to our family and left me fatherless at a young age. Your father likely had a cardiac arrhythmia, it could be related to the Covid virus as it can settle on your heart. If there is no cause of death found at the autopsy it will fall under the category of sudden cardiac death. Resuscitation is not like in the movies and has a low likelihood of good outcomes especially in the field (outside of the hospital). Sometimes despite everyones best efforts people still pass, do not blame yourself or anyone else as these are just acts of nature or God. | Cardiac incidents are complicated. You mention that he had plaque (calsium deposit) in his heart, which can cause heart attacks, he might have been revived at first and then suffered another attack later causing him to pass away. Having plaques in the arteries of the heart is one of the main causes of heart attacks, and if a piece of this build up breaks off a blood cloth might form around it, blocking the blood flow to the heart starving it for oxygen which is a potentially life threatening condition.That's a question better fit for a Cardiologist, as an EMT it's a little outside my job description to know the fine details about the tests. I know they use duplex ultrasonography which is an imaging tool that uses sound waves to check the flow of blood in the veins. It can detect blood clots and blockages in the deep veins. But I'm not sure how much/little build up there has to be for it to detect it. They also use a blood screening called "D-dimer" which is a substance that is released when a blood clot breaks up. Again, I'm not sure how sensitive the test is. |
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PEs are like car wrecks. Some are horrible and kill you instantly, more often they are a semi big deal, and a lot of the time they happen and are lame but you werent really at risk of dying on the spot. But regardless, if you tell someone youre in a wreck theyll gasp and ask if you were ok.Sounds like you had a small subsegmental PE which as you said couldve been provoked by your medication. Take your eliquis which will prevent new clot formation and your old clot will dissolve with time | I (22F) found out I have a pulmonary embolism on november 2nd. It is in the posterior basilar segmental pulmonary artery of the right lower lobe. Its acute (d-dimer at 1,170), I wasnt really concerned honestly. I have been in and out of hospitals my whole life (Im not very lucky when it comes to my health) and ive gotten to the point that I dont stress out whenever I get diagnosed with something new. The ER doctor suspects it was caused by my BCP (combined) along with post-covid stuff (I had covid in july/august of this year).I work as a phlebotomist and recently added an MA type position to my job role at a preventive cardiology office. So I am in the medical field but I dont know a lot about medical stuff - moreso just what I learn from patient situations and what I hear around the office.The first day back at work, a lot of co-workers were extremely concerned and worried about me, some said things like im so glad youre alive!. I appreciated all of the kind words from everyone but it got me a little nervous about how serious this is??Should I take this more seriously? And be more aware of my symptoms? I can take my vitals daily at work and do little things like that. I am so lucky that this happened while working at a cardiology office as the doctors there are keeping an eye on me and basically just told me to monitor my d-dimer at the office and refill my own prescription for eliquis etc etc. Obviously giving them the blood work results if there is anything concerning.The only thing I have changed in my life is that Im constantly wearing a mask in public as I really dont want to risk getting sick right now. When I started eliquis while I was in the 2 weeks of 10mg twice daily, I sneezed and got a nose bleed (I havent had a nose bleed in a good 10+ years so thats not normal for me), so I really dont want to be constantly coughing or sneezing. I used to try to wear a mask out in public whenever I remembered to bring a mask with me and I avoided large crowds as I am immunocompromised anyway, but I wasnt extremely strict with it. Ive also been wearing compression socks since I started this recent BCP.Should I be more careful in other places? Is this something I should be really worried about? I feel like Im doing enough but the comments I get whenever I mention my PE to someone kind of scare me.Medical info : 22 Female 5ft8 ~155lbs White. Diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis at age 2 (arthritis, psoriasis, and uveitis). PCOS, endometriosis, and a septate uterus (the main reason Im on BC). Hypermobility (probable EDS). Frequent concussions (recently got a referral to see a neurologist for this). Guillan-barr episode in October 2020 due to an insect bite on my neck. Paralyzed from the neck down, was in the ICU for a week for precautionary reasons but never needed a ventilator. GB isnt reoccurring and not on any medications for it. ADHD (along with depression and anxiety) and PTSD.Humira bi-weekly for uveitis. Eliquis 5mg twice daily. Falmina (BCP). Prazosin for PTSD (nightmares). Cymbalta for depression. Vyvanse for ADHD (not taking currently due to concussion and PE. Vyvanse makes me extremely tired and Im already tired from my PE so I dont want to make myself even more tired). Pred-forte eye drops for uveitis (SIG changes constantly, currently on twice daily in both eyes).Extremely light drinker (last drink I had was sometime in September). Occasional marijuana use for humira side effects and pain (~4 nights a month). |
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More than anything you need treatment for your cholesterol. Are you on a statin? Poor diet does not by itself lead to an LDL of 160 in a 37 year old. | male/ 37 years old/ 230lbs/ 6 feet tall/ non-smokerI've had chest pain since my late-20s. For about 12 years, I've had high cholesterol due to a rather poor diet. My total cholesterol is "borderline" high according to the ranges, at around 230 mg/dL, my LDL is usually around 160 mg/dL and my HDL is around 50 mg/dL. My blood pressure is always pretty good at around 115/78.Due to the chest pain not going away, I was sent to a cardiologist who did a whole cardiology workout: echocardiogram, loop monitor, EKG and a calcium CT scoring test. Everything came back fine and my calcium score then was "Zero" , which the cardiologist said is a perfect exam.Since then, I've been diagnosed with a hiatal hernia and anxiety. I've started Zoloft, which has made my chest pain 85% better. I still get it at times, and my doctors are convinced it's my hiatal hernia creating pressure in my chest and/or pushing on my vagus nerve.Fast forward 6-7 years to today, I just really started getting my diet in gear about 2 weeks ago but just at that time before I started, I wanted to get a baseline blood work to compare. My cholesterol was the same as it usually was for the last 12 years but my primary care physician said my C Reactive Protein is 5.5 mg/L , whereas when I had it drawn years ago , it was around 3.0 mg/L. He said "you really need to focus on lowering your cholesterol. That CRP could be due to your arteries starting to narrow and atherosclerosis starting to happen.". Would the calcium score test from 6 years ago change that much in that time?I am not "fat" and have really wide shoulders so I carry my weight differently but I know I should definitely lose weight and eat better, which I definitely have been. Hearing that my CRP is now high, I am worried that there is now narrowing in my heart. Should I go back to my cardiologist and see if I can have a repeat calcium scoring test or even a CTCA? |
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It is worth considering. While you are young your elevated lipids and hsCRP are enough to at least consider it | thank you. I am not on a statin. My doctor said given the fact that I got my LDL down to 118 a few years ago when I tried eating more fish (salmon), he said I can do try the diet route again if I stick to it. He also knows I don't exercise much due to the pressure I feel from the hiatal hernia. |
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Everything here is just odd. No way of knowing what's what without the hospital records. Please be sure to take them with you to the neurologist and cardiologist. | 79M approx.. 6 195 lbs. asthma (we have no idea what meds he is on or prescribed at ER)My FIL (79M) was taken via ambulance to a small local community hospital on Tuesday and diagnosed in the ER with having had a TIA due to Afib. Heart issues is something that was unknown to them previously so he was not previously on any meds for that. My husband got up there in time to interact with the doctor at discharge and specifically heard the doctor tell FIL and MIL that he needed to take the meds he was being prescribed and see cardiology and neurology as soon as possible. This was a small local community hospital outside of San Diego but they are in an area with a large senior population where they probably see this a lot. My husband felt the instructions were clear and relayed succinctly.Because my own father has a long and fantastic experience with both cardiology and neurology at the large very well respected university medical center my husband asked me if I could make appointments for his father there as we figured inlaws were overwhelmed among other issues. I was surprisingly able to secure him appointments for this Monday and Tuesday respectively (6 days post ER visit). Husband told MIL that evening that appointments were secured for FIL at the university hospital.Now today my husband learns that MIL took FIL to their GP yesterday (day after he was released and before specialist visits) to their GP (whom my husband refers to as Dr. Quack due to his negligent care of his aunt resulting in her subsequent death due to melanoma so we may be biased here and this is why we are asking) told him he didnt need coumadin that he was just stressed and he just needed some Xanax to relax. So FIL told my husband today that he stopped the meds that ER doc overprescribed and am just taking the Xanax. I FEEL GREAT! FTR we have no idea what the other meds were and now they wont tell us.MIL is exploding at my husband and accusing him of a lot of wildly ridiculous things and FIL is trying to keep the peace and just shutting down. As a bit of background there are A LOT of issues with MIL and her behavior and this is pretty standard. Husbands basic rule is that we just need to prevent her from harming others and just tune her out otherwise. So our question is will this change of meds harm FIL and husband needs to intervene more strongly or is this something standard? TIATLDR: is it medically acceptable for a GP to remove someone from blood thinner (Coumadin?) less than 48 hours after a TIA and replace with Xanax even before they have seen cardiology or neurology?Edited to clarify timing |
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Unless FIL is cognitively incompetent, they should be able to make their own decisions. They have all the information from the ER and GP to go on. This is a complicated situation and your question is not answerable without more detailed/nuanced information and discussion of pros/cons. Being on Coumadin is either a necessity or a huge liability (quite often both) depending on factors we do not know here on Reddit. | Thank you for responding. Right now they are saying he is not going to cardiology and neurology because GP told him he doesn't need it. (again husband and I do NOT trust this GP and believe the ER). Husband had me call the university and make sure the appointments cannot be cancelled unless they call my husband's number. Our question is will he be fine like this until Monday or should husband intervene with the nuclear option and go collect FIL when MIL is out and take him to urgent care? |
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How regularly are you taking the clonidine? That frequently causes rebound hypertension. | 34 female 5'9" 230lbsNon drinker, light smoker but almost completely quit since the heart problems started. Had covid 6 weeks ago with no complications. No history of heart problems or high BP.It started less than 2 weeks ago with drops and spikes ranging from 90/60 to 180/110Now it's sustained high BP and elevated HR. I did go to the ER Monday just to make sure it wasn't something acute as there is accompanying chest pain but the entire time I was at the ER my BP was very low as was my HR.I have a cardiology appointment next Friday but every day since Monday I've been waking up with systolic in the 150s. I feel physically panicked all the time and it's starting to affect my sleep. I've already doubled my propranolol from 40 to 80, I take klonopin and prazosin daily as well, and I've added clonidine and antihistamines to also try to keep it lowered. Even taking all of those at once it barely makes a difference.I have a good life right now i can't think of any stressors other than being in love, but I feel like I can't do anything or be there for anyone because my body is fucking panicking 24-7 nowI can't do this much longer. It's obviously not an emergency but I feel awful not at all being in control of my body. It's like something flipped the fight or flight switch and it's stuck on high. This does not reflect my mental state at all. |
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Time for a new doctor. Its not typical for 8 year olds to get heart palpitations | Age: 8Height/weight: Average, not sure exactly but last i was told, she's within normal rangeFemaleCaucasian/ HispanicNo previous medical history, no prior surgeriesnon-smoking householdWe all had covid in December 26th. It was rough but we all recovered. Me and my husband were vaccinated. My kids weren't because their clinic wasn't providing the vaccines yet.I'm going to try to be thorough as possible because it's just so much going on with her and i don't know where to start and her symptoms are all over the place... Last summer she was in someone's house that had a rabbit. The rabbit was filthy and it scratched the top part of her hand. Her hand began looking infected because even though i washed it and put neosporin on it, kids are kids and she couldn't keep it clean and soon it began looking red. She got a fever roughly around that time and was complaining of headaches and that her "throat feels tight". I took her to her clinic and they drew blood to test her for "rabbit scratch fever" It came back negative..They figured she just caught a virus and nothing became of it. The scratch eventually healed with an ointment they gave her. That same summer she..again...being a kid, didn't listen to me and was rolling in grass in her grandmother's yard which we have found ticks in. She ended up with a tick in her head which by the time we noticed it amongst her hair was engorged. I pried it off her. My daughter again, began complaining of headaches and her body hurting, "tight" throat. I took her to the ER and had her get tested for lyme disease it came back negative..It's now almost a year later and her headaches "tight throat" and body pain just come and go sporadically. I would chalk it up to growing pains which is what everyone was telling me. Her doctor never seems concerned...But sometimes the headaches are so intense she will cry and lay down and ask for a cold towel for her head...she's 8. And now on top of it all she's got new symptoms. She came to me about a week ago saying her butt felt weird like it had "dots". I tell her to show me and all over her butt and upper thigh area she is covered in what look to be pimples. Its so odd. My mind automatically went to "bed bugs!" So i checked the beds from top to bottom but found nothing. She still has trouble sleeping some nights and comes to sleep on our bed so if it was bed bugs why is she the only one with the dots? I'm checking her daily and it's as if she's got a new "pimple" everyday...again, she's 8...wth..Another new symptom she has is she's been getting heart palpitations. One minute she's playing on the floor or on the sofa, and the next she will come to me saying her heart is beating rapidly. I put my head on her heart and i feel her heart beating quickly. It scares her and i have to scoop her up and hold her for a while. She has also started hypervenilating when she's upset. Something she's NEVER done in her life. We aren't strict with her and she's a happy child, why would she start doing that? She says she can't help it.I took her to her doctor roughly two-three weeks ago because i had enough, i told her doctor everything from the summer to now. From the body pain to the heart pain and showed him her butt pimples and asked him to please help because we are at our wits end. He checked her out and said her heart sounds fine to him. He also was dismissive towards her skin problem. He did however notice the lymph nodes around her neck were really swollen. He ordered her to get blood work done and it came back last week. She has covid anti-bodies in her blood. She tested negative again for lyme (im guessing he just wanted to double check in case the other one was a false negative) and showed what he thinks might be her in "Recovering" state of cat scratch fever? ...ok? We have cats so i guess that's possible. He sounded so unsure with himself. Sighing a lot and kept going "eh...i don't really know what to tell you..." and stumped with her blood work. He sent her a prescription for Azithromycin just to be safe. She has to take this every day after dinner.Thing is, she's still complaining about her various symptoms. And it's been days since she got the medicine and now she's more frequently telling me her hearts beating quickly. So im afraid to continue giving her the medicine in case that's whats causing the palpitations. I have sent various messages to her doctor two days ago but he isn't calling me back. I'm tired of waiting for him and already went ahead and made her an appointment for both pediatric cardiology and dermatology. I also found a new pediatrician because i've had it with this guy. Both appointments are next week. But until then i'm just a bundle of nerves. I hate when she comes to me saying her heart hurts or her head hurts. Can anyone here please tell me whats wrong with my baby girl?Edit: were at the ER now. She started complaining of heart pain and palpitations and Im done waiting. Will update depending on what they say |
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How long does it last? If it lasts 15+ minutes, it might be worth your peace of mind to get her on a monitor in the ER. If its only a few minutes then she probably needs a holter monitor or evaluation with a pediatric cardiologist. | Yes, but I was just told by a pediatric cardiologist that this is happening with children who had Covid and were t vaccinated. Im going through similar with my 8 year old.Edit: werent vaccinated, not were.The reason I stated what I did and kind of barged in here to comment was just to bring light to this issue.Theyre monitoring her for now. They had to her a holter monitor for a few days, then some testing. She was fainting and her lips were turning blue when she would have her palpitations. I also have them and get dizzy but never blue finger tips or blue lips.I hope all ends up okay. I know how scary this is for both of you. |
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Characterized as AIVR because rate is <110 with widened QRS.PSVT is usually in the setting of tachycardia so rate goes from normal to very high. Had a few more beats (like those shown) at a faster rate happened, it may have been called PSVT. | 29F, non-smoker with history of NSVT. Diagnosed in 2011. NSVT was then changed to PSVT in patient records without my knowledge until recently.Diagnosis would present with palps, lightheadedness and tunnel vision. It occurs randomly with no clear trigger.I had a new holter applied for rapid pounding heart with dizziness and angina.Holter findings were reported normal with low burden PVC and sinus tachycardia. (sinus tachycardia is expected culprit for rapid heart and associated symptoms)However, VT was also noted?https://imgur.com/a/S2rMmmEThe comment states AIVR. And Im just curious if this is actually AIVR or PSVT? Or something else entirely.I do have an appointment with Cardiology in a few weeks. |
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Not typically. My best guess is this was a small run of soon to be PVST that corrected before becoming tachycardic. | That makes sense, thank you!Do you know if PSVT and AIVR have a habit of appearing hand in hand? |
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Yup wait to follow up with cardiologist. ER if SOB or chest pain. Caffeine and alcohol can certainly contribute | 29M 62 181lbs Hypertension (20mg olmesartan qd) and recently recovered from mild COVID infection, otherwise no significant medical hx. I do also take melatonin nightly and use an occasional ginger root supplement.I was on a beach trip over the weekend and we stopped to grab some brunch around 10am before my girlfriend and I drove back home. I drank a cup of coffee at brunch, and felt a skipped beat kind of feeling, so I took an Apple Watch ECG. To my surprise, I noticed that I was popping anywhere from 2-10 PVCs/minute, which I have no history of.I rode it out on the way home and tried to forget about it. I took a few more random Apple Watch ECGs, and the frequent PVCs have been consistent all day. Finally a little after we got home, I decided to go to urgent care just to get seen. They did an ECG, which didnt capture any PVCs on the 10 second strip of lead II. But the NP said she auscultated a few after they took the ECG. Confirmed on my Apple Watch theyre still happening.The NP basically told me shed give me a cardiology referral and to do nothing in the meantime, but to go to the ER immediately if I started having any chest pain or SOB. She basically said that there was nothing she could do in the urgent care setting and that I need a further cardiology work up.Is this solid advice? Am I safe? Or do I need to go to the ER? Besides the initial skipped beat feeling, I havent been symptomatic at all.I will also say, I had a good bit of alcohol this weekend, more so than usual. Could it be alcohol and caffeine?12 lead ECG from urgent careApple Watch strip with PVCs |
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Any doctor can order any kind of blood work, but the limitation as you've found is the ability to properly interpret it. | 40M 5'8 160 pounds. As part of my team of doctors (3 cardiologists, primary care doc, endocrinologist, neurologist, etc.), we've been hunting down some autonomic issues that I have been having. I haven't had blood work in a couple of years because I have been pending Disability since last year and had a work injury the year before that. My autonomic issues worsened over that time.If TLDR, can a Cardiology office request the same type/amount of blood work as a primary care doc, for instance?I don't have a primary care doctor presently because I had a good one and he moved away back to his home state a while ago. Most primary care doctors are unfamiliar with specific autonomic dysfunction conditions, so my third cardiologist is the specialist in autonomic issues. They want to do blood work. Of course, I'm asking their office what kind of blood work they can do, as well. But since it may be days before they can get around to that general question, this is a two-part question:I'm wondering if any doc can explain the difference between which offices (primary care, cardiology, endocrinology, etc.) can do what types of blood work and if they are 'limited' in what types they can request.Also, is that that limitation solely based on the provider themselves being medically unable to request beyond specific blood work related to their specialty or is it just because they're not familiar with other blood values? For instance, I asked my neurologist one time about blood work values from a cardiology tilt table test and he said he "didn't know how to read those blood gas levels". So that told me that of course that's not his specialty, and I knew that, but he was the one who asked about blood work to begin with. |
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>Should I push for a cardiology referral given family history?No, they would probably decline the referral given your normal investigations.>Could I have had a cardiac event that ended before I got to the hospital?Incredibly unlikely.Also:>Ive had intermittent chest pains due to chronic TachycardiaI doubt these two things are related. | Im 20F with a long standing family history of heart failure. Ive had intermittent chest pains due to chronic Tachycardia but last night it was unbearable and I went to the ER because I thought I might be having a heart attack. I waited approximately 2 hours after initial onset to leave work bc another manager needed to be present. My mistake but I eventually shut down the store out of fear and went. My ECG was flagged abnormal for nonspecific T wave abnormalities on the inferior leads. But thats always on my ECG. However the hr recorded was 72. My avg resting hr is 98. Could I have had a cardiac event that ended before I got to the hospital? negative D Dimer low average Lactase and high PT (12) and PTT (54) INR 1.1. Chest X Ray clear. Should I push for a cardiology referral given family history? or was it likely a fluke? |
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Cardiology will handle the palpitations.Without seeing your ekgs I can't tell you much more. There are many causes of palpitations, if the ER discharged you then the palpitations we're probably due to PACs or PVCs which can be treated by your PCP or cardiologist to reduce your symptoms, but like I said, can't say much more without the ekgs or more info. | 34, male, 5'9", 260lbsnon-smoker, rarely consumes alcohol (1 or 2 a month, if at all), tried a friend's THC vape once, no other recreational drug use.medications: effexor 150mg, concerta 54mg, advair 2 puffs daily, albuterol rescue inhaler as neededhealth conditions: anxiety, depression, ADHD, moderate asthma (all very well controlled on current meds)medical history: knee surgery 2012, initial 2 COVID vaccines March and April 2021 + booster November 2012, had COVID February 2022.Background of Current IssueHad a mild case of COVID-19 in February. Main symptoms were swollen lymph nodes on the left side on my neck and armpit and frequent heart palpitations.Symptoms went away until April, when I started having sudden heart palpitations randomly throughout the day. When the palpitations end, my the same neck and armpit lymph nodes swell up painfully for several hours.Symptoms got bad enough that I thought I was dying and went to the ER. Not dying, just something that can happen post-covid. Minor abnormalities on ECG, Doctor explained why they weren't concerning in my case.After a couple months of reducing caffeine intake as much as possible ( about 2 cups of coffee before work, no more canned coffees or caffeinated tea at work), it seemed to have gone away.About two days ago, it came back. Didn't recognize the symptoms for what they were and went to the ER again. Slightly different abnormal but not concerning ECG. Blood pressure was high, went back down to normal by the time I was discharged. Negative COVID-19 test. Same left side lymph nodes painfully swollen.My Question for AskDocs:I plan to see a cardiologist about the heart palpitations since they have been so frequent after coming back.Is there any other specialty that might be able to help me? Or would making sure my heart is okay be enough? |
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Many heart murmurs are caused by non-life threatening things. Unless you are having signs or symptoms of life threatening things (passing out, chest pain, severe shortness of breath, etc) doctors will investigate things in an outpatient setting. For example, most cancer work ups (arguably more life-threatening) are done in an outpatient setting. | Age: 21. Weight: 160. Gender: male. Height: 5'7". Diagnosed with asthma.I had a cardiology appointment today. I was told that I had a heart murmur and I had a bunch of tests scheduled..the soonest being A WEEK OUT. With my echo being months out. Seems like a heart murmur could easily kill me. What's up. |
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Impossible to say without seeing the ECG and exploring. Lead 3 (in conjunction with others) corresponds to the inferior portion of the heart. But there are many things that could be showing in this lead on your ECG. | Mandatory info: 30M, 6'3", 185lbs, white, near syncope with heart pains for the past week, EKG abnormality. Don't smoke or use any recreational drugs, have used Ambien (5-10mg) to treat insomnia intermittently for the past 3 years. No preexisting conditions.Last week I had back-to-back instances of severe chest pain, followed by a hot flash / sweating and dizziness that persisted for about 60s. This occurred at the airport, and resulted in me getting transferred to the ED for evaluation. Paramedics conducted a few EKGs, and I heard them say there appeared something anomalous with "B3". At the ED, had an additional EKG, chest x-ray, and ultrasound with no acute findings. No bloodwork done. Cleared to fly, completed my work travel, returned home with a PCP appointment scheduled for this morning. The intermittent pain / palpitations / weakness / dizziness has persisted since the first episode.At PCP visit today, another EKG was done and compared to my past EKGs done at that office. My primary found an anomaly in Lead 3 (which I assume is what I misheard the medics identify), and ordered bloodwork (troponin and lipid panel, amongst others). Gave me an urgent referral for cardiology, wants me to get a Holter monitor and stress test at a minimum.My question for all you wonderful people: what is the pathophysiology that leads to an anomalous Lead 3 finding on an EKG? How worried should I be? |
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I dont understand why you had to give up your job if they only happen twice a month like you say? Do the beta blockers work? | F30. Ive had these transient episodes of PSVT for some years now, following an Epstein Barr infection when I was 22. Ive had a cardiology referral before, with a 3 day monitor. It caught nothing, so they diagnosed me with Anxiety and sent me away with a low dose of Propanolol if I wanted it.These heart episodes are making my life a living hell. They are destroying my relationships and my ability to function in my daily life. I used to work, but now I dont. Ive had to give up my job because I couldnt cope with the interrupted sleep (they specifically wake me up from a sound sleep, usually around 3am). This is obviously very frustrating for both myself and my partner.Went to ER with chest pain after the last episode, and the ER doc wanted to get me a 21 day heart monitor - which would definitely catch it as my episodes appear in clusters, a few times a month. There appears to be a hormonal component to it.Ive completely cut out caffeine but the effect that has had on it has been minimal.Now, the NHS is saying that they will refer me to cardiology when my anemia is sorted. But, its never sorted - at least, not without iron infusion therapy (I have IBS and dont tolerate oral tablets well).I did have an iron infusion months ago, which picked my Hb levels to no longer anemic - but didnt get the referral then either. On the contrary, I heard nothing from my GP, for months, and now Im back to being anemic again - its so hard to maintain my iron levels without routine IV iron, and the only time I get it is if Im in hospital for another reason (last time was Gynae related).Im beginning to lose hope that this will ever be resolved and worry that Im just going to drop dead of an unidentified cardiology issue.Is there any way I can get the cardiology appointment and have my cardiologist take me seriously instead of attributing it to anemia like last time, because my resting HR is 60bpm, these SVT episodes are a very distinct and immediate jump to a hr of about 170-200bpm, and they arent anxiety related at all. They also definitely arent anemia related because even when I am no longer anemic, I still get them. Twice monthly, around the times I ovulate and right before my period. Predictable as clockwork.I just want them to stop because they make me afraid to sleep at night and as a result I have developed pretty terrible insomnia, and depression due to the constant fear of wondering if something is severely wrong with me. |
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Im sure the cardiologist assessed your pulse before giving you beta blockers, have you tried them? | I was training as a student nurse, but the stress from this has been too much for me to cope with tbh.Im reluctant to take BB because my resting heart rate sits at 60bpm, and tbh theres nothing wrong with my resting hr. I would prefer to have an ablation than take daily unnecessary medication for the rest of my life? |
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Id be surprised if a cardiologist ordered a 3 day monitor without reviewing an ECG first.If I was you Id go back and take the beta blockers, give them a go. If they fail then go back and say I did what you said doc whats the next steps. The outcome will either be finding a treatment that works in primary care or youll be referred back to cardiology. | That was when I was 25, and Im 30 now, so its been a while since my last cardiology review (during which time these episodes have gotten more frequent and last longer) and the cardiologist hadnt ever actually seen an ecg tracing of this issue, which I think is a pretty important piece of diagnostic information. Id personally advocate for my patients that abnormal ecgs are reviewed, so why not mine?Ill ask my GP about trying a low dose BB, but I dont expect it to do a great deal other than lower my BP a smidgen. |
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Meds are helpful as mentioned and usually pretty well-tolerated unless you have AV block or hypotension.Depending on frequency, length of the episodes and preference cardiologists generally use either chronic preventive therapy with a beta-blocker or calcium channel blocker, or pill-in-the-pocket with flecainide or beta-blocker. If you have a favorite vagal maneuver those can sometimes work too.These are very rarely life-threatening. Ablation is effective but can't help you negotiate the NHS system. Fixing the iron deficiency will also help. Our hematologists do have some patients with chronic iron deficiency anemia who can't catch up with oral supplements who have scheduled IV infusions, but only after every possible source of ongoing blood loss or iron malabsoprtion is addressed (celiac, heavy menses etc). | I have also been having infrequent runs of (possibly) SVT, which also seem to be hormone related, although Sods Law they have never appeared when hooked up to hospital machines, only a 6 lead home device.I also have a resting HR of 50-60 but have found beta blockers insanely useful. I take a super low dose of bisoprolol and it seems to be just enough to stop my heart going into these fast rhythms but not so much that my heart feels too slow. I was sceptical at first too, but Im glad I gave it a go. I drink a tin of coke each day and take stimulant medication and I will only get a brief run of SVT once in a blue moon. Whenever Ive stopped the beta blocker the issue has come back so it must be doing something.I hope you manage to get to the bottom of things and find a solution! |
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There's nothing here that suggests IBD, though that doesn't mean you can't have it.It's possible that you have IBD but your symptoms are pretty vague and not classically IBD | 40M 5'18 160 pounds. Over the past few years, some weird symptoms either developed or got worse. I was lightheaded back in 2018 and a neurologist found nothing wrong with me. Late December, symptoms sent me to the ER with elevated blood pressure, white blood cell counts at 14.5, stomach and intestinal pain, rapid heartbeat, etc. My heart rate and blood pressure rapidly fluctuate. My heart rate varies by at least 20 beats per minute from the base line. So I'm sitting and the base is 70, it will go 72, 75, 78, 80, 82, 85, 87, 90...88, 86, 84, 83, 0, 78, 75, 72, 70 and sometimes do that whole course twice in a minute. I am not known to have ever had Covid and I am presently fully vaccinated, as well.Over the past few years, I've been seen by primary care, neurology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, had head/abdominal scans with nothing noted, saw 3 cardiologists, wore 2 Holters for a month, had lots of blood work and such. Stress Echo via treadmill showed a healthy and strong heart.Diagnosis of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome by primary care, neurology and cardiology. Dysautonomia/autonomic dysfunction got thrown vaguely into the mix, as well. Tilt table test would have been negative for POTS. I didn't faint or have the rapid rise in heart rate. They gave my sublingual nitroglycerin and I fainted within a short time. BP went down to 97/56 and pulse to 40, possibly only because of the nitro. I am lightheaded 24/7. Even just lying on the bed at night, I feel little sharp "zaps" of lightheadedness. I'm familiar with BPPV and it's not that. The POTS no longer applies - I am rarely tachycardic. Also, my blood pressure is now more so low on a daily basis. For instance, earlier today it was 99/57 after a meal that was quite heavy in salt. I seem to always crave salt and can't seem to get enough of it. I am completely exhausted every day, have no energy and my entire body is hyperreflexic.I have hundreds of tiny little red bumps all over my upper and lower back and the backs of my arms. They do not itch. Back in 2020 an EGD showed an inflamed stomach lining with negative biospies. 6 months of Prisolec 40mg twice daily at that time didn't help. He put me back on the 40mg twice daily again. It was after that point that I ended up chasing the POTS/autonomic dysfunction stuff and had not seen the gastro doc since because I later lost my job due to a work injury. I just saw my gastro doc again recently. After reviewing my symptoms, he asked if I have ever seen an allergist. Then when I told him about the horrific lower colon pain that I get at times, constipation on average of 2-3 days at a time due to inflammation preventing a bowel movement, the feeling of inflammation and severe burning/clawing pain for hours even after a bowel movement and such...he feels that I may have something else going on in my colon. He brought up Crohn's and said it was sneaky sometimes. I showed him photos of my pie crust-like tongue that seems to swell at times and I get canker sores in various areas of the mouth and have for a long time. I showed him a photo that looked like I was pregnant - considerable lower colon swelling and abdominal bloating. Also, what makes me think some of my other symptoms like the low blood pressure and such may be related is because when I press on my lower colon area or rub it, my ears immediately ring and at times I get nauseous. There's no way that's a coincidence given how often it happens.I'm always hungry for big meals even after I just ate a big meal recently. I get considerable postprandial hypotension. I haven't worked in 2 years, pending Disability. Gastro doc requested CBC, Comprehensive Metabolic and Thyroid/TSH panels. All within normal range except the thyroid panel:T3 UPTAKE 24 Reference Range: 22-35 %T4 (THYROXINE), TOTAL 10.9 High Reference Range: 4.9-10.5 mcg/dLFREE T4 INDEX (T7) 2.6 Reference Range: 1.4-3.8TSH 2.25 Reference Range: 0.40-4.50 mIU/LThe only flag was the T4 Thyroxine and it's only 0.4mcg/dL higher than the highest normal reference range. All other blood work was fine. This reference range seems normal and also what is 'normal' seems to vary considerably depending on what source you compare it against.Severe burning/clawing sensation in the lower colon just below the navel. Worse at night, but moderate pain 24/7. Full-body malaise, jitteriness and rare spikes in blood pressure with full-body tremors as if freezing cold for 15-20 minutes. I get even more colon pain during this time and at times feel feverish. I have had unexplained blood pooling in my hands and feet since I was a teenager. Heavy nausea immediately after lightly pressing or lightly rubbing the lower colon area below the belly and middle abdomen. No vomiting. Frequent bright yellow or greenish stools with some worm-like mucus in them. No visible bleeding. Upper body jolt-like 'tics' that feel at times as if they are originating from the lower abdominal area and cause my upper body to jump randomly in certain movements. With the lightheadedness, it feels like even when I'm sitting or lying down an djust move one arm or leg, I get a brain "zap" of lightheadedness. What in the world could cause that?I'm trying to get a colonoscopy to see for sure. Due to low income, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance has me on a list for funding for a colonoscopy locally when it becomes available, quoting possibly in February when more programs open.What are my chances of Crohn's/IBD with the above issues going on? Could it also be the cause of my blood pressure and heart rate fluctuations? I'm puzzled at the normal white blood cell counts given that my lower colon was absolutely hurting/inflamed during the blood draw. |
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ST = Sinus Tachycardia. It means the heart is working down the normal electrical system, but its going faster than normal. Often there is an underlying cause (and not a primary problem with the heart), but sometimes peoples hearts just go fast and we need to slow them down with medications like your toprol. | 28YO female, healthy and an avid lifter. Referred to cardiology for heart palpitations and fast heart rate. Placed on 7 day heart monitor. Was told that I am in ST majority of the day. There were some skipped beats as well. Placed on toporol for management. Cardiologist said borderline concerned, due to how high my HR is. Said if it gets worse, things would change. These strips are from the Holter monitor report. |
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I'm sorry you're going through this. I don't think you need to say you're goodbyes at this point. There are varying degrees of prolonged QT intervals. Without actually knowing how prolonged it is it's hard to really guess. Depending on how prolonged it is it may be nothing to worry about but it sounds like you're in good hands with seeing a cardiologist and moving forward with workup. | Age: 36 years old Gender: Female Height: 5'4" Weight 160lbs Location: USA Smoking: Never Meds: xyzal 5 mg daily for chronic idiopathic urticaria and angioedema 200mg Zoloft (serteraline)I recently gave birth. I had pre-eclampsia with high blood pressure, protein in my urine, headache and chest pain. I was given an ECG, EKG, and chest x-ray while in the hospital. I was discharged a couple days later and they put a zio heart monitor on me for 2 weeks.This past Friday I had a follow up appointment with a cardiologist after my monitor results, the other tests, and one more ECG. The cardiologist told me (in a relatively relaxed and casual way) that I have a long QT interval and that can increase the risk of sudden cardiac death. She referred me to a geneticist who I'm waiting on for an appointment.At the time my brain stopped working when she said death but now I'm trying to gauge what is.me.being overly health anxious and what is justified worry. I am emailing the doctor but I suspect it willl take awhile for a response since it is the weekend.But given that I have no history of drinking, smoking, drugs, eating disorders, or any vitamin imbalances. How worried should I be?? Like should ainbe saying my goodbyes?! Or do I just ignore it and my life will be relatively normal??? I haven't had any fainting spells and I don't THINK either side of .y family has a history of SCD. But on both sides there is cardio history -- my maternal grandfather died of a heart attack and my maternal uncle has had a couple I think? My paternal uncle has had a heart attack and I think my paternal grandfather died from one as well? But that one I am really unsure about.Is this the sort of thing that everyone has and is NBD?? Or is this the sort of thing where I need to 100% commit to completely devoting myself to Cheerios and heart healthy choices if I want to live???I really appreciate any help or advice you can give. I really know SO LITTLE about cardiology it's like I don't even know what I don't know. |
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Don't feel that way! It's a complex organ and no one would expect you to fully understand. You should reach out to your cardiologist and just see if they can explain it better to you, that may be helpful before seeing the geneticist and answer some of your questions. | Thank you for your reply.I feel so ignorant about how hearts work I feel like my brain can't even comprehend the risk or understand. I'm not a particularly stupid person but this is all just beyond my capacity. |
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Sounds like a pretty traumatic experience and I'm sorry you had to go through that. It is normal not to feel completely yourself this quickly after such an event, and it may take some time to feel back to normal again.Medically, it is good that you have recovered. I must emphasize you need to have an epi-pen with you at all times in the event you do have another sting at some point. The strength will come back. It's hard to tell how bad off you are, but can say a BP of 40/20 is pretty bad.Counseling is up to you. It sounds like you are having an acute stress reaction to a traumatic experience (think PTSD, but happening essentially immediately after). This may improve on its own, or may need some help to get through. | F49, 55, 143 lbsI had a severe allergic reaction and I almost died on Tuesday. I got stung 2-3 times by a yellow jacket while cutting the grass. I came inside to get some Benadryl and saw all these black spots (probably 4 minutes later). Then I was profusely diaphoretic, dry heaves, had copious amount of phlegm from my mouth and nose, couldnt breathe, weakness and was blacking out. It was so so fast.My husband (hero #1) happened to be coming from the airport so he called 911 and My 13 year old gave me one of her epipens in the thigh (she is anaphylactic to shellfish and buckwheat). First responders came (maybe 4.5 minutes) and I couldnt open my eyes, they put me on a blood pressure monitor and then it was alarming, so they turned the alarm off. Then advanced life support I think or Ems literally picked me up and ran me out to the ambulance. I think I blacked out and woke up and I barely remember the ambulance ride with sirens and lights and them laying on the horn. I could hear them saying we got gotta get her pressure up, we got nothing here. I remember trying to talk to them and my tongue wouldn't work. When I was conscious and realized the lights and sirens were on, i saw the seriousness. When I heard them say ETA 3-5 and BP of 40/20 - I 'm like , that's not compatible with life. The paramedics worked on me the entire time. At hospital had me in a trauma room and called all staff over loudspeaker. Thankfully they got my pressure up and gave me another epipen and steroids and Benadryl. The epipen and lack of blood flow gave me some cardiac issues and Im following up with cardiology.That said, I dont feel right. Im weak. I keep waking up with nightmares about not being able to breathe and I keep replaying the incident in my head. I have little appetite. Do you think I would benefit from some counseling? Did I almost die? I feel like I certainly came close. Would I be a candidate for venom therapy? I feel like this if my only chance at a normal life.Is there any way I have some sort of Mast Cell Disorder for this to come on so suddenly? |
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In reference to your last sentence - your mast cells must work normally for you to get anaphylactic shock in the first place, the issue is that your immune system is sensitised to the venom in the sting. Given that there is no definite way that you can guarantee avoidance of the same allergen in the future you should be referred to an immunologist for consideration of a desensitisation program | Sorry to hear about how much has happened to you in such quick progression I can imagine it was and continues to be very jarringBased on your description and recollection of the events, you went into severe anaphylactic shock which likely would have been fatal had your husband/daughter/EMS not been around. Will reiterate what has been said already to keep an epipen on you at all times moving forwardOnly other thing Id add to whats been said is you likely may be a candidate for venom therapy. However, it sounds like theres still quite a few things going on so take it one day at a time. Once everything else has settled, you may want to consider connecting with an allergist to receive venom testing in Canada the 5 main sting tests we do are on honeybees, wasps, yellow hornets, yellowjackets, and white faced hornets. If you test positive for a stinging insect, venom immunotherapy can be 98% effective for the rest of your lifetime. That being said, its not cheap, and it can take 3-5 years of injections at the very leastWishing you all the best in your recovery! |
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Your doctor will likely be able to answer this question in much more detail, but often before starting an ACE inhibitor (which ramipril is one) it's important to make sure a patient has normal/stable kidney function and potassium. A blood pressure of 160/110 isn't imminently dangerous, no reason to make hasty decisions. | Could a Physician clarify as to why Cardiology have told GP to omit Ramipril until blood tests and ECG have taken place.34 year old male BP 160/110 (Schizophrenia/Meds Olanzapine/Valproic Acid/Citalopram)GP prescribed Ramipril 1.25mg, he started to take though 6 days later a call from the surgery saying omit Ramipril until above has been done. Booked for 2 weeks time, but has left (my son) with no BP moderation. Very worried as seems so high! |
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With hyperthyroidism, hypertension is definitely more common, but this is not always the case. In acute crises of hyperthyroidism, blood pressure can also be lowered, particularly diastolic. In general, I'm pretty sure the problem here is the interaction between the various medications you are taking. The thyroid medication is largely overdosed considering that TSH value, and has been increased quite randomly over the various months. Also, I am not a fan of NP thyroid, since adjusting the dosage is difficult with that medication. Until the TSH is in range, we can't be 100% sure thyroid is not responsible. Look for an endocrinologist. | Im a 40(F), 410 and 113 pounds. I was diagnosed with hypertension in 2018, its been u fee control with Lisinopril HCTZ 20-12.5 with no issues. I was diagnosed with ADHD in December 2019 and put on methylphenidate 20 mg(2 in the morning and 1 at 1:00 pm). I always checked my blood pressure around lunch to make sure it was t too high, I never had an issue. I was diagnosed with Hashimotos last October and started seeing a functional medicine doctor last December. I was put on NP Thyroid 30 mg, moved up to 60, then doubled to 120 by June. I have had labs drawn every 3 months since December. I felt really good until around the beginning of August. My TSH was <.02 but T3 and T4 were in range so she reduced my medication to 105 mg a day.Since I was checking my BP for it being to high, I didnt realize it was going down. I happened to miss my afternoon dose of the methylphenidate and my nephrologist commented is was a little low. This was the last week of August. I had some scans done by my cardiologist the next week. I mentioned my fatigue and she suggested I stop the methylphenidate for a few days to see if that helped and to follow up with her in 2 weeks. The next few days my BP just completely went down, I ended up in the ER twice because of it. The did CT scans the first time I went and I had kidney stones. The second time I went, they though it was a kidney infection. I went back in the methylphenidate because it kept my BP up. I followed up with my cardiologist. She said everything was fine cardiology wise and to continue to take the methylphenidate without the lisinopril until I could find out the cause for the drop.At this point a reached out to my thyroid doctor to see if anything thyroid related could cause this and she said no because usually signs of over medication is high blood pressure. She said to let her know what the urologist and nephrologist said.I made an appointment with my urologist and he did a cystoscopy and ureteroscopy based off the CT from the ER visit but he found nothing wrong and no stones. The nephrologist also found nothing wrong.So last Wednesday, I finally get her to run my TSH, Free T3 and Free T4. I got the results back yesterday. My T4 is in range. TSH is <.01. T3 is 5.3. I ask about T3 thyrotoxicosis and again she says that would cause high BP. She wants me to not take my thyroid meds for 2 days then go down to 90 mg.This has been going on for 2 months. The constant up and down with my BP has me struggling. My vision is getting blurry. Im exhausted. Do I wait it out to see if what she says or should I go to the ER? |
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Estrogen has an effect on thyroid function by altering the hormone-binding protein, but generally the problem is when you stop therapy or go through menopause. It is also true that the pill can increase blood pressure, but not so much that you go from hypertension to hypotension. The effect of the pill is modest. I think if therapies are the culprits, it depends more on the triad thyroid hormone-antihypertensive - ADHD meds . I don't think it's a good idea to start hormone therapy again just to control blood pressure, honestly. | Thank you. I was taking Jaimiess birth control until mid-July. The functional medicine doctor kept suggesting I get off of it to help get my hormone levels up since I was only on it to lighten my periods. From what I read, the estrogen acts as an inhibitor for the thyroid medicine, which would explain why the dosage needed to be increased so much before it started working. Then I went off the birth control and the thyroid meds just went wild. I asked her if that could possibly be a factor but she said no. I am now also wondering if my hypertension was caused by the birth control. Hypertension runs in my family so I just assumed that was the reason. I had no idea birth control could cause that. Im looking for an endocrinologist but the 6 Ive called, with good reviews, are at least 3 months out. Im debating if I should go back on the pill so I can get my BP back up for now, then come off of it under the supervision of an endocrinologist. My cardiologist said, shed rather it be high(obviously not too high) that can brought down with meds, than it be too low. I just know I cannot continue with the methylphenidate like I have. Again, thank you for your response. |
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I believe one of those is chloride. It's a hair above reference range and is fine.The other two are oxygenated vs. deoxygenated hemoglobin. They appear to be applying arterial reference range values to a venous sample, making them look very aberrant. These are also fine.Lactate being slightly elevated is super common in kids also. Nursing often struggle to get good samples with limited tourniquet use, and the lactate is frequently a tad elevated. | My son 3 years old recently diagnosed with autism. He was sitting near me suddenly he started to cry but with very low energy. I looked at him and his face was blue. I quickly grabbed him and he fainted I put some cold water on his face and ran to the balcony to get some fresh air. Then his face turned to very white and he started to open his eyes then he fainted again, on my way out of the building he woke up and slowly got some energy back. I arrived at the ER Almost 30 minutes after this happened, they did blood gases tests and blood counts then after an hour they said all is good but I need to see a cardiology to make sure nothing is wrong with his heart. I took a look at the test results and I think there is something wrong and the tests were not ok. I uploaded a screenshot of the tests. TAM KAN SAYIMI = FULL BLOOD COUNT (Count or percentage) KAN GAZLERI = BLOOD GASES. What should I do now? TestsEdit: Now (after 7 hours in the ER) they gave him the 3rd "fever shot" in his serum. The heartbeat is now stable in 160s after being stable at 180s but it sky rocketed twice to 241 and 250 bpm and when he cries it goes to 200s until he comes doen. They say it may be a flu infection. |
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No. Limiting tourniquet use as much a possible is best for lactate. | Looking for clarification, are you recommending a tighter tourniquet to ensure a more accurate lactate level? I am a nurse... |
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No. Nothing in these labs is spooky.Has he had any gastrointestinal symptoms?"Toddler doing weird shit and passing out" is sometimes from intussusception, and we have a low threshold to do US looking for this. | Okay thats traditionally been my understanding. I just wanted to make sure there wasnt some other thought process. Thank you. |
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I dont think methyl folate has anything to do with your symptoms. My hypothesis is that the first occurrence sensitised you and made you more introspective. Fear of something can cause tachycardia and introspection can make you notice your heart beat, where you previously wouldnt have noticed it.Relaxation exercises, especially breathing exercises and a distraction from your own thoughts via audio book or podcast might be helpful. 24h ECG could objectify your symptoms, but Im not sure thats a good idea. Maybe try it for a week or so and get back to me, if it doesnt help? Cant promise Ill immediately respond, but I check up on Reddit regularly :) | 37F, 5'7, 128lbs, Caucasian. Primary complaint is increased resting heart rate, palpitations at night that wake me as I'm trying to fall asleep and fatigue.Symptoms started 06/15/2022 with one severe episode of diarrhea. After that I was feeling very fatigued. On 06/22/2022 I was very dizzy and almost fainted, my heart rate was elevated (120-140) and I had tingling/numbness in my hands and feet. Went to the ED. Only thing they found was a Potassium of 2.6, they said my ECG was "inline with my low Potassium". They gave me IV Potassium, Magnesium and saline. Got my Potassium up to 3.8 and sent me home.Three days later I had a similar episode and went back to the ER (I thought maybe my Potassium was low again or that maybe it was my heart). They did another ECG and said my heart was fine. Potassium was fine. No other abnormalities. ER doc said maybe viral or Thyroid.In the weeks after my ER visit I was still feeling very weak and my heart rate was still elevated (80's laying, 90's sitting, 110 standing). I was still dizzy. My stomach was destroyed, I couldn't eat without getting severe reflux and I just wasn't hungry. I thought it could be POTS. My symptoms were worse in the morning and in the evenings I felt almost normal.Symptoms slowly started to improve as I started breathing/meditation exercises and started getting back into training and eating. (I lost almost 10 pounds during this because I just couldn't eat).I then started to experience adrenaline surges where my heart would race, I would feel very jittery, nauseous and I would have to pee many times. At first the surges happened only in the morning, but later started happening at night. Only one a day. The surges would leave me very tired. I had very poor exercise tolerance.I saw my PCP and we ran many tests, CBC, BMP, Full Thyroid Panel, T3 and antibodies, H.Pylori, AM cortisol, Catecholamines, PTH, Heavy metals, MTHFR, DHEA serum, ACTH plasma, celiac panel, Homocysteine, CRP, 25 hour Urine Catecholamines and Metanephrines, Folate RBC and serum and B12. The only "abnormal" tests are below:Alkaline Phosphatase low 32 (this has always been low for me).High epinephrine 67 (I was having a "surge" that morning, I am not afraid of blood draws).Heterozygous C665C MTHFRHigh am Cortisol 21.2 (I was having a "surge" that morning, I am not afraid of blood draws).DHEA 686 (she said it was normal but it seems high for me based on my age).24 hour urine Normetanephrine 122 lowFolate RBC 1248 (for context)Folate serum >20 (for context)B12 852 (for context)Background information: When this all started, my husband and I were trying to conceive and I had been taking 800mcg of Methylfolate to prevent neural tube defects since May. The day I ended up in the ER was the day I got my period. I thought that maybe, based on my MTHFR mutation, I had a bad reaction/poor tolerance to the Methylfolate so I stopped taking it 2 weeks ago. My symptoms seemed to align with too much Methylfolate, based on other peoples reports.My biggest complaint now is the palpitations at night. I keep getting jolted awake several times as I am falling asleep. This lasts an hour until I fall asleep until morning. Palpitations are felt when I am lying on my side and sometimes when I lie flat on my back. I have headaches off and on and still feel like something isn't right, like my body cannot relax. I also get this feeling of pressure in my head. I don't have any shortness of breath except for when I am jolted awake at night.I am not an anxious person thought I am certain these issues have caused worries. I am active (strength training three times a week, assault bike workouts and lots of walking/hiking/paddleboarding). I do Olympic lifting for fun but haven't gotten back to that yet. I eat paleo-ish, low carb, Weston A. Price though I am trying to incorporate more carbs into my diet. I take Magnesium Glycinate at night, probiotics, Vitamin D and Cod Liver Oil. I practice good sleep hygiene. I don't lead a stressful life. I have a cardiology appointment at the end of August.Any input would be greatly appreciated as I have already spent so much money on all this, I need to be efficient with my resources.Im thinking that something really messed me up, maybe the Methylfolate combined with a stomach bug? I had COVID in January, maybe that has something to do with it. Will this likely resolve on its own?Thanks in advance! |
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Hm, maybe its not really anything about your body changing, but your perception of it having changed. Concentrate on your belly button, for example. Normally, we dont really consciously feel the pulse there, but if you concentrate on it long enough, it will feel really strong. Its there all the time, but we only notice it, if we actively look for it. | Fair enough. I am and have been meditating and doing breathwork. I will continue. Any hypothesis on why the first occurrence happened in the first place? |
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Neither of us know if its true. I only have your explanation of everything happening to you, there is no blood work, no images, no test results available to me here. Im trying to give you a direction to work in and my opinion based on the information given. There is a reason this isnt designed as an actual treatment or doctors visit, here :) That said, I hope you get well soon! | I understand what you are saying, I just don't know that it's true. But, I will go with that theory and see what happens. Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. |
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First of all,thats great to hear. In addition to that, a physical stress response, where your body constantly readies for fight or flight will sap energy from you. Are your palpitations still there?Your cardiology appointment isnt far now, that will hopefully help with stress, too, or maybe allow for more specific advice. | Well, here's my week update. I am definitely continuing to feel better. I told myself that whatever seems to be happening to me is not something that I need to worry about. I am continuing to do my breathing/meditation exercises 1-3 times a day. I am exercising daily (strength training, pushing the sled and riding the assault bike, usually 10 minute TABATA). I drink water with liquid IV daily, am eating well and sleeping well. I sauna every other day. My resting heart rate is still consistently elevated, about 100 - 110 standing. I used to be around the 70 range standing. I've only had one adrenaline surge in the last week. I do think that changing my state of mind has helped me avoid any extra stress but I do still feel like im not my usual energetic self. Like my body is working harder. |
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Description:
The knowrohit07/know_medical_dialogues_v2 dataset is a collection of conversational exchanges between patients and doctors on various medical topics. It aims to capture the intricacies, uncertainties, and questions posed by individuals regarding their health and the medical guidance provided in response.
🎯 Intended Use:
This dataset is crafted for training Large Language Models (LLMs) with a focus on understanding and generating medically-informed dialogue. It's ideal for LLM applications aiming to provide medical information or insights, especially for scenarios with limited access to healthcare resources.
❗ Limitations: While this dataset includes diverse interactions, it doesn't cover every medical scenario. Models trained on this data should be viewed as an additional resource, not a substitute for professional medical consultation.
📌 Data Source: Conversational seed tasks or exchanges were collected from anonymized patient-doctor interactions and synthetically made using GPT4.
📋 Collection Methodology: The data was meticulously curated to ensure no personally identifiable information remained. All conversations are representative of general concerns and advice, without specific case details.
Advantages of the Dataset:
Broad Spectrum: The dataset encompasses a wide array of medical queries and advice, making it valuable for general medical conversational AI.
Diverse Interactions: It captures everything from symptom queries to post-care instructions.
Training Potential for LLMs: Specifically tailored for fine-tuning LLMs for medical conversations, enhancing the resultant model's capability in this domain.
⚖️ Ethical and Impact Considerations: Positive Impact: Utilizing LLMs trained on this dataset can be invaluable for healthcare professionals, especially in regions with limited medical datasets. When deployed on affordable local devices, doctors can leverage an AI-assisted tool, enhancing their consultation and decision-making processes.
Potential Risks: There's an inherent risk of the model providing guidance that may not match the latest medical guidelines or specific patient requirements. It's crucial to clarify to users that outputs from the LLM should complement professional medical opinions.
Recommendation: Encourage healthcare professionals to use this tool as an initial point of reference and not as the primary foundation for medical decisions.
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