Well, it's always something. When I saw my PCP recently, she was concerned about my different heart rhythm and referred me to a cardiologist. She said I have an extra heartbeat that is causing a "galloping" sensation and asked me if I felt any fluttering in my chest or felt light-headed. This is called a"PVC"-- Premature Ventricular Contractions which are extra heartbeats that begin in one of your heart's two lower pumping chambers (ventricles). These extra beats disrupt your regular heart rhythm, sometimes causing you to feel a fluttering or a skipped beat in your chest. PVCs can also cause a person to faint or feel light-headed. I don't feel anything different at all so I was surprised by this information. My PCP also did an EKG which clearly showed the PVC. (All these acronyms...ack.) So today was my first cardiologist appointment and I was pretty apprehensive, causing my blood pressure to be higher than normal. The visit went well; I like the doctor and he was very reassuring. He told me that most of the time PVCs aren't serious but occasionally they do need treatment. So I came home wearing a shiny new heart monitor attached to my chest; I have to wear it for a week. This is to give the doctor a reading on how often this is occurring and how severe the problem is. I am also scheduled for an echo-cardiogram and a stress test. And so, it begins.
Geeze @Beth Gallagher what a lot of information for you to have to absorb out of nowhere. I'm sorry you have to even deal with such a thing. At the time when we should be able to kick back and enjoy ourselves, we end up having to worry about annoying health issues.
Isn't that the truth?? My sister always says that retirement is when you stop going to work and start going to the doctor. I always felt pretty lucky with my health so stuff like this just strikes out of nowhere. I really feel fine, so what the heck.
Best wishes, @Beth Gallagher . I suspect that sleeping with the monitor will be the hardest thing to endure.
Thanks, Shirley. I'm thinking that sleeping and bathing will be annoying. I'm a stomach sleeper so I hope the thing isn't tangled in my hair when I wake up in the morning.
Hopefully, it will turn out to be something not worth worrying about. A premature ventricular contraction is what it sounds like, a contraction of the heart that comes early, or between regular beats, sometimes interrupting the regular beat. Heartbeats are stimulated by electrical activity in one of several nodes, and anything that irritates the node can stimulate an irregular beat. The cause of an occasional PVC is often not determined but regular PVCs can be due to heart disease or some type of trauma to the heart, but it can also be due to a chemical or electrolyte imbalance, a side effect of a medication, excessive caffeine intake, alcohol, low oxygenation, stress, or even the result of exercise. In other words, it could be a big deal but not necessarily. When I was a paramedic instructor, as a cardiology exam on EKG reading, I once created a test made up of EKG strips that were all me. If I relaxed to the point of almost sleeping, I could produce a bradycardia in the low 40s. If I got up after that and started exercising heavily, I could produce some irregular rhythms as my heart transitioned from bradycardia to tachycardia. After exercising heavily for a long time, my EKG would include some PVCs. So anyhow, I wouldn't worry about it until the cardiologist tells you to worry about it.
I think that in the grand scheme of things it could be pretty minor when compared to all the other things that can happen to us as we age. I always look at others worse off when I'm faced with something. Good luck.
I had to do that about 25 years ago. I go for atrial test and echgram 1-8 to rule out blockage . ..sigh..always someting !
It's true , there's always something. I took retirement at 62, 2 years ago.. and since then I've been diagnosed with one ailment after another...I keep saying I"m sick of being sick!! Hopefully you'll be ok Beth, and it'll not be anything to worry about...but it's enough to give you heart palpitations worrying if you've got anything to worry about...
@Beth Gallagher I suppose this will be the face you'll make this week while trying to keep your monitor rate steady..........
I still have to deal with an occasional bout of PVCs and then they disappear as quickly as the show up. However, I do have cardiomyopathy and while there is no cure for it, today it can be controlled.
Thanks, Ken. I was expecting him to tell me to cut out caffeine and alcohol, but he said to not change anything... yet. He wants the monitor results to reflect my "normal" life as it is right now, then go from there.
That is so true, Ed. As I looked around the waiting room today, I couldn't help thinking "what am I doing here with these sick people?" I actually feel perfectly fine. Thanks for your good wishes.
Gloria, I'm not sure what those tests are. I have to have the "echo-cardiogram, full" and a treadmill stress test. I was hoping they could be done today but of course they are scheduled on two separate days this month. Gotta get those extra office visits billed in there!! I wish you the best with your test outcome.
Thanks, Holly. At this point I'm not overly concerned, but it has made me a little nervous. It certainly showed in my blood pressure at the doctor's office!! I'm sorry you have to deal with health issues.