been lightheaded for over a month also been to hospital details In post

Can I ask, how did you get the NHS to look at your ECG results as I asked my GP if I could do this idea and she said not really as I would not know what I am looking for? Also how expensive was the monitor you had to buy? Help appreciated thanks

Hi Jason, Looks like the NHS are already trying to fob you off as it wouldn't be you not knowing what you are looking for, it would be you showing them so they can decide.

In my case they had been investigating me for two years and never found anything at the time of the tests, which is why I bought my own ecg. a Prince 180B which I see are now £189.

I was getting two symptoms, as soon as I got one captured on my device, I printed it off and took it to my GP and said this is what happens when I get said feeling.

He therefore sent it to a cardiologist who said it was just benign ectopic beats and nothing to worry about.

I should have waited to capture both symptoms as they felt different and the second one looked quite severe on the graph, so when I went back to my GP for the results of the first one, I then showed him the second one and said, "what about this", he, (a mere GP) looked at it and said, "thats just more of the same", that would have been that and maybe I would be dead by now if I wasn't lucky enough to have a friend I see every couple of months who works as a secretary in the NHS and so has access to cardiologists. She said she wanted to get a second opinion, so I let her, next thing I have this second cardiologist ringing me at home telling me to call an ambulance.

If you click on the box below, you will see one of the graphs this ecg produces, whilst the written comments the thing comes up with are rubbish, the actual graph looks exactly like the one in the frequent ambulance rides!

If you do get one, you either already know what a normal heart rythem looks like or just look it up on online images, an ectopic beat will stand out as being different from all the others. In my case here, you will see just a few normal beats, most of them are ectopics joining together to form Ventricular Tachycardia.

 

Thank you for the information wish i could afford one of these mini ecg machines but they are on average 140 pounds bit out of my price range.

The information is helpful thank you.

It seems my skip bears are occurring when I lay down to sleep now.

I hope the holter test I am to have on 14th of March sheds light on it

That's the thing having to trust a doctor and then worrying did they mess up or ignore some things you say.

As for my lightheadedness it happens near on all the time it feels lightheaded/fog mind if that makes sense then the skip bears happen then pain lingers in the area for sometimes days. Just wish docs would give a proper diagnosis to it

Some people have legitimate problems going on and doctors do make mistakes and people sometimes are not properly diagnosed so just telling people on here who are worried to relax and it will go away is not helpful. You seem to go to every post with the same kind of sometimes mean replies.

It's as you say jordan64432 I no their is something wrong it is not me stressing out. It's when a doc says this I am like seriously it's my body you think I would know.

I am grateful that you added your input but what is wrong with me is real it is not anxiety i seriously wish it was.

The downside to having something wrong for a long period of time and not have a diagnosis is you get health anxiety which can exacerbate the symptoms making them feel worse but it won't create new ones at a whim that linger for weeks.

I wish some doctors would frequent this board as much as us with issues it would be nice to have their input.

I saw my MP about this issue, I told her peoples lives are being ruined because of these GP with little god complexes who think they know more about you in five minutes, than you know about yourself. The average time for diagnoses of Dysautonomia, is six years, some POTS sufferers have to endure 15 years of doctors telling them its anxiety before being properly diagnosed.

Whats interesting, is that there is a GP or two on the Dysautonomia forums, who have the condition themselves and are told by their own doctors they have anxiety!

Turns out GPs have no training at all in this condition so why they have to blame anxiety for a condition they are not qualified to comment on is disgraceful.

Oh yes I whole heartedly agree no pun intended. It should be mandatory that a gp update every few years on these kinds of things the heart is THE major organ next to the brain of the body all gp should know about these conditions that can effect it.

Also have them randomly spot checked keep them on their toes if the fail they must take a refresher course.

But 15 years for pots is a huge joke granted pots is not life threatening BUT the effects it causes can cause your life to be in jeopardy ie falling down stairs or fainting on a busy road or even cooking. 6 years for Dysautonomia diagnosis is equally bad. I no personally it's been 3 years and 4 months for me so far and they still won't diagnose me correctly I know what's wrong or have a general idea these docs simply don't or that they are afraid to say I don't no let me do some research it's as simple as that. I won't hold it against a doctor if they said let me do some research I'd think we'll more power to them they actually care.

It does drive you crazy waiting for these things if I had the money to go private I would but sadly I'm unemployed currently which limits my options extremely

Believe me I know exactly how you feel. January of 2010 marked 8 years for me trying to get a diagnosis. It started out as a pressure and a feeling as though blood was pushing really hard through my left side neck. Along with that, I immediately got light-headed, chest pains, shortness of breath and felt like I was having a heart attack. I've not been the same since and still no diagnosis except I've developed mild cardiomyopathy. My heart beats really hard which it never did before and also I have horrible pain right where my main artery runs through my stomach . I know it's frustrating for you, hopefully you'll find the right doctor who really wants to help you find out what is wrong. Good luck.

Hi jordan64432, I have the exact symptoms as you. Even the "feeling as though blood was pushing really hard through my left side neck". 

Did you get any diagnosis?

Forgot to say that in those episodes, my muscles (mainly on the left side of neck) get very hard. Completely stiff, like a rock. Then I get light-headedness, elevated heartbeat, brain fog, weakness, tiredness, dry mouth, dry hands, etc, I'm feeling hopeless since I've done so many exams and they all came back fine.

Hello, I am sorry that I just got your messages. No, I have not got a diagnosis yet. How are you doing? Have you found anything out?

Many of my tests have also come back normal then why do I have cardiomyopathy and a low EFR? Doesn't make sense, I was fine before the incident that changed everything. Do you have any protruding veins in your left side neck? My external jugular and anterior jugular protrude in and out with inhaling and exhaling and where they come together just above my clavical....they bulge above that and then disappear behind the clavical bone. It's not flowing back to the heart like it is supposed to. To me something is occluded.

I forgot to add that my veins were never visible before the incident either.