Can anyone interpret this Holter for me?

Posted , 2 users are following.

Hi,

I am a 33-year-old white male. I have seronegative spondyloarthropathy and take a 90 mg arcoxia pill every other day. (I lowered it about 2 months ago, from taking it for 2 days and then not taking it the 3rd day.)

I've been having arrhythmias for ~ the last 6 months. Initially I thought it was something stomach-related, reflux, whatever. It seemed hard to believe those things I was feeling were the heart. But after a visit to the gastroenterologist, he said my stomach is fine, and told me to check with a pathologist, they could be arrhythmias.

My pathologist, who also happens to be a cardiologist, said I indeed had arrhythmias. But they were the good, non-dangerous kind.

I realized I got lucky, cos I was having those thumps while he was examining me. I had gone to him in the past and he had found nothing, said everything looks perfect, and that was part of the reason I thought it was stomach-related. Only later did I understand that he can only see I have a problem if it happens while he's examining me. I thought somehow the tools could detect something was wrong even when it wasn't happening.

X-rays and CT scan showed nothing wrong with my heart.

But I keep getting worse. I went from occasionally having these about 6 months ago, to having them every time I ate and went to bed, to now having them all day long. Yesterday I was lifting weights (standing leg exercise, not chest-related) and I took my pulse and my heart was beating at like 240 beats per minute (4 per second). I'm not sure cos I didn't measure it properly, but it was very extraordinary.

When I go to sleep at night it's the worst. My heart does whatever it wants. It can skip every third beat, it can thump powerfully like a drum, it can go back to being completely calm and barely noticeable and kinda weak, etc.

I was strapped with a Holter monitor for a day, and it showed ~ 8000 supraventricular events. From what I read online, that's quite a lot. My cardiologist says it's fine. He says they're the good kind! He always says everything is fine!

I now realize I had arrhythmias many years ago as well, and had panic attacks at the time, I always thought there's something wrong with my heart, but everyone said those were the symptoms of panic attacks. After about 6 months (and benzodiazepines) they were gone, and then I felt those things maybe once every two years for a few weeks and they went away by themselves. Only now do I realize what they were, I always thought they were gastro-related, IBS maybe or whatnot.

Anyway, my doctor tends to say everything's fine, but I'm worried, these feelings I get in my heart don't seem like 'fine' to me. He started me on a magnesium vitamin complex about a week ago, and he'll move me on to beta blockers in about a week. The magnesium didn't do anything so far. As I knew it wouldn't, since I eat a very healthy and varied diet.

So I thought I'd give people here my Holter summary, and maybe someone can offer another opinion, whether they think the findings are within the normal range.

Is there a way to know, subjectively, when the arrhythmias are getting dangerous? I'm thinking of consulting a second cardiologist, but I'm strapped for cash so I'm asking here first.

Since my heartbeats appear rather weak sometimes, won't the beta blockers make that worse?

I also feel the occasional sharp pain, fluttering, and all that, in case anyone's wondering.

Thanks

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0 likes, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi Alex I too saw a Cardiologist for 30 years saying all was fine it was not! you will see on this site and others you must see an Electrophysiologist he will help you if you can afford it go private and it will cost £120 but well worth it fir peace of mind.

    Good luck

    Ingrid

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