Heart Scare

[pacergal]

moutainsoft:
Wow, that ER visit sounds awful, especially with your worrisome symptoms!
Glad you are feeling better and on a different medication. Hope the heart monitoring goes well.
Take care!

 

[mountainsoft]

The ER visit sounded hellish. Not an ideal time to visit ER with the pandemic going on

It went from the initial worry, to boredom, to comical, to feeling imprisoned for life.

Unfortunately, with COVID restrictions in place no visitors were allowed, so I was on my own the entire time. The ER waiting room was sectioned off with plastic cubicle shields so you couldn't even talk to the person next to you. See through solitary confinement.

Thankfully I had my cell phone with me to text back and forth with my wife. That's the only thing that kept me somewhat sane through the whole experience. Unfortunately, my cell battery was about to die before I was finally discharged. I wasn't expecting to be there that long and didn't have a charger with me. I finally borrowed a charger from reception for the last hour or so I was there.

 

[mountainsoft]

Ordinarily I would be livid about the ER treatment you received but the pandemic must be hell on those that work there given how long it has been going on.

Yeah, they were clearly stressed out. I also noticed the ambulances just kept coming non-stop while I was there, making me less and less of a priority. With a needle stuck in my arm and nothing but slippers and a thin hospital blanket I had no option but to ride it out. They did seem appreciative that I wasn't throwing a fit about it like most everyone else. At that point I just wanted to know I wasn't going to die. Don't bite the hand trying to save you. Ironically, no one ever mentioned COVID, asked if I was vaccinated, or did any testing.

To make matters worse, there was nothing to eat or drink there except for vending machines. I had a can of root beer around 3am to try and stay awake, a Dr Pepper and a cereal bar for "breakfast", and a Pepsi and candy bar for "lunch". Good thing I'm not diabetic. You would think a hospital would have healthier food options available. Then again, I've been in their cafeteria before where they mostly serve fried foods.

Six days after my 58th birthday. Happy birthday to me.

went through 5 or 6 meds before finding one that didn’t make her feel worse than taking nothing.

Amlodipine is my third attempt at controlling BP. Lisinopril had numerous side effects within the first week. Losartan seemed to do better, though it didn't control my BP all that well even at 100mg. Still don't know why I went months without issues then it all went south suddenly.

 

[Dreamer]

I missed this thread the first time.

Your ER experience sounds horrible. I can't believe that you were there that long and that you were not given anything to eat or drink. This pandemic must be terrible for the health care workers too.

I hope that it was the medicine and that your medical problems are resolved.

Happy belated birthday.

 

[Teacher Terry]

That drug didn’t agree with me either. So glad that you are fine but what a scary experience.

 

[Scratchy]

Only in the interest of reducing the chance of a repeat ER visit I'll speculate that if you saw a cardiologist earlier you may have avoided that trip to the ER. It's not clear to me what your plans are going forward but I'd repeat the suggestion by others to see a cardiologist.

 

[grasshopper]

Yea, you don't want to go to the ER anytime soon. I had a compound fracture of my big toe with 3/4 inch of bone sticking out, a couple of weeks ago.

Ms G drove me to my GP's hospital, I was told I needed a Orthopedic Podiatrist, and they had no one on call, or room for me.

Off to the next hospital, I was lucky they had an examination room open where I spent the night.

First doc said what the first hospital said Orthopedic Podiatrist you need to go to Tucson. Eight hours later and no hospital could be found that could take me or set my bone.

2:00 new doc makes rounds looks me over and says we need to take care of this now or the bone will get infected.

New doc must be old school got the job done, when I finally saw right right doc he said he couldn't have set it any better.

Ms G picked me up the next day

For food I was told to hobble out to the waiting room vending machines. The breakfast orderers were made as I was checking out.

 

[RE2Boys]

Follow-up on the heart scare...

My PAC was becoming an almost constant thing, and overall I still just didn't feel right. I was tired all the time, got chills often, my hands and feet would get numb and tingly, occasional blurry vision, body aches, etc..

When I was reading of the above symptoms, I immediately recognized as they were the same I went through after I went home after bypass surgery two years ago. I thought that I had serious heart damage from the heart attack and follow on surgery.

Lived with the symptoms for four months until I accidentally forgot to take my meds and found myself finally feeling close to normal with lots of energy. Turned out that I did not tolerate the beta-blocker Lopressor very well at all, it was lowering my resting pulse to mid-40s (now a more normal 52) and my whole body was starved for adequate blood flow. Even though I was on the smallest dosage available. My cardiologist eliminated the drug, what a great feeling. Turns out I have no detectable heart damage and my ejection fraction is 76 (normal is 50-70) back to regular running and cycling with the docs concurrence.

That ER visit sounds horrible.

 

[mountainsoft]

Only in the interest of reducing the chance of a repeat ER visit I'll speculate that if you saw a cardiologist earlier you may have avoided that trip to the ER.

In all fairness, my first symptom was on a Wednesday night, and I ended up in the ER Monday morning. I couldn't have made a cardiology appointment in that time even if I wanted to. Not to mention I can't see a cardiologist without a referral from my primary care doctor.

 

[Scratchy]

In all fairness, my first symptom was on a Wednesday night, and I ended up in the ER Monday morning. I couldn't have made a cardiology appointment in that time even if I wanted to. Not to mention I can't see a cardiologist without a referral from my primary care doctor.

Very fair points and I spoke without considering or knowing the timeline. I do hope you get a cardiologist referral and see one soon.

 

[mountainsoft]

I've had a few more PAC "episodes" since seeing my doctor last. Most are minor, barely noticeable unless I'm taking my blood pressure and hear the irregular heart beat.

Yesterday was probably the worst since I went to the ER, though still no where near as intense. I had one around 9am that lasted about 30 minutes and another later in the evening. I start feeling kind of weak, get that weird warm feeling in my neck, and start feeling really tired. It really drains me physically and emotionally when it happens and I end up sleeping a lot the next day.

I am still waiting for cardiology to send me the wearable monitor. The doctor warned me they were running slow and it may take a while.

I have tried to reduce my caffeine intake dramatically, but haven't eliminated it entirely. So far I haven't noticed any change, other than I seem to be more tired without the "pick me up".

I've been on the Amlodipine for about four days and so far haven't noticed any changes. The upper systolic might be down just slightly (140 instead of 145 or so), but the lower diastolic is basically unchanged (80 to 85 or so). I haven't noticed any side effects either, other than I might be coughing a bit more than usual. I have noticed my diastolic drops to the lower 70's when I'm having a PAC episode.

Since this started a few weeks ago I generally just feel sluggish and unmotivated to do much of anything. I sleep a lot, and I worry a lot. Will today be a good day, or will I have another PAC that will drain me. I'm used to being active and accomplishing things, even if it doesn't result in much exercise. I would hate to think the rest of my life would be spent feeling like this. There's so much I want to do.

 

[Bamaman]

My wife fainted in September, and her B/P was 54 over "Dead" when we got to the Emergency Room. Her pulse was 160, and she was in AFIB. They put the Harvey Team on her immediately. The next day, she was 'shocked" back into rhythm, and they started 4 days of every heart test there is.

Our hospital is a satellite of the biggest regional hospital, and their E-Room volume is not extremely heavy. Had they attempted to put her in the back room for many hours, we would have moved to Plan B--another hospital.

My wife had an echo last week, and everything looks good. The suspected leaky heart valve is not leaking. They are going to do an ablation in the coming weeks.

Maintaining steady blood pressure is the best thing one can do, and monitoring blood pressure 3x or 4x a day is most important. The best other thing you can do is to find an exceptional cardiologist to take care of you.

 

[mountainsoft]

Maintaining steady blood pressure is the best thing one can do, and monitoring blood pressure 3x or 4x a day is most important.

Yep, I'm working on it. My BP has been under 140/90 all of my adult life (at least since 1998, the earliest I have records for). Most of the time it's closer to 130/80. I never took any meds till it got up near 150/100 last January.

I haven't had much luck with BP meds so far. Lisinopril made me so dizzy and light headed I couldn't function (along with constipation and a few other weird side effects). I seemed to tolerate Losartan the first six months or so, until everything went south a few weeks ago. I haven't been on Amlodipine long enough to see how I tolerate it. Unfortunately, none of the meds so far has really made a significant change in my blood pressure. 130/80 is about the average since I started taking meds. I get all of the side effects without many of the benefits.

My resting pulse rate is almost always right at 60. My home BP monitor says my pulse drops to the upper 40's when I'm having a PAC event, but my doc says it's just the way my machine counts heart beats. They still see the 60 bpm on their equipment.

 

[Teacher Terry]

My BP never went lower than 130/80 despite a beta blocker until I decided to totally eliminate alcohol. Now it’s much lower. I also only have 2 cups of weak coffee in the morning.

 

[mountainsoft]

My BP never went lower than 130/80 despite a beta blocker until I decided to totally eliminate alcohol. Now it’s much lower. I also only have 2 cups of weak coffee in the morning.

I'm not a big drinker anyway. Typically just a couple glasses of wine on Friday and Saturday, or on special occasions. However, if the PAC's continue to be a problem, I may try going without alcohol to see what effect it has. That would be sad though, as we enjoy touring different wineries when we are traveling, or trying new microbrews on occasion.

I never drink coffee. Can't stand the taste of the stuff, even if it's "hidden" in something like a dessert.

Soda and tea are my primary sources of caffeine.

I received my Zio XT heart monitor today. I'm going to review the instructions tonight and apply it tomorrow after showering. The prep looks worse than wearing it. Shave the chest hair, "abrade" the skin 40 times (sandpaper), wipe with alcohol wipes (ouch on abraded skin), then apply the monitor. Thankfully I only need to wear it 48 hours, so hopefully that won't be too bad.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Caffeine in any form is not good. Originally the doctor told me to not have any caffeine which I haven’t done. I used to like the beer and wine tastings also.

 

[mountainsoft]

Caffeine in any form is not good.

The only problem I've had giving up caffeine is finding alternative beverages to drink. I drink a lot during the day and the "just drink water" option doesn't work for me. I can handle about one glass of water then it's too much. I don't like or tolerate milk very well, and every caffeine free option I've tried is loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners.

I tried some coconut water and flavored waters but didn't care for any of them.

So far the best option I've found that I still enjoy is "bold" ginger ale. It's higher in sugar than my teas, but lower than my colas. Still, I don't really want to drink carbonated beverages all the time either.

I picked up some decaf tea bags, but as expected, I just haven't had the time to brew my own.

I used to buy caffeine free cola's when I was younger, but that's apparently not a thing anymore unless you go diet with the artificial sweeteners. Yuck.

 

[Turbo29]

If you have a medical problem, which is exacerbated by caffeine, I understand avoiding caffeine. Otherwise what is the evidence that "caffeine in any form is not good?"


I rather like the supposed quote from Voltaire. When told by his doctor that coffee was slow poison he replied, "Yes, it is a remarkably slow poison. I have been drinking it every day for more than seventy-five years.”


I think I will go grind some beans now.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Turbo, caffeine is not good when you have a heart problem like the OP and me. I still drink 2 cups. You can drink sparkling flavored carbonated water. I put lime or lemon juice in regular water.

 

[mountainsoft]

If you have a medical problem, which is exacerbated by caffeine, I understand avoiding caffeine. Otherwise what is the evidence that "caffeine in any form is not good?"

The standard answer says caffeine can contribute to heart rhythm problems, such as the premature atrial contractions I'm experiencing. However, everything I have researched says there is no data to back up this recommendation. Maybe if you drank espresso's or energy drinks regularly, but my caffeine intake is on the low end anyway.

I've been drinking caffeinated beverages for 50+ years without a single hiccup until a few weeks ago. So I have my doubts, but I am tired of the PAC's so I'm willing to give it a try just to see. I have no love of caffeine, I just want beverages I enjoy drinking. Unfortunately, it seems to be a standard ingredient these days along with high fructose corn syrup.

 

[mountainsoft]

Applied the Zio XT heart monitor today. The prep wasn't as bad as I feared. The alcohol wipe stung a bit after shaving and sandpapering my chest, but I tolerated it better than I thought I would.

I can feel the adhesive strips pull a little when I move, but it's not bad. It will be interesting to see how it is to sleep with it on.

 

[MissMolly]

You know there are a lots of soft drinks without caffeine but are not diet - root beer, Sprite, grape soda, orange soda, Ginger Ale... And Coca-Cola makes Caffeine-free Coke.

 

[mountainsoft]

You know there are a lots of soft drinks without caffeine but are not diet - root beer, Sprite, grape soda, orange soda, Ginger Ale... And Coca-Cola makes Caffeine-free Coke.

Yep, I spent about 20 minutes at the store last week reading all the labels on beverages.

The biggest problem with root beer, cream soda, etc. is the high sugar content.

Caffeine free Coke and Pepsi aren't available right now due to aluminum shortages caused by covid supply issues. They're using their limited cans for more popular flavors. Not sure why that would affect 2-liter plastic bottles, but whatever, that's their story.

For now I've made do with Sprite, 7-up, and Ginger ale. I've actually really enjoyed the "bold" ginger ale, something I wouldn't have even tried otherwise. I still have some Coke in the morning, and maybe a glass or two of tea during the day, so not 100% caffeine free at this point.

 

[mountainsoft]

I finally got the results from my 48 hour ZioXT heart monitor. Doctor said there were "very brief runs of atrial tachycardia" and repeated again, "no medication or treatment" is necessary. I don't know, sounds pretty scary to me...

He seemed more concerned about getting my blood pressure down (currently averages around 145/85 or less) and started me back on a lower 25mg dose of Losartan. I'm a little nervous about taking that again as most of my symptoms went away when I stopped it last month. He's the doc though, so I'll give it a try.

I'm also taking 5mg of Amlodipine and can't say I have noticed any effect at all, positive or negative. It didn't change my BP that I can see, and didn't seem to have any affect on my PAC's.

I started taking 250mg Magnesium and that seemed to make a bigger difference than anything. No change to BP of course, but the PAC's seem less intense and less frequent, I feel like I have more energy, and the numbness/tingling in my feet went away.

I'm basically just learning to live with the PAC's. They seem to happen most in the morning around breakfast time. I can feel little flutters in my chest and my BP monitor confirms my heart is beating weird, but otherwise they aren't bothering me. Slightly uncomfortable and a little nerve wracking, but I'm alive.

The jury is still out on the caffeine influence. Some days when I drink caffeine I might notice a minor change, but most days it doesn't seem to affect anything. I'm still planning to phase out as much as possible, but we've been snowed in this last week so I've been trying to finish up my stash of caffeinated beverages.