Irregular Heartbeat!

[Rerun]

I've had an irregular heart-beat about three times now.  I don't like that feeling.     It thumps along and then drags down on one.  Tonight they gave me oxygen for the last half hour and turned off my UF. 

Any ideas what is causing that?  I put on 2.5kg over the weekend so with the rinse back they were trying to take off 3.1.

[Panda_9]

Have you had an echo or ecg done lately rerun?

[Len]

My heart is very irregular, sometimes it only beats 5 beats then quits for a beat. for the last 5 days  its been quitting  most of the day. my neph says to not worry about it ??  sounds strange  to me ?? This has been going on for months with me

[Gus]

Irregular heart beats is seriously bad, temp okay but if don't go away you must report that to you Dr. right away.....its something what they also call "Palpitations".....I've had them on and off temp for a few seconds then it goes away..........read more about all complications arising from dialysis, BUT keep in mind these complications most common in 3x a week dialysis and CAPD.......people who are doing daily-short or nocturnal have alot less of these complications...

http://www.kidneyatlas.org/book5/adk5-07.pdf

[Panda_9]

Len, your neph sounds like a twit. I would definitely be seeing someone about it if its been going on all day!! I get it very occaisionally, but only for a second.

[kitkatz]

Go get it checked out even if you feel stupid doing it.  Heart problems are not fun!  Neither is an angiogram.  Go get it checked out!

Katherine

[Panda_9]

kitkatz is right, I think alot of people think that some of their questions might be stupid, so they dont ask about it. Ask ANYTHING how ever stupid you think it is. I have asked tons of questions with the first line being "this may be a silly question but....", and it has turned out it was quite a valid question, and not silly at all!

[Rerun]

I have an irregular heartbeat and I mentioned it to my Nephrologist, but then I thought "I'm not going to get anything done about it, so why mention it." 

I'm not going for another angiogram EVER.
I'm not getting a new valve EVER.

I'm not saying "never" I'm saying "ever."

[Rerun]

OK......it is now the End of September and I can't stand this irregular heart beat anymore.  I called my Neph.  She knows that if I call it must be bad.  She is going to make an appt with a Cardiologist. 

The thing is I leave for Spokane tomorrow to look for a house.  I won't be back until the 6th. 

This is what I get for procrastinating.   

I don't feel bad, dizzy, faint, or anything.  Just this flip-flop in my chest.  BP is okay.

[Len]

Rerun I have the same thing for the last year or so   some days it beats 4 times and misses and goes on forever    other days it doesn't happren  at all   most days  its on the missing part though . My neph  says  nothing to worry about
  where I found it to be more prominent  was when I switched to  8 hour runs at night   so I went back to 6

[Epoman]

Rerun I have the same thing for the last year or so   some days it beats 4 times and misses and goes on forever    other days it doesn't happren  at all   most days  its on the missing part though . My neph  says  nothing to worry about
  where I found it to be more prominent  was when I switched to  8 hour runs at night   so I went back to 6

  WELCOME back Len, glad to see you back. I have been having a Irregular heartbeat as well and it makes me feel "UGH" no pain but I just feel back and then I start getting worried. In fact I had it for like 3 hours today. It makes me really worry. I went last Sunday to the ER because of it and the EKG, chest x-ray all came back fine. I had an Angiogram back in May 2005 and I had ZERO blockages on all 4 valves. I am going to ask my Neph or cardiologist about a Anti arrhythmic drug to stop my heart from beating irregular.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiarrhythmic_drug

[Dr. Evil]

Epo-

(Stupid question #106):  Did you ever wear a holter monitor (...or even better...an "event monitor" for several days)?  Usually, after an ischemic w/u, the next thing is the arrhythmia w/u, which is...among other things, an monitor of some kind.

[Clarification.....Holter monitor is generally 24 hrs....easy, but often doesn't capture the rhythm problem.   An Event monitor is worn for longer times, and it has a record marker button that you push if you feel the 'funny heartbeat' so that the dr. can look at the rhythm at the time you feel funny, etc...

[Epoman]

Epo-

(Stupid question #106):  Did you ever wear a holter monitor (...or even better...an "event monitor" for several days)?  Usually, after an ischemic w/u, the next thing is the arrhythmia w/u, which is...among other things, an monitor of some kind.

[Clarification.....Holter monitor is generally 24 hrs....easy, but often doesn't capture the rhythm problem.   An Event monitor is worn for longer times, and it has a record marker button that you push if you feel the 'funny heartbeat' so that the dr. can look at the rhythm at the time you feel funny, etc...

No not yet, but I will be asking my Cardiologist about one. When it happened in the ER the doctor did an EKG and said it looked ok, it was irregular but not that bad? WTF? For example right now I feel GREAT my heart is beating like a baby 118/89 pulse 84 but earlier I felt bad, my BP was fine but my heart was irregular for about 3 or 4 hours.

[Zach]

OK......it is now the End of September and I can't stand this irregular heart beat anymore.  I called my Neph.  She knows that if I call it must be bad.  She is going to make an appt with a Cardiologist. 

The thing is I leave for Spokane tomorrow to look for a house.  I won't be back until the 6th. 

This is what I get for procrastinating.   

I don't feel bad, dizzy, faint, or anything.  Just this flip-flop in my chest.  BP is okay.

Sometimes I get them (Atrial Fibrillation) due to high stress or too much coffee.
Inderol or lanoxin might help you.

[Panda_9]

I have been getting palpitations usually in the mornings, only while Im on the machine. Ive also been getting chest pain, but I think its my hernia. Doctor said it didnt sound like anything. Im not real happy with that answer so will probably ask someone else if it gets any worse.

[Sluff]

   Hope everything is alright please keep us updated and for god sakes enjoy your trip to Spokane.

[Dr. Evil]

Well, irregular heartbeats generally are not that bad in terms of the heart.

The problem lies in Atrial fibrillation.  That is when the top chambers of the heart fibrillates (beats very fast, which leads to an abnormal (irregular) ventricular rate (your pulse).  Afib is the leading cause of embolic strokes.  The heart doesn't need the top chambers to pump, but the blood will pool there if you are in Afib.  Blood that pools in one place tends to form clots.  The next place the clots go is to the brain (assuming we are talking about the left side of the heart).  That is a stroke, which is generally bad.  The solution is to go on anticoagulation (coumadin, not asprin) and look into the cause.  Correcting the actual rhythm is not as important as we once thought....at least it is not worth taking toxic anitarrhymics to do so. 

So, bottom line, is that all irregular heartbeats should be worked up aggressively to r/o AFib, etc.

[Epoman]

Well, irregular heartbeats generally are not that bad in terms of the heart.

The problem lies in Atrial fibrillation.  That is when the top chambers of the heart fibrillates (beats very fast, which leads to an abnormal (irregular) ventricular rate (your pulse).  Afib is the leading cause of embolic strokes.  The heart doesn't need the top chambers to pump, but the blood will pool there if you are in Afib.  Blood that pools in one place tends to form clots.  The next place the clots go is to the brain (assuming we are talking about the left side of the heart).  That is a stroke, which is generally bad.  The solution is to go on anticoagulation (coumadin, not asprin) and look into the cause.  Correcting the actual rhythm is not as important as we once thought....at least it is not worth taking toxic anitarrhymics to do so. 

So, bottom line, is that all irregular heartbeats should be worked up aggressively to r/o AFib, etc.

So what do you think doc do I have Afib? if it only happens sometimes? My pulse never goes higher than 120 usually it's under 100 even during the irregular beats. And if I am in afib what's the solution? Don't worry I am going to the Cadiologist on October 9th.

[Dr. Evil]

Epo-

I can't answer that.  I need to see your EKG, and then we would likely need the monitoring as described above. 

Afib is the most common rhythm abnormality by far.  You are kinda young, but you are on dialysis for a long time and you likely have hypertensive changes to your heart, so an ECHO of your heart would be nice to see as well.  And, since all dialysis patients are at risk for accelerated atherosclerosis (coronary artery disease), you would also need a cardiac stress test of some kind as well.  I like the nuc-med stress tests, but that is up to your cardiologist.

However, it is more likely a benign problem...probably some frequent PVC's (premature ventricular complexes) that are from hypertensive heart disease.

But you can't tell unless you go thru the workup, or at least that is what I would do if I was have such problems.

If this gets worse, call your cardiologist and move up the appointment....and as always, go to the ER with chest pain or shortness of breath.

let me know what they find...

later

[Panda_9]

I only get palpitations while Im on the machine. Feel ok otherwise when not on machine.

[Rerun]

I have an appointment with a cardiologist on October 24.  Great!!! More meds.     (That bag is full of pills)

[Bajanne]

I am hoping you get very good news at the cardiologist (and fewer pills!)

[Sluff]

Apparently you didn't get my PM. While you were away to Spokane. Hope things go well at the doctors visit.

[Rerun]

Sorry, I forgot to update this.  Had the EKG and Ecocardiogram and things were normal.  Of course it wasn't doing it then.  He told me to come right in the next time it happens.  He also mentioned the event monitor.

[Amanda From OZ]

Rerun are you still experiencing the irregular heartbeat? I

 also experience the same thing.... i have done all different test and they also all come back "normal". They told me that when your heart misses a beat the cavity of the heart builds up with extra blood which creates a fast "rush" of blood to be pumped through the heart... i get a feeling like I'm holding my breath and need to cough... its kinda scary.... anyone else have a similar experience?

Amanda
xxoo