Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
You figured it out again---d-dimer is a protein whose level goes up when the coagulation cascade is activated. Many cancers show hyper-coagulable status.
Wide complex beats are not necessarily PVCs. Wide complex just means there's delayed conduction thru the ventricles. That might well occur with PAT. PAT should show p waves. PVCs don't. "Saw-tooth" is how 2nd degree AV block is often described.
Tell your cardiologist you know it's "PAT with variable block." That always works.
Another trick I used to pull when put on the spot by the professor was to state a "fact" and quote an imaginary reference from the medical literature. They didn't want to admit they hadn't read it, so they'd agree with me and change the subject.
Geez. I imagine Jill wants to get to the bottom of what's going on with her arrhythmia, not to pull tricks or to try and "one up" her cardiologists on the topic.
I'm glad she's about to get the monitor. Seems the arrhythmia occurs frequently enough they'll be able to see it, and figure out what it is, and go from there. One can speculate endlessly about all kinds of observations on a SmartWatch, Cardia Mobile app or any of the little handheld EKG devices out there, or even about second hand descriptions of someone else's observation of same. But considering the artefacts from movement, stuff that may be on the skin, spurious electrical signals from the subject or device, and the inexpertise of the observer ( and numerous speculators) on the topic of cardiac electrophysiology, and EKG findings, "amateur" interpretations may be way off base, so I think it's best left to the professionals in a clinical setting.
You figured it out again---d-dimer is a protein whose level goes up when the coagulation cascade is activated. Many cancers show hyper-coagulable status.
Wide complex beats are not necessarily PVCs. Wide complex just means there's delayed conduction thru the ventricles. That might well occur with PAT. PAT should show p waves. PVCs don't. "Saw-tooth" is how 2nd degree AV block is often described.
Tell your cardiologist you know it's "PAT with variable block." That always works.
Another trick I used to pull when put on the spot by the professor was to state a "fact" and quote an imaginary reference from the medical literature. They didn't want to admit they hadn't read it, so they'd agree with me and change the subject.
This is all so fascinating. If I weren’t so busy trying to educate myself about my cancer, I’d definitely be learning to read EKGs.
I had the treadmill stress test this morning. I passed, but not with flying colors. I did fine for the required 6 minutes & 85% of my maximum rate with no problems at all. Then my heart got challenged further and was fine until it got to 91% of maximums rate. At this point, I started getting PVCs. Oddly, I didn’t feel them at all. I felt perfectly fine and was wondering why they were making me stop the test.
I just wanted to report that I have gone two whole weeks without any episodes at all.
Curious. This is either because I am now taking 1000mg of magnesium oxide per day (instead of 250 g of magnesium citrate) or because two weeks ago I got my 30 day event monitor. Bwa ha ha ha!
I just wanted to report that I have gone two whole weeks without any episodes at all.
Curious. This is either because I am now taking 1000mg of magnesium oxide per day (instead of 250 g of magnesium citrate) or because two weeks ago I got my 30 day event monitor. Bwa ha ha ha!
Magnesium is extremely helpful for heart irregularities and circulation in general. I had the same weird episodes as you for several years and one day.....they just stopped. But I had taken the magnesium for quite a while by then, I had read it can take months if your body has been low (on mag)
I just wanted to report that I have gone two whole weeks without any episodes at all.
Curious. This is either because I am now taking 1000mg of magnesium oxide per day (instead of 250 g of magnesium citrate) or because two weeks ago I got my 30 day event monitor. Bwa ha ha ha!
Well, Murphy ( as in Murphy's Law, I guess this would be a corollary), would say it's because you have the monitor. I hope it's really because you're taking the magnesium. It's good, but if it's going to be an issue, it'd be great to catch it on a monitor so you see the varmint! But you've got two weeks left, it only takes one episode to catch it on a monitor and hopefully identify it.
I recall before or just as I had been hooked up with a monitor two times in the last two years, I said to my inner self, innards, or my heart, which after all was the main player in this arrythmia drama. "Please, if it's going to be a problem to me in the future ( when I am not on a monitor), show yourself, give it your all so we can catch it, see what it is, and either treat it, or forget about it because it's not significant.
Apparently it heard me, and did a good job at showing itself on those monitors. Both times the results yielded a diagnosis, change in treatment.
Well, Murphy ( as in Murphy's Law, I guess this would be a corollary), would say it's because you have the monitor. I hope it's really because you're taking the magnesium. It's good, but if it's going to be an issue, it'd be great to catch it on a monitor so you see the varmint! But you've got two weeks left, it only takes one episode to catch it on a monitor and hopefully identify it.
I recall before or just as I had been hooked up with a monitor two times in the last two years, I said to my inner self, innards, or my heart, which after all was the main player in this arrythmia drama. "Please, if it's going to be a problem to me in the future ( when I am not on a monitor), show yourself, give it your all so we can catch it, see what it is, and either treat it, or forget about it because it's not significant.
Apparently it heard me, and did a good job at showing itself on those monitors. Both times the results yielded a diagnosis, change in treatment.
Well, guess what? I sent the monitor back in yesterday and today I am having my first major episode in a month. I did have some irregular heartbeats when I had the monitor on, but nothing really bad. Nothing that went on for hours, like I am having now.
So, I suppose this is Murphy’s law and not the magnesium.
Actually, what I think may be happening is that the magnesium was working and that the chemo is depleting my body of magnesium. Well, I know for a fact that chemo does deplete magnesium (and other minerals). I have been trying to take 1,500 mg/day when I remember. (My electrophysiologist said I could go up that high.) Maybe I will call my electrophysiologist tomorrow and ask the medical oncologist’s NP if I could have magnesium testing added to my blood testing.
Well, guess what? I sent the monitor back in yesterday and today I am having my first major episode in a month. I did have some irregular heartbeats when I had the monitor on, but nothing really bad. Nothing that went on for hours, like I am having now.
So, I suppose this is Murphy’s law and not the magnesium.
Actually, what I think may be happening is that the magnesium was working and that the chemo is depleting my body of magnesium. Well, I know for a fact that chemo does deplete magnesium (and other minerals). I have been trying to take 1,500 mg/day when I remember. (My electrophysiologist said I could go up that high.) Maybe I will call my electrophysiologist tomorrow and ask the medical oncologist’s NP if I could have magnesium testing added to my blood testing.
Ahhh gee, Jill, that's just plain rotten luck! If you're going to have prolonged significant arrhythmia episodes ya'd think the least your heart could do would be to have them while you're wearing a monitor. I think it's a good idea to call your electrophysiologist, and see what his take is on the whole thing, including the magnesium's factoring in the problem.
They do have implantable monitors (those look like thumb drives and are planted under the skin on the chest), that a patient can wear for up to three years. These are for picking up rarely occurring, but significant events. Don't know if that's an option for you at this point with so much else going on.
Ahhh gee, Jill, that's just plain rotten luck! If you're going to have prolonged significant arrhythmia episodes ya'd think the least your heart could do would be to have them while you're wearing a monitor. I think it's a good idea to call your electrophysiologist, and see what his take is on the whole thing, including the magnesium's factoring in the problem.
They do have implantable monitors (those look like thumb drives and are planted under the skin on the chest), that a patient can wear for up to three years. These are for picking up rarely occurring, but significant events. Don't know if that's an option for you at this point with so much else going on.
How are you doing with everything else?
I’m doing OK actually. I’ve gotten through 1/3 of my chemo infusions and a little less than 1/3 of my radiation sessions. So far this arrythmia is my most troubling side effect — if it is a side effect, which it may not be.
I feel sick on days 3&4 after chemo, but with Zofran I have avoided any intense illness. I am starting to get a radiation burn on my neck (itchy rash). Aside from that, not much except for this arrythmia. I wrote to my medical oncologist and let them know what is up. Hopefully, they will neither over- nor underreact.
I gave in and took a beta blocker about 1/2 hour ago. But still have the arrythmia. Maybe I’ll take another one later. This is the first beta blocker I’ve taken in over a month.
I’m doing OK actually. I’ve gotten through 1/3 of my chemo infusions and a little less than 1/3 of my radiation sessions. So far this arrythmia is my most troubling side effect — if it is a side effect, which it may not be.
I feel sick on days 3&4 after chemo, but with Zofran I have avoided any intense illness. I am starting to get a radiation burn on my neck (itchy rash). Aside from that, not much except for this arrythmia. I wrote to my medical oncologist and let them know what is up. Hopefully, they will neither over- nor underreact.
I gave in and took a beta blocker about 1/2 hour ago. But still have the arrythmia. Maybe I’ll take another one later. This is the first beta blocker I’ve taken in over a month.
Wow, hopefully you'll stay on an even keel with the rest of the chemo and radiation, and the side effects will be minimal.
Not sure what can be done to prevent radiation burns, hope yours won't get much worse.
That arrhythmia's got to be frustrating to you, though, popping up any old time as they tend to do. It might not be serious, but it'd be nice to know what's happening and just what it is since it seems to pop up often enough to be a nuisance.
Still sending best wishes and positive energy your way!
Wow, hopefully you'll stay on an even keel with the rest of the chemo and radiation, and the side effects will be minimal.
Not sure what can be done to prevent radiation burns, hope yours won't get much worse.
That arrhythmia's got to be frustrating to you, though, popping up any old time as they tend to do. It might not be serious, but it'd be nice to know what's happening and just what it is since it seems to pop up often enough to be a nuisance.
Still sending best wishes and positive energy your way!
Wow. Major arrythmia problem tonight. It started with seemed like a few PVCs, then the PVCs got more regular, then there was some other irregularity mixed in (although my Apple Watch did not say it was afib — I got a lot of “inconclusive”.) It just kept getting worse until I started feeling like I was getting light-headed and about to pass out. At this point, I was sitting down not engaged in any activity. So, I checked my Apple Watch EKG app and it looked like I was having a huge string of PVCs one after the other, 30, 40, 50 or so. And my heart rate was up to 208! I am still suffering from this. Multiple episodes of lightheadedness, can barely get up to walk across the room. My heart is varying between about 50 BPM all the way up to 160+BPM. I just felt faint again when I seemed to have a long sinus pause (2-3 seconds).
As always it seems, this started when I was lying down for a nap feeling relaxed.
I would go to the ER, but I have done this repeatedly and they never find anything. They don’t find afib and they don’t find evidence of a heart attack, they say I have a “sinus arrythmia” and don’t treat me.
I guess it’s back to my EP. I hope he takes me seriously this time, although I’m sure it will be hard for him after my 30-day event monitor showed nothing (although that was also the one 30-day period in the last six months that was uneventful.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.