Tachycardia????

[zadyzu 0]

I had a scare today, and it was the 3rd "episode" I've had in the last month - though this was the worst.

My heart was just pounding and I got very dizzy and felt as if I was going to pass out. I was at work. I called my husband and he came and got me. We first went to a "doc in the box" and they sent me to the hospital. When I got there my blood pressure was 40/70 and my heart rate 190. They said I had "tachycardia" - which in laymans terms is irregular heartbeat.

Of course I told them about my surgery (banded 3/2) - I figured it must be related to that, but they said no. My bloodwork came back fine, electrolytes and all are ok. They stablized me and sent me home, referring me to a cardiologist, who I have an appointment with next Wednesday.

Searching online tonight about tachycardia I find a lot of references to thyroid problems (which is something the ER Dr. mentioned) It is the "why" that is the question.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Dizzy spells or palpatations? It seems like too much of a "quinky-dink" to be happening so soon after my surgery, but I have been very good about keeping up with vites, Protein (though I also read that too much soy products could mess with your thyroid-and I have been using a lot of soy to get my Protein in) and I've been drinking my Water.

And wouldn't it be a pisser if my thyroid had been at the root of all my weight problems for my whole life??!!

I'm freaked out tonight - and a bit scared, and hoping that some of you may know something about this (?)

And - Alex - I just read your post and PLEASE get yourself to the Dr!! I'll pitch in with Donali!!!

Thanks!

[donali 57]

Mary -

I'm so sorry for your scare. I do not have tachycardia, so cannot help in that area, but I do think it is unlikely that the band has anything to do with it.

Some things really are just coincidental...

And yes, it would be a pisser if your thyroid was at fault all this time, but one would hope that the pre-surgery testing would have looked for things like that, and post-poned the surgery if something came back abnormal.

Please keep us posted, and I hope the doc is able to treat/cure you.

[Alexandra 55]

Mary, how scary that must have been! I have a hypoactive thyroid and have never experienced anything like that. Yowza!

When I was first diagnosed with hypothyroid I thought the same exact thing you did--wouldn't it be amazing if that was at the root of my obesity? But the only thing that changed once I was on the right meds was that I wasn't as bone-crushingly tired as I had been at the end of each day. In my case, it was probably brought on by pregnancy and childbirth, and wasn't present all my life. It is very common, and unlikely you've never been tested for it before if you've ever sought medical treatment for weight problems. Would have been nice, but nope, it wasn't the magic bullet I'd hoped it would be.

Later I found out it runs in my family, and I have an aunt and two cousins who have been taking thyroid meds for years. Who knew?

Thanks for offering to pitch in for my copay! I'm fine, you'll see in the other thread.

[Penni60 45]

Mary: First, I am an RN. Secondly, you should certainly follow up with your cardiologist. Anything I say in this post is my personal opinion and you should always talk to your doc about any health related concerns.

Just to clarify. OK, the Tachycardia definition is not exactly accurate. In simple laymens terms your heart rate is above normal range. That is the definition of Tachycardia. Arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rate which Tachycardia can fall under this category simply because the rate is increased but not necessarily abnormal.

I would hope also that the blood pressure you mentioned was actually 70/40 and not 40/70.

The cardiologist will want to know what your diet is consisting of. What medication you are presently taking? Including any herbal or natural medications. What supplements you are taking?

Are your blood levels normal? Did the ER do any labwork? Anemia can sometimes cause problems like this. Dehydration can cause tachycardia. Are you drinking enough Water? Your chemistry lab work (ie: Potassium, Sodium, Calcium, Magnesium, etc) can cause some of these symptoms you experienced if they are too high or too low.

Can you look back at all three episodes and see if they all have something in common. Did you eat or drink something just prior to the episodes?

Do not put off the cardiologist visit. Keep us posted on this matter.

PS: I highly doubt this is related to your Band. The only thing I could even remotely think it might be related to your band would be if the tubing migrated UP and is irritating the heart muscle. That is highly unlikely and would greately surprise me. I have not heard of this being the case.

[leatha_g 4]

I had what they call PSVT for years. This is a sudden onset of tachycardia which is, I believe, anything above 100 beats per minute. Mine went upwards of 230 beats per minute for over 22 yrs. I had it ablated in 2000.

The sudden onset is sometimes also caused or agitated by the vagus nerve - or vagal stimulation, which I have heard mentioned in some lapband conversations. It is worth discussing with your doctor.

In my case, I could simply bend to pick something up, or step off a porch in such a way that I would set my tachychardia off.

Either way, it is good to have this tachycardia documented for your caregiver, for sure.

Luckily, in many cases, although the experience is frightening and often takes alot out of you, physically - tachycardia is more a nuisance than life threatening. It is most often simply an electrical mis-firing inside the heart. There are great meds that can manage it, or even ablation which can take it away permanently. If that is the case. Don't put yourself through the misery for 22yrs before you have it taken care of.

As always, let your doctor make a diagnosis. I'm simply sharing my experience to let you know it really is very common and most often not life-threatening.

Good luck to you!

Leatha

Plano, Texas

[zadyzu 0]

Thanks to you all for your support and advice. I'm not so freaked out abouth this as I was, but still experiencing some dizziness. For sure I will be keeping the appt. with cardiologist on Wednesday - I want to get this fixed!

I'm not sure what all the blood work they did at hospital, the Dr only mentioned to me that my electrolytes were ok. I would like to have a complete blood workup to make sure all is ok. I have been taking multi vite and minerals - Iron fumerate - Calcium -C - extra B complex - I think I'm doing good with keeping up on them.

Looking back on the days I had the worst "spells" I may not have gotten in enough Water. I try to get a least a couple quarts in each day, but some days I know I don't. I'm working on that.

Yes, my pressure was 70 over 40 - I have checked it again and it seems to be staying in a more normal range.

I'll let you all know what the doc says.

I can't get sick now - I'm not thin yet!!

[Guest carmen06]

Hello Zadyzu:

I have been in your situation and my doctor told me the same thing he thought it was tachycardia, since I was born with a heart murmur. However he referred me to a cardiologist and he ordered a electrocardiogram which showed that I have prolapse mitral valve and leakage of the mitral valve. Still they thought it should not be giving me the fast heart palpitations, and dizziness and barely could breath symptoms. Well the cardiologist had me on heart monitor that I had to keep on for 30 days and it's nothing big it looks almost like a pedometer on your waist but you have to hook the electros on your chest nothing that bad, well while using the heart monitor they were able to finally record the heart palpitations and in some instances the heart rate reached 200 heart beats per second. Well to make a long story short he recommended I have an ablation done which is a heart catherization because it was all a problem with my heart's electrical system, sounds funny even I thought it was funny but the doctor told me that I had a short circuit in my hearts electrical system and what they had to to was go in with a catheter and destroy an extra pathway in my heart that was causing me to have the palpitations. It was done on Dec. 4, 2003 and I have to say that as of today I have not had anymore episodes. I sometimes feel like I was about to get one, but I have not had one since December. I do know how you feel since they are scary, you feel as if you were having a heart attack. Atleast that is how I felt when I had my first episode then it got so bad I was having two and three episode a day.

The cardiologist should refer you to an electrical doctor and he will fix you up good.

Carmen

[zadyzu 0]

Thanks Carmen

The Dr I saw at the ER talked about my "electrical system" mis-firing. They did an EKG at the ER - but what they said they saw then was irregualr heart rhythms. But that their results weren't conclusive, that's why they referred me to the cardiologist.

I would be fine with wearing a monitor - I just want to know what's going on with me - and get it fixed!

It is a very scary thing, and as heart disease runs in my family it scares me even more.

I've had a couple more episodes of light headiness - not as bad as last week, but will be very glad to get in to the specalist doc on Wednesday.

I'm on the road to being healthy again with getting this weight off of me - I don't need something else to whack me out!

I gained a pound over the weekend - but I'm not gonna stress over it - I NEEDED that soothing chocolate - and those potato chips, too!!

[leatha_g 4]

What is your age, Mary?

I'm sure you'll be fine, but IF it is an electrical problem don't hesitate to let them do an ablation. I was scared of it for over 22 yrs. It's a very common procedure these days and it works. Like the other poster I had bouts of sometimes up to 8 hours of the rapid rhythm, over 230 beats a minute and with age, it was only getting worse. Sometimes several times a day, for long periods or waking up in the middle of the night.

I took meds for years, but once I conceded to having the ablation, it was fixed immediately. I also had the sporadic heartbeat (it's called ectopic) that used to set it off, but it's never run-away like that since. Now, it's hard to believe how much it really impacted my whole lifestyle.

Good luck on your doctor visit!

Leatha

[donali 57]

Hi Leatha -

What exactly is ablation?

[leatha_g 4]

Ablation is where they insert a catheter into your heart and go in with a laser to essentially burn the pathway of this electrical mis-fire that causes the rapid heartbeat.

It's basically the same as an angiogram, I believe, except that while they are in the heart they actually zap the area that is causing the problem so that you no longer have this rapid onset of excessive beats.

In some cases, a person has more than one accessory pathway, so they have to zap more than one area in the heart.

[donali 57]

Ahhh. I think my BF had that done, and it didn't work for him.

Or is there something else similar where they just shock the heart that is supposed to restore normal rhythm? I think he used the word "shocked" as opposed to "burn pathways".

[leatha_g 4]

It sounds like he may have had Cardioversion which is basically the same as defibrillating except the person is conscious and having an episode of rapid heartbeat that does not convert itself back to normal. Usually one of these episodes can last anywhere from a few seconds to hours, even days. I've had them for up to 8 hours at a time, which takes a lot out of you physically.

Cardioversion is all external with defib pads and a jolt of electrical activity that hopefully will stop the irregular activity and result in the normal rhythm taking over again.

There is a mis-conception that defibrillation is a 'jump start' of somekind, while it is actually used to STOP the abnormal rhythm in hopes that the normal sinus rhythm will resume.

I never had cardioversion, but I did have it threatened to me. Ultimately, I was more afraid of that than just finally having the ablation. I'm glad I did.

Hope this answers your question.

Leatha

[Guest carmen06]

Leatha,

Thanks for your posts. You know my heart palpitations came on whenever I bend over, I thought I was going crazy and it got to the point where I was afraid to bend over thinking I would get an episode. I am glad I was not the only one that was going thru that. I mentioned that to my doctor and he thought it was funny. And by the way, when they did my cardiac ablation it turned out I did have more than one pathway, but like you ever since I had it done, I have had no more problems.

Carmen

[donali 57]

Thanks a lot, Leatha.