Good morning all! Trying to work out what is going on - three episodes of tachycardia with medical involvement over last two years, all different. I have a long standing history of tachycardia, PVCs and intermittent palpitations/ ectopic beats, but no confirmed diagnosis!
First was panic attack following my Mother’s sudden death - tachycardia was investigated with holter test and echo and all clear.
Second was one year later with sudden dizzy spell, but no fainting. Went via TIA clinic and followed up for tachycardia with self monitoring with a Kardia Mobile as consultant wanted to check for A fib. Again all clear. Episode query due to dehydration as it was first thing in the morning!
Third episode was recently with a visit to A&E with a atypical stinging upper chest and shoulder pain. Tachycardia and high BP, bloods and troponin fine and ECGs tachycardia but sinus rhythm. Osteopath has identified sore rib with referred pain to upper chest. I have long history of both upper and lower back problems.
Seen in cardiology yesterday - consultant went through everything and came to the conclusion that it is not cardiac pain and that I am just susceptible to getting tachycardic. Was discharged, with the option of an implantable loop recorder if the episodes continue. Now Taking Bisoprolol which has calmed my heart rate down.
What are the implications of a ILR regarding travel/ travel insurance/ breast screening etc?
Would be grateful for some input - thanks!
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Hephzibar
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I think the main problem is that most travel insurance firms will not cover matters under investigation. The mere presence of the loop recorder shows investigation so you really must discuss with any firms you want to insure with. Regarding airport security no doubt, like for my pacemaker, you will be given a card to carry for when you set off the alarms.
That is my worry! I was discharged yesterday, the consultant didn’t push for ILR so I presume that it was not deemed to be urgent, but if I have further episodes I am going to rethink!
Interesting - I had an ablation 3 years ago aged 55 for atrial flutter. Just had another episode (220bpm) and back on Bisoprolol. Further investigation required to establish SVT/atrial tachycardia or atrial flutter. Following the episode I have had right side shoulder discomfort and also regularly get left side rib soreness. I would be interested to hear of your outcome.
I will also follow your post to see what others say regarding travel - this is something that I had also wondered about.
My heart rate was ( only!) 130, but I was in discomfort and had been worrying and anxious over the weekend! At the moment it seems to be that I can become tachycardic with stress/ pain etc with no arrhythmias seen!
I am now taking Bisoprolol following that episode which has kept my heart rate 70 -85 instead of 80 - 100. BP stable, but occasional ectopics continue!
That is interesting as I usually feel jittery if I go above 120, but on this occasion I was not aware that it was up to 130. It went down pretty quickly and they were quite happy to discharge me after a calm sinus rhythm ECG!In and out of A&E within 4 hrs - bloods done, triage x 2, chest X-ray. Holter test and follow up consultation all with a month. Credit where credit is due!
I have had implantable loop recorder for years, am on my third one (every several years their battery does run down). Has caused no problem with breast exam (one does need to tell them though!) or travel (never have investigated travel Insurance). It does send them alerts, and I did just get summoned to my doctor's office on account of what they called a VT sighting. It's a useful gadget and no biggie for them to install or for the patient to live with, that's been my experience. All best from California, and take good care !
Good morning, im currently under investigation for bradycardia/tachycardia episodes, PVCs, ectopic beats etc. I've had various test over the past 3 years and have been told I have mild lvh, a mild leaking mitral valve, and a heart defect too. After 2 trips to A&E once in an ambulance with a heart rate of 30 I was discharged after 8 hours all being ok? My symptoms are low hr, feeling lightheaded and fatigued at times with the above mentioned arrhythmia. Was previously on bisoprolol for 12 months but this was stopped due to low hr but I still get them even yesterday at 38bpm. I had a ilr fitted in September to try and find out whats causing the low/fast episodes and have been told I might need a pacemaker. The loop recorder operation was trouble/pain free apart from some bruising and tenderness afterwards it went straightforward. Depending on which type you get i was fitted with the latest recorder which is smaller than the old USB stick type to one slightly bigger than a match stick. Mine comes with a key fob activator that you can press when episodes happen to highlight a time stamp on the recording and also comes with a base unit which you leave by your bed that collects all the data each night and sends it to the pacing team at the hospital to analyse. I have no experience of travel or breast screening restrictions but i was told to mention it before any MRI test or test in general to let the hospital staff know and like mentioned you get a identification card to carry around with you too stating you have an ilr fitted with a contact number/consultants name etc. I nearly refused my ilr while in hospital waiting to go go theatre when I was told I might not be able to drive for upto 6 months and to contact the dvla about it for clarification as its an under investigation medical term. This can vary for everyone depending on your own circumstances etc so any driving restrictions may not apply. The loop recorders battery will last for about 3 years and they generally leave it in place afterwards or they can fit a new one if further monitoring is needed but it can be removed afterwards if it's no longer required. It feels a bit strange having the ilr, it's not noticeable but I can feel it in my chest sometimes not painful just it being there but it's reassuring to know someone/something is looking after you while it's in place. The bhf have more information/ video on loop recorders etc on their website which might be worth checking out. Good luck with the investigations and I hope you get some news/results soon.Best wishes
I have a loop recorder since my MiniMaze surgery so my doctor can monitor my heart rate. There are no travel restrictions. I don’t know about the insurance factor but it doesn’t set off anything at the terminal. I flew home right after insertion and had no problem. However I do have a card to carry in case I need it. It is the best thing ever as it records 24/7 and sends a monthly report to the doctor. Everything is caughtbrather than trying to catch it on a holter.
as an addition my recorder is made by Medtronic’s, it’s called LinqII and battery lasts for up to 5 years. As Taz70 said it generally just stays in after battery dies but can be replaced. I’ll probably have mine replaced when the time comes as it gives peace of mind as to what my heart is doing. Mine is about an inch long and I can’t even feel it.
I had a loop recorder for 4 years, no problem with travel (airport security), mammograms or MRIs. Never worried about travel insurance issues as I usually went for the option that covers pre-existing conditions, but I’m in the US, so that might be a very different issue in the UK.
I’ve had atypical flutter (aka tachycardia) off and on for several years. Ablations and cardioversions were done to knock it down from 130s to 60s. Also on metoprolol. But the best thing has been to control anxiety.
My GP prescribed Gabapentin for that but there are better anxiolytics. Combined with yoga and TaiChi, managing the anxiety has been the best means for me to keep the heart in NSR. Good luck and remember to breathe deeply.
Good tips and happy that your atypical fib is now under more control. Not sure if you're saying tachycardia is the same as atypical afib or not. Atypical afib is a tachycardia but not all tachycardia's are atypical afib.
Curious how your atypical afib was initialy diagnosed and what procedures you have gone through. For example, did they do a typical flutter ablation first? Did you have a PVI?
Have any of your "tachycardia's" been captured with an ekg? That's the only way you will know what is going on. Could be atach, aflutter, afib, something else. If you don't have one already, I strongly recommend a home Kardia device. It will allow you to document your tachycardia's when they happen and then share that ekg with your doctor. That way you will know exactly what you have which will help point you toward the appropriate treatment.
Tachycardia ( but no other arrhythmias) was seen on ECGs at two of the episodes and in both cases my heart rate dropped within a couple of hours! I now have a Kardia mobile which I use and no A fib has been picked up. The consultant is wondering whether I am just susceptible to becoming tachycardic when stressed/ anxious/ dehydrated or in pain, as there are no other cardiac markers. My osteopath found a very tender thoracic rib and the pain is referred round from my upper chest so this could have been the cause……but when you have left sided upper chest and shoulder pain you have to go through the cardiac route first. The uncertainty can be difficult to manage, but it is good to have others to chat to!!
I'm assuming these ekg's are being read by an ep, as opposed to a gp or cardiologist? It can be tricky differentiating tachycardia's even for ep's with a single lead like the Kardia mobile. No guarantee, but you might get a better diagnosis with the Kardia 6L which gives you six leads. That said, sometimes they just don't know until they do an ep study, which isn't always warranted. Good luck with the osteopath and let us know how things go.
That's great. My tachy episodes were too short to be able to record on a 12 lead. You mentioned "Kardia Mobile" which is a single lead but I guess you also have the 6L.
I've had a loop recorder for several years. No problem with mammograms or travel. I can also have CT scan or MRI if needed with the model/make that was implanted. I've never purchased travel insurance, seems unnecessary to me. And, yes, I do believe I have an ID card for it that I keep in my wallet.
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