I would be very grateful for any help urgently.......my daughter lives in Toronto and just told us she gets an irregular heart beat occasionally.
It sounds to me very similar to the 'Flutter' I now get which comes briefly and goes most days, not usually when exercising.
I am very concerned as she already has poor circulation, poor sleep, has had the Covid jabs and does long distance cycling. She has not been diagnosed and is not on anticoagulants.
Can you please 🙏🏻 recommend a good cardiologist in Toronto and do you know if she can see him/her privately soonest without a referral from her regular doctor?
Many thanks in anticipation.
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secondtry
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I don't know any private ep's in Toronto, but I've read on the various forums that many Canadians go to Mass General hospital in Boston for private care due to quality and availability. It's ranked number eight in cardiac hospitals in the United States. Northwestern hospital in Chicago is also highly ranked and might even be closer. And let me add that many of the major US hospitals do tele video visits. Whether they would do that with a Canadian citizen, you could ask them about.
Thanks Jim much appreciated. I will pass on but doubt I can persuade her to travel but the tele video visits with one of those hospitals is a great idea!
While Mass General and Northwestern hospitals are great for cardiac issues, Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, is the top rated heart hospital in the United States. People come from all over the world to receive care there. I have had heart surgery there and it improved my life completely. Good luck to your daughter with her issue I hope she finds answers.
I mentioned Mass General, because if I remember correctly, they may offer some discounted pricing to Canadians, which can be very important, especially if an ablation is needed. Yes, CC is rated number 1, but personally I'd be happy with any of the top 10 high volume afib hospitals, of which both Mass General and Northwestern are. Cannot hurt to shop around and glad they fixed you up at CC. I also like the fact that Northwestern offers more anesthesia options versus what I found when I had a virtual visit with CC.
I'm thinking ablation is some way off but who knows with AF
For better, or worse, once you have an afib diagnosis in the US, ablation is often offered right away and the wait times can be as short as a few weeks and usually not more than a couple of months. But you're right, getting ahead of things, first you need a good diagnosis and that starts with an ekg capturing these events.
hi, this used to happen to me before I had an ablation. Sorry I can’t help you regarding Toronto but I used to find drinking 4 glasses of iced water quickly helped me. It was a hospital in Austria that gave me this tip. It seems to shock the heart into normal rhythm . Obviously she needs to see a cardiologist but hope this helps whilst waiting for the appointment. Wish her well x
Thanks for reminding me about the 'cold water trick'. I know that works from personal experience as I have both started and stopped an AF episode doing that. Much appreciated.
Given your daughter only feels this occasionally you might help by trying to capture an episode using the ECG function that Kardia and a number of smart watches now have. Whilst not medical grade any trace showing the irregular rhythm will get the attention of the GP or consultant.
Hello, please contact our patient services team, as we can also help and arrange for some resources to be sent to your daughter? Contact me at info@afa.org.uk
I would say, first, she needs to go to her GP armed with some home made ECG traces taken on an Apple Watch or similar (Kardia or Wellue make excellent ones, but the watch is always on hand if these things happen only occasionally).
Our friend's daughter, a teacher in her 30s, also does fast long distance cycling and has had some spells of irregular heartbeat and not feeling wonderful while they are on. She had tests under a cardiologist and all seems well.
Insomnia is a major cause of heart ectopic (palpitations) but these are almost always safe "benign premature beats". Again, a home ECG perfectly records these and her GP will be able to decide what they are and if they require further specialist treatment.
Her doctor will likely have asked if there is any personal or family history of AF or similar.
Our friend’s daughter worries the life out of her parents as she does these fast cycle runs which they think strain her heart but she wasn’t worried herself and she seems entirely okay now with nothing untoward showing on a 7-day Holter monitor.
The problem with heart electrical issues is their intermittent nature and thus the difficulty of their being captured on an ECG. That’s when an Apple Watch can be very helpful.
Could she go across the border to the United States, where it is easier to see doctors? Perhaps go to an emergency room and they would have her see the cardiologist on duty? It's just standard procedure with heart problems in the emergency room.
I live in Toronto. I will be seeing my cardiologist tomorrow for my afib. I would be happy to ask him if he can take on a new patient. He has been my cardiologist for two years. Or perhaps you could tell her to call Riverside clinic and ask on her own behalf. There are at least six cardiologists associated with that clinic. It is on Junction Road. Feel free to pass my email address to her lilihrha@aol.com in case she needs some support from someone in the same situation.
In addition to all the good advice, one clue is whether it gets worse when doing a lot of exercise. They will probably do a stress test on tread mill. I have had that a few times but no increase and while I have short term A-Fib (more of a concern) and for years have had PVCs - they are benign and extensive testing shows no heart problem some folks just get them without any medical concern.,
Afib is more of a concern, which is why I am on Xarelto (in the US and very expensive), But occasionally,l Afib goes away in a few hours and hasn't been a concern. But you want to be sure she is not in constant afib and no physical heart issue. I am also on metapolo (sp?) which keeps the heart rate down. Am only at about 55 bpm when in Afib. You don't want afib with a very rapid heart rate.
I have traveled to Toronto for 20+ years and have friends there. If you go through the Canadian Health plan, if they deem it serious, you will get in fairly quickly. However, it not there can be a long wait, but it seems not as long as in the UK Plan. You can go to the US, but of course, she will not have any medical coverage, i.e., the Canadian public plan.
It sounds like she has heart palpitations which can be monitored with a Holter Monitor as prescribed by her family doctor long before seeing a specialist which she'll need a referral. Since she is an avid cyclist she doesn't sound like she's in an emergency situation & anxiety could be causing some of the symptoms. She should make an appointment with her doc to rule out any problems.
Just to add/recap to some of the other good suggestions. Capturing these events on an ekg device like Kardia or Apple Watch, would be a good first step. That way you will get the attention of any good ep and will definitely shorten the process. As to going to a US emergency room (ER), I would call first and find out their policies on non-US residents and how much they charge. Without insurance, there could be quite a big sticker shock, esp if any type of procedure had to be done.
Hi, I am in Toronto. The first time I saw a cardiologist, I went to the emergency at the hospital and said what was happening to me and asked if there anything to be concerned about. They sent me to their rapid access cardiology clinic and I was given a lot of testing. This is how I gained access to a cardiolgist and I then went with his practice. I had more holter monitor testing and they didnt see anything but did on the third test. Otherwise your doctor has to refer you, however they will send you for a holter monitor test first to see what the results are, before referring to see if there is evidence of atrial fib or flutter. I had evidence when I originally approached my doctor as I knew there was something by what was happening but only found out way after the fact that the holter monitor showed evidence,as she said the holter monitor test I took was okay. This is why I went to the hospital and asked to see a doctor to make sure I was okay. If your daughter doesnt have a family doctor also some of the mci (walk in) clinics -she will know these- have a cardiologist and a doctor there can refer her or advise.
I live in Vancouver, BC and would strongly suggest your daughter see her family GP (if she is lucky enough to have one) and have him/her refer her to a cardiologist. The wait time here to see a cardiologist is over 12 months. I have been waiting 2 years and 10 months for my ablation, which is scheduled for 2 weeks from today. My wife has been waiting over a year to even get on a cardiologist's list. Wishing her good luck......
I hope you are not in persistent AF. I live close to Vancouver, B.C. I faced the same ridiculous wait times. So, at 5 months persistent, I made an appointment to have an ablation in Bordeaux, France which took place in one month.
I was told by my world known EP that if i had not had the ablation at the six month stage, I would never have been able to return to sinus.
Waiting three years for an ablation is mind-boggling. Shame on us Canadian.
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