Head vibrations, then very fast heart rate.

[Persevere99]

Hi

I’m posting this for a pal.

He says that most of the time he’s fine, but recently has been having episodes of a vibration in the head and a feeling as though he’s going to faint or blackout, followed by very fast heart rate of 150 bpm.

He lays on the settee till it passes.

Any tips gratefully appreciated.

Thanks

Persevere

[BobD Volunteer]

Go see his doctor or call 111.

[Persevere99 in reply to BobD]

thanks Bob will pass it on

[CDreamer]

Needs investigation, sooner rather than later, see GP or next time it happens call 111.

[Persevere99 in reply to CDreamer]

thanks cddreamer will pass it on

[mjames1]

It could be a number of things, so best to go to the A&E during an episode to have things checked out. They will do an EKG (heart beat tracing) among other things.

If the episodes are too short to get to the hospital to capture the high heart rate on an ekg, then have him purchase a Kardia home EKG device so he can take an EKG during the high heart rate episode for documentation. They are very small devices about the size of a pack of gum and reasonably priced.

Without documentation, the doctors may not take his episode seriously and send him home with a diagnosis of "panic attack". With documentation from the Kardia, if it shows an arrhythmia like atrial fibrillation, they will take it seriously and provide proper treatment.

Jim

[Persevere99 in reply to mjames1]

thanks mjames1 will pass it on

[jeanjeannie50]

He needs urgent medical advice. Must see his GP tomorrow without fail. How long do these episodes last?Jean

[Persevere99 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

thanks jeanjeannie50 will pass it on

[opal11uk]

Needs attention, sooner rather than later so call and ambulance next time

[Persevere99 in reply to opal11uk]

thanks opal11uk will pass it on

[Desanthony]

This sounds serious. Your friend must see his GP as soon as possible if not sooner! I would say next time this happens he should call an ambulance and get himself to A&E as quickly as possible. The paramedics on the ambulance will usually be able to do an ECG as soon as they get there and then if necessary take him into hospital for observation and/or treatment.

[Vonnegut in reply to Desanthony]

I was diagnosed by the lovely paramedics on the way to the hospital who explained what it was, but even though the episode must have ended, it didn’t prevent me being kept overnight in the “acute” ward which meant I hardly slept! I did get referred for an echocardiogram and that showed my heart was structurally fine a month or so later!

[Persevere99 in reply to Desanthony]

thanks desanthony will pass it on

[Ppiman]

I would recommend his seeing his GP, which he surely has already? Also, wearing something like an Apple Watch and using the ECG app would provide useful information for his GP to work with. There is even a well-priced home easy-to-use ECG device from a Chinese company called Wellue that can run from 5mins to 24 hours (and a newer model up to 72 hours) available that gives a near-instant AI determination of the results.

Steve

[Persevere99 in reply to Ppiman]

thanks ppiman will pass it on

[Persevere99 in reply to Ppiman]

can you send a link to the ECG device please Ppiman

Thanks

[Ppiman in reply to Persevere99]

Hi - I think links are restricted on the forum. If you search for Wellue 24 hour ECG it comes up immediately. I bought mine from them. The delivery is from China but within a week. On the order page there's a currency column to change from US$ to UK£.

Let me know if I can help further. Several here have them.

Steve

[mjames1 in reply to Persevere99]

The Wellue is a good device, however, in your friends case, I would suggest the Kardia Mobile or Kardia 6L. Either is much easier to use than the Wellue and it is NICE and NHS approved which the Wellue is not therefore many doctors will take it more seriously. Also more affordable. The Apple Watch is another good device if your friend has an iPhone and wants to make a bigger financial investment.

store.alivecor.co.uk/produc...

Jim

[Tapanac]

call 999 then paramedics if they get there in time with catch the episode on ECG. This needs looking into

[Persevere99 in reply to Tapanac]

thanks tapanac will pass it on