Just a quick question?

[Brandibell]

Is it Normal to have an ECG before they give you a Holter machine?..

My HR at Present can go from 126 to 76 in one leap?🤔(LBBB LVSD LVEF 35-40%)

What is my Heart doing in their..lol 😁

I get it next Thursday for 72 hours..

Thanks in advance

[Hidden]

Not sure if there is a normal! But effectively a Holter is an ECG.

Personally I've never had an ECG before and had a Holter a few times.

[bantam12]

The holter monitors I've had from my Cardiology unit I always had an ecg before fitting them, the ones I've had via GP at local hospital didn't. It's so they have a reading to compare with or that's what I was told.

[Brandibell in reply to bantam12]

Thank you, That makes sense but again maybe not as they have all the previous ones or do they throw them away I wonder?.🤔

[Hidden in reply to Brandibell]

They are normally kept electronically, if/when they do one, it's worth asking for a copy and keeping it safe for future ref.

[Prada47 in reply to Hidden]

Heart Failure Nurse always gives me a copy. of my holter and yes it is a mobile ECG.

I have had ECGs before holter but not every time !!

Stay Alert Stay Safe

[bantam12 in reply to Brandibell]

They would probably want an up to date one to compare with.

[Dicky-ticker]

I had my ECG and Holter monitor assigned on the same day.

[Brandibell in reply to Dicky-ticker]

I knew I was getting a holter just wasn't sure why they do an ECG as well considering that is what the machine is for over 72 hours..haha...😁

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Brandibell]

A full ECG uses 12 electrodes whereas a Holter only uses three so is a subset intended to capture a non-continuous events.

[Hidden in reply to MichaelJH]

I believe a Holter can be 3, 5 or 7 lead.

had a 5 lead one once other all 3 lead.

[Brandibell in reply to Hidden]

I guess I will find out next week..3/5/7?. I can't say i am holding out much hope? I believe the Heart knows when it is being scrutinised and therefore behaves..

Taking bets soon..😁

[Hidden in reply to Brandibell]

Good luck, will have fingers crossed for you

[Heythrop51 in reply to Brandibell]

What odds are you offering for the three lead one?

[spikynana]

Hi Brandibell,

I had a 24hr ECG Holter a few months ago and yes I did have an ECG before it was fitted. I do hope they manage to capture your problem and find a solution for you as soon as possible.

[Brandibell in reply to spikynana]

Why thank you very much for your kind words of hope..😊

[Slloydt]

Brandbell an ECG lasts for about 10 secs. I have them every 12 months, The consutant said I had left and right blockage. I wore a holter for 24 hours. 89000 heart beats, 345 abnormal. Consultant said come back in 12 months.

Best of luck hope they get your electrical activity flowing in the right directions at the right time.

[Brandibell in reply to Slloydt]

Thank you ...😊I Need a New Amp the Wattage is wrong..haha..😁

[Katydl]

Hi there,

When I had my holster fitted, I had an ECG first, after fitting the holster you are given an activity sheet, to record what you are doing when you have an “episode” which makes you notice your heart / rate being bout to your attention.

[Brandibell]

Thank you for that information. Take care.

[Hidden]

If you haven't had a Holter before, a few practical things I've noticed in case helps....

For my latest, I had a "patch" one, which is about the size of a pedometer, on one sticker that's 4inches x 2inches, with 3 contacts built into the underneath of the one sticker. This was way less obnoxious than the ones I'd had previously, with 3 long leads, onto 3 x 1.5inch stickers, and a unit the size of a mobile phone to clip onto waistband.

So in future I'm planning to request the patch (mostly because it's 2 fewer stickers to make my skin allergic, and because if it's a 7 day one again, it's easier to shower, as I could put a plastic bag over the patch). However, I don't think the hospital liked this system as much, maybe because they had send the patch one off for analysis, so didn't have the confidence of doing it themselves, and it takes a little longer. But I was happy to try analysis by someone else, to see if anything different was spotted.

Ask for spare stickers & guidance on how to put them on, so you can remove them, shower & replace. If your skin reacts to the adhesive, move the replacement stickers along a bit.

Whilst it's on, try to mirror the types of conditions that give you the heart rate drop, if you know when it tends to happen. Live normally, so they can see your typical heart operation.

I once had one of the in-hospital disposable 'bags' they used for telemetry (ie portable ECG), which is like a wispy cross-body travel-wallet size pouch for the unit. This was sometimes easier to use than clipping the unit to a waistband (eg when moving a lot, such as gardening).

I hope they are able to spot & treat whatever is going on easily. Good luck.

[Brandibell]

Why thank you for such a complex answer. Yes it is my first.. I am hoping not to get too tangled up. They advise not to shower. There is a debate on whether I will have a 3/5/7 lead.🤷🏽‍♀️ I know 12 is done at hospital/ambulance.. Take care

[Dockdog]

Hi Brandibell, I had a Holter device for a weekend recently, it was to check if I suffered from Sleep Apnoea. Well I can tell you it was a far from satisfactory procedure! I decided to sleep in a separate bedroom so that it did not inconvenience my Wife. Poor decision because sleeping in a strange bed / environment was first mistake, secondly the wretched connection between the Holter monitor and the leads was faulty and kept disconnecting which set the little red alarm light flashing which also prevented me sleeping! I had to get up and reconnect so many times in the night my sleep pattern was totally ruined.

When I did return the unit to the hospital -feeling tired and exhausted there was no one around to explain what had gone wrong, just leave it on top of the filing cabinet and go...

I did detail what had gone on in the report sheet I had to fill in but suspect nobody bothered to read it because about 6 weeks later I got a phone call from the Locum consultant advising I suffered serious sleep apnoea and had to let the DVLC know. The letter to my GP finally was received after a further 4 weeks later and it was total bosh. My GP will kindly sort it out with the DVLC if they contact him. The letter indicated I was at serious risk, I think the poor electrical connection on the machine produced totally erroneous results but of course the box tickers are just thinking I don't want to accept the result whereas I would welcome to know the facts but suspect the Locum consultant has already disappeared and the paperwork left behind him will not be picked up on in the present circumstances. Not impressed at all! Has anyone got any advice please??

[Brandibell in reply to Dockdog]

Oh Wow, that sounds like fun..😤Why am I not surprised.🤔 I was recently in A&E HR 60-146 bobbing about rapidly. Whilst there one of the wires disconnected when I moved slightly. So I pressed the buzzer, whilst waiting i reconnected it myself. 5 mins..later a nurse appeared asked if I was okay..I explained..to the reply of you seemed to have fixed it.. A &E hello could have been having a HA or worse. 🤷🏽‍♀️Just like the alarm going off when my oxygen was on 85 various people walked past had a quick look and kept on walking..it was really comforting.

The reason for a holter is I cannot tolerate tablets.

My advice to you is get in contact with PALS at the hospital.Also write a strong letter to GMC with regards to the GP /locum. You should have results fairly soon after given to you via GP or Cardiologist depending I guess?.. Have you a cardiologist? As I would be contacting his secretary and asking for a copy of everything that has happened in case.

[Dockdog]

Dear Brandibell, thanks for your response. It seems we survive in spite of rather than because of.... ! Yes, I have had that experience with the low oxygen read out and the odd nurse or doctor remarking how low it was and saying we must look into that -Glad I did not hold my breath! I am fortunate that the Cardiologist at the Royal Brompton where I had a pericardiectomy 2 years ago is very good along with his team but I have had to abandon visiting them in the present situation so will send him an e-mail. My local Cardiology team down here in Kent were for years absolute box tickers trying to diagnose what was wrong and I finally went private in desperation via Benenden where I managed to get a special MRI scan at the Brompton to establish reality. I still had to fight to get my NHS trust to refer me but after insisting to meet the head of the Cardiology team she admitted they just did not have the capability to handle my situation and personally referred me to the Brompton.

Now they keep me busy with follow up appointments and tests like playing catch up with their peers in London, sadly they are on a diverging course with their findings via two locum consultants in the last 12 months who know squat of my health history and don't seem to have the records in any decent shape but borrow results from my own personal records which I take with me! Carry on Doctor was a comedy but this is not!

Do take care and hope all goes well for you, above all keep a sense of humour -we need that!