I had a 24hr holter monitor 6-8 weeks ago. Got a phone call today with an appointment in cardiology for an ECG, told the appointment is about 30 mins. Just confused because I thought the Holter monitor was essentially a 24hr ECG? I don't understand why I would have one after that.
Anyone had similar?
Did they tell you the results of the holter test? Or say why they want to do an ECG again. I'm having one fitted tomorrow x
Thanks for the reply. No real information and I didn't think to ask as I was in the middle of a shop with my 5 year old so wasn't as focused as I would normally be.
Just seems odd to me.
Ah that's makes sense they do choose call at awkward times 📞😅. Yeah does seem strange I mean I had one done bout December few years back and I went to my check up and told them how I had been feeling and only then did they double check and get a proper doctor who specialises in ecg to look over it again and it turned out I had ventricular Tachycardia so you definitely have to advocate for yourself if you have been having any symptoms hun, was it just routine holter or something they were checking???
I've had years of palpitations, dizziness and shortness of breath. They saw issues when I was pregnant and told me to come back if symptoms persist. I came back and the cardiologist said some people are just like that and need to sit on the floor sometimes and left it at that.So I went back and asked to be referred again as symptoms are worsening. Had an ECG at my GP then they agreed to refer me and I got booked for a holter monitor.
So another ECG seems odd, i wish I could actually speak to someone in cardiology as I was recommended to see a specific consultant a few years ago but GP refuses to act on it despite the recommendation being from the hospital consultant and I have it in writing so they must do too.
Ahh hun you poor thing! Sounds like how I feel all the time 💔. Hopefully having this ecg will be a stepping stone to seeing a cardiologist X
Fingers crossed, its very frustrating and I feel like a nuisance to keep going back but not really willing to accept that it's normal.Thanks for your support x
Don't ever worry about being a nuisance....this isn't a sore throat it's your heart and no matter how busy a doctor is they still have a duty of care so don't be fobbed off. I hope you get sorted . All the best x
You're right, thank you x
Hello
I did my tests in the reverse order: I had a 12 lead ECG first, then a 24 hours 4 lead Holter.
I asked the tech putting the Holter on what the difference is, and he told me the more leads the more information is recorded.
So the Holter tells the Dr about the heart in less detail but over a longer time during daily activities.
Hope this helps explain why two tests are taken.
And thank you for the info and your experience 😊
Yeah I wonder if this one is more detailed then. I just worry as I know my symptoms aren't constant and less likely to occur when just sitting still, though it does still happen when doing nothing. Normal ECG is so brief I feel like it just won't pick anything up
A 12-lead ECG can potentially give more detailed information about the heart but only over a very short time period. The 24h ECG typically only uses 3 leads but is better at picking up arrhythmias and ectopic beats over a 24 hour period. It’s not quite the same information, it’s more of a trade off between more detail versus longer duration. The 12 lead ECG is a standard test and usually the first one people have when they first report any cardiac symptoms, but whether or not the pandemic and the backlog have disrupted the way things are done, who knows why you haven’t had one already? But they are pretty much standard. Every time I have attended cardiology outpatient appointments they do an ECG beforehand, but obviously not with the shift to telephone appointments. So perhaps you’ve missed out on having one. Please don’t worry about it. It’s better to have one than not, just to make sure that nothing has been missed.
Yeah perhaps they want one done by their staff. I did have one done by the GP prior to the referral but some departments like to do their own thing sometimes don't they. May just be being thorough.
Thanks
I just wondered if they meant an echocardiogram which I think they sometimes also abbreviate to ECG, as I seem to remember that lasting about half an hour? And which gives them a lot more information.
Oh maybe, I have had a couple in past as I have a murmur too so maybe they want to check there's no change with that.Thank you
I had an ECG while on a treadmill. That took about 30 minutes including preparation.
Sounds like you had a stress test on a treadmill. Yeah they can take ages!
I thought this too but know they have a specific stress test area, which isn't where my appointment is.Kind of wish it was this though as I think it would highlight a lot of my issues.
Thanks.
Are you seeing the consultant when you go to the hospital? When I go to see my consultant at the hospital it's standard for him to ask for an ECG just before I speak to him.
It didn't sound like I was seeing the consultant. They just mentioned the referral to cardiology as a general thing then to come in next week. The last time I was referred I didn't get to see the consultant at all. Just a brief conversation on the phone after an ECG so hoping I see someone at some point this time.
Thanks
I would seek to understand the results of the 24-hour Holter.
I will be asking, just knew there was very little point in asking the person that called me as they can never really go into details. I had previously called and they just said it takes time and I'll have a call eventually.
I had an Electrocardiogram (ECG) at GP's that highlighted my issue then holter monitor for 7 days, then called back for Echo cardiogram (jelly scan) that checks the overall structure and function of the heart, then called for discussion of results. They do sound similar when speaking about them. I would call the hospital you have the appointment for and check what is being done and why.
The Holter monitor is just an event recording not an EKG. The EKG records a lot more info in a short session. With the Holter, it’s just showing those few seconds when you record the beats. Hope that helps!!!
It ended up being an echo cardiogram so that made sense. Said all looked similar to previously (5 years ago when pregnant) but they may want to do more tests. I hope they do as I'm fed up with feeling this way. I explained that my GP was unwilling to do the referral that was recommended by the consultant if symptoms were to persist after pregnancy. He wasn't impressed with that so I'm hoping he looks into that a bit or mentions in his report. Should be in their records too so it's not just going by what I say.
We shall see, I imagine it'll be a bit of a wait from here.
I hope they do more tests for you, there is nothing worse than the not knowing what is going on. Took me a long time to get diagnosed and it was such a relief when I was. I finally felt believed. Good luck!
Ahh that makes sense that you had an echo did they say what tests they wanted to do? Glad everything went well x
Thank you both.
Didn't say what tests, just that he thinks the cardiologist will want more. I made sure to be clear with my symptoms and my history. He said he couldn't see any of my previous results which I found odd. Same department so should be available to him. Was nice just to speak to someone in person. Everything is so tricky now since they try to diagnose without ever having a proper discussion with you or seeing you for themselves. So I'm hoping I get to actually see the cardiologist in person too and not just over the phone. Fingers crossed
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