Hello everyone,This post is about my 20 year old son. Here goes, my son has been to A and E twice in March with palpations, the first time he went he had 2 ecg and x ray bloods etc. The first ecg was fine the second showed query SVH, however, the a and e doc says this can happen in someone who is very lean(he is) as there is not enough padding between the pad and chest wall. X ray was also all okay. The doctor said he would refer for 24hr ecg and echo and also refer to cardiology.
My son has had his 24 ecg 1 week ago, and has an echo next week, we received a letter yesterday from cardiology for an outpatient appointment (9 weeks from a and e visit and 1 week from 24 hr ecg.
As I am sure you can appreciate we have been extremely worried about this but in all honesty I am back into panic mode after receiving the cardiology letter 1 week after the ecg.
Do you think it's coincidence that it's come at this time because I'm really panicking that they've found something on the ecg. The letter just says that you have an appointment and will need an ecg 30 minutes before the appointment
My son was put on beta blockers which he's only been taking now and again initially because the palps frightened him he was taking them all the time. My son is fit he goes to the gym and has not been breathless, dizzy etc.
24 hr ecg appointment came at 6 weeks
Echo appointment 8 weeks
Cardiology referral apt 9-10 weeks
Thank you for taking the time to read.
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Millcroft98
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It would seem to me that the cardiology appointment which has been given to you is indeed coincidental with the earlier 24 hour test and is just a follow up to the initial visit to A&E. The timing gives the system opportunity to get all of the test data collected and on the system so that the cardiologist has it on the screen during the consultation. And an ECG immediately before the consultation has been my experience too. It was unclear to me from your post whether your son had been on beta blockers before or after the visit to A&E but it would seem to me that if they have been prescribed for current use he should be taking them, but if they are causing side effects then perhaps you should contact your GP or even the cardio team to discuss. As for trips to the gym I would also check on the advisability of that and seek a professional opinion, unless he has already been OK' d to carry on. Finally if you need an alternative professional opinion on your situation you could contact the BHF heart helpline nurse as below
Gosh, such a worry, it will be you needing your heart checked with all this anxiety! I'd bet money that the follow up appointment with Cardiology is following on from your A&E visit. As for the ECG at this appointment- completely routine, every Cardiology appointment I've ever attended they do your blood pressure and give you an ECG before you see the Cardiologist.
The only other thing I would say is - when your son was prescribed beta blockers, was he told he could take them periodically (before stressful events etc). I have read that they can be taken that way - they just need to be the right ones. I find the pharmacist the best person to ask about drugs - far easier than trying to talk to your GP.
If A&E and your GP haven't expressed concern about the Gym then that is fine I'm sure.
Talk or email the Cardiac Nurses at BHF, they are really helpful and will give reassurance I'm sure.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read.Yes he's been told just to take as needed. When he was first prescribed them he took them every day, only one 40mg tablet but he's still got 9 tablets of a 28 tablet prescription left and he's had them since March 22nd.
Initially he was very anxious when he was experiencing the palpations.
So sorry , the worry is awful isn't it.My 21 year old daughter went through similar last year and has been diagnosed with a similar condition to one of the things I have.
She like your son is lean and was very busy.
She was also seen pretty quickly after an Echo but this was because her Cardiology appointment after being in AandE happened to have come in the same week as the Echo. We just didn't get the shock you have had because the Cardio appointment letter arrived a few days before her Echo.
There are many cardiac type conditions that can happen in young and sporty people which are not life threatening but can be something that you may need to take some easy self care steps and possibly a daily medication to control and help you keep on with your daily life.
It can be a shock to hear you have a long term condition but when you learn about it and it sinks in plus you get your " New Normal" routine in place, things are still great , and your sons Anxiety may also be improved by getting this diagnosis too.
My daughter has Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia and, like me, she also has P.O.Ts.
Tachycardia Syndromes are more common than you know in the general population, and a person can be generally healthy and have a healthy heart structure too even if they have them , it's just that for various reasons , often to do with the Nervous System , the heart works faster than other people's when you are doing normal things especially with IST.
P.O.T.S is short for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. It can be more common in sporty active people than you would think, as well as older people . This again is a condition when your heart rate spikes or drops much quicker than normal when you change position ( sitting to standing etc.) as well as the heart rate always being high. It can make you feel very tired all of the time, palpitations, dizziness if you move too quickly, butterflies in the stomach and a bit of vertigo.
Cardiologists can be asked to test to rule these out and will generally do a Holter test over a number of days to see if these tachycardias are happening , sometimes they will do Exercise Stress Tests or Tilt Table tests to confirm them. They are a bit of a phaff more than anything painful or uncomfortable and worth having so you know what's going on.
These things can actually be a cause of someone feeling the physical symptoms of Anxiety even if there is nothing happening to feel anxious about .
As, a racing heart and palpitations can make your brain and body feel the same as Anxiety does.
If you have Tachycardia Syndromes , although the Specialists aren't always very knowledgeable about how to reduce them apart from giving medication there are organisations out there with lots of tips in terms of Self Care to keep them under control so you can live your best life.
At the moment, it might be worth asking the GP today if it's ok for your son to take his beta blocker, or a lower dose of that beta blocker, a couple of times a day at specific times to help keep the symptoms under control, because beta blockers are often the first type of medication they try to control Tachycardia or a racing heart even if it's only a short term issue going on.
If it's working your son will also be able to tell that to the Cardiologist at the appointment which can help them make their diagnosis and treatment choice.
I hope your son is totally fine , but I've told you about Tachycardia to give you information and a bit of peace of mind.
If he has a Tachycardia issue it's better to know sooner rather than later so that he can take the simple lifestyle steps to keep it under control and keep enjoying life.
It's simple things too like pacing your activities in the day with a balance of rest and action, moving a little slower from one position to another, reducing your stress, drinking more water especially when you are physically active ( some people need more salt but only if they have POTs diagnosed) , sometimes wearing compression, eating healthily , getting enough sleep, and using deep breathing techniques if you feel your heart is too fast , and then often just taking a couple of pills a day and you have it under control and can enjoy your day.
Take care and try not to worry.
Get your son to think of any questions he wants answering and to write them down to tick off when he gets answers.
If he's willing , it's often a good idea to have a parent or someone he trusts to go into the appointment with him to help answer questions or ask things if he gets a bit tongue tied from the stress of it all.
Hugs to you both and please let us know how you get on , and feel free to send me a private message if you want to ask about anything or get things off your chest, Bee
If and only if your son has a permanent heart issue, i would be grateful you had the foresight to get it checked out and believe its best knowing than not knowing.
I was in a similar situation but my heart issue was picked up at the age of 12 and with medication and been sensible in not over exerting myself, i had OHS 8 weeks ago at the age of 50 to repair my mitral valve.
From my experience cardiology teams know what they are doing, yes understandably a stressful time and it's the not knowing whilst you wait for your appointment.
Hopefully your son is 100% fine, but if diagnosed with a problem, take a deep breath and you will get through it.
If the timescales are concerning you and your son ( and we all have varying stress reactions to medical concerns, and many people really struggle with cardiac concerns, ) you could see a cardiologist privately, if you can manage the £230 fee.
Following a 4 week stay in hospital and a failure to carry out al the necessary tests, I was told an urgent referral had been made to Neurology and after confirming with the booking office that this referral had been made, I have been told there is a 47 week waiting list.
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