Arrhythmias Following Exertion

[ALCapshaw2]

Hello Fellow Valvers -

I was surprised and disappointed to develop a very irregular heartbeat after overdoing it working in the yard (for 4 hours) this week, cutting and loading pine tree limbs after another 'harvest'.

My 'guess' is that this was most PVC's (Premature Ventricular Contractions) or PAC's (Premature Arterial Contractions) and possibly a touch of Atrial Fibrilation (HR was around 90, normal resting HR typically 60 to70). My chest felt like there was a tiny washing machine 'out of balance' bumping around in there.

The strange thing (to me) was that this didn't occur until several hours AFTER working in the yard, after dinner. I suspect my electrolytes may have dropped too low and then I drank a LOT of tea and water at / after dinner. Unfortunately, there was no place to go to get a simple EKG other than to the ER where I would have to endure yet another Full Cardiac Evaluation, including the Blood Enzyme Test, Chest X-Ray, and 3 hour observation to say nothing of the CO$T so, with the agreement of the on-call Cardiologist, I just took another Toprol 25 mg and waited it out. After 5 HOURS, I converted to Normal Sinus Rhythm and finally got a few hours of sleep. A CRNP at the Heart Center recommended increasing my Toprol (Beta Blocker) dose to 50 mg which I will do.

Have any of you experienced anything similar?
Any suggestions or recommendations to prevent reoccurances?

'AL'

 

[sylviayasgur]

hi al!
sorry you had to deal with this....
joey, presurgery, had several bouts with afib that would appear after trips (holiday heart, they call it) or just out of the blue (random). after being cardioverted for one of the episodes that did not resolve itself (each resolved in the hospital within 24 hours), his cardio put him on sotolol (betapace) preventatively.
this worked up until the week before his surgery when he went into afib and didn't convert until about a day or two before the surgery (he was put on coumadin in the meantime).
4 days after his surgery, joey went into afib again. this time his pulse rate was through the roof (it had never been high in the past with afib_ maybe the sotolol?). it seems if you 've had a "breakthrough" while on a cetain med., they will not use it again for that, hence the amiodarone which he is now almost totally off of.

i know that afib is not the worst thing and is manageable. my dad is in chronic afib and is comfortable.
still, if there's anything that frightens joey and i the most, it's afib. maybe because we've always perceived it as a sign of progression of his heart/valve problem, so we associate it with that?

bottom line, the cardio felt there was always a reason why joey went into afib. joey and i did not always agree.
sometimes he's be feeling fine and they would just appear. one thing though i have noticed, stress and upset may bring them on. i think there is definitely a connection.

hope you stay in sinus rhythm for a long long time!
even if it means taking double doses of toprol (hope you don't have side effects).
i hope this helped a bit... be well, sylvia

 

[Yokena]

Abnormal Heart Rhythm

Abnormal Heart Rhythm

Hi Al,

Sorry to hear I have a fellow sufferer! I started having that unbalanced washing machine feeling in the summer, and had one incident where my heart pounded very hard and I passed out. I told my card in Sept at my regular visit and now I'm set for a cath and possible ablation if they can get my heart to show them where the problem comes from.

Anyway, yes, I have the same experience with the irregular rhythm occurring well after the exertion. It happens particularly at night when I lie down to sleep or read. Have you been put on a Holter moniter to see if it shows up? I have in the past, but they didn't do it this time for some reason. Guess because they already had the info from beforfe.

I am really hoping not to be put on any meds because my resting heart rate is already only about 45. Any lower and I don't think I'd be functional at all.

Best of luck and keep us posted.

Joyce in Mississippi

Ebstein's anomaly (surgically corrected 7.12.2001, Mayo Clinic)
Bicuspid aortic valve
Right bundle branch block

 

[Nancy]

Hi Al-

I think you should be on a monitor to see just what the arrhythimas are. Have you ever looked at an arrhythmia chart in the hospital? There are all kinds of them, and I don't know how anybody, including your doctor can diagnose them without seeing it in black and white. Sure one can probably hear some of them, but trying to catch them at just the right moment is pretty impossible.

Get a firm diagnosis, not just "I think it's this or that". That's bad science.

Good luck.

 

[bvdr]

Hi Al,

I meant to post to you earlier but my computer got sick---bad virus, now recovered.

I understand what you are going through. I've had all kinds of arrythmias, SVT, AF, Atrial Flutter, Ventricular Bigeminy, Junctional rhythms and alot of extra beats both atrial and ventricular.

I know the frustration of going through the complete cardiac work-up as well. Last time I had a length bout of rapid atrial fib it was contributed to having a low potassium. I think it is probably harder for me to convert back if its low. I looked on your profile to see if you were on potassium but you don't have anything listed. I hope things have settled down for you.

 

[hensylee]

This week I had my annual check - had stopped one atenolol and got the cardio to agree IF I would check my bp and call him in a week, we'd talk about it. Well, yesterday all h*** broke loose here w/the stalker thing and I could feel the bp going up and heart pounding. Figured I better get back to the second Atenolol again. So I guess fear and emotions can cause the pound washing machine thing, too. End result, I have to wait awhile before I try it again.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Thanks for the replies Yokena, Nancy, and Betty.

It is comforting to know others struggle with the same dilema.

Nancy, I can't argue with your logic. You and I both know you are right. I just didn't want to go the ER late at night and deprive my SO of a night's sleep before she had to go to work the next morning. Since I've had A-fib, PVC's, and PAC's before, and they all resolved in a few hours and the Card's act as if these are all "the common cold of cardiology", I just didn't want to face the full Cardiac workup at the ER. If it had happened during the day I would have gone to get an EKG at the Heart Center or some Dr's office.

Betty, I think you may have hit the nail on the head about potassium. I was sweating like crazy while working and then drank several glasses of tea / water / juice with potassium at dinner. I KNOW I should have been sipping water all along while working and probably taking a potassium pill which I normally take when my weight is up a few lbs, along with a low dose of Lasix. Keeping my balance on my Medical Tightrope just gets harder and harder, especially when I 'push it' as I am prone to do.

It would have been nice to have a record of my EKG though...

'AL'

 

[Ross]

You need to stop being the stud muffin that you are Al.