On the other side....

[Amina516]

...not fun!

Im an RN (for those who dont know :P) and I was at work last Friday. Abouts 8pm I started feeling...funny. Just off. Nothing really wrong, just not completely normal if that makes sense. I almost felt like I was having heart palpitations.

Being that I have access to some awesome stuff @ work, I hooked myself up to a heart monitor and what do I see? My RESTING heart rate is in the 140s-150s (normal being 60-100). Well no fuckin wonder I feel weird. I print out my heart monitor strip and bring it to the charge nurse to show. She looks and says "wow, whose heart rate is that?". I say "Mine"... She goes "WHAT?!?!" and runs me over to a chair and makes me sit down.

So, long story short, I leave my floor early and end up in the ER. When they triaged me (about 2 minutes after I walked in, which is miraculous in itself) They took my vital signs and Blood Pressure was: 153/95 :eek: and Heart rate of 125. So, they immediately took an EKG (which showed a regular, yet fast heart rate) and put me back in a room.

Another long story short. They could find no reason for my issue. Chest Xrays were normal. Blood work was normal and about 2am my resting heartrate was right about 100, so I was sent home.

I have to see a cardiologist tomorrow. Im freaked out to say the least. Being a patient is not fun.

[BookstoreEscapee]

My roommate had to see a cardiologist recently; her BP was high also. Yesterday she had her thyroid removed. (Don't think they're related.)

Hope everything is OK. :hug:

[Amina516]

My roommate had to see a cardiologist recently; her BP was high also. Yesterday she had her thyroid removed. (Don't think they're related.)

Hope everything is OK. :hug:

Good News! Theyre totally related! (im serious!) The removal should help/cure her high BPs.

[CaroPhoenix]

As you might know, I also saw a cardiologist. (If you lived in the Northern VA area, I'd recommend him).

I have also been put on synthroid medication as my thyroid whatevers are a 4.8. I have to make an appointment with a endocronologist. (And come to find out, my grandmother, my mother's older brother, my mother, & my sister were/are all on the same type of med as I am - my uncle has been on it for years!)

Yeah ... fun times.

I hope everything goes well with you at the cardiologist's office!

:hug:

[r2cagle]

That's freakin' scary, Amina. Then again, no better place to feel 'off' than at work, in your case.

I had the opposite at work...I bottomed out at 75/52 about a week and half ago, from my usual extremely high range of 154/92... yeah, had the worst case of vertigo ever. Think that I was dehydrated though, since I'm now back up to my usual high bp.. best of luck to you. Maybe it'll just be an anomaly(anomoly? freak of nature ) and you won't have any further problems. :)

[Amina516]

SO back from the cariologist and on the menu for the next few weeks.:

*Echocardiogram (heart ultrasound)
*Treamill stress test
*48 hr holter monitor (its like a continuous heart monitor)

They also started me on BP MEDS!! :eek:. Not so much for the blood pressure, but for my heart rate which, when resting hangs out @ 110 beats a minute.

The doctor was SOOOO nice and actively listened..which surprised me b/c in the hospital when Ive met him before he was kind of a needy, jerk. He said I may have some atrial tachycardia (the top part of my heart firing faster than it should). Thankfully the bottom part keeps pace with it, b/c if it didnt, id be in shit creek right now.

Guess its a waiting game now. :p

[jedimaster91]

My roommate had to see a cardiologist recently; her BP was high also. Yesterday she had her thyroid removed. (Don't think they're related.)

Hope everything is OK. :hug:

Good News! Theyre totally related! (im serious!) The removal should help/cure her high BPs.

Rapid heart beat is one of the classic signs of hyperthyroidism. The hormones produced in the thyroid control things like metabolism, body temp, and heart rate among other things. As a Nuc Tech, we frequently give Uptake scans to check how much iodine is being metabolized by the thyroid. A lot of times we can tell the ones that will be way hyper. They tend to be really skinny and really fidgety. And then we also give a different isotope of iodine to zap left over thyroid tissue from the removal surgery. You should see the container that little pill comes in. I swear it's at least 15 lbs of tungsten.

SO back from the cariologist and on the menu for the next few weeks.:

*Echocardiogram (heart ultrasound)
*Treamill stress test
*48 hr holter monitor (its like a continuous heart monitor)

Oooh! Are you getting pics with the stress test? If so, you'll meet some of my kindred spirits in the Nuc Med department. Tell them :wave: from Kentucky. :D

[AdminAssistant]

I've been to the doctor twice today for migraines - not fun! And I have to go back at some point for blood work (the doc is concerned about my cholesterol). And stop in periodically for blood pressure checks, since it was 140/110 this morning. I went back this afternoon because my body does. not. like. Imitrex, and it was back down to 120/70. But still...that's freaky!

[AccountingDrone]

Hope you get it settled out ... but after peaking at 210/190 ... meh to anything lower [roflmao ... mostly joking, any high bp is not good]

[AdminAssistant]

Hope you get it settled out ... but after peaking at 210/190 ... meh to anything lower [roflmao ... mostly joking, any high bp is not good]

Yeah, I just have to go back sometime when I'm not having any kind of headache and get it re-checked. No biggie. Although if I continue to have a combo of migraines and BP problems, he said he would definitely recommend a low-dose BP medicine.

[Andara Bledin]

A lot of times we can tell the ones that will be way hyper. They tend to be really skinny and really fidgety.
I'm on the other side of that. I really need to get in and get properly tested to see if I'm actually hypothyrodic. My regular BP is 110/70, and it goes up to 130/90 when I'm in enough pain to make me go to the doctor. (and some of that is a phobic reaction. I can give blood and have no issues, but if I have to go to the doctor, I can feel my heart rate and bp go up in anticipation)

Since my family has a history of developing hypertension late in life (I'm just starting to hit the range where it picks up), I'm at a point where I need to get a lot done, anyway.

^-.-^

[r2cagle]

Dang....stay away from Bystolic for high bp.... that stuff can mess you up. Four long months of depression symptoms and fast pulse, all went away when I was put on something else.

[Plaidman]

My roommate had to see a cardiologist recently; her BP was high also. Yesterday she had her thyroid removed. (Don't think they're related.)

Hope everything is OK. :hug:

They are. Not to mention she's going to need to get hormanes now for the rest of her life seeing as thyroid controls them.


I'm utter shock. I understood every med term there was. I may not nesscary know what they entill, but I do now know what they mean. Holy crap. I'm happy.

Sorry about what happening though! Hope they figure it out! Lousy Doctors. Always taking their time...

[Amina516]

Got my holter monitor on...cant take a bath/shower for 48 hours..Lol. Be thankful none of you live near me....:p

[TOLady]

I hated that holter monitor. I couldn't take the itchy tape so I ripped it off and used a wide tensor bandage instead.

Longest 48 hours of my life!

[Amina516]

Im itching already. I had to finagle my bra off this AM without ripping off the monitor. i dont know how Im going to get it back on. LOL.

[FormerCallingCardRep]

It took them 8 years to figure out what was going on with my heart. I have a Printzmetals. My resting heart rate without meds is around 200, with meds is around 85. I am on Toprol and Imdur to calm the cardiac arteries

[Primer]

Back in the late '70s, I was diagnosed with premature ventricular contractions. Apparently nobody thought it was anything to worry about (besides me) as I've never bee treated in any way, but it sure does feel weird when things act up. I have noticed that excess stress does make things worse.

[AccountingDrone]

Yeah, I just have to go back sometime when I'm not having any kind of headache and get it re-checked. No biggie. Although if I continue to have a combo of migraines and BP problems, he said he would definitely recommend a low-dose BP medicine.

I occasionally take frovatriptan for migraines, but they were generally hormonal and I have not had very many post hysterectomy [which I am heartily glad of!] and take toprol, cozaar for my systolic and clonidine for my diastolic. Unfortunately, they also put me to sleep [especially the clonidine, but there is nothing else that works on my diastolic at all]

When you discuss BP meds if it comes to that ... make sure they don't dump a diuretic on you willy-nilly. Every freaking doctor I have seen about my BP tries to shove diuretics down me, and I have NO edema issues [what they do is make me pee my brains out, get dehydrated and drink more water, pee lots more and have a CPPD flare *sigh*]

[Amina516]

Back in the late '70s, I was diagnosed with premature ventricular contractions. Apparently nobody thought it was anything to worry about (besides me) as I've never bee treated in any way, but it sure does feel weird when things act up. I have noticed that excess stress does make things worse.

Its still not something I have personally ever seen treated. As long as they stay occasional, its not a huge thing to worry about. Though Im sure thats not a help to you. :p I know what you mean about weird feelings though..my palpitations were wha prompted me to get attention in the first place. I can only hope its something benign.

[Amina516]

So, I had my stress/ECHO today....let me just say interesting...Lol. That treadmill was HARD! I have mucho respect for those 70 - 80 yr olds that do a physical stress test. I felt like I was going to go flying off the back of the treadmill b/c of the incline. Whoo. I was all sweaty too.

The Echo part is a heart ultrasound and of course the UltraSound tech cant tell me anything even if she does see anything wrong, so I have to wait til the 22nd to see the doc and for him to tell me the results.

Im stuck between wanting the doctor to tell me nothing is wrong and the doc telling me there is something actually wrong so we actually know why I feel the way I do. I really dont want anything to be wrong with me, but I have palpitations so often and my heart rate is always high. I dont know what it could be. Maybe its just stress..

I guess the enemy you know is better than the one you dont.