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So...I went to the Dr. yesterday....have been feeling pretty run down lately

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Nurse came in, did standard questions, etc.

 

Goes to take my pulse/BP. She looks at her watch, looks exceptionally confused, and says to me "I have to do it again".

She does it again. Looks even more puzzled, then looks at me with this "how are you still alive" look on her face.

 

My pulse was 48bpm.

 

I said "is that bad?". She said "only if you're still alive". I expect a minimum of 70-80.

 

Doc comes in, asks me what's up. I told him, I've been having weird chest pains, very lethargic, want to sleep the minute I get home from work, etc.

 

Says, "maybe you have sleep issues". I told him "I came here last August and you took 5 vials of blood. The results came back basically normal/healthy. You then sent me to a sleep study (that cost me $2500 out of pocket...grr), and they deemed I did not have apnea. I'm telling you, there's something wrong with me, and I think it's my heart".

 

He says "Ok, we'll do an EKG".

 

Do EKG.

 

Technicians face was about the same as the nurse. But she's not able to comment on the results.

 

Dr. says "Uh, so there's a problem. You've got PVC's."

 

We go back and forth on what it means, what causes it, and how I got them, how to treat them.

 

Essentially, my heart stops beating and 'resets'. Usually PVC's happen a couple times a day in people who have it more pronounced.

 

Mine was every 3rd heartbeat. Like clockwork.

 

We discussed my work (2 FT jobs, essentially), that I've been doing that for quite a while now, that I quit drinking, etc.

He said "it sounds like you're working yourself to death".

 

I have to go see a Cardiologist next week. I'm actually not as nervous as I would think I should be (hate Dr's like Dentists); I'm actually happy to have this get addressed. It's been seriously affecting my daily life.

 

Googled it last night....could just be too much work, could be I have heart failure. Which then starts to scare me.

 

I'm not the epitome of health. Struggling to quit smoking; which is obviously a must now. Could stand to spend some time in the gym, but I'm glad I didn't and so was Dr. He said it could actually cause my heart to fail.

 

My point? Don't have one....getting old sucks. So I guess this is a pity party.

 

 

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OBAMACARE FTW! :pointstosky:

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Essentially, my heart stops beating and 'resets'. Usually PVC's happen a couple times a day in people who have it more pronounced.

 

 

 

When Hillary beats Trump it will implode.

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Everything was fine when you were drinking, you should start again :cheers:

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Way to think ahead, this is a pretty elaborate ruse to get out of paying on a bunch of bets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

j/k hope everything turns out well for you. Glad you got things checked out.

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You better hope Trump wins, you'll need all those $$$ for doctor bills.

 

Seriously, hope everything turns out OK.

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Getting old ain't for sissies.

 

 

 

 

Best of luck. That is pretty focked up.

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You better hope Trump wins, you'll need all those $$$ for doctor bills.

 

Seriously, hope everything turns out OK.

 

It's all a ruse #welcherexcuses

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It's all a ruse #welcherexcuses

 

I can see that.

 

"Hey, I know I made bets with all you guys, but I can't pay you because I'm dead."

 

:thumbsdown:

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When Hillary beats Trump it will implode.

 

Trump is NOT going to lose. You do know that, right?

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I can see that.

 

"Hey, I know I made bets with all you guys, but I can't pay you because I'm dead."

 

:thumbsdown:

 

I will bury myself with $500 cash in my left front pocket.

You can come dig me up and throw a geek party.

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Fock dude. Take some time and go fishing...and drinking

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Everything was fine when you were drinking, you should start again :cheers:

 

Funny that you mention that, because I made that exact comment.

 

I told the Dr. 'I felt a lot better when I was drinking!'.

 

He also laughed because I told him I actually feel better after I run or exercise; like I don't actually get exhausted, I actually feel better.

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Fock dude. Take some time and go fishing...and drinking

 

Fishing sucks. Did you go out on opener? I heard pretty much everybody got skunked.

 

I do miss drinking. Just not the sh1t that came with it.

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BLS - you know I love you. I hope everything turns out okay. Get better soon

 

You'll always be one of the good guys at FFT :cheers:

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BLS - you know I love you. I hope everything turns out okay. Get better soon

 

You'll always be one of the good guys at FFT :cheers:

 

Thanks Brother. :cheers:

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Good luck dude. Try not to stress and lay off the alcohol. If your job is extremely stressful then it may be time to find another job. From what you wrote, you feel the worst after work which leads me to believe that this is mostly caused by work stress. did they give you a stress test yet? I'm wondering how your heart reacts to exercise.

I hope the solution is as simple as managing your stress. Hit the Mayo if your doctors don't have any answers. They have great people up there.

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Hit the Mayo if your doctors don't have any answers.

med STUDENT... :old-rolleyes:

 

Mayo if fockin' horrible for you - I know it's good on sandwiches, but it's heart-glue. C'mon man - you've gotta' study up a bit...

 

:music_guitarred: :banana:

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med STUDENT... :old-rolleyes:

 

Mayo if fockin' horrible for you - I know it's good on sandwiches, but it's heart-glue. C'mon man - you've gotta' study up a bit...

 

:music_guitarred: :banana:

 

Man mayo is what he meant

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It sounds like you have trigeminy. The work up for this is pretty straight forward. They'll do an echocardiogram, which is an ultrasound of the heart. It will show how effectively your heart beats and will exclude major structural (especially valve) abnormalities. That will determine whether you have heart failure, which would mandate a bunch of meds to help it pump better. They'll also do a stress test, either an EKG treadmill, stress echo or nuclear medicine study (quite a bit of radiation exposure, so the first two are preferable IMO). This will show how your heart performs with exertion, and suggest whether you have narrowing of the coronary arteries, which is a harbinger of a heart attack (complete blockage of the artery and death of some heart muscle).

 

If either of those have significant abnormalities, you're likely to have a catheterization where they inject dye to outline the contour of the coronary vessels and localize any narrowing or blockages. They also could do an EP study to determine the anatomy of your defective conduction system, though that is usually reserved for more serious arrhythmias.

 

They'll probably repeat a bunch of blood work, too. Although thyroid disease isn't likely the cause of your heart rhythm, given your slow rate they should exclude hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) and electrolyte abnormalities (especially low potassium, magnesium).

 

If all that comes back negative, they will recommend lifestyle modification to include stopping drinking, smoking and avoiding caffeine. I hate it when people chalk something up to "too much stress" as everyone has stress in their life, and it is largely unavoidable. If you tolerate the stress test, they'll likely recommend exercise as well.

 

Good luck.

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Sorry to hear man. I hope it does end up being something simply like too much work.

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I had this about 3 years ago, maybe longer. I had an EKG, was fine. I had an ECHO done in 2012, so they didn't repeat when this started in 2013. I wore a Holter monitor for a few days, and it was happening pretty sporadically. They went away on their own.

 

So, MY point...could be nothing. :) I hope that you're ok and that you get answers and treatment options if needed.

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Good thing you got checked out. Hope it all turns out well. I worry about heart issues myself as my dad and grandfather both passed away from heart attacks. You've come to the right place though. The Geek Club has more doctors than WebMD.

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Way to think ahead, this is a pretty elaborate ruse to get out of paying on a bunch of bets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

j/k hope everything turns out well for you. Glad you got things checked out.

fock man I feel like I am but tonight between wife and I 1 kid has bball practice, 1 dance and 1 guitar all tonight. I did get out and look early April but wasn't impressed with the 2xl options. I will make it right for you soon, I apologize for being a schmuck and not getting something out sooner :(

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Hope you enjoy your baboon heart. :thumbsup:

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That's scary sh1t bls, in my prayers man. Reminds me I should start seeing a physician annually :ninja:

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Went to the doctor yesterday as well. My kidney function isnt what it should be. Doctor didn't seem to concerned with it but I'll need to increase my intake of some things to try and help improve it

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I can relate with the fear of heart failure... Hoping for you it's nothing that making some adjustments can't fix. Sending you well wishes. :) X

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Went to the doctor yesterday as well. My kidney function is what it should be. Doctor didn't seem to concerned with it but I'll need to increase my intake of some things to try and help improve it

:headscratch:

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When I don't get sleep and I don't exercise my body revolts. Chest pains, headaches, heartburn, constipation. When I do just those two things I feel fine.

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Good luck man :cheers: I too am a heavy smoker/drinker wished I could kick the nicotine,the alcohol I'd like to keep.

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