Most Recent Messages in Conditions, Meds & Tests

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Cardio Sarcoidosis

Hello Fellow Pacers

A recent PET scan has revealed that I have myocarditis in a localised area, where the Cardiologist thinks Sarcoid is present but not visible. This is the suspected cause of my Complete Heart Block, which required a pacemaker surgery. I was fitted with with a CRT P pacemaker in August last year. I had an RVL lead replacement in May this year. The cause has been unclear. I have been referred to an immunologist. I am 46 and in good health. I did eat a Rhododendron in Ja...

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New Blood Pressure & Cholesterol Guidelines - Edited*

I came across this website https://thennt.com/ which was recommended by a cardiologist. 

The NNT (Number Needed to Treat) came about because doctors and patients are often provided with benefit / risk probabilities for commonly prescribed drugs in a way which may not be completely clear. Some physicians wanted to cut through this and provide something which showed doctors and patients the risks / benefits much more clearly. 

If you read the ‘About’ section,th...

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Impact of lowest (or low) doses tolerated in heart medications

I have a question about doseage tolerations and how it impacts your lifespan with heart failure. As it happens, I am not able to take more than 12.5mg of Carvedilol twice daily, a very low dose; and I can only take half of the lowest dose of Entresto due to it raising my potassium level too high. All of the research I've done indicates that my life expectancy with my conditions is poor because I can't take very much of my medications. Are there people here who have successfully taken...

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Impact from resting position

Sleeping 2-3 hours is fine, then I wake up "feeling bad". Somtimes some kind of palpitaion wakes me, mostly I don't know the reason.

Sometimes I feel like my body hasn't been "rinsed" properly. (And we are NOT talking 'bout hangovers ...)

The best cure seems to be "getting up for real" and walk around for 30 minutes.

I also feel fine after being up 20-40 minutes in the morning.  Seems my body works best when not in "lowest...

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Pacemaker and dental work

Hello all,

So I've been a pacemaker dependent for about 35 years... third degree heart block. I use to have braces and got those removed a while ago..I'm really good with caring my teeth. Brushing twice a day, flossing, mouth wash... yada yada...

now I am very much afraid of the dentist...  I think I'm more afraid of the antibiotics and the affects of my pacemaker... even though I never had issues before. My cardiologist suggested I take antibiotics for teeth...

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Sotalol vs metoprolol

Thanks to all who posted about these medicines. I learned enough that I feel comfortable asking my doctor to put me back on metoprolol.

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Sotalol vs metoprolol

I had been on metoprolol since My afib diagnosis about three years ago. Since my heart started stopping for seconds at a time, I had a pacemaker implant about two years ago.  I felt I was doing fine, and so did my cardiologist. About six months ago, my cardiologist left, and I can't get in with a new one until December.  An electrophysiologist in the same practice called me about three months ago and said he was switching me from metoprolol to Sotalol. Since then, I have ha...

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Pacs

I was wondering if anyone else has had issues with pacs.  This is the first time I've had them and I'm not sure what started them, but I sure wish they would go away.  Hate the erratic, skipped beats feelings that they cause.  I had been feeling very dizzy, sob and light headed, so my dr had me wear a holter and it showed a very frequent amount of pacs.  He had said that I may need to go on medicine for them.  Anyone know if you can get rid of them with progra...

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Cardiovascular Risk Assessments

I wanted to open up a discussion about the Risk Assessment Calculation tool that doctors use to ascertain our risk of cardiovascular disease or suffering a cardiac event.  

In the UK your GP / General Doctor will put data into an online assessment tool including BMI, Blood Pressure, Age, Other Conditions, Cholesterol levels etc. and the tool will then pump out a number which indicates your risk of a cardiovascular event / disease.  A discussion then takes place regar...

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MRI

Who has had an MRI since pacemaker implantation and what was your experience ? I understand that a technician adjusts the pacemaker before going into the MRI and then adjusts it back to original settings afterwards.

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Dofetilide, the hospital, and me

I've just returned from 3 1/2 days in the hospital. Wasn't fun because I felt perfectly fine, but was tied to the bed 24 hours/day due to the constant monitoring. The results weren't great (hopefully someone here will tell me I'm wrong about that :). They started me on 250mcg. Dofetilide is given to you twice a day with lots of EKGs and blood draws in-between, night and day, in addition to the 24 hr/day monitor leads constantly attached. They took me to 500mcg, but soon r...

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Some news

Hello everyone, I finally got a telephone call from my cardiologist/EP this morning confirming that my stress echo test carried out on the 29th May showed that parts of my heart were not getting enough oxygen.  

It would appear to be ischaemia, but I will need an angiogram to confirm the diagnosis and extent of any disease.  Because of my difficult symptoms during the dobutamine stress echo which was positive for ischaemia in only 2 LV segments, they cannot rule out micro...

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Hawthorn Berry Extract and other traditional Meds

I know that complementary / alternative medicine is a topic that many hold strong opinions on, and that's okay; I respect everyon's right to choose.  The purpose of this post is for me to try to gather information for myself.

I'm on a Beta Blocker holiday after a long discussion with my PCP and an email chat w/ my cardiologist.  The "holiday" is due to side effects of the drug for me, and my PCP in particual told me I was not being rash or irresponsi...

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Dofetilide

Like many I am on Flecainide (100mg). My rhythm problems keep getting worse. My EP is recommending that I switch to Dofetilide. Dofetilide is a stronger drug and requires caerful usage (I need to spend 24 hours/day for 3 days within the 4 walls of the hospital with frequent EKGs to gather data on what's right for me).

Anyone have exerience with Dofetilide?

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Cardiac CT Scan

Re-posting this from a comment I made on an old thread in case you are scheduled for one and want to know what to expect. I also have a couple of questions about my results:

"I had a Cardiac CT scan today (5/24)(to get more detail from a recent echocardiogram)  and I have a Medtronic dual lead PM.  There were no issues during the scan with my PM and it was a painless procedure, other than the pain of getting an IV.  A few things to be aware of.  Did no...

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atrial flutter event and now testing

I had a 10-hr episode of atrial flutter and was on my way to the ER at the hosptial my EP works, which is almost 3 hrs from my house, and it converted when I was about 30 min from my house, so relieved so returned home.  EP's office said it had started at 2 am (I woke up at 6 with fast rate, sweating, and very symptomatic) and spoke to them about 8.  I had 2 more episodes the following 2 days, was again very symptomatic, but converted after about 20 min each.  

I went...

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I had my stress echocardiogram today

Just a holding post to tell you that I got through my Stress Echocardiogram today.  They didn’t put me on an exercise bike and make me work, but gave me something intravenously instead to increase my heart rate.  It did the job and I had awful chest discomfort as my heart rate was increased.

The procedure was successful in that it gave them the information they were looking for but it was ever so uncomfortable because they tried hard to get good views, pushing between my...

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Heart rate dropping at night

This is (I hope) more curoiosity than anthing else... but whatever. There are some heart rhythm experts here that I hope can provide insight.

Background: after years of adventures with drug resistant AF, pace-and-ablate, then diagnosed with diastolic heart failure (should have been diagnosed10 years before but hey), having an SCA and then an ICD, I had a heart transplant in 2022.  Life was (and continues to be) good (we wil not dwell on drug side effects because honestly...

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Arrhythmias - what can your pacemaker do to help?

Hi everyone, 

The most common indications for permanent pacemaker implantation are Sinus Node dysfunction and high-grade atrioventricular block, both of which I believe are classified as disorders of heart rhythm.  Our pacemakers manage to treat these conditions successfully, but what can a pacemaker realistically do to control other heart rhythm problems like Atrial Fibrillation or even perhaps simple, benign ectopic beats which can cause such havoc inside our hearts?

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Use of Portable ECG Monitors

This week I went to my GP to discuss the two recent Holter tests. One was a 7 day and the other a 2 day. Nothing really unusual was found. I wasn't surprised as a felt okay during these periods. In between and after the second test, I have had lots of palpitations and ectopic beats which leaves me unwell. My doctor suggested getting a home ECG device. Today I got a KardiaMobile 6 lead device and when using for the first time, it would only work on the one lead setting. It said possible AF...

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You know you're wired when...

Muggers want your ICD, not your wallet.

Member Quotes

Yesterday I moved to a new place in my mind and realized how bad I felt 'before' and the difference my pacemaker has made.