Discussion
My girlfriend has been experiencing small heart murmurs over the past week then last night had one that lasted about a minute, she said her chest hurt a bit and made her a little short or breath and numbed the feeling in her legs. We went up the hospital and she had a ECG bit it didn't detect anything so now booked a appointment with the gp.
Has anyone else experienced these? What can I do to help her? I would be grateful for any advise really
Has anyone else experienced these? What can I do to help her? I would be grateful for any advise really
Hi
I hope she is ok but what you are describing is not a murmur. A murmur is something detected whilst listening to the heart, due to turbulent blood flow through one of the valves. It sounds more like an arrhythmia which could stop just as suddenly as it started (as you describe). The problem with an ECG is that it takes a snap shot of what the heart is doing at that moment in time, continual monitoring is more likely to pick up any abnormality.
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I hope she is ok but what you are describing is not a murmur. A murmur is something detected whilst listening to the heart, due to turbulent blood flow through one of the valves. It sounds more like an arrhythmia which could stop just as suddenly as it started (as you describe). The problem with an ECG is that it takes a snap shot of what the heart is doing at that moment in time, continual monitoring is more likely to pick up any abnormality.
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I had to have a angioplasty two weeks ago. For about two months after exercise, even a short bike ride, for ten minutes or so it felt like my throat was closing and a pain down the middle of my chest. Then a week last sunday it lasted for over an hour. The doctor sent me for a ECG and the doctor sent me straight to hospital. He said he could tell from the ECG that I recently had a heart "murmer". One of my arteries was blocked due to me not taking my pills against cholesterol.
Feel good now.
Hope your girl feels good too. All the best.
Feel good now.
Hope your girl feels good too. All the best.
Edited by Sprouts on Wednesday 15th December 10:39
She has an irregular heart beat ( doc said nothing to worry about) the murmurs/ palpitations have only been happening this week and for a very short time maybe a few seconds, but the one last night later over a minute. She's only drink two cups of tea a day eats very healthy is the right weight for her age height etc she's doesn't really do any exercise other than walking to and from work 20mins each way a day. Is there a test where the heart can be monitored over a longer period of time? Just want to make sure we ask the right questions at the gp so we can sort the problem out, I know that her dad has had issues with his heart so going to mention that too
jagracer said:
Are you sure it's not missing a beat or two rather than palpitations which is a rapid increase in the speed of the heart? Some of these so called palpitations can be caused by too much alcohol, too much coffee or caffeine or dehydration.
palpitations aren't an increase in heart rate (rapidly). they are the conscious awareness of ones heart beating. you could sprint 100m as fast as you can and not be aware of your heart beating as such, but it has increased in rate rapidly. palpitations can also be present even if the heart rate is relatively low.Edited by jagracer on Wednesday 15th December 13:19
OP - are you sure you mean palpitations? irregular heart beats are nothing toooo serious to worry about. it's if it's irregularly irregular you may want to worry. if it's regularly irregular (e.g. it "skips" a beat every 10 beats of the heart - it's a consistent pattern).
your mrs won't be aware of a heart "murmur" as such, that's heard with a stethoscope on auscultation.
Has she been taking any Iron supplements? Haemochromatosis can cause
this symptom (too much iron), and apparently doesn't tend to get
diagnosed too quickly, although there will no doubt be a million
other possible reasons. Get a second opinion (from a cardiologist,
not someone on PistonHeads).
Atrial fibrillations (which is a potentially serious condition)
will result in both missed heartbeats and irregular rhythms. A home
test is for the "patient" to find a pulse on the wrist or neck and
tap a foot to their heartbeat. If they are unable to follow the
heartbeat this is an indication of something perhaps being wrong.
This is according to Reader's Digest so it must be right. An ECG
has to be a better bet, you can get mobile ECG these days that
attach to a belt, that sounds like what you need.
this symptom (too much iron), and apparently doesn't tend to get
diagnosed too quickly, although there will no doubt be a million
other possible reasons. Get a second opinion (from a cardiologist,
not someone on PistonHeads).
Atrial fibrillations (which is a potentially serious condition)
will result in both missed heartbeats and irregular rhythms. A home
test is for the "patient" to find a pulse on the wrist or neck and
tap a foot to their heartbeat. If they are unable to follow the
heartbeat this is an indication of something perhaps being wrong.
This is according to Reader's Digest so it must be right. An ECG
has to be a better bet, you can get mobile ECG these days that
attach to a belt, that sounds like what you need.
Edited by Oversteer on Wednesday 15th December 16:26
I went to the doctors earlier this year with sharp fast fleeting chest pain, GP said he could hear a murmur so was referred to a cardiologist.
ECG, Echocardiogram and a Genetic test later all they could find was a 'trivial' murmur supposedly 1 in 10 people have one with no issues.
Anyway the pains have now stopped, I'm convinced they where either stress related, coffee, or trapped gas in chest cavity (this is possible). Asda sell magnesium supplements, these are meant to be good for a healthy heart.
Anyway, if you or your partner is worrying the stress can make things worse, so go to the GP or if you want a fast answer go to A&E, the first thing they will do is a ECG and Echo, and hopefully that will dismiss your worries
Matt
P.S Anxiety, stress, panic attacks, dehydration and lack of sleep could also be a cause.
ECG, Echocardiogram and a Genetic test later all they could find was a 'trivial' murmur supposedly 1 in 10 people have one with no issues.
Anyway the pains have now stopped, I'm convinced they where either stress related, coffee, or trapped gas in chest cavity (this is possible). Asda sell magnesium supplements, these are meant to be good for a healthy heart.
Anyway, if you or your partner is worrying the stress can make things worse, so go to the GP or if you want a fast answer go to A&E, the first thing they will do is a ECG and Echo, and hopefully that will dismiss your worries
Matt
P.S Anxiety, stress, panic attacks, dehydration and lack of sleep could also be a cause.
Edited by MElliottUK on Thursday 16th December 08:35
MElliottUK said:
..........Anxiety, stress, panic attacks, dehydration and lack of sleep could also be a cause.
As Matt said all of the above can cause irregular heartbeats which, whilst feeling uncomfortable, may well be nothing to worry about. I went to the doctor a few years ago with very frequent bouts of irregular hear beating and the doctor, a very experienced cardiologist, explained in detail the reasons behind it happening - all of which I didn't really hear after the 'it's ok, you're perfectly healthy' bit! I do remember him saying though that a very large percentage of the population experiences this - including him and that you should always get it checked but it is rarely anything to worry about. (In fact worry only increases the frequency of the problem thereby becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy!)MElliottUK said:
Anyway, if you or your partner is worrying the stress can make things worse, so go to the GP or if you want a fast answer go to A&E, the first thing they will do is a ECG and Echo, and hopefully that will dismiss your worries
Errm A&E stands for ACCIDENT and EMERGENCY, so it is a service for people who have had ACCIDENTS or it is am EMERGENCY. A problem you have had for many weeks, has not got any worse and you feel fit and well is not appropriate for A&E. A&E is not a one-stop diagnosis shop for people who want a quick answer and don't want to wait. The cost of seeing someone in A&E is phenomenally greater than seeing them at the GP surgery. A&E will only do an Echo if indicated it is not part of a standard work up.Edited by MElliottUK on Thursday 16th December 08:35
Obviously though if the problem get worse and you start to feel unwell A&E will be very happy to see you.
MElliottUK said:
Chest pain is a good enough reason to go to A&E in my view, each to there own.... When i went last it was full of people with minor cuts and bruises, thats what i call a waste of money.
Chest pain - yes that is an Emergency, and the OH of the OP has been to A&E for that and they have excluded anything that might be an emergency. Now she has to wait to see the GP for further investigations. Of course if she gets chest pain again she should go back, always, but to go back without new symptoms just to try and speed up the diagnosis process is a waste of everyone's time and money. Which is what you seemed to be advocating.Minor cuts and bruises....
I know of someone who attended A and E for treatment for athletes foot on a busy Sunday afternoon.I had something similar that started in 2005 - first time it happened was 10 mins from the end of an hour of 5-a-side and it made me dizzy - the arrhythmia (as I now now it to be called) lasted for over an hour - this then re-occured about 6 weeks later and over the next 18 months got worse to the point of affecting me in every football game or kart race - and lasting up to 3 hours. Over that time I tried stopping coffee, changing diet but I eventually went for tests. I was immediately put on beta blockers and warfarin and was operated on 6 weeks later. I had cardiac radio ablation to burn away the short circuits in my ticker - 6 months later I passed my MSA medical and I raced in the Monaco Kart Cup and the Britcar 24 hour race with no issues (and none since). But I was told that I should have had it checked out much earlier as it could have killed me! - so get to the docs!
I have a condition called Wolfe Parkinson White Syndrome an irregular heart beat - and a murmur...
Things which can aggravate this are:
1. Too much coffee and not enough water
2. General dehydration
3. Tight belts/pants - especially to keep the fat in...
4. Bending when combined with above
Keep her hydrated, relatively de-stressed and away from too much coffee
I had a radio ablation which hopefully fixed the WPW, a murmur is very common and most people find coping strategies.
The surgeon when he fixed me passed through a hole in my heart - which he told me is also very common!!!
Keep an eye on things and keep talking to GP
Things which can aggravate this are:
1. Too much coffee and not enough water
2. General dehydration
3. Tight belts/pants - especially to keep the fat in...
4. Bending when combined with above
Keep her hydrated, relatively de-stressed and away from too much coffee
I had a radio ablation which hopefully fixed the WPW, a murmur is very common and most people find coping strategies.
The surgeon when he fixed me passed through a hole in my heart - which he told me is also very common!!!
Keep an eye on things and keep talking to GP
wow WPW syndrome seems quite common, like the last two posters i too had the syndrome, i was diagnosed at the end of last year, and ablated in jan, have to say the cardiology department were brilliant, be persistant until they get to the bottom of it.
i had this from childhood (doctors back then were crap and said it was part of growing up!!) and it came and went and i had learnt how to control it untill last year when they became more frequent, hmm i must go to the doctors soon i thought, then one attack caused me to black-out for a good 30 seconds, my client i was talking to thought i had died. needless to say i was at the doctors the very next day!!
my point? be persistant with GP and ensure he refers you to your local cardiology dept.
and dont worry
mark
i had this from childhood (doctors back then were crap and said it was part of growing up!!) and it came and went and i had learnt how to control it untill last year when they became more frequent, hmm i must go to the doctors soon i thought, then one attack caused me to black-out for a good 30 seconds, my client i was talking to thought i had died. needless to say i was at the doctors the very next day!!
my point? be persistant with GP and ensure he refers you to your local cardiology dept.
and dont worry
mark
djmotorsport said:
I had something similar that started in 2005 - first time it happened was 10 mins from the end of an hour of 5-a-side and it made me dizzy - the arrhythmia (as I now now it to be called) lasted for over an hour - this then re-occured about 6 weeks later and over the next 18 months got worse to the point of affecting me in every football game or kart race - and lasting up to 3 hours. Over that time I tried stopping coffee, changing diet but I eventually went for tests. I was immediately put on beta blockers and warfarin and was operated on 6 weeks later. I had cardiac radio ablation to burn away the short circuits in my ticker - 6 months later I passed my MSA medical and I raced in the Monaco Kart Cup and the Britcar 24 hour race with no issues (and none since). But I was told that I should have had it checked out much earlier as it could have killed me! - so get to the docs!
I also suffered from this, took almost 5 years for them to diagnose me with SVT and after several long term ECGs etc a treadmill test finally picked it up. They tried to fob me off with beta blockers and other drugs but I knew there was an ablation procedure I could have that should sort it for me. Was a pretty horrible operation, but the change to my life since has been amazing! Like above, karting or any other adrenaline inducing activity would start a rapid heartbeat that would usually last until I slept that night; not had any problems since the operation 10 months ago.
OH has SVT too, picked up on an ECG carried out by a paramedic after one stonkingly big episode where his blood pressure measured on our monitor was absolutely through the floor and his heart rate was immense. He'd had some episodes before but this was the biggest.
I gather it can be quite tricky to diagnose if the episode isn't caught on ECG and in many cases that would involve weeks of monitoring.
He hasn't had an ablation, he took the decision that his condition isn't sever enough to run the risks of surgery. He carries medication (the name of which escapes me) which he takes if he is unable to stop an episode himself.
The paramedic showed him a really funky trick involving blowing into a syringe which stopped his major episode in it's tracks. It doesn't always work though.
Good luck to the OP's OH.
I gather it can be quite tricky to diagnose if the episode isn't caught on ECG and in many cases that would involve weeks of monitoring.
He hasn't had an ablation, he took the decision that his condition isn't sever enough to run the risks of surgery. He carries medication (the name of which escapes me) which he takes if he is unable to stop an episode himself.
The paramedic showed him a really funky trick involving blowing into a syringe which stopped his major episode in it's tracks. It doesn't always work though.
Good luck to the OP's OH.
matc said:
Was a pretty horrible operation, but the change to my life since has been amazing! Like above, karting or any other adrenaline inducing activity would start a rapid heartbeat that would usually last until I slept that night; not had any problems since the operation 10 months ago.
Agreed - I woke up after around 2 hours with another 20 mins of work required and they couldn't sedate me any more - like being at the dentist but *way* worse. But well worth it! Glad to hear it worked for you as well.Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff