There have been a rare few times the last 2-3 years I've experienced mild hert flutters. 07 March this year I had my first episode of strong, erratic heartbeats. I was just sitting at the computer. I had 4 more such episodes between 07 March and 23 July this year. Always when relaxed, just sitting around reading, at the computer, on the phone, watching TV. My family doctor had first suggested a 24 hour Holter monitor and then a 30 day Event Monitor but I declined since the episodes weren't occuring often enough that I had any confidence that an epsisode would occur whilst wearing the monitor. I HATE all the time and expense for nothing.
Yeah, well, 23 July this year whilst sitting watching TV I got very SOB and the strong, erratic heartbeats started. And they continued for over 10 minutes. So I went upstairs to the 'puter room and turned my 02 concentrator on (2L) and put my Nonin Oximeter on. (I have COPD and OSA and bleed 2L of 02 into my VPAP at night). My heartbeats were jumping all over the place, from a low at one point of 54 to a high at one point of 247 BPM. I chewed an aspirin and debated calling 911. I did finally call 911 and they put me thru to the ambulance and paramedics who were dispatched to my home.
It was probably an hour to an hour and half from the first symptom I noticed to my arrival at ER. By the time the ambulance arrived my heartrate was definitely settling down and I was having second thoughts about going to ER. The paramedics ran an EKG strip, gave me 4 baby aspirin to chew, set a small IV bag of fluids and off we went to ER. My heartrate at its worst in ER was from 100 to 160 BPM. Two blood draws 4 hours apart and the results allowed me to be released w/the strong admonition to see my family doctor Monday and agree to the 30 day Event Monitor.
So the 27th of July I was started on this 30 day Event Monitor, confident that we were wasting our time. Yeah, right. the 29th I was just sitting quietly and whoopee! We got lucky! SOB for no reason, strong, erratic heartbeat, even some mild center chest pain. I donned the Nonin Oximeter and 2L of 02 and pressed the Event Monitor button. I received a call from the Monitoring place asking my symptoms. A few minutes later a Cardiologist called and told me to go to ER. By this time my Nonin Oximeter was indicating that my heartrate was definitely slowing down, I had no more chest pain and wasn't SOB so I declined. I did assure him I would go to ER if my heartrate increased, pain returned, etc.
Now, we had accomplished what we set out to do, right? I had an event w/the monitor on and they had a good recording from start to finish. sigh 28 more days to go w/this little beastie.
NOW curiousity starts to get the best of me and I start watching it. Sometimes it chirps. Just one chirp and a look at the LCD screen shows a *0 above and 0 below the box on the right which usually has an 8 above and a 0 below. But sometimes it doesn't chirp that one chirp and still there will be a *0 or *1 above the box and a 1 or 0 below. Other times it may or may not chirp that one chirp but there will be a * and some number, 0,1 or 2 above the box, a solid bar in the box and a number below the box, usually 1 or 0. Now just what the heck does this all mean? I HATE not knowing just what this little black beast is up to when it does these things!!!!
I am assuming that it must be reporting about a 30 minute "loop" to the monitoring station. I am assuming that a solid bar in the box is indicating an asymptomatic event. Since sometimes it chirps one chirp and other times it doesn't that when it does chirp it took a little longer than usual to connect w/the cell tower for the transmission.
Am I anywhere near on target w/my assumptions? Does anyone know just what this little beastie is doing w/its screen messages and chirp and lack of chirp??? I HATE NOT KNOWING. Curiosity killed the cat - and I've got 11 more days to live w/this beastie and the curiosity!!!!!
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