Had 24hr ECG from GP Surgery, now asked to attend Cardio apt

[Hythan]

I had a 24hr ECG monitor fitted at my GP surgery. This was on Monday 25th February.

They told me it would be up to 10 days for results. The reason i had it fitted was to put my mind at rest as I have palpitations, brought on by caffeine, and stress (i suffer from anxiety). Although my GP wasn't concerned about them, she agreed to the 24hr ECG to put my mind at rest.

However. I haven't heard anything at all from my GP surgery. Yet a letter came today asking my to attend an appointment at a Cardiology Clinic in Bracknell, on the 3rd of April, to have another monitor fitted. They have not ticked the box to tell me if it is for 24hrs, 48hrs, or longer.

I am now very frightened and am very much into 'panic mode' as I have no information whatsoever. I don't know if they saw a problem with my heart, I don't know if the EGG monitor didn't work, I don't know what is happening at all. And with it being a Saturday, no one can give me any information at all.

So I am looking for some reassurance as to why they are fitting me with another monitor, and if this is normal?! I'm aware you won't know exactly why, just if anyone has experienced similar?

Thank you to anyone who can help.

[rlw]

Sort of been here. If there was a problem requiring urgent attention they would have called you and checked you out immediately. Lack of action suggests that there is no problem. Stop worrying (easier said than done I know) cut out the coffee and drink lots of calming camomile tea instead.

[Pickled Piper]

rlw said:

Sort of been here. If there was a problem requiring urgent attention they would have called you and checked you out immediately. Lack of action suggests that there is no problem. Stop worrying (easier said than done I know) cut out the coffee and drink lots of calming camomile tea instead.

Exactly as above. Suggests initial assessment may have been inconclusive. GP has done his/her bit and has now passed you onto Cardiologist. Not all GPs have the ability to properly interpret ECG results.

If they had found something potentially serious you would have got a phone call. Try and relax, think calm thoughts etc.

PP

[goldblum]

Ring your surgery on Monday and ask for the results. It's quite common for a doctor to request either two identical tests some time apart or two very similar tests in order to compare results.

[russy01]

Hythan said:

I had a 24hr ECG monitor fitted at my GP surgery. This was on Monday 25th February.

They told me it would be up to 10 days for results. The reason i had it fitted was to put my mind at rest as I have palpitations, brought on by caffeine, and stress (i suffer from anxiety). Although my GP wasn't concerned about them, she agreed to the 24hr ECG to put my mind at rest.

However. I haven't heard anything at all from my GP surgery. Yet a letter came today asking my to attend an appointment at a Cardiology Clinic in Bracknell, on the 3rd of April, to have another monitor fitted. They have not ticked the box to tell me if it is for 24hrs, 48hrs, or longer.

I am now very frightened and am very much into 'panic mode' as I have no information whatsoever. I don't know if they saw a problem with my heart, I don't know if the EGG monitor didn't work, I don't know what is happening at all. And with it being a Saturday, no one can give me any information at all.

So I am looking for some reassurance as to why they are fitting me with another monitor, and if this is normal?! I'm aware you won't know exactly why, just if anyone has experienced similar?

Thank you to anyone who can help.

I wouldn't worry chap, if it was deadly they would have you in by now.

I was in the same boat, I was passing out randomly so was chucked on the ECG machine at my local surgery. They looked concerned at the results and I was sent off for several 24hr checks like you have.

Several appointments later with specialists it was revealed that I had a level 1 AV block. If your interested - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_degree_AV_block

I was told that it won't be an issue but there is a higher chance ill need a pacemaker in the future.

I haven't changed anything I do and I have had no issues. E.g I was on the bike yesterday for 75mins and averaged 160bpm.

If you are really worried then get on the phone, but from my experience with other members of my family the NHS have upped their game when the st has hit the fan.

[Chapppers]

If you haven't passed out and don't feel ill / tired / etc when it's happening, and it doesn't happen for particularly long then it's probably fine. I have had atrial flutter / SVT (fixed by cardiac ablation in November). I've had some other symtoms since so I'm waiting for a 24hr monitor hopefully for some point this week.

If they stop on their own after a couple of minutes, I can't imagine it's anything serious. Mine used to fire off for hours at a time, causing tiredness and mood changes and sometimes had to be stopped using electricity or drugs in A&E.

Let us know what they say and if it's anything I've had send me a message.

[Hythan]

Thanks very much for the replies.

Update;

I called the GP surgery this morning, they knew absolutely nothing. Didn't have the results from the initial ECG, and couldn't see a referral to the Bracknell Clinic on the system. They said they would look into this and call me back.

I then called the Bracknell Clinic myself, to ask them direct. As this was the actual clinic I had the appointment with, I assumed they would know more. Wrong. They also, knew nothing. No results, no referral notes, nothing. She gave me the telephone number for the Cardiologists Secretary, in Reading, which is also where the ECG trace fro the GP Surgery gets sent to.

So I called Reading. SURELY, they are the one's to put my mind at rest, tell me what's happening, and why I've been called in. Nope! Again, nothing. She said she would look into it and call me back.

When she called me back, she told me that the appointment had been made by mistake, she didn't know by who, just that it was a mistake. And it has now been cancelled. I asked about my ECG results, and she told me that they haven't even been looked at yet. And probably won't be until the middle of this week.

So, initially, my comforting thought was that I wasn't being treated as urgent, hence the rather distant appointment date. But now I am back to square one and don't know if there is something wrong or not.

To describe what happens to my heart and what I feel, would be to say that it feels like it is beating normally, will then momentarily stop, and then a second later it will thump quite hard. Not really hard, but enough for me to feel it. Sometimes it feels like it has a little 'flutter' too. I am hyper vigilant to my heart rhythm. I am often 'tuning in' to it's beat, and am therefore very aware when it does it's little trick.

Sometimes, and I mean once every three/four weeks or so, I feel a little bit faint when it does it. Although I'm unsure whether this is an involuntary symptom, of if it is me 'panicking' and therefore rushing some adrenalin in for good measure, causing me to overwhelm myself with fear.

Either way, it's bloody scary.

ETA: I have been having these palpitations, for approximately 2 years. And I'm not dead yet. So I'm sure that's a good thing

Edited by Hythan on Monday 4th March 22:30

[Chapppers]

Well exactly, 2 years and nothing bad to speak of. Calm down, try to forget about it (you mention stress so that might not be that easy I guess)

I know it's your heart but a lot of stuff like this can happen for very silly, completely normal and entirely undangerous reasons.

Seriously, coming from someone who's been rushed through A&E without even stopping and into a theatre within an hour... Whatever you have isn't a worry to them and shouldn't be to you.

Oh and I'm 26.