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EKG question

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Posted 7/21/2005 1:52 PM (GMT -6)
I got an ekg for the first time today as part of a general physical exam.  the dr. looked at the results and told me that it was "basically normal".  I asked what that meant and he said that there was a bit of a left axis deviation that the computer picks up on but that it is not any kind of problem. he said it just means that my heart is not exactly in the center but that its the same as if my left foot was a size bigger than my right - just means i'm not perfect, but no an indiactor of a problem. i asked if it could cause any kind of problem in the future and he said no, that i was fine and shouldn't worry.  just wanted to know if anyone else has gotten this diagnosis here and whether my dr is right that there is no cause for concern.  the rest of my check up came up fine (good blood pressure, etc.)

thanks!! 

Posted 7/21/2005 2:27 PM (GMT -6)
Sounds EXCELLENT! There are often slight differences from person to person. It's good to have a baseline EKG. Make sure to keep a copy for your own file at home. Your Doc gave you a good analogy.
Take care!

Oona
Posted 7/21/2005 6:48 PM (GMT -6)
Hi nycgirl and Welcome to HealingWell!! tongue

 

While none of us are Dr.'s here, I did locate a link that did come from a Dr.

 

Q. "Is a left axis deviation notation on an ECG significant?"

 

A. "If that is the only abnormality on the ECG, unless it is new, it is generally not considered a problem."

http://www.medhelp.org/perl6/cardio/archive/6244.html

 

I hope this is helpful to you?!  Be well!

 

Hugs, Teri tongue

Posted 7/22/2005 8:01 AM (GMT -6)
You have got to love it when a doctor says any type of heart test is "basically" normal. I don't like to hear that either, I want perfectly normal. My last ER trip ( doc sent me to get vitals done due to panic attack, his office was loaded) I had an EKG done...about the 10th one and the nurse who did it let me look at it. It said "marked sinus arrythmia"... since I understood any arrythmia to be a bad thing I almost fainted. I was panicky to begin with, and that did NOT help me any. The EKG also stated Normal EKG.... okay I was confused and the nurse was confused also. She didn't understand it... it showed a nice even rhythm. So the doc comes in and I grabbed him right off with what was wrong with it... he just grinned ( didn't appreciate the humor at that point) and said it was common in children and thin people to have this arrythmia lying down. The heart gets a little extra blood flow for some reason and it pauses longer between beats while filling with extra blood. Apparently, people who are sensitive to any changes in heart rate can feel it but most people do not.

I'm still amazed, since I thought any arrythmia was a bad thing. With my panic disorder comes a heart phobia, since it likes to palpitate and take off with a fast hard beat. So the idea that my heart doesn't beat "right" while lying down does nothing for me.

-Sarah

Posted 7/22/2005 12:41 PM (GMT -6)
Hi Sarah!! tongue

 

I guess as we are all very unique individuals, we can all experience certain things, or feel them in our bodies when others cannot.  I was told that when I felt my A-Fib it was because I was so thin! yeah The Dr. said someone with more weight on them may never have noticed them.  Okay... :)

 

I've experienced Panic Attacks after having a heart attack and then stenting, and I understand this to be something that occurs in more than a few people!  I also have PVC's.  They seem to occur when I'm under more stress, though they have come up when I was just sitting quietly...

 

Here is a link that you might want to look at if you've not seen it before...

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=11

I do hope it helps?!  Best wishes to you!

 

Hugs, Teri tongue

Posted 7/23/2005 9:01 PM (GMT -6)
Well...doc did another EKG yesterday at his office. He says that it's normal. But he still wants me to go do an exercise stress test. Don't know why exactly, since all these docs say my heart is fine. So now I am stressing over the stress test..lol.
To me, totally uneducated about EKGs, do not think it looks normal. I sat online for a couple hours last night, looking up stuff on EKG's and I still can't find any that look like mine. I know it's bad for my anxiety to do stuff like that, but since I woke up with the racing heart thing (after taking klonopin) I figured..why not??
Maybe someone here can explain the EKG thing to me. The very first space on the top... the left side..really had no "spikes" to it... jsut kindof a squiggly line thing going on. The rest of EKG looked fairly even and normal, except for normal sinus arrythmia, ( see... learned something from research)... but that first section really has none of that. Is the first one registering something like electrical activity and not the actual beat or something?? I am really thin, too... could that account for it?? All the doc would say was.. totally normal. I know I should content myself with that, but... I can't for some reason. Probably my lovely anxiety/panic disorder.
I'll quit whining now..lol
-Sarah
Posted 7/23/2005 9:18 PM (GMT -6)
Sarah,

 

I've never been an EKG expert, so I don't want to try and start now! nono   However, so far the Dr.'s seem to be trying to make sure and double check on everything so that they will be sure!!  I'm glad that they are giving you the stress test - that may tell more.  I, too have had anxiety problems with panic attacks and I can tell you that this does play into your worries with this.  If you trust your Dr.'s and are having no problems currently, then continue with the testing and see what the stress test shows up!  I wish you my best and hope that all is well.

 

Hugs, Teri tongue

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