1. < Heart & Blood Health

Skipped beats - CAD Blockage?

Posted by md5150 @md5150, Apr 7, 2023

Hi all. New to the forum
I'm 45m
Pre-diabetic
Non-smoker/non-drinker
recently lost 20 lbs with diet/exercise and lowered a1c from 5.9 to 5.7
History of Heart Disease with my father.

I’ve been having some shortness of breath, a racing heart after eating when exerting. This has been going on for years since I was diagnosed with anemia. My Hemoglobin is now normal. Then recently I’ve been having skipped heartbeats for the last month or so. I've also started to notice in the last few days that my ears are ringing. I'm a part-time musician so it is expected but I wear protection. Also, my hands and feet are always cold.

I've been seeing a cardiologist. My Blood work, EKG and Echo were normal. I had a calcium score the other day and it was 0.

Is there still a chance of having a blockage? Or are blockages not from skipped beats? I am terrified.

(If this is the wrong place for me to post this I will delete it.) Thank you all for your time.

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md5150 | @md5150 | Apr 13, 2023

Great News! I had a follow-up with my cardiologist. My stress test was normal. My Holter monitor said I had a .4% burden of premature beats. (That's point 4 percent), on top of my calcium score being 0 and my blood work, EKG and Echo were all normal.

I have a clean bill of health. The beats are benign. He said if I want to come back in a year for a follow-up echo, I can. I just need to keep bringing my A1C down with a Keto/Mediterranean/Paleo diet and lower my LDL. No medication is being perscribed either.

Thanks All!

REPLY
gborzewski | @gborzewski | Jun 17, 2023
In reply to @gloaming "Normal sinus rhythm in people without heart disease or disorders have frequent skipped beats, including repolarizations..." + (show)
@gloaming

Normal sinus rhythm in people without heart disease or disorders have frequent skipped beats, including repolarizations when there shouldn't be any. If you don't have palpitations, and if a capable device can show you a graphic representation of your heart's activity, you will see gaps, sometimes PACs (premature atrial contractions) and PVCs (Premature ventricular contractions). These, again, are normal, and electrophysiologists won't take a serious look at you until your 'burden' of ectopic beats rises to the 8-10% range. It seems odd, especially when one is uneasy knowing now that one has these ectopic beats, but they are not considered dangerous. Instead, it is tachycardia (ventricular and supraventricular) that require attention and management. Under the umbrella of SVT are flutter and fibrillation. They are not worrisome (except to the 'beneficiary') to the medical community right away, and if the heart rate isn't high, say above 100 BPM. Once the burden rises, or the heart seems content to remain steadfastly at a rate of, say, 115-130, the clinician will want to put you on either rate control or anti-arrhythmic. Virtually never both at the same time.

Blockages are from atherosclerotic plaque. Deposits of cholesterol, usually calcified. They are not caused by arrhythmias, but they MAY CAUSE arrhythmias. I had an angiogram a month prior to my first catheter ablation for the singular purpose of determining that I had no ischemia, or not much of it. Turns out I am good....at 70.

Plaque is caused by diet, often by transfats and other lipids in excessive amounts in the blood. It gets worse, and piles up, where there is scarring or inflammation in the lining of blood vessels. Some fats, like poor quality/rancid linoleic acids (plant lipids) will lead to more arachidonic acid, a precursor of inflammation.

A complicated subject. Does any of this help?

Jump to this post

I'm 69 Olds old. I have an issure with my heart. My heart skips beats, I did a nuclear stress test. They said i may have a blockage in the lower part of my heart & that i may need a stint. Can someone help me with this.? I live in freeport, IL. FHN heath is not a good system so I'm worried i wish i was at Mayo. I wish you all had a clinic here. Can you help me.?

REPLY
gloaming | @gloaming | Jun 19, 2023

The stent is merely a plumbing run-around, or bypass to get blood past the blockage. Except in rare cases, surgeons are loath to dislodge or to attempt to remove blockages because bits of them can be swept up in blood flow and end up in your brain or in another important vessel feeding your heart. This means thrombosis, or a stroke. So, it's easiest to nip the affected area on both sides of it, insert another blood vessel of a suitable size and length, taken from you (ideally), and stitched into place by a vascular surgeon.

Honestly, thousands of surgeons do this routinely, and have done so for many decades now. I would worry about other things, like whom to have with you for support, where to stay afterwards if you need to be close to the surgical facility, and the costs. The risks to you doing nothing are many times worse. If you enjoy living and have loved ones in your life, you should deal with this ASAP, and fear nothing.

REPLY
jobycat | @jobycat | Sep 24 5:34am

I am 58m. Had my first cath and 3 of 5 were blocked. Have a consult in a week. Fairly scared. Not sue how to make it through the next month. Live with my Sister now. She is in a wheel chair so, wont be much help for me after any surgery. Yeah Issues abound

REPLY
1 reply
gloaming | @gloaming | Sep 24 3:18pm
In reply to @jobycat "I am 58m. Had my first cath and 3 of 5 were blocked. Have a consult..." + (show)
@jobycat

I am 58m. Had my first cath and 3 of 5 were blocked. Have a consult in a week. Fairly scared. Not sue how to make it through the next month. Live with my Sister now. She is in a wheel chair so, wont be much help for me after any surgery. Yeah Issues abound

Jump to this post

There should be an agency that provides respite/home care for patients whose circumstances preclude a safe return home to be alone and unassisted. Ask the hospital, ask your insurer, ask a social worker...

REPLY
1 reply
shelby29 | @shelby29 | Sep 25 6:55am
In reply to @md5150 "Thank you. I will. How do they determine whether you get a stent vs. CABG?" + (show)
@md5150

Thank you. I will. How do they determine whether you get a stent vs. CABG?

Jump to this post

If blockage more than 70 percent, they tend to do CABG.

REPLY
jobycat | @jobycat | Sep 25 2:19pm
In reply to @gloaming "There should be an agency that provides respite/home care for patients whose circumstances preclude a safe..." + (show)
@gloaming

There should be an agency that provides respite/home care for patients whose circumstances preclude a safe return home to be alone and unassisted. Ask the hospital, ask your insurer, ask a social worker...

Jump to this post

I can hope. I will ask at the surgery consult. I got it moved to the 2nd. When I called to do that the first question they asked me was 'What insurance do you have' Why is that a consideration if I have these blockages???

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