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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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I Have Been Having Heart Palpitations. Should I Go Directly To A Heart Doc. Or What ?

I have been having heart palpitations (I m not real sure if that is how you spell it) I have had them here and there growing up, but nothing major. I noticed them more when I was pregnant with my children. But here lately they are becoming more frequent. I have no medical history due to being adopted. Sometimes if I am lying flat i can t breath , other times i ll be sitting here just like I am now and can feel my heart go nuts. It feels like I can t breath, my heart skips beats and it feels like I have butterflies in my stomach. If i get upset it starts, or if I yell at the kids for dinner I loose my breath. I saw my family doc and he is an idiot. He said I need a day at a spa!! Can I or should I go directly to a heart doc. or what? Thank you.
Sat, 19 Dec 2009
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After seeing this specific complaint over and over.... everyone is right you need to go see a cardiologist and get what is called a stress test. You will also need blood work and may end up needing to take home a portable heart monitor for a few days to record the cardiac events. You may also need an echocardiogram. It could be the following: PVCs- premature ventricular contraction Atrial Fibrilation- basically a misfire of you atria in your heart. If you want to know right away if it is atrial fib... all you have to do is check your pulse... see if it feels consistent... if it is irregular its most likely a-fib. Very survivable. You may need cardiac medication. The blood labs will determine if you have had any heart attacks recently. The echocardiogram will look at the muscle wall of your heart to determine any possible past damage. It will also look at the valves in your heart to see if there is any stinosis (hardening) or a prolapsed valve. Except, if it was a prolapsed valve your childhood doctor would have heard it long ago in his 200 dollar stethoscope. The other simple answer is you may be having a garden variety anxiety attack. Easy way to determine if this is it... Do you get numbness or tingling around your mouth and in your fingers???? If you do, you have been hyperventilating. I hope this helps... OH!! the echo is just an ultrasound of your heart.. painless and 15 min... the stress test... run on a tredmill
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I Have Been Having Heart Palpitations. Should I Go Directly To A Heart Doc. Or What ?

After seeing this specific complaint over and over.... everyone is right you need to go see a cardiologist and get what is called a stress test. You will also need blood work and may end up needing to take home a portable heart monitor for a few days to record the cardiac events. You may also need an echocardiogram. It could be the following: PVCs- premature ventricular contraction Atrial Fibrilation- basically a misfire of you atria in your heart. If you want to know right away if it is atrial fib... all you have to do is check your pulse... see if it feels consistent... if it is irregular its most likely a-fib. Very survivable. You may need cardiac medication. The blood labs will determine if you have had any heart attacks recently. The echocardiogram will look at the muscle wall of your heart to determine any possible past damage. It will also look at the valves in your heart to see if there is any stinosis (hardening) or a prolapsed valve. Except, if it was a prolapsed valve your childhood doctor would have heard it long ago in his 200 dollar stethoscope. The other simple answer is you may be having a garden variety anxiety attack. Easy way to determine if this is it... Do you get numbness or tingling around your mouth and in your fingers???? If you do, you have been hyperventilating. I hope this helps... OH!! the echo is just an ultrasound of your heart.. painless and 15 min... the stress test... run on a tredmill