I didn't expect this at age 47.

[VirtualLarry]

I might need some of those things soon. I'm in my mid-fourties. I need to schedule a sleep study / monitor thing, to see if I need a CPAP, and then a Cardiologist, as I think I might have some heart issues too.

My lower legs / ankles and feet have started to swell slightly. What could that be? Diabetes, or heart issues?

 

[Crono]

I might need some of those things soon. I'm in my mid-fourties. I need to schedule a sleep study / monitor thing, to see if I need a CPAP, and then a Cardiologist, as I think I might have some heart issues too.

My lower legs / ankles and feet have started to swell slightly. What could that be? Diabetes, or heart issues?

Peripheral edema can be caused by a lot of things. If it's slight it could be nothing, but see a doctor and ask.

 

[PianoMan]

Nuclear - have you been thru other tests that would rule out structural heart issues, or heart disease? Do you have a family history of heart disease or arrhythmia?

I'm fit as well (retired military), though in my civilian job, there less "dedicated" time to work out (man, I miss that in the service), and I indulge in foods that I should probably scale back given my age.

I have palpitations (PVC's) occasionally, which started in my early forties. First seen on an EKG at the doc's office, I wore a monitor for 24 hours afterwards. The results came back as benign. Since my early forties, I've also had several other EKGs, an echocardiogram, a stress test, and two nuclear (no pun intended!) stress tests. All perfectly normal.

I hope you're in the same boat of having some benign arrhythmia. While I was wading through all this, yeah - I felt my age, and thought more of my own mortality. It does make you reconsider many things that you before have taken for granted.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

As of 1:11pm today, I have to wear a 24 hour heart monitor. My heartbeat has been irregular for about a month and a half. I'm one of the most fit people of my age I know, but it doesn't matter - this has made me feel very old and kind of scared.

Nothing against you personally, but this is why I laugh at people that spend 20%+ of their life in a gym.

In the end it's not going to be a major determining factor vs. General exercise. Either case we can fall over tomorrow for all we know.

Either way, hope these issues clear up for you

 

[JEDIYoda]

If it mkes you feel any better 3 yers ago I came down with Pnumonia! I was in and ou of the hospital 8 times in 2015!
I was already a diabetic, with my numbers under control!
I was a fit, 165 lb man! Then I got sick in 2015 -- all of a sudden I had chronic heart failure........stage 3 kidney disease and very serious edema that was keeping me from breathing properly. I suffered from fatigue 24/7 and because I had Pnumonia it seriously affected my blood pressure.
I was just diagnosed with Bell`s Palsy and guess what? I am alive and enjoy being with family nd friends. it took a while but I eventually over came the emotional sad feelings and can tell you that you are not alone. I do not feel old but as all of my doctors have told me --when you get over 50....things happen!!
One last thing trust your doctors and make sure they are willing to talk with each other to give you the best treatment possible!
My GP.....Endocrinologist, Oncologist, Pulmonologist, cardiolologist and a Nephrologist!! All my doctors communicate and before they perscribe any medicine due to how bad my kidneys are they always run it by my Nephrologist first!!

Hang in there brother!!

 

[Iron Woode]

As of 1:11pm today, I have to wear a 24 hour heart monitor. My heartbeat has been irregular for about a month and a half. I'm one of the most fit people of my age I know, but it doesn't matter - this has made me feel very old and kind of scared.

my sister had that happen last year.

turn out to be some fluid around her heart. she goes for another test next month. so far she is doing much better.

as for me, I am going to the local heart clinic for a follow up for my heart issue: PAPVR.

live life as best you can as we only get one shot at it.

 

[Thebobo]

What are the ramifications of an irregular heartbeat? Good luck in any case. Perhaps you have the same thing you always had, but age is slowing down recovery.

Stroke, heart failure. I've had Afib for years, had three kickstarts. Where they "kill" you and then zap you back to life to try and get a steady beat. None of them held. Was thinking about getting an ablation, where the go in and zap/kill the cells that misfire. But decided just to not to and have been on warfarin (pita) now pradaxa.

Ned I've been told by doctors that sleep apnea can contribute to arrhythmia. Might want ask your Dr about it and maybe a sleep study.

 

[Exterous]

Mine was record and return to pull, so was my wife's

We dont have fancy cellullar units.

Play yours on the phone? Did they give you an acoustic coupler as well?

Mine came with a cell phone I had to keep near me or it would beep loudly (Bluetooth connection to the leads)

I'm not sure if the data is fed to the doctor or not, but I do know that my mom can check a website and see how she did while sleeping, how many times the mask was taken off, if there was any need to up the air pressure, etc. .

No website with mine but it was heart monitoring and roughly real time to a monitoring center. No doctors there to provide diagnosis but they would call you if it was an urgent issue to tell you to go to the Er. They sent weekly reports to my Dr. I wore mine for 18 days or so because mine was largely inconsistent (many days nothing and then 3 in one day)

 

[NuclearNed]

Just throwing this out there as I'm sure you've had loads of tests by know, but did they check your magnesium levels?

Not sure - they did a "routine" blood test a few weeks ago as part of my annual physical

 

[NuclearNed]

If it makes you feel better I had to wear one at 33. Fortunately it was just premature ventricular contractions which my doctor told me is the most common diagnosis and generally has no side effects. Hopefully that holds true for you as well

It's almost for sure PVC. The company doctor where I work said there are 2 types of PVC - one is benign, but the other can be bad. He suggested that my primary doctor is trying to figure out which one I have.

 

[chitwood]

I might need some of those things soon. I'm in my mid-fourties. I need to schedule a sleep study / monitor thing, to see if I need a CPAP, and then a Cardiologist, as I think I might have some heart issues too.

My lower legs / ankles and feet have started to swell slightly. What could that be? Diabetes, or heart issues?

no offense, but don't you weigh like 300+ and drink 6 Mt Dews a day?

 

[NuclearNed]

heart issues - any idea if it's due to diet and eating red meats often?

Probably not - I hardly ever eat red meat. I do drink a lot of coffee and some alcohol on the weekends; its possible that those are triggering it.

 

[NuclearNed]

Given the climbing and areas you do it in, could lymes desease be a possibility?

Hadn't given it any thought. I haven't knowingly had a tick bite in at least a year.

 

[NuclearNed]

If you smoke, please stop.

I don't & never have.

 

[NuclearNed]

Stroke, heart failure. I've had Afib for years, had three kickstarts. Where they "kill" you and then zap you back to life to try and get a steady beat. None of them held. Was thinking about getting an ablation, where the go in and zap/kill the cells that misfire. But decided just to not to and have been on warfarin (pita) now pradaxa.

Ned I've been told by doctors that sleep apnea can contribute to arrhythmia. Might want ask your Dr about it and maybe a sleep study.

My Dad had an ablation in 2007. It made him a new man. He felt tons better almost immediately.

 

[NuclearNed]

Nuclear - have you been thru other tests that would rule out structural heart issues, or heart disease? Do you have a family history of heart disease or arrhythmia?

Family history - yes. My Dad started having arrhythmia when he was about 60. He's had a slow pulse rate most of his life, even though he is far from being athletic.

 

[IronWing]

Oh good, you're still with us. Keep on keeping on. Can you watch your heart data in real time? Might be interesting to see how your heart reacting to climbing, lifting telephone poles, and other activities. Make a list of activities that make your heart go pitter-splat. Careful curation of the list can get you out of all sorts of un-pleasantries. "Honey, I'd love to do that but you know what it does to my heart. Let me show you the waveform again."

 

[Thebobo]

My Dad had an ablation in 2007. It made him a new man. He felt tons better almost immediately.

Yea I might have to check into again. BTW did you see what I mentioned about Sleep Apnea?

 

[JEDIYoda]

Fluid around the heart is called a pericardial effusion and if left untreated can lead o a stroke or heart attack! I had fluid around the lungs that they removed by poking a suction device in my7 back and the first time they remove almosy 2 litres of fluid and then 2nd time 2 weeks later they removed just under a litre! Only they called what I had a pleural effusion and that can wreck havoc with youyr breathing! It is now regulated with 2 medicines that are power diuretics!! By the way the procedure is called a thorsen thesis.......it`s been almost 3 years and the scar tissue inside he body has not healed yet!! Just have to live wih it!!

 

[NuclearNed]

Yea I might have to check into again. BTW did you see what I mentioned about Sleep Apnea?

sleep apnea - I've never been checked for it. My Mom has it, but I'm not sure if it can be an inherited thing. I'll bring it up with the Dr when I see him next.

 

[NuclearNed]

Oh good, you're still with us. Keep on keeping on. Can you watch your heart data in real time? Might be interesting to see how your heart reacting to climbing, lifting telephone poles, and other activities. Make a list of activities that make your heart go pitter-splat. Careful curation of the list can get you out of all sorts of un-pleasantries. "Honey, I'd love to do that but you know what it does to my heart. Let me show you the waveform again."

Hmm... that reminds me. Mrs Ned brought home bacon-habanero potato chips last night. She knows I'm having cardiac troubles. I wonder what she's up to???

 

[sdifox]

Hmm... that reminds me. Mrs Ned brought home bacon-habanero potato chips last night. She knows I'm having cardiac troubles. I wonder what she's up to???

Revenge for hypnosis attempt.

 

[HomerJS]

thanks guys. My heartrate has been very slow & irregular ever since I returned from my backpacking trip in the Rockies. I've had this after high elevation trips before, but it's always cleared up in a few days. It's been a month and a half since the hike, so I finally decided it was time to see the Dr. I actually saw him a few weeks ago for my yearly physical, immediately after the trip. At that time we talked at length about the issue as it was ongoing, but he wasn't concerned (because it's happened before & has cleared up on its own).

How did you first discover it? Physical? Fitness monitor? Symptoms?

 

[NuclearNed]

How did you first discover it? Physical? Fitness monitor? Symptoms?

I can feel it. It feels like my heart is fluttery for a split second. When I'm checking my pulse and that happens, it feels like my heart is skipping a beat. I learned yesterday that this isn't actually what's happening... instead, my heart will have 2 beats in abnormally rapid succession, then a short period with nothing.

I guess everyone has heart flutters from time to time, but for me right now this is happening a lot, I would guess at least once a minute, sometimes more.

 

[HomerJS]

I can feel it. It feels like my heart is fluttery for a split second. When I'm checking my pulse and that happens, it feels like my heart is skipping a beat. I learned yesterday that this isn't actually what's happening... instead, my heart will have 2 beats in abnormally rapid succession, then a short period with nothing.

Good luck. I'm mid 50's doing my best to stay in shape. I think I'm reasonably good. BP 113/65 resting HR 49-52. Could drop about 10 lbs lbs from 194. @5'10"