Abnormal ECG

Hello Everyone,

I’ve recently had two abnormal ECG. The first was done in the ER the day I was admitted when I was close to DKA. I didn’t find out about it until I read the report two days before I was supposed to have an endoscopy. They had told me everything was normal but the cardiologist who reviewed it said it showed right axis deviation and a heart attack couldn’t be ruled out. It also said insufficient data and the leads maybe had been reversed.

A few phone calls to the hospital got no result. So when I went for the endoscopy I asked them to redo it, one of the nurses started saying it was nothing to be worried about because that happens all the time, but I really see no explanation as to why this test wasn’t repeated before I left the hospital. So another nurse or nurses assistant said me to me don’t worry we’re going to redo it before the test. They redid it with two different sets of leads and said everything is normal so I felt relieved.

Then last night I read the report for that one written by the same cardiologist. He said this time there is left axis deviation and borderline q waves and again it’s abnormal. I’m just wondering why I’m never informed about these results.

I have had a lot of troubling symptoms for quite a while now including feeling faint/weak 3-4 times with palpitations sometimes, blurred vision and feeling I will pass out and I’m wondering if I have an electrical heart issue going on or could it just be stress( I don’t think it’s stress really and it didn’t seem to be bg related either although sometimes it’s hard to tell for sure) and or my hashimotos. My father and brother both have heart issues including afib/ sic sinus rhythm and entrophic cardiomyopathy. My brother was just diagnosed with sarcoidosis from skin biopisies.

I went to two cardiologists after D diagnosis and they couldn’t find anything wrong. They both said I have blood flowing back in one chamber but it’s not serious. The second said I sometimes have a very rapid heart rate and some irregular heart beats based on the halter data- I wore it for 24 hrs. She thought it was an endocrine issue and not long after I was diagnosed with hashimotos so I assumed maybe it was that. Some of the symptoms seemed to get better even on a small dose of levo.

I’m going to go to one of my father’s doctors who specializes in electrical problems. I’m hoping he can figure this out.

Has anyone else had abnormal ECG and what did it turn out to be if you figured it out?

At first I didn’t know what an ECG is. Though I know Cardio begins with a C, so many of the medical programs I watched as a kid called it “EKG.”

1 Like

I’m used to ekg also but they have changed it to ecg for some reason.

Apparently there’s a difference between an ekg and an electrocardiogram… Which is what I always thought it stood for…

@meee u pretty much just have to let the expert evaluate them in context… Both my wife and I have had them in which the machine showed some abnormality but then the expert said it’s totally normal when evaluated by an expert in the proper context… That’s why they get paid the big bucks…

1 Like

I don’t have the same abnormalities, but I do have issues with a very rapid heart rate over the years (SVT). I was on medication for years after having several episodes that sent me to the hospital, then things seemed to calm down for years (I quit coffee and Diet Coke and greatly reduced stress, which helped). But since being diagnosed with Graves’ disease things have come back, and I’m again on medication (not unusual for people with hyperthyroidism). I ended up going to the hospital again several weeks after being diagnosed with Graves’ disease because my heart was racing and I was feeling extra heartbeats, which they saw on the monitor, but ECG was normal aside from a fast heartbeat, so they said it wasn’t dangerous and to just up the dosage of the beta blocker. When I tried to stop the beta blocker after the anti-thyroid medication kicked in fully my heart rate began to go crazy again, so I’m now back on medication (which I hate, as my allergist says not to take it, but GP says to take it…). My GP thinks it’s due to my thyroid, but my endocrinologist doesn’t think so because tests show my thyroid is in the normal range. I’m inclined to agree with my GP, as I still have other symptoms of hyperthyroidism fairly often and I’ve never gotten back to feeling as good as I did before I developed thyroid issues.

Good luck seeing the specialist. Years ago I did see a cardiologist who offered to refer me to a specialist who could see exactly what was going wrong with my heart electronically. But it seems from reading that the only reason to do this type of thing (which is pretty invasive) is if they’re going to do an ablation, which the cardiologist also talked about. Ablation seems way too risky for me (small risk of needing a pacemaker), so I declined to see that specialist. However, if it looks like I’m going to be on medication long-term, I may see if I can get a referral back to that cardiologist and on to the other specialist.

These types of heart issues are so stressful. I hope you get them sorted out and feel better!

1 Like

Thanks Sam, The cardiologist who reviewed them at the hospital is supposedly an expert yet he wrote on my first report that I might have had a heart attack and then never informed me or anyone else about it so I’m not impressed with that. I guess I will have to see what the next one says.

In the absence of symptoms and family history this would be probably be less worrying but combined with all of the symptoms and now this I am concerned.

Thanks Jen, I’m wondering if some of this is my thyroid too, and or possibly all of my digestive issues contributing to everything. That must be so scary to have such a rapid heart beat. Mine seems to happen when I’m asleep mostly and my palpitations are usually more like fluttering except for certain times like bg shifts and the first weird dizzy spell I had where I felt I would pass out- that was the worst for the palpitations and it wasn’t my bg.

I’m sorry you are feeling worse since graves, the thyroid controls all your organ systems so it’s not surprising it can have some major bad effects like that. I think the problem with diagnosing these things is that unless you’re in a total crisis the ecg only shows what is going on at that time which someone at citi md told me, so you could appear to be normal one minute and then something shows up later on or something was happening earlier. That’s where the halters are more useful but even though something showed up on mine nothing was decided or done about it.

Im not that far from the age when my father had all of his heart issues diagnosed and then just recently it was discovered that he has hashimotos too. My brother’s condition was diagnosed years ago but no one treated it until 10-15 years ago at which point he started to gain and lose a lot of weight and get metabolic syndrome etc. My father was passing out randomly around the time he was diagnosed which helped them figure out that he needed a pacemaker. But he went into a crisis which helped diagnose it. Obviously it would be better to diagnose it before you go into a crisis.

I think they were going to do something crazy like ablation on my father, I’ve forgotten the name of the procedure now but it sounded very risky and I will never forget one of the interns telling him the highest risk for this procedure was that they were going to have to shave his chest… wtf?? :laughing:

It probably wasn’t that. But I think there are many other ways they can diagnose electrical problems now and there is no way I would do that for sure. When they did my echocardiogram the second time they wanted to inject small bubbles into me and I refused it because I didn’t feel it was safe.

I hope someone can figure this out whatever it is if anything. Maybe you should find someone who can figure it out with less invasive testing?

1 Like

Hi meee,

Very sorry that you are having these symptoms and also lack of clarity from your doctors! Heart irregularities can be so scary!

When someone I know was having unusual heartbeats, we got a home pulse oximeter. It seems just the same as the little thing the nurse slips your finger into to read the pulse.

The one we got is from Quest. We got it through Amazon, and it cost about $33.00. It shows the pulse rate and the level of oxygen. I like this one, especially, because it shows the pulse as a wave (or waveform) so you can see what the pattern looks like.

I am not a doctor or any sort of medical professional and am not trying to give anyone medical advice! The oximeter cannot take the place of evaluation and advice from a medical professional! But it has helped us understand what is happening and what the pulse is doing.

Best wishes to all!

marty1492

1 Like

Thanks Marty :relaxed:

I have a pulse oximeter and I’ll try that and see if I can figure anything out from that. Hopefully I will get to that other doctor soon, who knows when I will get an appointment. I tried to make one on Monday. I was put on hold for 45 minutes and then when I finally hung up and called back the office was closed. My father was supposed to call the doc’s cellphone which he has, but he didn’t yet, lol. I have no clue what is going on but I know when I’m having the irregular beats etc. usually.

Glad you already have a pulse oximeter! Hope that you get an appointment soon! Sending good thought your way!

marty

1 Like