Trigger Mike Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 I have a heart murmur the doc found years ago but said he is not worried about it, 3 different ones said that. A few months ago I was in to see the doc as a tick bite got infected. I mentioned chest pains to the right of the heart and ekg came back ok. This week chest pains to the left side of the heart (just left of left breast) and today for hours my heart has been fluttering, even my wife could feel it. At what point do you go to a dr about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Bob #35998 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 Not a doc but it sounds like Atrial Fibrillation. My brother in law had it but medication has controlled it. I went to the doc last year when it felt my hear was skipping a beat. Took the stress test, angiogram etc. turned out to be Pre Atrial Contractions. Not especially dangerous. If I were you, I’d get it checked out ASAP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sloe Moe Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 Feel your pulse, either wrist or neck, while watching a sweep-second hand on a clock, count your pulse rate and check for regularity. If irregularly irregular, your Doc needs to know. Heart palpitations (fluttering) can be caused by a whole lot of harmless things (coffee is one). Relax, keep an eye on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trailrider #896 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 I am NOT a doctor, BUT THE FIRST THING TO DO IS GO TO AN EMERGENCY ROOM! An EKG may NOT show problems all the time! There are blood enzyme tests that can be run. Be sure to tell the E-room docs about the tick bite. You may be having atrial fibrillation...or it could be "just" atrial flutter, which isn't as serious, but can also be controlled by medication. If your doctors are not cardiologists, find one, either by referral from your primary care physician or the e-room docs. Best of luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted August 25, 2019 Author Share Posted August 25, 2019 I did the pulse check and while the heart is fluttering the pulse is steady. A heart dr as well as normal dr all found it but didn't worry about it, but then again one heart dr saw my shoulder bruise from shooting a 1884 trapdoor in a buffalo shooting match and told me I didn't need to see him anymore. I did have coffee this afternoon, I drink 2 cups a day. But today we also had a power outage and a blown fuse in the generator which kept me busy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted August 25, 2019 Author Share Posted August 25, 2019 My dr is open 7 days a week so I may go see him tomorrow afternoon when he opens 12 to 7. He is a good dr and has a clinic and is partnered with other drs on a clinic for poor people with no insurance. Once my wife was really sick and he was in the ER for another patient and changed the direction the ER staff was taking upon seeing me and finding out she was there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted August 25, 2019 Author Share Posted August 25, 2019 I took a shower and laid down and it seems better. It flares up sometimes but this time seems worse. I will get it looked at though. Better safe than unable to be sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 Definitely follow through on this, Mike. 'Bout... three and a half years ago or so, I experienced "fluttering" in the middle of the night. Drove myself to the ER (got chewed out for that!); ended up spending a couple of days in the cardiac ward. Been on a bunch of meds and a regular at the labs ever since, and all is good - so far. Might not have been so if I had procrastinated. Remember... the greatest dangers with heart situations are denial and delay. My first day in the hospital the fella in the bed next to me coded during supper. He didn't make it, but that sure made one hell of an impression on me. By the way - caffeine can trigger AF. And your GP may be an excellent family doctor, but cardiologists are specialists for a reason. By the way - my "regular" doc sez alcohol is a no-no. My cardiologist sez a glass of wine or two with dinner is perfectly fine and is actually good for me. Guess whose advice I follow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 See a Specialist. Do not delay. Go to the emergency room, don’t wait until noon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-BAR #18287 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 This ^^^. The heart murmur has nothing to do with your pain. Stop being a macho idiot and get to an emergency room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLACKFOOT SASS #11947 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 4 hours ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said: See a Specialist. Do not delay. Go to the emergency room, don’t wait until noon. You should have done that 8 hours ago. Don't ask me how I know! Blackfoot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 It should be a quarter after 10 where Trigger Mike is. I am hoping we have no response because he is at the ER and has been for hours getting proper medical care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 Trigger Mike, I prefer a universe with you alive and well in it. The advice you've already gotten, is sound, please heed it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold Lake Kid, SASS # 51474 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 Watching for updates. Sending some prayers from North of the Medicine Line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgavin Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 AFIB (and sleep apnea) are also a cause of strokes. Get it treated so you don't wind up drooling in a wheelchair instead of shooting at matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Rustler, SASS #26680 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 13 hours ago, Trigger Mike said: I did the pulse check and while the heart is fluttering the pulse is steady. A heart dr as well as normal dr all found it but didn't worry about it, but then again one heart dr saw my shoulder bruise from shooting a 1884 trapdoor in a buffalo shooting match and told me I didn't need to see him anymore. I did have coffee this afternoon, I drink 2 cups a day. But today we also had a power outage and a blown fuse in the generator which kept me busy. Are you saying that doctor didn't want to see you as a patient because you shoot guns?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted August 25, 2019 Author Share Posted August 25, 2019 Yes, I am saying that the impression I got from the heart dr was he didn't like guns, but I moved to south georgia where nearly all have one. My fluttering stopped when I laid down and my chest pains went away soon as I stood up to preach this morning but I will still go get checked out. Just got home with the family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 41 minutes ago, Trigger Mike said: Yes, I am saying that the impression I got from the heart dr was he didn't like guns, but I moved to south georgia where nearly all have one. My fluttering stopped when I laid down and my chest pains went away soon as I stood up to preach this morning but I will still go get checked out. Just got home with the family. Keep messing around... That’s what my Dad’s best friend did. He was like a father to me, even more so than my own. He kept messing around. Thinking it would go away. His children found him in the living room in his easy chair. His nitroglycerin tablet bottle lying on the floor. Do us a favor, give your wife or one of your kids your username and password so they can post after your dead. They can let us know where to send flowers and cards. Yeah, I sound harsh right now. I mean to. “He just kept messing around”...might make a good epitaph. What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted August 25, 2019 Author Share Posted August 25, 2019 I'm waiting for the test results now. I just recall how my dad kept going to dr with chest pains and he was told it was gas until he needed a bypass, then he would go back with pain and he was told it was gas . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 Good. I pray everything is okay and it’s “just gas”. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Widder, SASS #59054 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 I got me 2 good HEART docs. Certified Cardiologist. Those are the 'go to' guys for your issue..... and 'go to NOW'. From experience (I got 5 heart stents and 2 neck stents), its mush simpler (and easier on you) for the experts to fix your issues now than it is after they roll you into the operating room on a gurney, jumping up and down on your chest while hollering your name loudly. ..........Widder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted August 25, 2019 Author Share Posted August 25, 2019 Test came back abnormal but not imminent so tomorrow they are having the heart dr call me. The stress test they run at my dr is administered by a nurse from the heart dr office if I understand it right, so they are partners as it were evidently. In a small town you have different options than when I lived near Atlanta. They decided to send me home with a warning what to look for to know when to go to the ER. Our local hospital usually sends patients to Savannah an hour and half away as they cant help heart or stroke. The hospital they send you to has among the lowest ratings in the state and I've known some who got staff there as they cleaned room once a week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted August 25, 2019 Author Share Posted August 25, 2019 I want to thank you for the prayers and guidance. It helped get me to the dr. Now that I checked it out it has relieved the worry which was not helping the pain go away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-BAR #18287 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 If you experience symptoms again, please don’t drive yourself. Have your wife or a friend drive you, or ride in an ambulance. Don’t endanger yourself or others on the highway by risking a full blown attack. Glad you are getting checked out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellowhouse Sam # 25171 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 I came in on this late.....glad you went in. Having had all the above it was wise you went on in. Something else I'm wondering.....you say you had a tick bite. Well, those nasty critters can transmit Lyme, Rocky Mtn spotted fever, and others that can settle in and severely damage a defective heart valve which is what you have hence the murmur. Watch out for the telltale rashes and such. My heart goes thump thump at night whenever I have an infection......surprised a little he didn't prescribe a round of doxycycline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted August 25, 2019 Author Share Posted August 25, 2019 I did get an antibiotic for the tick bite back a few months ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tex Jones, SASS 2263 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 Mike, I have been following this thread today. In an abundance of caution why don't you try getting an appointment with a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL? After the Cleveland Clinic they're number 2 in the US. Good luck. Tex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sedalia Dave Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 Driving an hour and a half to see a good cardiologist is a small price to pay to keep your health. When my better half was having heart issues we were fortunate to have a world class cardiologist ( Dr. Avinash Mondkar ) that had a part time practice in the small town where we lived two hours drive north west of LA. He raised his family in out in a small high desert town and saw patients two days a week there. The other 3 days he was at his Cedars-Sinai office. Every time the wife needed a procedure or test it was off to LA. Hated the traffic but in the long run it was a small price to pay for a proper diagnosis and treatment. Where I live now a guy I used to work with was having issues similar to yours. Had two stress tests about a month apart at the local small town hospital that came back negative. He knew something was wrong and went to Baylor in Dallas about a week after the second test and saw a better heart Dr. After a few tests in the morning they admitted him for emergency bypass surgery the next day. Came home a week later with a double bypass and 3 or 4 stints. Do some homework and find a Cardiologist that is worth his salt. Your family is worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootin' Shu Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 The best thing your primary doc can do is admit he's no cardiologist. Go to a larger hospitals ER. IMO you are being way to casual about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duffield, SASS #23454 Posted August 26, 2019 Share Posted August 26, 2019 Doc at the VA found a problem on my yearly checkup in May and had me wear a monitor for a week. I have Atrial Fib. My wife, who is a retired cardio nurse, says that it can lead to a stroke and is not to be trifled with. It can be controlled by medication, or I can have an ablation preformed. My ablation is scheduled for Sept. 9. Until then I am taking Eliquis to prevent a stroke. I do not like to take needless chances with my heart. YMMV Duffield Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Mo, SASS No. 25217 Posted August 26, 2019 Share Posted August 26, 2019 Sometimes Google is your friend. I've been having an issue for years. The doctor wasn't concerned. It has become bad. I Googled and found many answers that make sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Mike Posted August 27, 2019 Author Share Posted August 27, 2019 I'm going to try the Google route and also drs in bigger towns. I talked to the heart dr after my dr sent him a referral and it will be sep 20 before he can see me. That is a long time to wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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