24 hour heart monitor

[selphie]

hi
i was just womdering if anybody could give me a bit of advice.
today ive had my 24 hour holter monitor put on im trying to get on normally with the day but im really really anxious about it.

i was told to press the button when i get a symptom and then write the time and what i was doing which i have ive only had a couple of missed beats...... well i think i did im now starting to wonder if i imagined it and pushed the button for nothing and was panicing trying to get my top up to press the button by then a couple of minutes had gone its a nightmare.
its hard to try and push the button and find the time all at the right moment its making me even worse.

does anybody know that when they take it off tomoz do they know anything there or then or do you have to wait for the results.
the person who put it on said she knew nothing bout hearts she just knows how to take ot on or off and thats who i have to see im soo worried i was fine up until today please helpxxx

[Wotnews]

Hi selphie
Is it the monitor you wear on you wrist...looks a bit like a kids toy watch? If it is I had the same problem about when to press the flippin button...plus someone at work pressed it cos they thought it was a toy. My gp gave it me...it didn't show anything. I cant remember if i had to wait for results,i think i did..couple of days.I insisted i was still having missed beats and eventually doc sent me for a heart scan ( fancy name can't remember it) and a proper 72 hour monitor which was taped on to my chest. The outcome was I was having irregular beats..nothing attall to worry about. I had beta blockers for a bit but dont take them now..I've got used to the missed beats and I believe the doc saying it's nothing to worry about.
Hope this helps..message me if you need. The other thing is I soooooo know the difference between skipped heart beats and the nightmare heart pounding of a panic attack..even if the doc doesn't!!
X

[selphie]

hi wotsnews
the monitor is on a belt round my waist and i have to pull up my top to press the button its a rite pain in the arse
when the ectopic comes i cant get to the bloody thing.
i cant wait till i get this thing off its soooooo itchy.
the weird thing i used to get the ectopics all day every day i waited sooo long for my appointment bout 2 months and im hardly getting em at all since coming to this web site and meeting ppl the same as me.
at first when everybody told me it was stressed related ithought no way cant but as the days went on they came less and less and today when i wanted one they wont come.
even tho they terrify me 2 death when they do.

[NattyOne]

Try not panic too much. That type of monitor sounds like a real pain. If it doesn't show much when they go over the results, I would definitely ask for a proper traditional holter monitor - one that has the little pads stuck to your chest, the wires, and the small (about iPOD size) electronic recorder. It will capture EVERYTHING! and you don't have to press any darn buttons. I just had to jot down the time and sensation/s every time I got my ectopics. Then the cardio clinic went through the tape looking at the point just before and after the time I had written down. I had a 7 day monitor (could have had a 24hr or 72hr), as I am so paranoid! A right pain to remove when you have a shower, and a bit itchy too, but for my peace of mind it did wonders. They took about two weeks to get the results back to me, when I had my follow-up - at least it proved I get loads of benign ectopics. In truth I wonder how seriously they take our ectopics though...

Best of luck, NattyOne.

[selphie]

hi nattyone
my monitor was attached to me by a belt i hd 3 stickey pads 1 on the the top left and top right side and 1 just below in the middle when i got a symptom i had to press a button on the box that the wires was attached to and write it down on paper.
i had quite a few ectopics and now im crapping my self waiting for the resultsxx

[NattyOne]

Sounds like you've got a proper holter monitor. That's really good - honestly. The fact that you pushed the button should indicate which part of the printout they'll need to look at. So, in theory they'll look at before you got the ectopic, while you're having the ectopic/s, and after you've had the ectopic. If it's more than just an ectopic they'll be able to see. I get in a bad state over the ectopics, especially if they come one after another, in 'runs', and I feel faint then. But I have been told they're ectopics, nothing more sinister, even though they feel really sinister. I've had three years of them, and still go through rough patches...
Do your best to stay calm! All the best.
NattyOne.

[selphie]

i will try to stay come even tho i cant seem to i know that the consultant was supposed to look atthe results of my holter monitor today.
i was hoping that i would get a call today but i havent so now ive been worrying bout that. i just want to know one way or the other so i can get on with some peace in my life thanks for your replys they have helped me alotxxx

[debs71]

That does not sound like any 24hr holter monitor that I have heard of I have to say.

They are supposed to do all of that work for you, as the whole point is that you go to your GP with palps for example, but at that point in time, it is only your word for it, and the idea of the monitor is to get a complete picture of when palps are actually occuring - what time, for how long and you fill in the blanks as to what you were doing at that time when the results come back.

Proper cardiac holters don't rely on your pressing buttons as you may be pressing them unnecessarily, and the doctors need to get results that are a true picture of your heart when you are just going about your daily business.

When my Dad had a 24hr monitor the results came as a little graph of times, his HR at that time, and any anomalies during that time. My Dad was able to then tell the consultant what he was doing at those particular times and then they can build a picture of why he may have been tachycardic, bradycardic, had palps (like after drinking coffee at lunchtime for example), etc, etc.

When you see your doc I would question the validity of the holter you were given. It sounds a bit odd IMO.

Good luck.x

[selphie]

i know it does sound weird but i have spoken to alot of ppl who have had the same one the person who put it on me just said that when i got an ectopic to push the button so when he downloads the results he will see where i push the button and he could pinpoint when i was getting the ectopics so he could focus on those points where i pushed rather than go all through it to look for them.

she said dont worry if i dont push coz it could tell them lots of things that could be wrong with the heart.
and that it also had a built in ecg monitor amonst other things.
i did google it also and it said that my 24 hour monitor where you press the button is the one thats commonly used.

i aint had any calls to say if anything was found ive just been left to worry.xx

[Anxious_gal]

Can you tell me if it records ALL heart beats for 24 hours or only when you press the button? One that records 24 hours would be better