Enlarged heart and abnormal red blood cells

[flumpkin]

Hello

I have just come back from the drs (went as my Apple Watch had detected abnormal high heart rate whilst I have been doing nothing several times). They did ecg and bloods last week and found no issue with the heart rate but in testing have found I have abnormally large red blood cells and ecg has an irregularity suggesting I have an enlarged heart! Have been told they need to do a scan. With HA it has sent me into a tail spin and I am really scared. I daren’t google to get any more info.

I know I am overweight and unfit and I drink too much (couple of glasses a night). Does anyone have experience of this. Is it really dangerous? I am so scared. I am trying to just look at changing lifestyle (eat better, less alcohol) and wait my scan... but I am terrified xx

[Fishmanpa]

I have heart disease. Two heart attacks as well as angina, I know how hearing about a real life issue can be troubling. If it were serious, you would know. What you describe is treatable.

Yes, it means changing your lifestyle. Not just eating better but the drinking will have to be curtailed drastically or cut out entirely (alcohol along with other dietary deficiencies cause large red blood cell production). Due to medications I'm on, I can have no more than "a" drink now and again and I stick to that. Your doctor will give you guidelines (if he doesn't... ASK!).

Look at this as a wake up call. Making the appropriate lifestyle changes, adopting healthy diet and exercise regimes will help prevent future issues.

Positive thoughts

[flumpkin]

Thank you for replying. I am so worried at the minute and feeling such guilt for doing this to myself. I keep trying to replay what dr said as with HA I automatically go to worse case scenario and now have irreparable heart damage through alcohol misuse and a significantly shorter life span. All of which may be true. All I can do is take control and start to make better choices. No alcohol today is a tiny first step.

I have chest pains, strange aches, numbness which I am sure I did not have before and think some of it may be anxiety too. Take each day as it comes and wait for scan I guess.

Thanks again
Flump x

[Fishmanpa]

You're on an anxiety website. Obviously, you're aware that anxiety is exasperating things.

My lifestyle as well as some heredity traits that led to my heart issues. The cancer is due to my lifestyle as well. It is what it is. I have no regrets. Honestly, I had such a blast that for me to say, "I wish I hadn't had done those things", would be a falsehood The things we regret the most in life are the things we didn't do, due to fear.

Get properly diagnosed and see what the doctor says. I don't know how old you are but I would take it in your 20s-30s? You have a unique opportunity to fix whatever is up. Take advantage of that!

Also, get help for you anxiety. Getting your mind healthy is equally as important to getting your body healthy.

Positive thoughts

[Shadowhawk]

So, first, let me say I completely understand where you are at right now.

In march this year, I went to the hospital fearing I was having a heart attack. Thankfully, it was just a massive panic attack that had been brewing and stewing for 3 months, thanks to thinking I had heart failure. While there, they did bloods, 24hr ekg, echo... In the end, they diagnosed me with mild concentric left ventricular hypertrophy, due to blood pressure. I had untreated sleep apnea leading up to this year, which combined with stress and being overweight, led to sky high blood pressure (in my panic attack, I rolled into the hospital at 180/100+).


I have run the gamut of worries following that visit, and have had three follow ups with my cardiologist. That last visit I had been again in a real panic, and asked him if I could even live to 40 (due to my condition, and Dr Google, aided by a carless nurses misguided comment, I was convinced I really was in heart failure, and would be dead soon); he laughed and said double that.. try 70-80. IN short, despite the problem I had, he wasn't concerned as long as I managed my health and took my medication.


IF you have enlargement, it is likely minor and concentric if you aren't feeling other symptoms, and is quite likely caused by blood pressure (due to lifestyle and stress). The good news is, you can do a lot to manage this condition. Medication is a good first step, specifically Lisinopril, which is known to help reduce heart enlargement; this is also a good first line medication for high blood pressure. But the biggest thing you can do for yourself (and I hate to be a nag), is get up and get moving; even just 30 minutes of walking at a good pace (daily) can help encourage cardiac remodeling, which can help any enlargement (as well as improve heart health overall). And finally... change your diet. There are a lot of good ones out there, and I happily recommend keto.. but the best diet is the one you can stick with long term. Cut out the processed foods, cut out the drinking, cut out the soda, and you WILL lose weight, and you WILL help your heart (and liver, and the rest of your body).


Don't let any potential diagnosis overwhelm you, and take everything one step at a time. I will also remind you that ekgs are notorious for being around about heart enlargement, and only an echo can accurately diagnose it; don't assume anything until a CARDIOLOGIST (not a gp) has seen an echo and knows for sure. If there is no problems, celebrate, but take it as the wake up call it is anyway, knowing that things CAN get worse, but you have a chance to fix it. Get out more, eat better.. it all still applies.


If you need to talk, please feel free to hit me up, and I am happy to lend an ear!

[WiredIncorrectly]

Your anxiety is getting the better of you.

You've suggested there are some areas in your life that need improvement. I would advise you be proactive about changing those and you will see a lot of improvement health wise.

You are alive and you feel fine right? Then the chances of there being something majorly wrong with you is slim. You'd be in hospital right now if that was the case. Stop worrying.

If the tests reveal anything you cross that bridge when you come to it, but even at that point there is no need to worry. Modern medicine is very good - as much as I hate medicine. In an event of a heart attack I honestly think I could remain very calm. I wouldn't have been able to say that this time last year. Being at piece with world and with death has been the biggest aid to recovering from anxiety.

Stress will only aggravate things. Practice remaining calm and passive. Very hard to do, but possible. I learned. I still slip though.

[flumpkin]

Thank you all for replying - it really does help. I wrote a long reply but on posting it failed and lost it all.

I am still waiting for my appointment to come through at the minute, but taking some reassurance that the ecg was 2 weeks ago and looked at by gp on the day. I was told to come to discuss the ecg along with blood test results a week later which is when I posted on here. So whilst maybe serious and need op or meds etc if is not being rushed through?

You are quite right that I am on an anxiety website and I do suffer with health anxiety. I have very black/white thinking and when having tests/seeing dr etc I am either going to be told ok or diagnosed with the worst possible scenario. I am still very scared but trying to take your advice and not cross bridges until come to them. I have a lot of symptoms now which I don’t think I had before - chest pains, pins and needles in arm, achy arm etc. I think it must be anxiety and me fixating on it all as I don’t remember anything bugging me that much before. On the plus side I have had no alcohol for 7 days, which sounds pathetic but for a girl (45) you used to have a couple of glasses of wine habitually most nights this is a big change. I really don’t want it.

I am desperately hoping not done any major damage and part wishing I had never gone to the doctors but know deep down it is the wake up call
I needed and I guess better to know what issues I have rather than walking around obliviously.

I know I also need to sort diet, lose weight and exercise more. I am being pretty good food wise but do need to move more.

Thanks again for the replies - I come and re-read every time I wobble!

Does anyone know if stopping alcohol will sort out my red blood cells will they go back to normal? I daren’t look on internet as it will triggers a lot of other nasties!

Thanks again for taking time to reply
Love Flumpkin xx

[Shadowhawk]

"I am desperately hoping not done any major damage and part wishing I had never gone to the doctors but know deep down it is the wake up call"


I am walking example of "i wish i did things differently", so i know exactly what you mean.



But the fact is, we can never go back and change the past, but we CAN effect how we handle our future. We can CHOOSE to either let our past and regrets drag us down, or we can use that energy to say "not again, i choose a different path now".


The human body has an amazing capacity to heal itself, if we give it a chance. Sure, lots of terminal disease happens, and we can't avoid that. But with things like your heart, and lungs, and liver.. these are organs that can be and are healed by proper effort and diet. Sure, there are conditions and degrees of damage your can't reverse; but you can stop things from getting worse, and not taking life away from you.


So make today the first day of change. Go out and talk walks. Start a new diet (seriously, Keto is amazing). Spend time and energy with people you love and things you enjoy. Make your energy positive, and life will start flowing that way. We will never get rid of our fears (i know i still have mine), but we can choose how we live with them. Choose life, choose happiness.

[flumpkin]

Thank you all for replying. My appointment finally came through this morn, well a letter telling me to ring hospital to make an appointment asap. I have managed to get a cancellation for the morning so echocardiogram here I come. Really nervous. I know it is better to know what is going on and what I am dealing with but I am also scared that I will get some really bad unfixable news :(

I have drastically reduced alcohol. In the 4 weeks since my appointment I have had in total 5 bottles of Old Mout cider and 2 bottles of wine (not in one go... heaviest night was 2 cider and a wine). I also came down with norovirus bug last weekend and as a result have been caffeine free for a week, The normal caffeine withdrawal headache went after 3-4 days, and I figure decaf (only had 1 of those) is better heart-wise.

I am still getting a lot of aches in left arm hand/fingers and tightness across chest, not sure if psychosomatic? I have also had 3 very scary episodes of what I hope is trapped wind (and not my heart). Incredible chest pain that cripples me for 10-20 mins. Doubling over helps and it does pass, often with some burping.

Does anyone know how long results will take. I am worried as normally with an ultrasound although they can't tell you anything officially they normal indicate things look ok... and worried they won't tomorrow....

thanks
love flump x

[flumpkin]

Well I had the echocardiogram and now just have to wait for the results which should be about a week apparently. The technician was lovely but did not say anything. I did ask if there was anything obviously wrong and she just said she still had to analyse them as what was showing as enlarged had to be considered against my build... so definitely looking like enlarged heart :(

I haven't googled as know I need to wait to speak to dr, but scared is an understatement. Hoping there are degrees of enlargement and it isn't too irepairably damaged ...