irregular heartbeats

[honkytonk]

can this course a heart attack

[MargeB]

Yes it can. This is the main reason why myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) are not limited to the classic causes (a piece of artery getting damaged, healing, the scab lifting off under high blood pressure, causing a blockage to the blood going to the heart itself.

The heart muscle can become damaged for a number of reasons other than this blockage, and irregular heart beats is one of the main 'others'.

[honkytonk]

taking beta blockers but not helping

[MargeB]

sorry to hear that. i trust you have not yet had a heart attack?

[honkytonk]

no just waiting for one whoops

[MargeB]

oh ok. hope it you stay ok. the advice for prevention is quite different after a first one.

Lots of people are at risk but don't have one. Did your doc mention any kind of interventions? A mate of mine is a government advisor on heart attack risk, I'll check with him what he says on irregular heartbeat.

[honkytonk]

thanks margeb

[Evorg Enaj]

Could you just say, honkytonk

1. by irregular, do you mean that you are missing/adding one every now and again ? (which ?)

2. are you on medication, if so, what ?

3. what is your blood pressure ?

[honkytonk]

missing beats, medication sotalol 80mg cant have anything stronger have slow pulse rate, blood pressure high.

[gen2]

Missing heartbeats in themselves are not necessarily a problem.  What you (or your doctor) have to find out is why they are occurring.  I have had missing heartbeats for over 50 years and my doctor says it is nothing to worry about and I am not on any medication.  He called them ectopic systoles.  In my case the cause was heart surgery when I was 5 years old.  They occur most frequently (or I am aware of them more) when I am tired.

[LiverpoolLou]

Hi honkytonk, my sister took "fits" for 20 years.....she used to blackout and was treated for "fits".. they where very few and far between...but our doctor decided that she was taking fits..she had a brain scan in 1986 which showed nothing. Last year a different doctor recommended that she go for another brain scan, as it was nearly 20 years since her last one. Other tests where done on my sister and she was told that she had never taken a "fit", it was an irregular heartbeat, she has now been fitted with a pacemaker. She was told the reason she was blacking out was that her heart was skipping a beat and something to do with the oxygen going to her brain. We have a family history of heart attacks/cardiac arrest. Not sure if this helps honkytonk, but hope you are feeling better soon.