My history
Note: Somebody suggested I should write everything in English so others can understand too. I had other things in mind to write about but that somebody suggested I should also start with my history so others could relate. So here goes my story.
It happened by accident. I started with heart palpitations. Given my family background, my mother succumbing to death at 52 due to triple bypass surgery, my paternal grandmother and grandfather to a stroke, I thought I’d see my GP for a referral to a cardiologist.
I was asked to undergo a stress test but because I just happened to finish a 10K marathon at that time, I passed the test. What with 3 months of preparation before the marathon happened? My GP said he’d like to give me an A but he was not convinced that I was not okey so he asked me to go through a resting EKG. Results were normal but for some reason my GP thought I should go through a 24 -holter monitoring.
It was not the most pleasant experience for me. The holter monitor I had though it was tiny still made me feel like I was starting to dig a grave for myself. How so? It reminded me of what my mother went through. Having said that, I have to put things in a better perspective.
First step. I had to know what an ECG, EKG and Holter monitor mean and what they do. Well, in layman’s term, they all mean the same. They measure the activity of the heart including the rate and regularity of beats, measure any damage to the heart and the effects of drugs or devices to regulate the heart. It also determines the immediate effects of changes in activity or medical levels.
A Holter monitor is a tiny device that you can carry with you anywhere you go. It is the size of the very first cellular phone that came out in the market many years ago. It records your heart activity, in my case for 24 hours. It recorded my heart beats when I walked, when I climbed the stairs, when I was resting, when I was anxious.
How ECG, EKG and Holter monitor are performed are almost the same in principle. Electrodes are affixed to your arms, legs and chest. It is painless. In some cases, you are asked to remain still or maybe asked to hold your breath for short periods. Sometimes it is performed while you’re doing a particular activity. The results are recorded on graph paper printed from the machine attached to these electrodes.
I don’t know why but it seems that every time I go through these things, my results come out normal. Never mind the results, but my doctor felt that given my current status, something is not working right and he had the principle of preventing things first before they start to build up so on to a different test this time. I am so glad to have a more concerned GP than I thought. The Glucose test tomorrow.
It happened by accident. I started with heart palpitations. Given my family background, my mother succumbing to death at 52 due to triple bypass surgery, my paternal grandmother and grandfather to a stroke, I thought I’d see my GP for a referral to a cardiologist.
I was asked to undergo a stress test but because I just happened to finish a 10K marathon at that time, I passed the test. What with 3 months of preparation before the marathon happened? My GP said he’d like to give me an A but he was not convinced that I was not okey so he asked me to go through a resting EKG. Results were normal but for some reason my GP thought I should go through a 24 -holter monitoring.
It was not the most pleasant experience for me. The holter monitor I had though it was tiny still made me feel like I was starting to dig a grave for myself. How so? It reminded me of what my mother went through. Having said that, I have to put things in a better perspective.
First step. I had to know what an ECG, EKG and Holter monitor mean and what they do. Well, in layman’s term, they all mean the same. They measure the activity of the heart including the rate and regularity of beats, measure any damage to the heart and the effects of drugs or devices to regulate the heart. It also determines the immediate effects of changes in activity or medical levels.
A Holter monitor is a tiny device that you can carry with you anywhere you go. It is the size of the very first cellular phone that came out in the market many years ago. It records your heart activity, in my case for 24 hours. It recorded my heart beats when I walked, when I climbed the stairs, when I was resting, when I was anxious.
How ECG, EKG and Holter monitor are performed are almost the same in principle. Electrodes are affixed to your arms, legs and chest. It is painless. In some cases, you are asked to remain still or maybe asked to hold your breath for short periods. Sometimes it is performed while you’re doing a particular activity. The results are recorded on graph paper printed from the machine attached to these electrodes.
I don’t know why but it seems that every time I go through these things, my results come out normal. Never mind the results, but my doctor felt that given my current status, something is not working right and he had the principle of preventing things first before they start to build up so on to a different test this time. I am so glad to have a more concerned GP than I thought. The Glucose test tomorrow.
posted by ting-aling at 10:44 AM
5 Comments:
This is a great post, Ting-Aling. I hope you will reach most of our kababayans and see that there is nothing to fear from most of the current diagnostic modalities employed today.
I agree with your GP's view that sometimes the abnormalities can escape ECG and the stress test. Sometimes a holter might do the trick. In your case, was it done for 24-hours only? Sometimes you can still miss the palpitations in 24 hours. Other doctors go for 1 week. What was your Holter result?
Keep these up, Ting -Aling. I also enjoy your new food blog. Sana I can have the time to try them myself. Thanks! =)
Nice to see you visit my blog Doc. Because of a normal stress test result, I only had to undergo 24 hr. monitoring. Result was normal but I was instructed to go to the emerge(if the cardio dept is closed) anytime I feel any unusual heart palpitations (the beauty of having your records computerized centrally huh!). Given that the emerge is busy 24/7, I just monitored any irregularities to my GP. Aside of course from the fact that if it was not life threatening, I was at the bottom of the list so it meant about 1n hour or 2 of waiting time. Lalo akong mastre-stress out:-). I'm glad you liked my food blog. I have other recipes on que but time..time..time
And I thought that because everytime I undergo ECG and it turns normal, I am already okay. hmmm...
Tito Rolly, this is why I regret ignoring my mom when she had these symptoms before. Pag umaangal siya at nagpa ECG at normal ang ECG, akala namin she was just nag-O-OA. It was too late when we found out kasi triple bypass na agad and she was gone in a span of 1 month. It was a lesson to all her sisters who are still alive. Yung panganay nila..dyahe pero tutoo eto(in fairness, my aunt has gone through a rough life). Pag gising sa umaga, umiinom na siya ng alak, maghapon yan. Not too long after my mother's death she also experienced palpitations. It turned out she also had a heart disease. Natakot, tumigil ng kaiinom in 1 day..1 day..so buhay pa rin ngayon.
My doctor does voluntary medical missions in third world countries at least once or twice in two years. When one does this, he has patients' welfare over money in mind. Compared to other caucasian doctors, he is thorough, that's why he's got a lot of patience (he-he-got my joke?)
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