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Question:
My heart speeds up, slows down, and frequently pounds. Should I be concerned?
I've been having problems with headaches and numbness / tingling throughout my extremities. I also have been experiencing weakness. I can feel my heart speed up and slow down at times and it seems like my heart is pounding harder than usual where I can hear it. I've had numerous blood work done, as well as an MRI. My EKG was normal. I try to explain to my doctor that my heart does not feel right, but he assures me it sounds fine. I feel like something is being missed. Should I be concerned?
submitted by Steven from Oak Lawn, Illinois
Answer:
by Texas Heart Institute cardiologist, J. Alberto Lopez, MD
If you were my patient, I would recommend continuous remote telemetry. This is a monitor that the patient uses as many hours as possible and is recorded in a remote location via cell towers, e.g., like telemetry in the hospital. The patient has the possibility of recording when he has symptoms, which the MD can correlate with ECG tracings at those particular times.
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Updated January 2014
