Has anyone experienced problems with their heart?  About 3 weeks ago I
experienced severe heart palpitations,  lasting 3-4 days.  I was able to
see a cardiologist who gave me an echocardiagram.  It was normal and he
said "don't worry".   I thought it was because I had been taking zoloft or
plaquinil, so I went off EVERYTHING.  But last night it happened again.
Not just a little flutter that lasts a few seconds, but continual
fluttering lasting for hours.  It's scary.  

Any ideas on what might be causing this?  Thanks for the help.

~Andrea Barnes
sa...@home.com

~~~ andrea, i got 4 calls in a row last
   week from new women i'd never
   spoken with ~ all with heart problems.

   could you please compile your responses
   to this?

   we do have a cardiologist here in san diego
   ready to listen. (not don't faint from that
   please! - lol)       love, ilena ~~~

In article <ilena-2202991016430...@dt013n9f.san.rr.com>, Andrea Barnes

-------------------------------
Hello!

"Paroxysmal atrial tachycardia" is when a slightly abnormal circuit in
your heart can cause it to occassionally beat rapidly such that you can
feel it (a palpitation).  Some effective ways to stop it are to either
strain as if you are having a bowel movement, or to splash yourself with
very cold water.

I'm not sure if this is what is happening to you (it sounds like it could
be though).  It is quite common among women (especially those with slight
prolapse of their mitral valve).  It is considered relatively harmless.

What did you doctor say was the cause?

Best of luck!
Paul

****to send email to me, please remove the  x  from my email address (this helps to get rid of most of the junk mass email - aka SPAM).

Dear Andrea:

 Although you did have medical follow-up for your fluttering this does not mean
that there's nothing wrong with you.  Quite to the contrary, many people have
what is known as arrhythmia's repeatedly.  It's difficult to hear an arrhythmia
as it has the tendency to just disappear leaving the patient feeling somewhat
embarrassed.  Often, it may take several attempts for a physician to document
it.  The end result may be a "Holter Monitor"   This is merely hooked up to the
patient for twenty-four hours.  It's  a constant EKG that monitors your heart
rhythm while you document your physical activities. This will hopefully show
the arrhythmia you've been experiencing.   Because you're on medications ec:
antidepressents, by no means should anyone dismiss your symptoms without a
cardiac  work-up
 Noreen.  

What about the possibility of vasculitis?

In article <xstermp01-2202992105380...@mcrubs407.med.nyu.edu>,
  xsterm...@popmail.med.nyu.edu (Paul.) wrote:

helps to get rid of most of the junk mass email - aka SPAM).

-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/       Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own    

(Previous messages snipped)

So I'm not alone in this experience, I see:  I was in ER twice in 1995 and 1996
for the same problem.  My rate was about 250, and despite double doses of
Cardizem and Inderal, the arrythmia did not resolve until it decided it was
ready!  (About 4 hours after I'd gone to ER, which was 1-2.5 hours after the
episodes started.)  I was having episodes of arrythmia frequently before that
(for about 3 years), but that "xxx" maneuver (can't remember the name, but it's
what Paul described as bearing down like you're having a bowel movement) could
usually interrupt the episodes within a half-hour or so (nobody taught me to do
this, I just did it instinctively, so I was surprised to learn that it actually
had a name).  I went to ER the times that it didn't eventually work.

I rec'd a dx of PAT, but wonder about it--seemed to be the easiest thing to
call what was happening without doing any diagnostics other than EKGs, which
were normal except for rate.  I seem to remember reading something about an
increase of apparent Mitral Valve Prolapse in SBI survivors...anybody else
remember this?  Paul, are you taking notes on this stuff (symptoms in common in
BI women) for your paper?

Rosemarie, I'd like to learn more about vasculitis--I read a post here last
year, but it wasn't clear to me what exactly vasculitis is and does, and my web
search wasn't much more helpful...indulge a layman's curiosity, would you?

Elisabeth

In article <19990223012850.13796.00002...@ng01.aol.com>, ib2spe...@aol.com

I was having episodes of arrythmia frequently before that

Called a valsalva maneuver.

If they have your arrythmia on file, they should be able to tell what it
is without any further tests.  PAT should be a relatively easy diagnosis -
as far as I have seen (pretty specific EKG findings).  If they didn't know
what the rhythm was then they should not have told you that it was nothing
to worry about, and they should have done more tests...I think the only
other tests that could be done would be to try to find the abnormal
circuit that is causing the problem...but to do that...you already have
the diagnosis known...

I've added it to the list.  Thanks.

Talk to you later
Paul

****to send email to me, please remove the  x  from my email address (this helps to get rid of most of the junk mass email - aka SPAM).

It's called "valsalva's maneuver " .  That always use to work pretty good for me
too, or they taught me how to do carotid massage on my neck too.  My worst
episodes were recorded in my medical records long before I connected them to my
implants.  This was after each of the closed capsulotomies on 3 different
occasions and was accompanied with peripheral neuropathy in both legs and arms.  I
have not had many episodes since explanting, and I do wonder if it was related to
the chemical and metals exposure from the implants.

MVP is quite high in the women.  I have seen many posts on it.  It is also
prevalent in FM and we mostly all have that bad boy.  I had an echo and it did not
show MVP.  Sure wish we had a data bank for all these health problems.  Anyone
have any good ideas on how we could set something like that up.  All the lung
problems that we hear about too.  Maybe we should start a health registry of
sorts.

Donna

I looked it up Elisabeth and it says: Vasculitis is inflammation of blood
vessels.  Vasculitis usually leads to damage to the lining of vessels, with
narrowing or blockage, so that the blood flow is restricted or stopped.

As a result the tissues supplied are also damaged or destroyed by ischemia.
Vasculitis is thought to be caused in most cases by bodies in the circulating
blood know as immune complexes.

Immune complexes consist of antigens (foreign materials, such as components of
microorganisms) bound to antibodies that have been formed in response to the
antigens.  Normally the immune complexes are destroyed by phagocytes (types of
white blood cell) but sometimes they settle in the walls of the blood vessels,
where they cause severe inflammation.  In some cases the causative antigens are
known to be viruses.

********************
Pray tell, could it be free floating silicone oil?
Will we ever know?
Donna

many women have complained to me about heart and breathing. i know when
i wanted to celbrate with some rum drinks i damn near died, because i
couldnt breathe and rushed to the hospital.

there is nerve damage for sure most drs on our side agree, that the
myelin sheaths are eaten away and we have nuerological envolvement wit
silicone , i feel this is not a theory but backed by tests and
anecdotes.....that is why we have word loss and lost memory and we have
the staggering and falling down, and look like m.s. notice the doctor
wil say looks LIKE MS... most women only see ms. i know i did,,,and i
thought i was a goner,

the swallwing problem is a nerve problem says dr. campbell, to me in
person, he said the nerves arent firing to the place where the valve is
to let the food go down, and it was true,,,,and constipation, and
allergies etc,

well in the heart, my mom felt for sure she had had heart attacks and i
pooh pooh her and iknow my mom is dramatic and gets anxious and
frightened but she awoke several times like someone standing on her
chest, she had an ekg and heart work up and she has ABSOLUTELY NOT ONE
THING WRONG WITH HER ARTERIES HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE OR HEART,
HOWEVER.

i took  her took her to my  more sophisticated  dr, that uses a computer
for diagnoses and we did not put it down on the form but the dr. told my
mom she had a nerve to the heart andit was not firing correctly and my
mom said to me...see see i told you so,,,,,so my mom was right, but the
other tests were no help, but my dr. told her about the nerve and my mom
was right and it was nothing to worry about,\
happy story, my  mom is a tiger at 89...still.

now maybe just maybe, since we all have nerve damage, if we have our
hearts tested maybe it is that the nerve is damaged and god knows we had
cutting in that area....

i never had heart pains but breathing, and im sure implants caused that
as we have patients that were on breathing macines and when implants and
then later more slicone was removed they recovered completely off
machines....

the darn things, make you whole body go haywire, thats why they think
were nuts.

from one nut to another....

love
angie

please see my new page, updating ongoing, will add getting well, and
stories.There is info on SALINE HERE, AND MANY PHOTOS. check it out,
look at links and pass it on.
http://www.maxpages.com/implants

I don't think this is something that is encouraged if you are not monitored.  I
may be wrong, but it seems like there is a possibility of loosening plaqueor
"junk" that would go to the brain.  The valsalva maneuver is safer.

In message-id: <19990224233200.17554.00003...@ng113.aol.com>, boone1...@aol.com

I
may be wrong, but it seems like there is a possibility of loosening plaqueor
"junk" that would go to the brain.  The valsalva maneuver is safer.<

SusanB, I forgot until I read Donna's post, that I was instructed to do carotid
massage as well as the valsalva maneuver (why do I always want to call that the
"Valhalla" maneuver? ;->).  Nobody bothered to tell me about the release of
plaque material, or that I should be monitored if I did it, but in my case it's
a moot point, because carotid massage never did anything to help anyway...

Donna, thanks for the info re:  Vasculitis.  I don't know what exactly what
ischemia is (although I've seen the word), but the context of the rest of the
post helped make things at least a *little* clearer.

Paul, I think your potential research paper could be the beginnings of a
"silicone-associated symptoms" clearinghouse!  Whaddya' say, buddy? <loud
butt-smooching sound>  ;-)

Elisabeth

In article <19990225014408.01124.00002...@ng-fp1.aol.com>,
  Nobody bothered to tell me about the release of

This is always a concern with carotid massage, but if your doctor listens
for a carotid murmur before doing the massage and he does not hear a
murmur then the massage should be ok (unless the carotid is totally
occluded in which case you won't hear a murmur even though there is a
plaque there).  The chances of having a plaque in the carotids are
increased if you are male, have high blood pressure, have diabetes, are
obese, and smoke.  Regardless, valsalva maneuver and dunking your head in
ice water are the safer options.

Ischemia is when there is not enough blood flow to a particular organ,
thus the organ does not get enough oxygen or other nutrients.

Hehe.  Well, I'll have to wait until at least the end of March before I
find out if there will be any possibility for research.

Paul

****to send email to me, please remove the  x  from my email address (this helps to get rid of most of the junk mass email - aka SPAM).

I received implants in 1989 when I lived in Los Angeles amid all the perfect
looking women that wanted to break in to the movie business.  I worked in a
furniture store
12 hours a day, but wanted to feel better about myself in this atmosphere  I
got my implants in July, by October, I could not walk through this huge (60,000
sq ft) store anymore because "my heartbeat was all screwed up" with continuous
palpitations and my knees would not allow me to walk anymore.  I went to my
general physician, who did blood tests and called me at work at the furniture
store to  tell me that I had rheumatoid arthritis and told me that there was no
explanation for it because no one in my large family had ever had it and that
there was no cure.  

I have been experiencing these erratic heartbeats for almost 10 years.  Without
being able to affort health insurance anymore, I have continued to LIVE.  My
father died of a heart attack at about the age that I received my implants.
Although the erratic heartbeat persists almost daily, it is very irregular and
when I have gone to the doctor, an EKG proves nothing.  

Had someone told me that my implants would cost me my $75,000 a year income,
that I would never be able to dance again, that I could not walk the beach, and
I would feel exhausted for the rest of my life, I would never have had the
surgery.  At the time, I was 36.

I know that it is from my implants.  I worked a 16 hour day until I got them..
Now I can't work anymore, have no energy for anything and just wish that I
could turn the clock back.  

I received implants in 1989 <Huge snip>
Now I can't work anymore, have no energy for anything and just wish that I
could turn the clock back.  

***I too wish I could turn back the clock, to 1980.
All of us wish this, with the years varying from woman to woman.   Don't ever
think that you are alone in this.  We are here, well some of us are here most
of the time, that is when were not losing it, or forgetting what we were doing,
lol :)
So many women have experienced the same problems and the doctors can't find
anything.  I had a good friend admitted to the hospital a couple of weeks ago,
they thought she was having a heart attack, after three days in CCU, they
decided that she wasn't.  They kept her in the hospital for a week then let her
go, because they could find nothing.  
It would be interesting if someone would actually study us to get some answers.
 What a novel idea, don't you think, wonder why they have not done this yet?

*****************
Linda Dintino  
http://members.aol.com/dowlied/page/index.htm
Document Index
http://members.aol.com/wisgroup/webring/
SOBB RALLY
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/7080