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Insight Please?? Postive tilt table, positive stress test, but negative cath - age 22
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kewi90 posted:
Sorry this is so long, I just wanted to give my background first to see if anyone had any similar experiences, feel free to jump down to the bottom

I've had issues with my kidney's for about ten years now - infections, reflux, stones, and scar tissue.

I had my first episode of syncope at 17, I had many "black outs" before, but I'd never fully passed out like I did this time. I went to the doctor, and they diagnosed me with a kidney infection at the time.

Over the next few years I had several more episodes of syncope, but always wrote them off as being related to my kidneys somehow. For the past few years I've been telling my nephrologists I feel so tired, that I don't want to go out with friends or do normal things, I just want to sleep. They basically wrote it off the same way they did my pain,

Most recently I passed out at a hospital while following a nurse for school. The doctor that responded suggested I get a holter monitor, I had never associated myself with a heart condition, but after having a maternal uncle die from sudden cardiac death, they decided it was a good idea to check out my symptoms (High heartrate, tired and heavy/SOB feeling upon exertion - such as going up flight of stairs, syncope, black outs)

Holter monitor showed avg HR of 96 at rest, with high of 161 (Most I did was go up 10 steps) some pvc and svt
Tilt table test was positive, HR elevated with change of position, then passed out about 10 minutes in, maybe 2 minutes after initial dose of isuprel was given.
Stress test was positive - I was going for the first 9 or 10 minutes normally without SOB, but then started feeling funny - foggy head, little dizzy, heavy chest - my BP/HR was raising normally - but with my symptoms it had suddenly dropped to 70/50. Stress test was stopped and they immediately had me lay down. Took a few minutes to feel in my own body again.

They wanted to do a special CT to looking for anomalous coronary arteries, my insurance denied this. So they did a cardiac cath, they said everything looks normal.
So he has me on 25mg of metoprolol and says lets see how it goes.

Does anyone have insight? I'm sorry this is so lengthy, but I just really felt like we were getting somewhere and now at a dead stop.
I've been taking metoprolol for about a month, and my heartrate does feel much better. I'm usually around 85 vs the 105 I was often at before .. but I still just feel tired, like I don't want to do anything, and like I could collapse when going up stairs or high inclines. Just doesn't feel right when I'm 22 and pretty healthy (have stopped exercising recently due to symptoms)

Any help, or personal experiences would be helpful
I like my cardiologist, but should I see another just for a second opinion?
Reply
 
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BillH99 responded:
It is never wrong to get a second opinion and often recommended. And specially since you are still having symptoms with the treatment.

And I would ask the doctor about how conclusive the cardiac cath was in ruling out anomalous coronary arteries. The insurance denial can be appealed.

And what did your heart rate do during the stress test when you BP plunged?

You might ask about a referral to an electrophysiologist. That is a sub-specialist cardiologist that deals with heart rhythm problems.
 
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kewi90 replied to BillH99's response:
Insurance said appeal would take 8 weeks Ugh. Apparently they still consider 3d ct to be experimental.

I believe my heart rate remained elevated (130s?) while my BP dropped .. I'm going to request my medical records this week, it always seems like there is more info to go back on vs what you are told by the doctor.

He seemed pretty confident that my anatomy looked correct, however, I don't actually see him until the 22nd of August. The information I have about my cath was what he told me in the procedure room.

Maybe I'll look into an electrophysiologist .. Just to make sure I'm on the right treatment path? I just hate having the question of "why?" in my head all the time...
 
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BillH99 replied to kewi90's response:
I just hate having the question of "why?" in my head all the time...

Sometimes that is worse than the disease.


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