lauralulu Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 So, I went to the Drs for my ECG. I asked to have it taken standing up as well as laying down. There were problems with the stickers/leads- a couple were half peeled off, so the nurse was struggling to get it working... I was standing right by the monitor though and it was displaying a heart rate of 180bpm. I don't know if that's right or if the leads hanging off were causing it to malfunction, because despite it printing off a page, when she went and showed it to the Dr, the Dr said she couldn't analyse that one, but the other one was normal. Well YEAH. I was laying down!! I'm annoyed and frustrated. I have my own heart rate watch so I am going to take readings from it this week, write them down, take them to the GP and say look, this is happening, now I want you to refer me on to someone who can run me some tests and tell me why/what this is. (I haven't mentioned POTS because I don't want it to sound like I am chasing a diagnosis- I did this once before because I had such incredibly horrendous period pains that I was sure I had endometriosis or fibroids or something wrong inside so I made the GP refer me to a gynae, I had a laparoscopy, and it turns out everything is normal inside... I fear that the GP will think I am a hypochondriac if it seems like I am chasing another diagnosis for something I may not have).When I got home I tested my own hr though and it was 80 laying down, rose to 122 immediately as I stood, after 1 min it was 111, 3 mins 110, 5 mins 112... and during the standing it would fluctuate between 95 and 114, often hovering around 102-105. I'm so annoyed that the ECG didn't pick it up, I felt like I'd be taken more seriously if the Drs equipment could show what I am finding when I test myself!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogini Posted December 9, 2009 Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Hi - I think the ECG looks at the structure of your heart and not so much your heart rate. It's usually taken lying down b/c they need you to hold still. Most of us have normal ECGs - which is a good thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauralulu Posted December 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2009 Oh, I seeeee *blush* I thought it was to see the heart rate fluctuations! lol. Silly me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flop Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Don't be embarrassed - if the reason for a test isn't explained you can't know what they are looking for.A 12 lead ECG records the electrical activity of the heart. It does show the speed of the heart but they are usually looking for two things on an ECG. A) the rhythm (pattern of waves) to make sure that the electrical pathway is correct and the "leads" which would show damage from a heart attack or thickening of the heart muscle.The test that best shows the fluctuations in heart rate is a holter monitor / 24 hour ECG. For this test they put just 2 or 3 sticky pads on you and you wear a small box (size of a mobile phone) on a cord round your neck or on your belt for 24 hours. While wearing this sort of monitor you should keep an activity diary (eg 2:14pm stood up to wash dishes) and also note any symptoms.When you next see your GP take along the home readings of your pulse and BP. Then ask the doctor to take your pulse whilst you sit and then stand up. I would specifically ask for a cardiology referral (in the UK you are entitled to a second opinion).Good luck,Flop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogini Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Laura, don't be embarassed. I always get confused too! Flop, can you explain the difference between ECG and EKG? I thought EKG was the one with the leads and the ECG was the one where they put goo all over your chest and look at your heart structure? But maybe I have it backward? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauralulu Posted December 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 Thanks guys! I'm definitely going to ask for that referral, and take in my results from my own watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownsea Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 hi i would definately not leave it. i did, because whenever i went to the docs and had chest pain they would take my vital sitting or laying down. and surprise nothing wrong.my heart rate went up to 185 when i was in hospital, and sitting was 80.good luck tell us how you get on.emma.xxx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauralulu Posted December 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 hi i would definately not leave it. i did, because whenever i went to the docs and had chest pain they would take my vital sitting or laying down. and surprise nothing wrong.my heart rate went up to 185 when i was in hospital, and sitting was 80.good luck tell us how you get on.emma.xxxThank you, I will do. It's so nice to have some sympathy and understanding, after many years of Drs looking at me like I was making it all up for attention!! xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 I think EKG = ECG, and the goo thing is an "Echo" as in "Echo-cardiogram". First one/two are electrophysiological and echo is like an ultra-sound, for physical & flow properties (though a "doppler" would be especially for "flow"). Could be wrong, but I think that's how it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogini Posted December 10, 2009 Report Share Posted December 10, 2009 One is an echocardiogram, the other is an electrocardiogram. I think it's the electro that they take every time I go to the cardio's office and the echo which is done rarely, every few years. But maybe I am getting that confused and/or using the wrong abbreviations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flop Posted December 11, 2009 Report Share Posted December 11, 2009 ECG = Electrocardiogram (UK spelling)EKG = Electrocardiogram (US spelling) (I don't know why you guys spell "cardio" with a K??)Echo = Echocardiogram.An ECG / EKG is where they stick wires onto your chest, arms and legs to record the electrical activity in the heart. A standard 12 lead ECG is done with you lying down over a minute or so. A 24 hour ECG/EKG (Holter) is a version with just 2 or 3 leads and a portable recording box. An excercise ECG (stress test) is a 12 lead done while you walk on a traedmill / bedal an exercise bike.An Echo is where they put conductive gel on your chest and use a soundwave probe to look at 2 dimensional pictures of the heart or doppler to look at blood flow (you hear a whoosh-whoosh noise during this bit of the test). Basically the probe sends out a "sound" signal then listens to it bouncing back ("echo")of the different structures - it turns the data into pictures. It is just like the scans done during pregnancy.Flop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flop Posted December 11, 2009 Report Share Posted December 11, 2009 ECG / EKG is also often confused with EEG!EEG = Electroencephalogram = wires stuck to your scalp to measure the electrical activity in the brain.If you know any Latin you can work out what a lot of the medical stuff actually means.Electro = relating to electricityCardio = relating to the heartGram = chart / graphEncephalo = relating to the brainFlop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
extern14 Posted December 11, 2009 Report Share Posted December 11, 2009 Do you have to have that doctor's approval in order to go to a POTS specialist? If not, just go to a doctor who specializes in POTS or go to a cardiologist. So sorry you are having frustration. I completely understand. I had 3 years of this! Good luck, hun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik Posted December 11, 2009 Report Share Posted December 11, 2009 ECG = Electrocardiogram (UK spelling)EKG = Electrocardiogram (US spelling) (I don't know why you guys spell "cardio" with a K??)Echo = Echocardiogram.To avoid easy confusion with EChocardioGram which is quite understandable yet quite different. It would have worked until someone went and goofed up the scheme. Not naming names or anything, here. (UK SPELLING) Again, I'm not naming any names Just kidding of course... it's a German thing (the "K", not the humor of course). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauralulu Posted December 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2009 Do you have to have that doctor's approval in order to go to a POTS specialist? If not, just go to a doctor who specializes in POTS or go to a cardiologist. So sorry you are having frustration. I completely understand. I had 3 years of this! Good luck, hun.Thanks, I feel like I'll need it! I do need a referral I think if I want to go through the NHS, which I am going to try first. Not to worry though, I think I am worrying myself over bad past experience with my previous GP, who told me my severe period pains were "just PMS" and told me I was "just stressed". The GP I have now seems way more thorough and although the 'S' word did come up, I don't think she'd stick that label on me without checking other things first... I just hope she's willing to go further than blood tests because a lot of GPs seem to take your blood and if that comes back okay, they just assume everything is and send you away feeling like a moron!I've been monitering my own hr with my watch and this morning it went from 77 resting supine to 120 standing (and I've had similar results the previous couple of days too, as well as with random sitting to standing tests) so I can see with my own eyes something is going on. It does go down fairly rapidly while I'm still standing, but tends to hover around 100-112 then as soon as I sit back down, goes down to around 80. I'm writing these results down to take to my GP when I go back for my bloodwork results on Wednesday next week.Thanks Flop for the explanations, it's interesting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flop Posted December 12, 2009 Report Share Posted December 12, 2009 Unfortunately Laura would need a referral to see either a cardiologist or a POTS specialist. Here in the UK all state healthcare is funded by the NHS but the budget is controlled by your GP. When you are referred to a specialist it comes out of the GP's budget, so NHS referrals can only be made by your GP. We do also have some private medical services but they usually want a GP referal too. The system here is very different to that in the US, it means that the patient can't just decide that they want to see a particular doctor.ECG - I have never come across this term being used to mean an echocardiogram. If Echo is given a 3 letter abbreviation it would be TTE (trans-thoracic echo) or TOE (trans-oesophageal echo) (but in the USA TOE = TEE = trans-esophageal echo). Confusing eh?ECG (disambiguation)From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, searchECG may refer to: * East Coast Greenway, an American project regarding non-motorized transportation * Electrocardiograph * Electrocardiogram, a graphic produced by an electrocardiograph * Electronic Content Guide, a guide to TV and other provider content * epicatechin gallate, a flavonoid * Equine chorionic gonadotropin, an equine hormone * The Early College at Guilford, a small high school in Greensboro, North CarolinaFlop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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