sunbun Posted November 3, 2021 Report Share Posted November 3, 2021 Hi all. I had a particularly bad case of jaw and shoulder and left arm pain last night so decided to call an ambulance. Upon my initial ECG in the ambulance, one paramedic remarked to the other that it looked like I had some T wave inversion. The other paramedic seemed very dismissive of it and said it’s common in adolescent females (im 30 lol -_-) and he said it could be the fact I was shaking quite a lot so they did another one which was apparently much better with less noise and said it looked normal. Went to A&E, had another ECG, apparently this was normal too and the doctor was totally unconcerned when I told him about the T wave thing in the ambulance. No bloods or labs were taken and he said he was happy with my vitals and said I could go home. In fact he took longer lecturing me about calling an ambulance than telling me whether my ECG was okay or not. No follow up offered. i dont feel reassured without the labs and because I’ve had bloods tested so often they usually refuse to do it again (NHS). Apparently my previous ECGs have always been normal but this new transient change has got me very anxious. I really don’t know if it was just a machine error or legit but it seems T wave inversions can stem from completely benign things (like eating too much sugar, being very fit, breathing in/out too hard, hyperventilating) or more serious things like MIs, myocarditis etc. I have no idea what to make of this and can’t seem to relax. I recall a few years ago one of those ECG machine algorithms and paramedic diagnosed me with atrial fibrillation which turned out to be nonsense and was a simple error from background ekg noise. I’m really hoping this was just a false reading too..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistol Posted November 3, 2021 Report Share Posted November 3, 2021 @sunbun- I have chronic T-wave inversion and it is no big deal. Yes, there CAN be machine errors and what is called artifact ( transmission errors ) that can look like T=wave inversion. I would follow up with your regular doctor and see what he/she says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sushi Posted November 3, 2021 Report Share Posted November 3, 2021 @sunbunIf you want to follow it yourself, the personal Kardia device gives an accurate ECG--it works with a smart phone or tablet. It also gives a computer interpretation (normal means NORMAL, but some of the other possible diagnoses need to be confirmed by a doctor). You can also send it to a cardiologist for a small fee or email it to your doctor. I always carry mine in my purse. They are on sale right now--at least in the States. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTRJ75 Posted November 3, 2021 Report Share Posted November 3, 2021 I've had the same thing happen in the ER. Nothing came of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeO Posted November 3, 2021 Report Share Posted November 3, 2021 The do have the T-Wave abnormalities show up from time to time. As long as they are not showing up with every heartbeat as i am told their is not a lot of concern Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunbun Posted November 3, 2021 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2021 @PistolInteresting, I’ve been reading a few studies about this and it says T wave inversions are common in CFS and POTS people especially when standing due to autonomic stimulation, it seems any kind of strain whether hyperventilating or standing too quickly can bring it on. I know some people always have T wave inversions but as far as I know this is the first time T waves have shown up on my ECGs and I am symptomatic with pain so I’m still a little worried about something like myocarditis. @SushiA great idea and I would love one of those machines but I’m penniless at the moment! @MTRJ75Did this only happen once, and did the doctor seem concerned at the time, were you offered a holter, stress test or echo or any follow up tests afterwards? @MikeOThanks Mike I’m really hoping this is just a nothingburger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTRJ75 Posted November 4, 2021 Report Share Posted November 4, 2021 The doctor didn't appear extremely concerned, but they let me visit for the entire weekend instead of just a few hours, although they refused to give me fluids until the second night when I got a nurse who was familiar with POTS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MTRJ75 Posted March 19, 2022 Report Share Posted March 19, 2022 How did this every resolve @Sunburn ? Bumping because I had this come up again in visit to cardiologist. She was so unconcerned that she didn't even mention it. I merely saw that the ECG mentioned an abnormal heartrate with inverted T waves in the visit summary in their new online portal. I did have a very normal cardiac MRI in Dec '19, which may be why she's not following up on this and even pushed my next follow up from 3 months to 6. Apparently, this may be a frequent occurrence in CFS/POTS? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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