Flare or something more sinister?

[sunbun]

Hey all, last weekend I developed severe body aches and a mild pain in my ovary area that got worse when peeing so dr assumed a mild UTI. Took trimethoprim but after just one dose i started getting more ectopic beats so dr told me to stop. 

No more pain down there but for the last week since I have been flareing badly. Had some chest pain on Monday and went to hospital. They gave me an ekg and a bag of fluid then sent me home.

Started getting some weird fluttery heart beats and started getting concerned after reading about ventricular tachycardia so went to the Hospital again. They did another EKg and examined me and sent me home again with advice to follow up with cardiologist.

Thankfully haven’t experienced the scary flutters again but still having ectopic beats and dizziness and tachycardia is worse over the past few days, can’t sleep, also been sweating quite heavily with mild exertion and feeling hot all the time but no fever. I was a little disappointed they didn’t take troponins At the er to check for heart muscle damage just in case. I actually asked my cardiologist today if he would take bloods and check my troponin and stuff but he said he doesn’t think it’s necessary and wants me in for a holter and echo next week instead. I already had an echo in 2018 so not sure why. 

I’m still quite concerned over the chest pain on Monday and funny 10 seconds of fluttering on the Tuesday. Had another ekg yesterday and again it’s normal. Asked the dr about myocarditis but he said if someone has that it shows up on their ecg. I want to believe this is just another relatively harmless pots flare but something is making me uneasy about the pain and palpitations coinciding like that.

I went to a and e twice in 48 hours with the same thing, I think in America if you do this they have to admit you but they don’t follow that protocol here in UK.

I actually asked hospital to keep me in for observation but dr refused and discharged me despite me telling him I don’t feel safe or reassured going home, I pleaded for him to do bloods or an echo or cardiac MRI or just anything to check my heart is still structurally normal so I can forget about these palpitations and not worry, he said he saw no reason to, he seemed pissed off with me and thought bloods and further testing was unnecessary because of my previous emergency room visits for similar pots stuff and young age I guess. My anxiety goes through the roof during these flares and as soon as you tell the doctor that they put EVERYTHING down to anxiety and being a hysterical silly woman. Still feeling scared, symptomatic and tachy 😕

[MomtoGiuliana]

So sorry.  Good you went to ER to be checked out.  

My experience is that the symptoms you are describing could be a flare.  Do you have a specialist you can follow up with?

It sounds like you've had good testing to rule out serious causes.

For me when I am in a flare my electrolytes go slightly off--slightly low potassium and magnesium--and this can result in more PVCs (it feels like extra beats or pausing).  If I make sure to be drinking a lot of fluids I also make sure to be eating high potassium foods.  I have also at times taken a magnesium supplement, but you have to be careful about that bc it can cause diarrhea which can make things worse.  Good to talk to a dr before trying any supplements.

I also get muscle and joint pain typically with a flare.

It is very frustrating the range of symptoms we can get and in my experience each flare is a little different.  I know it can feel scary.  Take care and hope you feel better soon.