Irregular Heart Rhythm

[Vync]

Has anyone heard of someone getting SC for heart problems like atrial afibrulation (heart palpitations/irregular heart rhythm)? As part of my SC sinusitis treatments, the VA prescribed daily doses of pseudoephedrine (sudafed) for quite a few years. After I receive my records, I will present this to my cardiologist in hopes for an IMO.

[jbasser]

That is one of the side effects and should be looked at.

J

[Vync]

Do you still have atrial fib?

If so, have you had it converted, or have they tried to convert you and couldn't?

When it happened, I was ambulanced to the ER and hospitalized. While receiving treatment, it converted to a normal rhythm. They have had me on digoxin, potassium, and also something for blood pressure ever since. I asked about coming off of the meds. The cardiologist said I could try to come off the blood pressure medicine, but will probably be on the other two for the rest of my life. I have not had any problems either, but do not want to risk coming off the meds and going through the hospitalization nightmare again just to see if I still have it.

[Berta]

"Has anyone heard of someone getting SC for heart problems like atrial afibrulation (heart palpitations/irregular heart rhythm)? As part of my SC sinusitis treatments, the VA prescribed daily doses of pseudoephedrine (sudafed) for quite a few years. After I receive my records, I will present this to my cardiologist in hopes for an IMO."

I hope they are sure monitoring that sudafed carefully-

VA sudafed was a contributing factor in my husband's death and he didnt even have sinusitis.They misdiagnosed a heart attack as sinus problems.

[jbasser]

What are tghe effects of your sinusitis, DO you ever get infections in the lungs?

Do you get short of breath when these Palpatitions occur?

J

[Vync]

They initially gave me sudafed and seldane for allergies. I could not believe how they wrote my prescription. It was for 360 tablets with 5x refills and I took them daily for years. It looked like I had a bottle full or red hot candy. Later, when seldane was pulled from the market, they switched me over to allegra with separate sudafed or allegra - D (basically allegra with sudafed). I can't remember when they switched me to loratidine (waiting to receive my treatment records), but my cardiologist said to avoid sudafed completely and to take something like coricedin instead.

[Vync]

I do not know exactly when I was taken off the sudafed. I am waiting for my records to arrive in order to confirm the dates.

My afib did not correct by itself. I noticed it at about 8:30am I felt a bit tired, but did not know what to do, so I took a nap. An hour later, still there. I verified it by an athletic heart monitor. It was pretty insane because my heart rate varied from 50 to over 200 from moment to moment. Went to the fire department. They hooked me up to some wires and then asked me which emergency room I preferred. The ambulance paramedics stopped my heart twice in an attempt to try to get it to convert to a normal rhythm. When I got to the ER, they hooked my up to the IV's and even more wires. After more than 20 hours of IV medication, it finally converted from the crazy irregular rhythm.

I found this in CFR 4.104. The first one

7010 Supraventricular arrhythmias:

Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation or other supraventricular tachycardia, with

more than four episodes per year documented by ECG or Holter

monitor 30

Permanent atrial fibrillation (lone atrial fibrillation), or; one to four

episodes per year of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation or other

supraventricular tachycardia documented by ECG or

Holter monitor 10

Regarding "lone atrial fibrillation", I did some quick research and found Lone atrial fibrillation (LAF) may be an isolated event or it may recur on an intermittent basis. Either way, I have been on medication every since and the doc said I cannot come off of it, so I guess I am stuck with it permanently.

Just in case it was also my ventricle, I found this too:

7011 Ventricular arrhythmias (sustained):

For indefinite period from date of hospital admission for initial evaluation

and medical therapy for a sustained ventricular arrhythmia, or; for

indefinite period from date of hospital admission for ventricular

aneurysmectomy, or; with an automatic implantable Cardioverter-

Defibrillator (AICD) in place 100

Chronic congestive heart failure, or; workload of 3 METs or less results

in dyspnea, fatigue, angina, dizziness, or syncope, or; left ventricular

dysfunction with an ejection fraction of less than 30 percent 100

More than one episode of acute congestive heart failure in the past year,

or; workload of greater than 3 METs but not greater than 5 METs

results in dyspnea, fatigue, angina, dizziness, or syncope, or; left

ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction of 30 to 50 percent 60

Workload of greater than 5 METs but not greater than 7 METs results in

dyspnea, fatigue, angina, dizziness, or syncope, or; evidence of

cardiac hypertrophy or dilatation on electrocardiogram,

echocardiogram, or X-ray 30

Workload of greater than 7 METs but not greater than 10 METs results

in dyspnea, fatigue, angina, dizziness, or syncope, or;

continuous medication required 10

I also found some information about what they mean by "sustained" in Ventricular arrhythmias (sustained).

* If the rhythm self-terminates within 30 seconds, it is considered a non-sustained ventricular tachycardia.

* If the rhythm lasts more than 30 seconds, it is known as a sustained ventricular tachycardia (even if it terminates on its own after 30 seconds).

I do not have my treatment records from my cardiologist, but I am planning on picking them up for review and research to find out exactly what the docs said.