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From: David
Date: 3/2/00
Time: 7:31:06 AM
Remote Name: 205.188.198.27
Hi, I am 47 years old and I was and am fit. 5 years ago i was diagnosed as having vasovagal, after a head up tilt and I was aystolic. I was told that I had to have a dual chamber pacemaker or I am dead. The prupose of the pacemaker is to restart my heart after a vasovagal episode. I also took midrodene and fluorcortisone. I kept having attacks and they kept increasing the dosage of midrodene, but discovered it could possibly be causing the attacks so I stopped taking it. I had to stop taking the fluorocortisone because it caused stomach ulcers. Now I take 100mg Atenol, and 60g Sodium Chloride I was working until last year but my attacks increased to 3 per day with aystolic periods so they told me to stop working, now I have 3 attacks a week. although the attacks are less the severity has increased with all attacks being aystolic. Apart from reproducing my symptoms in the lab on the tilt table, I have also on a regular basis had ambulatory BP and Heart rate monitors and have had attacks while wearing these so the docs have a very good idea what happens, my heart rate suddenly jumps, my BP drops, my heart stops my pacemaker restarts it and I feel terrible, occasionally during an attack I suffer loss of bladder control. The docs who treat me are the best in the field at the Cardiovascular investigation unit RVI Newcastle upon Tyne England. The team is headed by Prof. Kenny who is terrific.
Most of my attacks occur after eating when the blood pools in the stomach, also excesise can cause the onset of an attack as well as standing too long or walking too much. Fortunately sex seems to be good for me!
The idea of the atenol is to cap my heart rate so it does not go too fast and provoke an attack, this seems to work, but I have low blood pressure so standing up occasionally leads to a simple faint. I saw a clinical physogologist who spent the first few sessions persuading me it was not in the mind but I was really ill, and then managed to teach me not to hyperventilate prior, during or after an attack as when I felt my heart rate increase it induced a panic attack with hyper ventilation which made matters worse. Now I do not hyperventilate. I am not allowed out by myself as someone as to stand guard to prevent people trying to resus me or calling an ambulance and to put me into recovery position. Trips to a restaurant are an experience as I usually have an episode and just slump across the table.
My Bp is 90 - 100 over 40 - 60 and my heart rate is 70 which is the intervention set for my pacemaker, before atenol my heart rate was 84
Because i am aystolic when I have an attack everyone treats me with kid gloives
I need to try and know more about what is wrong anyone out there who can help
From: Kate
Hi Stan I read your bit about the tilt test and wondering. Well I dont know how it works but I did that test and after 10 min. I felt like vommiting and I did pass out. MY blood pressure also dropped alot. Kate
From: Pregnant with Vaso vagal-After your experiences, Love Comments
as Pregos and had 3 episodes in past month
Love to have your findings- see the posting I placed on Pregnancy and cervical dillation- my new OBGYN says that is the prime cause for me- so they want to do a C-section to save sstress on the baby? How dod it go for you?fionabanister@hotmail.com