A heartfelt adventure

I've had a medical adventure over the last few weeks. I haven't told most of you because I didn't think it was very serious and didn't want to alarm you if it wasn't.

A little more than a month ago I started feeling a momentary flutter in my chest. It never lasted more than about one heartbeat so I couldn't touch a pulse-point to see what was going on. There was no pain or dizziness. Sometimes it would recur as soon as 10 minutes, but may not happen again for several hours. I finally made a doctor appointment when it seemed to happen frequently during a bell rehearsal.

Mention "chest" in a doctor's office and they swing into action. I had and EKG yet that day. A few days later I had an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart). A week later I had a treadmill stress test. As one might guess, the fluttering didn't happen during any of those tests. At the end of the stress test I suggested perhaps trying a 24 hour monitor. The doctor agreed, so the following week I was wired up. The fluttering did happen several times while I had the monitor on.

Both the stress test and the 24 hour test were annoying because the nurse shaved a few patches on my chest and also because I’m allergic to the adhesive on the tape that held everything in place.

I went back today for the results. EKG -- normal. Echocardiogram -- shows a heart that is working well, pumping blood without restriction. Stress test -- due to my summer bicycling I passed with flying colors, lasting much longer than my previous stress test several years ago. Heart action and blood pressure well within the healthy range.

The 24 hour test recorded at least 80,000 heartbeats (I don't remember the exact number). Out of that number it recorded 80 flutters (more than I noted in my log). The doctor showed me one of them. For the space of a single beat the heart does flutter, producing a jumbled squiggle on the chart. Then it is back to normal.

Treatment: nothing. It happens so infrequently and for so short a time that any treatment would have side effects more serious than the actual condition. Though it shows up in the heart the problem might be caused by a momentary spasm of the chest or digestive system -- spicy food? Maybe not. I noticed it happened more frequently when I had a cold during the first half of this week.

I should have it checked again if fluttering is sustained or causes dizziness. In the meantime I'm very thankful for the quality of my health insurance. Even though I pay a hefty premium (deducted from my pension) I'm sure I used a good chunk of that over the last month with minimal out-of-pocket copay.