cellboy

1. For the past 2 weeks, my heart has been skipping a beat. Usually once per hour or more frequently (like every 200-300 beats). Very annoying.
2. This happened 15 yrs ago, also. At that time, I did the EKG, treadmill, X-Ray, and a myriad of tests, with results that all was OK.
3. Just cut down on the caffeine (I was drinking a lot!), and maybe not party so much! The arrhythmia slowly disappeared.
4. This time, without paying much attention, I was increasing my caffeine intake. As for partying, not much, but at times I did.
5. I did try one freebie jolt protein type drink before gym time for about 4 weeks last month (the label stated not to use after 6PM, and if one has arrhythmia to not take)
6. So this morning was my meeting with the Doc
7. He said since I had blood work done in May with my physical, no need to do it again.
8. He said he doubts there is anything major, for the past results showed that I have the body of a 30 year old. He also recommended me to continue my gym training. If only he could convince his patients to do the same.
9. Yes, I have been under some stress. I have been doing more caffeine. And I have been taking L-Lysine with my vitamins to prevent cold sores.
10. It seems that even increased exercise activity can also trigger irregular heart beats. The past month, my trainer has changed, and increased our workout activity a lot! And that has added to being really tired (which can also cause skipped beats).
11. So he recommended to slow down on caffeine. L-Lysine can also cause heart arrhythmia. So stop taking it for now.
12. My regular protein powders are OK to take, but they can be hard on the kidneys (my trainer said the same... so cycle them!)
13. I had a EKG done this morning. All is normal.
14. So the conclusion, and just to be sure, is that I wear an Event Monitor for 2 weeks (the doc said for just a few days, but the lab said 2 weeks).
15. 3 small electrodes are attached to my chest, and the wires are attached to a small "pager like" device.
16. When I feel a skipped beat, I just press the pager button, and the device records, (a marking) the beat that occurred during the last 30 seconds.
17. At the end of the day, I call a toll free number and send the day's EKG motoring to a monitoring center, via phone line. They will look at the EKG and the time line where I marked. Ah! Such is the marvels of modern medicine!
18. I can continue to do my normal stuff. Even work out at the gym
19. If all is going well with the motoring, I can cut the 2 weeks stint short
20. And Note: Never try to assess or be your own doctor, via Google, or Bing. You can drive your self crazy! See your doc instead!