Preconception Appt My Arse

LexiPlexi · October 2014

Against all my friends' recommendations I went to a preconception appointment and expected to learn whether or not I was healthy enough to start TTC. My main concern was my extreme fatigue and low energy. But my cycles were getting strange and a few other things were making me question my overall health. Of course, the doctor says I have Chronic Fatigue and that I'll be just fine. She even said, "Hopefully next time I see you, you'll be pregnant!" I was a little shocked that all they did was weight me, check my pulse, blood pressure, and tell me basic info about temping. But whatever. Great. We'll start trying.

6 months later, no baby, and still not feeling well. I go to my GP to complain about my energy again. In this last week I've developed a new symptom though, my heart feels like it is dropping out of my chest. She does a EKG and lo & behold I have a heart condition called Bradycardia. Depending on the severity of the situation I may need a pacemaker. I'm starting testing with my cardiologist this week. But now I am just beyond pissed. Why in the hell go to a preconception appointment, and what were those nurses doing when they took my pulse all those years that I was complaining?!?! Chronic Fatigue my arse.

When you're pregnant, your heart rate is supposed to rise 15+ beats. If not it can lead to birth defects and possible miscarriage. (I've had one miscarriage and can't help but wonder if it was due to this challenge)

I'm feeling really let down by my doctors & nurses. I'm not sure what to expect. I'm frustrated and I'm also scared I'll get bad news from my cardiologist. I know the worst case is that I'd need a pacemaker. And I would hate that, but I could deal. I guess I'm just upset. Thanks for listening ladies!

Helenahhandbasket · October 2014

Wow-- sorry for the health troubles. Hopefully you do not need a pacemaker, but good for you for following up.

I think this post serves as a great PSA as for why preconception appointments are, generally speaking, a giant waste of time.

Unknown · October 2014

This content has been removed.

ChristyM87 · October 2014

I am confused. Bradycardia is not an arrhythmia per say, it simply means that your heart is beating below 60 beats per minute, which generally does not affect the rest of your EKG or cause any other issues. I wonder if there is an underlying cause for the bradycardia. Hopefully cardiology will give you a better picture of what is going on

jennypolkadots · October 2014

I would think about switching doctors though. With your symptoms they should have at least taken blood work knowing you were going to try to conceive. I wouldn't think that a GYN would know what to check for with cardiac issues, it isn't their specialty. And taking your pulse and just listening would not be reason for them to be alarmed, everyone's heart sounds different.

jennypolkadots · October 2014

Also - having a heart beat below 60 BPM is not cause for alarm. Most doctors are really pleased to see that because it can be a sign of excellent cardiovascular health. My husband's resting rate is about 45 BPM and he is a long distance runner. Mine was below 60 before I was pregnant. So that is just not something that would tip them off.

I hope you are able to get the answers you need and continue with your TTC journey. >>hugs<<

LexiPlexi · October 2014

aditigirl said:

I'm sorry for your health issues. But, I mean. I assume you saw your OBGYN for the preconception appointment? Why would you expect her to do anything outside of her scope (I.e, tests on your heart)? She did a standard preconception appointment. You weren't having these heart issues when you saw her. It makes sense that she would just assume you're tired, especially if the tests she did run came back normal. IMO, you're overacting.

They took my pulse, blood pressure, etc. at this appointment. With my heart rate less than half the normal rate, you'd think they would have said something. I did not expect "tests on my heart", but if you're going to whip out the stethoscope and count my heart beats, you should be able to tell when those beats are not as frequent as they should be

LexiPlexi · October 2014

Thanks for the info & the support ladies. I just needed to vent.

Went to the cardiologist. Had another EKG. I was formally diagnosed with sinus bradycardia, palpitations, etc... He told me that it is a possibility that my first miscarriage may have been due to my heart condition. Then he told me to postpone TTC until he can figure out the cause and develop a treatment plan.

I am not freaking out, just a bit angry that none of my doctors/nurses/etc. caught this before now. My sister is a nurse and she told me when they record your pulse, they listen for a few seconds and then multiply it to record the number of beats per minute.

This accounts for why they may have missed it before. So I'm trying to get over it. Mistakes happen. But the idea of postponing TTC is really heartbreaking

Mysterious_wife · October 2014

Your cardiologist is an idiot. "Cause" is hard to determine. Most of the time it is the (bad) luck of the draw. You may never know a cause of a m/c.

I got H1N1 and almost died before discovering my aortic valve was bicuspid. I was 24. I was 27 when I got answers for RPL. It was a mix of a gentic blood disorder and my heart. I had a somewhat healthy pg. That ended in a live birth. The kid is 7

LexiPlexi · October 2014

I was skeptical of that as well so I did some googling. Apparently sinus bradycardia can lead to birth defects and miscarriage if your heart is unable to rise the extra 15-20 bpm to circulate properly to the fetus.

As it is right now, it's not doing enough to give me what I need. This is evident because of my symptoms. He said he wouldn't be worried about the SB if I wasn't losing consciousness so often

toomanycats1 · October 2014

In a post on sept 30th you mentioned you weren't going to start trying until November. How is it that you've been trying for 6 months with no success then?

LexiPlexi · October 2014

Never said I was trying with no success. I said 6 months ago I did my preconception appt. I stopped the pill in Dec/Jan. We have not been "actively" trying. But if it happened, we'd have been happy & relieved.

LexiPlexi · October 2014

You know, I dont get this. I came here for support. Not to have this new diagnosis that I am clearly worried about belittled, told I am overreacting, my cardiologist called an idiot, being told I have unrealistic expectations for doctors that are actually calculating my bpm and not noticing I have less than half bpm than I should, and my past posts researched to be questioned about whether we were actively TTC for the last six months.

I have responded to each of these negative responses.

I am upset. My heart is slow and skipping beats. I am exhausted. I have been passing out. This is cause for concern.

My cardiologist is not an idiot as his statements about SB leading to birth defects and miscarriage are backed up by medical research.

I expect any doctor or nurse, OBGYN included that listens to my heart via stethoscope and calculated my bpm to have realized something was up. Otherwise, why even bother doing that part of the exam?

And yes, I said we we're going to start actively TTC next month, and now I cant. And it's upsetting that I've been instructed not to do so.

So, can anyone think of anything else to say to me about anything I've ever said about how difficult this has been for me?

And just to be clear, I did thank those that said they felt for me. Just in case someone wants to comment that Im not focusing on those that have expressed empathy for my situation. I do appreciate those sentiments.

Mysterious_wife · October 2014

You edited your Reply about the cardiologist follow-up. Your doctor is an idiot if he thinks you should wait to find a cause for a m/c. There are women who will go to their grave having no explanation. Not all m/cs can be solved. Waiting to find out what is wrong with you, sure. Waiting on a needle in a haystack answer, hell no. Like I said. I was 24 before ever finding out I had anything wrong with me. Then 27 before I had another life altering blow. Not everything can be found willy nilly. Sometimes your body needs to have a misfire before you know. An Ob is not a cardiologist. I would never expect her to tell me my heart was bad. I had routine physicals every year. Not one doctor knew I had a heart defect. I think you got solid helpful advice and responses. I also think you are being sensitive to the tone of the board. It takes a while to understand the ins and outs of a board. Hang out and see what other advice and info you can get. I understand the scared and overwhelmed feeling. I went to the doctor with the flu. I ended up in ICU for 4 days. I came home thinking I needed a valve replacement ASAP, due to the flu. I spent weeks trying to get better, I see a cardiologist every 6 months. Right now I have postponed the surgery at least until my 30's. That starts next year.

Mysterious_wife · October 2014

Sorry for the massive paragraph. I forgot breaks in between. Stupid iPad.

LexiPlexi · October 2014

Thanks for the response Mysterious_wife. And thank you for sharing your story. I hope everything works out for you. I would have seriously freaked out if I went in for a flu and got admitted to ICU. Im upset for u too. Why does it take so long to discover something is wrong if they are doing these bloody checkups?

I edited the post to add in the "formal diagnosis" part. But, re-reading it, the bit about finding out "the cause" was unclear. I meant the cause of the SB. If it is caused by hypothyroidism, that can be treated. Then the SB, palpitations, syncope, etc would fix themselves.

I did not mean the cause of the miscarriage. The cardiologist said that if my heart can barely sustain me, it probably didn't do a good job for the fetus. That may have been the reason. And to not TTC until we find out the cause of the SB.

fmf5 · October 2014

Lurker from TTGP. I'm so sorry to hear all this! I am TTC and also went to a preconception appt with my SO to find ourselves both disappointed. We thought they'd do testing or check me out a little more or ask more questions. Nope all my doc said was from the middle of your normal cycle count 4-6 days before and start having sex every other day, that temping is a pain, all she did was put her legs up after sex and not use the bathroom for a little while, and if I have any questions call her. Oh and also at that time I figured my uti was back but all she told me on that was if it gets worse call her and she'll prescribe me something. Best of luck! Hope this condition isn't too serious/gets better or if you do need surgery I hope it goes well for you!

fmf5 · October 2014

@LittleBunnyFuFu‌ I went to that appointment when I first started on TB so now I know and realize it's a waste of time. I went because my SO and I read in a getting pregnant book that we should go to one. I have irregular periods so I didn't know if they could find out why or if anything was wrong with me. My longest recorded cycle was 81 days. A few years back tho I didn't have one for 4 to 6 months.

Wine&Cupcakes · October 2014

I'm a nurse and I gather some of the other responders are nurses too.

First, I'm always clinically bradycardic due to my cardiovascular fitness, I run 50-56 and can get into the 60s with walking around. Obviously you have an issues as you are symptomatic with passing out, fatigue, etc. This is clearly an oxygenation issue caused by your slow heart rate.

Cardiac issues are often missed and initially misdiagnosed unless there are glaringly obvious sympt

LexiPlexi · October 2014

I wish I was fit like you Wine&Cupcakes. Unfortunately though, you're right. The symptoms are what makes my bradycardia a bad thing rather than an issue that we could just ignore. Otherwise we could celebrate my heartbeat being in the 40s.

And from what I've heard in my cardiologist's office, I'm pretty lucky they were able to see it on my EKG and diagnose my heart condition because they are pretty tricky to catch. One lady I talked to had tests for 7 years without catching her heart condition. These last weeks have made me a lot more understanding toward all those doctors and nurses that have missed it over the years. Plus, the fact that I'm in my 30s and experiencing something that is normally for people in their 60s/70s further explains why they didn't think to test for it.

Quick update: Two weeks ago I did my echo stress test and the cardiologist said my muscle looks good. Healthy looking heart. His guess now is sick sinus syndrome. Pretty much means the part in charge of the electrical impulses is faulty.

Unfortunately, the only treatment he said could help is a pacemaker. And that really freaks me out. That was my worst-case possibility and I kept telling myself that it was probably going to be something treatable with medication like hypothyroidism.

Plus side of all of this is that if I did get a pacemaker installed, I can still get pregnant. Knowing that having children is still a possibility for me definitely makes me feel better. Down side is they do that surgery under local anesthesia! I can't imagine being awake during that procedure. Yikes!!!

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Preconception Appt My Arse

Re: Preconception Appt My Arse

DX (me): Inborn error of metabolism - protein restriction, metabolic formula & weekly blood tests

DNA Results (7/1): DH is NOT a carrier for my genetic disorder!

7/3: Metabolic clinic gave the green light to TTC - holy crap!

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