Has anyone had to wear a holter monitor before? (Kinda freaked out)

Zepplin1218 · August 2015

So anyone who saw Mondays symptoms board knows I have been having continual issues with passing out and palpitations and as such was referred to a cardiologist - that appointment was earlier this evening.

The doctor basically said he thinks I have vasovagal syncope, that my nervous system's reflex to pass out when under distress is TOO healthy and is happening when it shouldn't be - this means I can pass out any time without cause and basically just have to be careful not to get hurt when it happens. I'm not allowed to stand for a long time anymore and as of right now I can still drive sometimes but if it keeps happening he has to report me to the DMV as being unfit to drive. The thought is baby might be hitting one of my arteries or something and triggering this response in me more than before and as such I may have to be kept home if it keeps happening (because the further I am the more a fall is a risk to baby).

On top of that in order to eliminate other possibilities and to look into the palpitations I have to get an Echo and wear a holter monitor for 30 days strait so it can monitor my heart to see if I have another event.

Right now I'm still processing - its so much to take in it doesn't really seem real yet. I am loving being an EMT but I'm not allowed to now until things get more settled and I am monitored because there is a risk I could pass out while driving the ambulance or while treating a patient. Also school is just starting for me and I'm still working so the possibility of having all of that taken away is scary and odd. But at the same time he kept emphasizing that the syncope itself is no big deal and something I will get used to.

Just wondering if someone has ever worn a holter before and what I can expect - I'm getting it right before vacation which kinda sucks cause it's electronic.

ETA: because apparently Holter is supposed to say hotter according to auto correct haha

MrsJG3 · August 2015

My daughter had to wear one. Not for a month but for 48 hours. It looked like a camera case with a cross body strap. She wore it during the day and slept with it next to her. It was pretty amazing really. It sent real time info that was monitored 24/7. If at any time anything weird happened it would page her cardiologist and then he could view the feed from his home. She is actually having another echo this Friday.

I am sorry you are going through this. I know it seems like a pain but it really is the best way to find out what is going on. Hugs!

RN0107 · August 2015

Wth DS2 I was having a lot of heart palpitations and dizziness so I was also sent to a cardiologist. I had to wear the Holter monitor for 2 weeks and had an echo. The monitor was fine. More of an inconvenience. No one knew I had it on and the box was small and fit right in my pocket.

I'm sorry you are feeling so bad. I hope you get some answers.

February242016 · August 2015

I had to wear one for 48 hours for the same reason. This all happened much before this pregnancy began. I was having fainting spells that did not have any warning signs. I would wake up on the floor, once even managing to put my head through the wall. The doc in ER said if it happened anymore that he would have to report me to the ministry of transportation. It's scary.

But to answer your question (rant now over lol) it wasn't so bad. The one I had was kind of like a small satchel that had wires that attached to my chest. I couldn't shower, so prepare yourself for potentially having to do sponge baths/flipping your head in the sink. Otherwise they made me keep a journal to track my symptoms. The results took a couple of weeks once it was all said and done. It's a harmless test, if that's what you'd call it, can just be a bit of a nuisance. Hope this helps

Best of luck

Zepplin1218 · August 2015

@MrsJG3 did she have to have the stickers on the whole time? Since it will be for a month I am concerned about the vacation - were going to a lake and if I can't go fishing and stuff its really going to make the whole thing a tad pointless, but with it being electronic I can't imagine I'll be able to. Also with the stickers I have to be able to shower.. not sure how that will work?

je5sc0 · August 2015

I am so sorry! I wore one when I was around twelve because I was having palpitations and passing out. Brought on by stress I think now. But it resolved itself when I was put on anxiety meds and when some stressful things at home stopped. I couldn't shower which was what sucked but it was only 72 hours so I'm not sure how they will go about it with you. But there were five or six sticky patches with wires all over my chest and then the little camera type thing. Take it easy and I hope you get some answers soon!

Zepplin1218 · August 2015

February242016 said:

I had to wear one for 48 hours for the same reason. This all happened much before this pregnancy began. I was having fainting spells that did not have any warning signs. I would wake up on the floor, once even managing to put my head through the wall. The doc in ER said if it happened anymore that he would have to report me to the ministry of transportation. It's scary. But to answer your question (rant now over lol) it wasn't so bad. The one I had was kind of like a small satchel that had wires that attached to my chest. I couldn't shower, so prepare yourself for potentially having to do sponge baths/flipping your head in the sink. Otherwise they made me keep a journal to track my symptoms. The results took a couple of weeks once it was all said and done. It's a harmless test, if that's what you'd call it, can just be a bit of a nuisance. Hope this helps Best of luck

Ah see that is kinda what I was afraid of a whole month with the stupid stickers and such, yuck.

@RN0107 - glad to hear they are small that will be better than everyone seeing it.

It makes me feel better to know people have been through this before!

Also creepy question - but since its for a whole month will it go off if I have sex with H and my heart rate goes up??

jennarhoda · August 2015

I have neurocardiogenic syncope. I've had to wear a monitor for a month several times. They are annoying but harmless. It's just a device you wear like an old Walkman to monitor your rhythm its completely noninvasive nothing to worry about

February242016 · August 2015

Nope. Stays on during sex! Just have to record it in your diary of activities!

jennarhoda · August 2015

Also you can take it off to shower! But yes you have to record sex!

RN0107 · August 2015

Zepplin1218 said:
@MrsJG3 did she have to have the stickers on the whole time? Since it will be for a month I am concerned about the vacation - were going to a lake and if I can't go fishing and stuff its really going to make the whole thing a tad pointless, but with it being electronic I can't imagine I'll be able to. Also with the stickers I have to be able to shower.. not sure how that will work?

Mine had EKG leads that attached to the stickers. I was able to shower and I changed the stickers almost every day. They sent me a couple sheets of stickers with the machine. I cheated and took the leads off when we had sex

ETA I was specifically told it was OK to take the leads off to shower. Maybe ask first just to clarify if it's OK for you?

SarahS06 · August 2015

I'm sorry you have had such a scary and stressful time!

I had to wear an event monitor (similar, but not exactly the same) for 2 weeks (when not pregnant). It wasn't fun but really more of a hassle than anything. DH and I had fun with it though. We called the leads (not sure this is what they are called?) robot nipples and he used to play Regina Spektor's song machine when I came into the room.

I hope everything works out well for you and you get some answers!

Zepplin1218 · August 2015

@jennarhoda - I hope they give me that kind and extra stickers then, sponge baths don't sound too great haha.

@RN0107 - I will probably do that if they don't switch me to an event monitor, I'm an adult but that's still embarrassing to me to have to record every time.

Seriously cannot thank you ladies enough for sharing your experiences - I'm sorry any of you have had to experience what you have but I really appreciate you sharing, it makes me feel a lot less alone and more comfortable with all this going on!

jennarhoda · August 2015

@Zepplin1218 they will give you extra stickers and show you where to put the leads back on after you shower. Good luck! It's an annoying test but hopefully it will give you some answers

Monkeybutt80 · August 2015

I'm so sorry you are going through all this. I hope it's not anything serious.

I had some heart palpitation issues that made me light headed and gasping for air that started about 3 months into my last pregnancy. I was referred to a cardiologist, and they had me wear one for 48 hours. In addition to not being able to shower, I remember that I had to decide when they were putting it on if I was going to wear a bra the whole time, or not wear one the whole time. It was a small rectangular battery pack looking thing on a lanyard that hung like a giant pendant necklace and from that some wires came out and attached to various parts of my chest. It wasn't anything painful or too cumbersome.
Luckily for me, I was only diagnosed with premature ventricular contractions which isn't a serious condition and the cardiologist thought it was acting up and noticeable bc of increased blood flow due to my pregnancy. It resolved once I was further along in my pregnancy.

pbtoast · August 2015

I had to wear one for a month. It was kind of a pain but not THAT big of a deal. I unhooked it when I showered or took a bath or went in the hot tub. If the stickers came off, I had extras to replace them. I actually called the company and got more when I started to run out and it was no problem. The biggest problem was that I had adhesive ALL over my chest and the skin got irritated from constantly moving the stickers and trying to clean off the adhesive. I found some adhesive remover pads on Amazon that were a lifesaver. I highly recommend you look into that. Then, in terms of the actual machine, I ran the lines down under my bra and hooked the monitor either inside my pants or even sometimes shoved it in my bra. Those were the best ways I found to have it not be completely obvious I was wearing it. I hope that's helpful for you and I hope everything works out!!

Zepplin1218 · August 2015

pbtoast said:

I had to wear one for a month. It was kind of a pain but not THAT big of a deal. I unhooked it when I showered or took a bath or went in the hot tub. If the stickers came off, I had extras to replace them. I actually called the company and got more when I started to run out and it was no problem. The biggest problem was that I had adhesive ALL over my chest and the skin got irritated from constantly moving the stickers and trying to clean off the adhesive. I found some adhesive remover pads on Amazon that were a lifesaver. I highly recommend you look into that. Then, in terms of the actual machine, I ran the lines down under my bra and hooked the monitor either inside my pants or even sometimes shoved it in my bra. Those were the best ways I found to have it not be completely obvious I was wearing it. I hope that's helpful for you and I hope everything works out!!

Super helpful - is there a brand for those pads that is better? I have really sensitive skin so I can foresee that being an issue for me

DaisyTortilla · August 2015

So sorry you are enduring this. Hopefully you get some answers very soon! Hope you also feel better soon.

pbtoast · August 2015

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019GG2K6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00

These are what I used. I didn't discover them until almost the end of the month that I had to wear the monitor, but they were really helpful for the time that I did use them.

Sprinkles07 · August 2015

I had to do this during college. I'd notice my heartbeat would be crazy fast for no reason. So I wore it on a couple different occasions for just a a couple days. I think the thought of them finding something bad was the worst part. For me it ended up being anxiety and diet. Too much crap food and alcohol! Doesn't really apply to your situation but having it around isn't as bad as it sounds.

Adyer7 · August 2015

I also have vasovagal syncope. I've not worn the monitor before but understand your frustration. Passing out without warning isn't a fun experience. Mine usual strikes under pain. I've been frightened for that happening during labor.

kateryna72 · August 2015

I also had to wear a holter monitor for 72 hours a few years ago, and I've had multiple echoes. Neither were a big deal, more of just an inconvenience. My situation is a little different though, because I have a heart murmur and an aortic aneurysm. Both sound really scary, but are actually benign and I just have to go in for monitoring once every few years. I don't think there's ever a time that heart stuff isn't stressful, but if your doctor says not to worry than I'm sure it will be fine. Also if I were you I would still go on vacation. Let your family take care of you a little bit while you put your feet up with a good book and enjoy the scenery. I would ask your doctor about fishing, but as long as you don't fall in the water I would think it would be okay.

mommaz1 · August 2015

I had to wear a Holter for 7 days in high school. I, too, have very sensitive skin and it was really itchy and I was not allowed to take off the stickers. By the end of the week, I had welts where the pads were. Witch hazel with Aloe helped to calm the area down. Since they didn't find out what was wrong, I had to wear an event monitor for a month following it. I was getting palpitations and very high heart rates after running (track team sprinter) and would black out. They restricted my activities while I was on the Holter and the event monitor so I wasn't allowed to run, climb more than a flight of stairs at one time, swim, etc so they chalked it up to exhaustion and dehydration. Good luck! It wasn't as bad as I expected it to be, especially as a high school senior about to go on spring break!

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