My doctor thought it would be a good idea back in October for me to
have a blood test - specifically to check my cholesterol, because I'd
ballooned in weight over the past year after quitting smoking and my
blood pressure was now scarily high (180/90 - but this has been

I have been diagnosed with atrial flutter as well as SVT. I am only 26
yrs old. Does anyone else have it & what exactly is it?
Thanks Amber

Finally got to see the cardiologist today.
Dave, you were spot on. Diagnosis: Ectopic beat. Perfectly normal, probably
had them all my life, Seems caffiene makes them more noticable. I drive a
truck all night and while I tried to limit my coffee intake, I did drink a

I usually have mild hypertension...140-150/90.
When  I go to the Dr. it shoots up significantly (40 points) I feel the
anxiety as soon as the cuff goes on my arm..
My Dr. says that he wants an x-ray to see if heart is enlarged.. would there

My doctor swears by Benicar (ARB).  HE says it is effective with minimal
side effects.
Any opinions would be appreciated
Ken

I am scheduled form a stress test in several weeks. I am taking 50mg
altenolol.
Should I stop the b-blocker for a few days prior to stress test to get a
neutral reading?

When you are told that your ecg is "normal" what does that really mean?
Why would you need an echo cardiogram in addition?
Mine was normal but my GP says he hears a murmur from the mitral valve and
wants an echo.

~~~What are the chances my water is contaminated?
Today, there are very few people who are not aware of the problems
with our drinking water supply. The news carries reports each week
about yet another clean-up effort initiated on chemical spills,

http://www.ascribe.org/
Tue Feb 1 21:00:01 2005 Pacific Time
     Illness and Medical Bills Cause Half of All Bankruptcies; 2
Million Americans Financially Ruined Each Year; Harvard Study Finds

I am a student at Utah State University and have been doing research on
strokes, their related warning signs, symptoms, causes, etc. I would
also like to know if anyone else has heard of cases where very healthy
individuals in their mid-20s have suffered a stroke with quite apparent

All of the reports that I've read  about not  drinking grapefruit juice
while taking statins fail to mention certain questions:
Are they  saying  to not wash the pill down with a gulp of juice, or to
avoid  grapefruit juice completely if you're taking statins?

Interesting follow-on to the discussions that evolved under the "Memory loss
after CABG" thread.
Study abstract via Pub Med: [start quote of abstract]
Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2005 Feb;59(2):227-32.

I'm hoping for some advice on possible treatments for a heart murmur I've
had for a week now.
I'm male, 41, 95kg, non smoker, and the murmur feels like a skipped beat,
with a strong follow up beat that I can feel in my chest, and confirm with