I've been having issues with my heart for the past few months. Every evening it skips multiple beats, is very irregular. Tonight, I was at my second job and my chest felt tight, was just uncomfortable, and my heart was skipping beats left and right. I had went to the ER several weeks ago for the same thing, but kept putting it off and putting it off, and by the time I got there that night, it had stopped. He told me to follow up with my regular doctor and to see a cardiologist. But, no insurance. So I've been going along, heart skipping beats every night, no discomfort though. That ER visit cost over $10,000. I can't afford to do that again.

Today, I could hear my pulse in my head and my whole head and face felt like it was beating along with my heart. Very strange feeling. But it passed. Then tonight, I'm at my second job, irregular heartbeats, skipping beats, chest feels tight, and just have some discomfort, so was afraid I might be having a heart attack. I went to Urgent Care instead of ER because it's $100 up front and the cost is cheaper than going to the ER. The nurse is getting me admitted, typing everything, and the doctor is reading that while she is typing (he's in another room). He knocks on the triage door and pulls the nurse out of the room, and she comes back in and tells me to go to the ER. The doc said that they would have me pay for testing at Urgent Care up front. My pulse was 62 at my last doctoor's appointment a couple of years ago, and normal, but it was 105 tonight and irregular. This doc thinks I may be having Afib.

I already deal with blood clots. Was going to try to get some interim insurance when I got paid at the beginning of the month, but other bills...you know how that is. And the interim insurance doesn't cover pre-existing conditions - so can't be treated for my blood clots, and since I went to the ER with my heart beat skipping, it would already be considered a pre-existing condition and they could refuse to pay for it, too.

It always stops, towards night. It just lasts for a few hours every evening where it's skipping these beats. I don't know why I'm writing to you all, except just needing to talk it through and either try to convince myself to go or talk myself out of it. Doc at Urgent Care was insistent I go. They reimbursed me the $100 I paid up front. But I'm so tired of doctors, and then I'm afraid I'll get over there and they'll run those tests, and it will stop doing it for the night and then I'm out another $10,000 with no diagnosis or game plan.

My current positions do not offer insurance. I've interviewed for an Area Administrator position (managing a multi-county office with the state) but if I get the position, I won't get started with that for about a month, at least.

Anyone have Afib? Do you think I'm safe to wait? Does this even sound like Afib?

Go to the hospital Benni. The hospital has social workers who will help you thru the billing process and in some cases can get it written off and get you on medicaid. Tell them you need the help of the social worker. But go to the hospital ASAP. You have a child who needs you.

How are you today Benni?

Thank you everyone. I talked myself out of it last night. It finally settled down with no more problems. But I did promise my forever mom (ex-mother-in-law) and the store manager that if it happens tonight, I'll go the ER. I know it will happen tonight, it's been doing it every day, always towards evening. I just don't always get the tight feeling in my chest nor feel uncomfortable. I've been keeping track of my pulse and symptoms today, every hour or 1 1/2 hours, with symptoms and what activity I was doing. (Imagine writing down, "posting on org" ).

I'm having a few skipped beats right now, but I had just did something (took trash cans from road to the side of the house) which caused my pulse to raise to 132 bpm. And it's coming back down now. So I imagine the strain and increase heart rate caused it to start now. I want to take some kind of record in with me. This is just ridiculous. It's probably circulatory, which would make sense with all the clots I've had, and or, it's absolutely nothing, harmless, and just something I have to live with. And then I waste money going in for them to run tests and tell me to "follow up with your doctor" and do absolutely nothing. I would think if it's stress related, that it would happen at times when I'm feeling more stressed, but it's always when I sit down to relax for the night. Bah, who knows!

Thanks for asking Penny.

benni said:

Thank you everyone. I talked myself out of it last night. It finally settled down with no more problems. But I did promise my forever mom (ex-mother-in-law) and the store manager that if it happens tonight, I'll go the ER. I know it will happen tonight, it's been doing it every day, always towards evening. I just don't always get the tight feeling in my chest nor feel uncomfortable. I've been keeping track of my pulse and symptoms today, every hour or 1 1/2 hours, with symptoms and what activity I was doing. (Imagine writing down, "posting on org" ).

I'm having a few skipped beats right now, but I had just did something (took trash cans from road to the side of the house) which caused my pulse to raise to 132 bpm. And it's coming back down now. So I imagine the strain and increase heart rate caused it to start now. I want to take some kind of record in with me. This is just ridiculous. It's probably circulatory, which would make sense with all the clots I've had, and or, it's absolutely nothing, harmless, and just something I have to live with. And then I waste money going in for them to run tests and tell me to "follow up with your doctor" and do absolutely nothing. I would think if it's stress related, that it would happen at times when I'm feeling more stressed, but it's always when I sit down to relax for the night. Bah, who knows!

Thanks for asking Penny.

Well, you can still get help with that 10k hospital bill, they will write some of it off and maybe someone can help you get medicaid or something.

You probably really should go to the hospital next time, they do have medicine to help control this. The heart is nothing to mess around with.

Thinking of you Benni!

PennyPurple said:

benni said:

Thank you everyone. I talked myself out of it last night. It finally settled down with no more problems. But I did promise my forever mom (ex-mother-in-law) and the store manager that if it happens tonight, I'll go the ER. I know it will happen tonight, it's been doing it every day, always towards evening. I just don't always get the tight feeling in my chest nor feel uncomfortable. I've been keeping track of my pulse and symptoms today, every hour or 1 1/2 hours, with symptoms and what activity I was doing. (Imagine writing down, "posting on org" ).

I'm having a few skipped beats right now, but I had just did something (took trash cans from road to the side of the house) which caused my pulse to raise to 132 bpm. And it's coming back down now. So I imagine the strain and increase heart rate caused it to start now. I want to take some kind of record in with me. This is just ridiculous. It's probably circulatory, which would make sense with all the clots I've had, and or, it's absolutely nothing, harmless, and just something I have to live with. And then I waste money going in for them to run tests and tell me to "follow up with your doctor" and do absolutely nothing. I would think if it's stress related, that it would happen at times when I'm feeling more stressed, but it's always when I sit down to relax for the night. Bah, who knows!

Thanks for asking Penny.

Well, you can still get help with that 10k hospital bill, they will write some of it off and maybe someone can help you get medicaid or something.

You probably really should go to the hospital next time, they do have medicine to help control this. The heart is nothing to mess around with.

Thinking of you Benni!

The problem is that I earn too much to qualify for assistance. Too much for Medicaid, too much for ACA. Out of pocket cost for me for insurance is between $600 to $1000 per month because of pre-existing conditions, with the $600 having an astronimically high deductible. That's whey I can't afford the insurance. I can't even get life insurance. Hospitals will help with the bills, dependent upon your income. I have a house payment, car payment, car insurance (have to maintain full coverage), student loans, a personal loan, plus the mainstay bills (groceries, gas, utilities, etc.). But they don't go by what is going out of your paycheck, they just look at your net pay before bills. As a social worker that works with a Medicaid program, I'm very familiar with the medical assistance programs that are available.

benni said:

PennyPurple said:

Well, you can still get help with that 10k hospital bill, they will write some of it off and maybe someone can help you get medicaid or something.

You probably really should go to the hospital next time, they do have medicine to help control this. The heart is nothing to mess around with.

Thinking of you Benni!

The problem is that I earn too much to qualify for assistance. Too much for Medicaid, too much for ACA. Out of pocket cost for me for insurance is between $600 to $1000 per month because of pre-existing conditions, with the $600 having an astronimically high deductible. That's whey I can't afford the insurance. I can't even get life insurance. Hospitals will help with the bills, dependent upon your income. I have a house payment, car payment, car insurance (have to maintain full coverage), student loans, a personal loan, plus the mainstay bills (groceries, gas, utilities, etc.). But they don't go by what is going out of your paycheck, they just look at your net pay before bills. As a social worker that works with a Medicaid program, I'm very familiar with the medical assistance programs that are available.

Arghh. That stinks Benni. Sorry this is happening to you.

benni said:

Thank you everyone. I talked myself out of it last night. It finally settled down with no more problems. But I did promise my forever mom (ex-mother-in-law) and the store manager that if it happens tonight, I'll go the ER. I know it will happen tonight, it's been doing it every day, always towards evening. I just don't always get the tight feeling in my chest nor feel uncomfortable. I've been keeping track of my pulse and symptoms today, every hour or 1 1/2 hours, with symptoms and what activity I was doing. (Imagine writing down, "posting on org" ).

I'm having a few skipped beats right now, but I had just did something (took trash cans from road to the side of the house) which caused my pulse to raise to 132 bpm. And it's coming back down now. So I imagine the strain and increase heart rate caused it to start now. I want to take some kind of record in with me. This is just ridiculous. It's probably circulatory, which would make sense with all the clots I've had, and or, it's absolutely nothing, harmless, and just something I have to live with. And then I waste money going in for them to run tests and tell me to "follow up with your doctor" and do absolutely nothing. I would think if it's stress related, that it would happen at times when I'm feeling more stressed, but it's always when I sit down to relax for the night. Bah, who knows!

Thanks for asking Penny.

many people with abnormal heartbeats (arrythmia) are lacking magnesium. it MIGHT be that simple. hope this helps and you feel better soon: http://www.lifeextension....age-01?p=1

XxAxX said:

benni said:

Thank you everyone. I talked myself out of it last night. It finally settled down with no more problems. But I did promise my forever mom (ex-mother-in-law) and the store manager that if it happens tonight, I'll go the ER. I know it will happen tonight, it's been doing it every day, always towards evening. I just don't always get the tight feeling in my chest nor feel uncomfortable. I've been keeping track of my pulse and symptoms today, every hour or 1 1/2 hours, with symptoms and what activity I was doing. (Imagine writing down, "posting on org" ).

I'm having a few skipped beats right now, but I had just did something (took trash cans from road to the side of the house) which caused my pulse to raise to 132 bpm. And it's coming back down now. So I imagine the strain and increase heart rate caused it to start now. I want to take some kind of record in with me. This is just ridiculous. It's probably circulatory, which would make sense with all the clots I've had, and or, it's absolutely nothing, harmless, and just something I have to live with. And then I waste money going in for them to run tests and tell me to "follow up with your doctor" and do absolutely nothing. I would think if it's stress related, that it would happen at times when I'm feeling more stressed, but it's always when I sit down to relax for the night. Bah, who knows!

Thanks for asking Penny.

many people with abnormal heartbeats (arrythmia) are lacking magnesium. it MIGHT be that simple. hope this helps and you feel better soon: http://www.lifeextension....age-01?p=1

Thanks XxAxX. I ended up going to the ER last night. They tested for that, and mine was okay. They ran a full panel on me. They've referred me to cardiology for tomorrow, put on the referral that the urgency is "Urgent" so not sure if I'll actually be scheduled for tomorrow or if they will call and schedule me a date soon. He wants me to wear a Holter Event Monitor for 30 days and get a stress test done. The ER nurse wouldn't let me leave last night until she made sure that the event monitor was secured for me (whatever that means). My pulse got up to 132 yesterday, with multiple missed beats, and I could hear my heart beating in my left ear, so I decided to not chance it.

Go the the ER, my friend...your health and survival are more important than the money. And remember...if you go to a non-profit hospital, they are required by law to offer you financial assistance if you let them know you cant pay. Now granted...they want you to be broke and destitute to write the entire balance off, but even if you only receive partial assistance, they are also required to set you up on a pay plan that you can afford. Example: pay plan with no financial assistance, hospital can screw with you and make you set a plan that meets their "guidelines". With F/A...you can pay them $20 a month for 10 years and they have to accept it because the governmeny says so. Get that checked out...screw them and their money!

UncleJam said:

Go the the ER, my friend...your health and survival are more important than the money. And remember...if you go to a non-profit hospital, they are required by law to offer you financial assistance if you let them know you cant pay. Now granted...they want you to be broke and destitute to write the entire balance off, but even if you only receive partial assistance, they are also required to set you up on a pay plan that you can afford. Example: pay plan with no financial assistance, hospital can screw with you and make you set a plan that meets their "guidelines". With F/A...you can pay them $20 a month for 10 years and they have to accept it because the governmeny says so. Get that checked out...screw them and their money!

Thanks, UncleJam. I did go, last night. They've referred me to a cardiologist. The hospital I went to has an unknown benefactor that will pay for ER visits that are real emergencies if the individual doesn't have insurance, along with the follow up care. The doctor kept telling me last night to not worry about the bill, and they would not do more tests than they could justify to this benefactor as being necessary. Apparently, if the benefactor sees tests that aren't necessary, they won't pay.

benni said:

XxAxX said:

many people with abnormal heartbeats (arrythmia) are lacking magnesium. it MIGHT be that simple. hope this helps and you feel better soon: http://www.lifeextension....age-01?p=1

Thanks XxAxX. I ended up going to the ER last night. They tested for that, and mine was okay. They ran a full panel on me. They've referred me to cardiology for tomorrow, put on the referral that the urgency is "Urgent" so not sure if I'll actually be scheduled for tomorrow or if they will call and schedule me a date soon. He wants me to wear a Holter Event Monitor for 30 days and get a stress test done. The ER nurse wouldn't let me leave last night until she made sure that the event monitor was secured for me (whatever that means). My pulse got up to 132 yesterday, with multiple missed beats, and I could hear my heart beating in my left ear, so I decided to not chance it.

oh wow Benni. i really hope you are feeling better and get to the bottom of this thing.

Is it flaring up tonight, so that the moniter can catch it?

PennyPurple said:

Is it flaring up tonight, so that the moniter can catch it?

It is, but I don't have the monitor yet. I'll get that from the cardiologist. I've been monitoring my BP and pulse. (I bought a blood pressure cuff/pulse monitor last night on my way home. It was on sale! YAY! I like sales!) BP has been fine (high a few times tonight for me, but nothing too high) but pulse has gotten as high as 122 tonight. But been getting the skipped beats off and on all night. I had dropped off the script last night but had to pick it up tonight. (They'd given me a Xarelto last night at the ER, so my first dose wasn't due until tonight.) The first thing the paperwork talks about on the Xarelto is Afib, and stopping it leads to increased risk of stroke.

I had applied for a state job, interviewed for it on 7/23/18, and she was going to make a decision this past week, but we won't get the decision until HR writes up the proposal for whoever she hires for the position. Everyone keeps telling me I have it, or I should have it, but I know of at least 9 to 12 people that applied. I know the hiring manager likes me and when she originally hired me for the CMII position she told me that I was an "up and coming" with the company and really respected me and my work ethics. But I'm not sure if she feels I'm qualified for this positioni. It will be (hopefully) higher pay and will have insurance. It's an Area Administrator of a multi-county office. I'd essentially be the manager of that office and staff. I know I have the knowledge base, but not sure about the supervisory experience. (Though, they accepted my application as meeting the requiements.)

The main thing this thing does to me is make me so tired (and moody). I was trying to keep that in mind when I was posting earlier, but ... I don't know how successful I was with watching myself.

XxAxX said:

benni said:

Thanks XxAxX. I ended up going to the ER last night. They tested for that, and mine was okay. They ran a full panel on me. They've referred me to cardiology for tomorrow, put on the referral that the urgency is "Urgent" so not sure if I'll actually be scheduled for tomorrow or if they will call and schedule me a date soon. He wants me to wear a Holter Event Monitor for 30 days and get a stress test done. The ER nurse wouldn't let me leave last night until she made sure that the event monitor was secured for me (whatever that means). My pulse got up to 132 yesterday, with multiple missed beats, and I could hear my heart beating in my left ear, so I decided to not chance it.

oh wow Benni. i really hope you are feeling better and get to the bottom of this thing.

Thanks, XxAxX! I do, too. And am hoping that it's really nothing. I kept apologizing to them last night and telling them that I know they have people they're seeing that are a lot worse off than me and if they needed to take care of them, they didn't have to stay with me. :-/ (When I ruptured my spleen in the car accident, I kept apologizing to the paramedics and told them I was going to be so embarrassed if it was just a really big gas bubble, as they have the sirens on and rushing me to the trauma center. Oy! lol I'll be okay. Now that I've gotten seen and have a plan of action for figuring this thing out, I'm feeling better about it.

benni said:

PennyPurple said:

Is it flaring up tonight, so that the moniter can catch it?

It is, but I don't have the monitor yet. I'll get that from the cardiologist. I've been monitoring my BP and pulse. (I bought a blood pressure cuff/pulse monitor last night on my way home. It was on sale! YAY! I like sales!) BP has been fine (high a few times tonight for me, but nothing too high) but pulse has gotten as high as 122 tonight. But been getting the skipped beats off and on all night. I had dropped off the script last night but had to pick it up tonight. (They'd given me a Xarelto last night at the ER, so my first dose wasn't due until tonight.) The first thing the paperwork talks about on the Xarelto is Afib, and stopping it leads to increased risk of stroke.

I had applied for a state job, interviewed for it on 7/23/18, and she was going to make a decision this past week, but we won't get the decision until HR writes up the proposal for whoever she hires for the position. Everyone keeps telling me I have it, or I should have it, but I know of at least 9 to 12 people that applied. I know the hiring manager likes me and when she originally hired me for the CMII position she told me that I was an "up and coming" with the company and really respected me and my work ethics. But I'm not sure if she feels I'm qualified for this positioni. It will be (hopefully) higher pay and will have insurance. It's an Area Administrator of a multi-county office. I'd essentially be the manager of that office and staff. I know I have the knowledge base, but not sure about the supervisory experience. (Though, they accepted my application as meeting the requiements.)

The main thing this thing does to me is make me so tired (and moody). I was trying to keep that in mind when I was posting earlier, but ... I don't know how successful I was with watching myself.

Heck I had to step away from that problem over there or I'd be having a heart attack.

Darn, was hoping you'd have the heart moniter on tonight.

PennyPurple said:

benni said:

It is, but I don't have the monitor yet. I'll get that from the cardiologist. I've been monitoring my BP and pulse. (I bought a blood pressure cuff/pulse monitor last night on my way home. It was on sale! YAY! I like sales!) BP has been fine (high a few times tonight for me, but nothing too high) but pulse has gotten as high as 122 tonight. But been getting the skipped beats off and on all night. I had dropped off the script last night but had to pick it up tonight. (They'd given me a Xarelto last night at the ER, so my first dose wasn't due until tonight.) The first thing the paperwork talks about on the Xarelto is Afib, and stopping it leads to increased risk of stroke.

I had applied for a state job, interviewed for it on 7/23/18, and she was going to make a decision this past week, but we won't get the decision until HR writes up the proposal for whoever she hires for the position. Everyone keeps telling me I have it, or I should have it, but I know of at least 9 to 12 people that applied. I know the hiring manager likes me and when she originally hired me for the CMII position she told me that I was an "up and coming" with the company and really respected me and my work ethics. But I'm not sure if she feels I'm qualified for this positioni. It will be (hopefully) higher pay and will have insurance. It's an Area Administrator of a multi-county office. I'd essentially be the manager of that office and staff. I know I have the knowledge base, but not sure about the supervisory experience. (Though, they accepted my application as meeting the requiements.)

The main thing this thing does to me is make me so tired (and moody). I was trying to keep that in mind when I was posting earlier, but ... I don't know how successful I was with watching myself.

Heck I had to step away from that problem over there or I'd be having a heart attack.

Darn, was hoping you'd have the heart moniter on tonight.

Can I blame it on Trump? He's got me so stressed it's affecting my heart!

Oh man, hope you'll be fine. I think you will be, positive thoughts. And also, even though I don't have direct experience with the US healthcare system, so maybe I'm out of line here, but... you should really elect someone who will implement a decent universal, obligatory healthcare system over there.

It must be awful to endure a health care system where you have to stop, even for one second, to consider if you can afford to have things like that checked out. It's a disgrace people are put through that experience.

Just an fyi, check with your hospital to see if they have any funds to give away. I know that sounds unrealistic, but hospitals do get donations and grants that they have to spend by the end of the year. If you qualify, you may see most of your visit covered. Worth a shot. This is going back a ways, but I had to go to the ER w/o insurance and the charge of my visit was five grand. I ended up paying around three hundred of that bill.

benni said:

hey Benni, how's it gpoing? are you okay? hope you are feeling better.

XxAxX said:

hey Benni, how's it gpoing? are you okay? hope you are feeling better.

Hey XxAxX! I'm doing okay. Still getting the skipped beats and blood pressure spiking, but no more chest tightness or pain. The appointment with the cardiologist is scheduled for the 20th. At this point, I'm not sure if I will keep it. I didn't get the job position I had applied for (the one with the insurance), which didn't surprise me because of the supervision experience. But I was hoping because of the insurance. If they find something wrong my heart, then if I had gotten that job, it would be as expensive once the insurance kicked in. Without that insurance, those bills are going to pile up fast. I'm looking to see if the state has any other openings I qualify for, but no luck yet.

benni said:

XxAxX said:

hey Benni, how's it gpoing? are you okay? hope you are feeling better.

Hey XxAxX! I'm doing okay. Still getting the skipped beats and blood pressure spiking, but no more chest tightness or pain. The appointment with the cardiologist is scheduled for the 20th. At this point, I'm not sure if I will keep it. I didn't get the job position I had applied for (the one with the insurance), which didn't surprise me because of the supervision experience. But I was hoping because of the insurance. If they find something wrong my heart, then if I had gotten that job, it would be as expensive once the insurance kicked in. Without that insurance, those bills are going to pile up fast. I'm looking to see if the state has any other openings I qualify for, but no luck yet.

you likely already know this but there are affordable private insurance plans available on a short term basis. if you are interested google "short term health insurance". i really hope things work out for you in the best possible way.

XxAxX said:

benni said:

Hey XxAxX! I'm doing okay. Still getting the skipped beats and blood pressure spiking, but no more chest tightness or pain. The appointment with the cardiologist is scheduled for the 20th. At this point, I'm not sure if I will keep it. I didn't get the job position I had applied for (the one with the insurance), which didn't surprise me because of the supervision experience. But I was hoping because of the insurance. If they find something wrong my heart, then if I had gotten that job, it would be as expensive once the insurance kicked in. Without that insurance, those bills are going to pile up fast. I'm looking to see if the state has any other openings I qualify for, but no luck yet.

you likely already know this but there are affordable private insurance plans available on a short term basis. if you are interested google "short term health insurance". i really hope things work out for you in the best possible way.

Yes, the deductibles for reasonable monthly payments are $12,500. If I want something with a low deductible, it's almost $400 per month. (Out of pocket insurance is $600 a month with a high deductible.) They also don't cover pre-existing conditions. Once I went to the ER for this condition, and the doctor prescribed medication, it became a pre-existing condition. :-/

benni said:

XxAxX said:

hey Benni, how's it gpoing? are you okay? hope you are feeling better.

Hey XxAxX! I'm doing okay. Still getting the skipped beats and blood pressure spiking, but no more chest tightness or pain. The appointment with the cardiologist is scheduled for the 20th. At this point, I'm not sure if I will keep it. I didn't get the job position I had applied for (the one with the insurance), which didn't surprise me because of the supervision experience. But I was hoping because of the insurance. If they find something wrong my heart, then if I had gotten that job, it would be as expensive once the insurance kicked in. Without that insurance, those bills are going to pile up fast. I'm looking to see if the state has any other openings I qualify for, but no luck yet.

I don't want to be intrusive here but how do you know that your blood pressure is spiking? Do you monitor that constantly? Or does it spike in a way that you're feeling other effects?

Phishanga said:

benni said:

Hey XxAxX! I'm doing okay. Still getting the skipped beats and blood pressure spiking, but no more chest tightness or pain. The appointment with the cardiologist is scheduled for the 20th. At this point, I'm not sure if I will keep it. I didn't get the job position I had applied for (the one with the insurance), which didn't surprise me because of the supervision experience. But I was hoping because of the insurance. If they find something wrong my heart, then if I had gotten that job, it would be as expensive once the insurance kicked in. Without that insurance, those bills are going to pile up fast. I'm looking to see if the state has any other openings I qualify for, but no luck yet.

I don't want to be intrusive here but how do you know that your blood pressure is spiking? Do you monitor that constantly? Or does it spike in a way that you're feeling other effects?

I monitor it at 2 to 3 times per day, usually when I feel my heart skipping. I've got a set time of the day that I take it, so that I can take that report to the cardiologist. ER doc recommended I do that so that the cardiologist would have a starting point.

benni said:

XxAxX said:

you likely already know this but there are affordable private insurance plans available on a short term basis. if you are interested google "short term health insurance". i really hope things work out for you in the best possible way.

Yes, the deductibles for reasonable monthly payments are $12,500. If I want something with a low deductible, it's almost $400 per month. (Out of pocket insurance is $600 a month with a high deductible.) They also don't cover pre-existing conditions. Once I went to the ER for this condition, and the doctor prescribed medication, it became a pre-existing condition. :-/

sorry for being nosy and no need to reply here but have you had strep infection or other viral infection lately? https://www.mayoclinic.or...c-20352539