DeRosa Taken in Ambulance for Irregular Heartbeat

[Sammy Sofa]

I thought I was having symptoms of this or worse a few years ago when I started getting weird "fluttering" feelings in my chest like my heart was missing beats. I was suddenly getting them several times a day and even several times in succession. I was convinced some kind of heart defect was making itself known. Truns out that the muscle or whatever tha stimulates the heart pumping was basically "firing too often." The heart itself beats normally, but it feels like it's missing beats. I've had several examinations to track my heart and it's fine, bt ma, it freaked me out at first. Apparently pretty much everyone has these, they just vary in how strong they are and are brought on by stress and even diet.

[Omar]

I thought I was having symptoms of this or worse a few years ago when I started getting weird "fluttering" feelings in my chest like my heart was missing beats. I was suddenly getting them several times a day and even several times in succession. I was convinced some kind of heart defect was making itself known. Truns out that the muscle or whatever tha stimulates the heart pumping was basically "firing too often." The heart itself beats normally, but it feels like it's missing beats. I've had several examinations to track my heart and it's fine, bt ma, it freaked me out at first. Apparently pretty much everyone has these, they just vary in how strong they are and are brought on by stress and even diet.

 

That sounds like palpitations. I had em because of dehydration & stress.

[Derwood]

my best friend had this. he would have heart palpatations maybe once every 2 years or something. he eventually had an outpatient procedure that involved inserting a thin wire into his chest and essentially giving a small electrical shock to his heart, which apparently fixed the problem

 

 

There are a lot of different types of irregular heartbeats that someone may get, some more serious than others. It sounds like your friend either had an ICD placed- which is designed to shock the heart out of an irregular rhythm if it goes into it. This doesn't necessarily fix the problem, it just corrects the problem when it happens. It's also possible he has a pacemaker- which is designed to instruct the heart to beat regularly,

 

Derosa can have any number of different irregular heartbeats that can vary in severity. It is reassuring that he has had this before and still managed to be a productive player. Therefore, I am less worried.

 

it sounds like he had catheter ablation, which is a procedure meant to destroy certain irregular electrical pathways, as svt is sometimes caused by an abnormal or "unauthorized" electrical channel that interferes with the hearts primary one, causing the heart to beat out of rythm.

 

doesn't sound like he had a procedure to shock his heart back into a normal rythm, at least, that's the way i interpreted it.

 

you may be right about that. i don' tremember all the details

[DivineBovine]

my best friend had this. he would have heart palpatations maybe once every 2 years or something. he eventually had an outpatient procedure that involved inserting a thin wire into his chest and essentially giving a small electrical shock to his heart, which apparently fixed the problem

 

 

There are a lot of different types of irregular heartbeats that someone may get, some more serious than others. It sounds like your friend either had an ICD placed- which is designed to shock the heart out of an irregular rhythm if it goes into it. This doesn't necessarily fix the problem, it just corrects the problem when it happens. It's also possible he has a pacemaker- which is designed to instruct the heart to beat regularly,

 

Derosa can have any number of different irregular heartbeats that can vary in severity. It is reassuring that he has had this before and still managed to be a productive player. Therefore, I am less worried.

 

it sounds like he had catheter ablation, which is a procedure meant to destroy certain irregular electrical pathways, as svt is sometimes caused by an abnormal or "unauthorized" electrical channel that interferes with the hearts primary one, causing the heart to beat out of rythm.

 

doesn't sound like he had a procedure to shock his heart back into a normal rythm, at least, that's the way i interpreted it.

 

you may be right about that. i don' tremember all the details

 

 

Derosa had an "atrial arrythmia" per the Trib. These are tend to be more benign than ventricular arrythmias. He has never been on meds, which means he may have atrial flutter, which is often treated with an ablation without necessarily requiring chronic medications. I guess that Derwood's friend may also have had flutter also, and actually undergone an ablation and not actually had a device permanently implanted. I guess I misunderstood the original post.

Edited February 25, 2008 by DivineBovine

[Sammy Sofa]

I thought I was having symptoms of this or worse a few years ago when I started getting weird "fluttering" feelings in my chest like my heart was missing beats. I was suddenly getting them several times a day and even several times in succession. I was convinced some kind of heart defect was making itself known. Truns out that the muscle or whatever tha stimulates the heart pumping was basically "firing too often." The heart itself beats normally, but it feels like it's missing beats. I've had several examinations to track my heart and it's fine, bt ma, it freaked me out at first. Apparently pretty much everyone has these, they just vary in how strong they are and are brought on by stress and even diet.

 

That sounds like palpitations. I had em because of dehydration & stress.

 

Yeah, that's exactly what they are. Spicy foods, stress, alcohol, sugar, even indigestion can bring them on.

 

My first clue that it wasn't actually my heart (besides not being short of breath, in pain, dizzy, etc.) was that I never get them while exercising. Working out helps relax me, so they're never noticeable then.

[Derwood]

Spicy foods, stress, alcohol, sugar, even indigestion can bring them on.

 

that sounds like pretty much every time i go out to eat

[Omar]

Spicy foods, stress, alcohol, sugar, even indigestion can bring them on.

 

that sounds like pretty much every time i go out to eat

 

even stress?

[Derwood]

Spicy foods, stress, alcohol, sugar, even indigestion can bring them on.

 

that sounds like pretty much every time i go out to eat

 

even stress?

 

with a 5 and 2 year old? you betcha

[Magnetic Curses]

I thought I was having symptoms of this or worse a few years ago when I started getting weird "fluttering" feelings in my chest like my heart was missing beats. I was suddenly getting them several times a day and even several times in succession. I was convinced some kind of heart defect was making itself known. Truns out that the muscle or whatever tha stimulates the heart pumping was basically "firing too often." The heart itself beats normally, but it feels like it's missing beats. I've had several examinations to track my heart and it's fine, bt ma, it freaked me out at first. Apparently pretty much everyone has these, they just vary in how strong they are and are brought on by stress and even diet.

 

pvc. premature ventricular complex, i get them sometimes.

[wekse]

I thought I was having symptoms of this or worse a few years ago when I started getting weird "fluttering" feelings in my chest like my heart was missing beats. I was suddenly getting them several times a day and even several times in succession. I was convinced some kind of heart defect was making itself known. Truns out that the muscle or whatever tha stimulates the heart pumping was basically "firing too often." The heart itself beats normally, but it feels like it's missing beats. I've had several examinations to track my heart and it's fine, bt ma, it freaked me out at first. Apparently pretty much everyone has these, they just vary in how strong they are and are brought on by stress and even diet.

 

pvc. premature ventricular complex, i get them sometimes.

 

i get this when i'm exhausted...it's really great.

[Magnetic Curses]

I thought I was having symptoms of this or worse a few years ago when I started getting weird "fluttering" feelings in my chest like my heart was missing beats. I was suddenly getting them several times a day and even several times in succession. I was convinced some kind of heart defect was making itself known. Truns out that the muscle or whatever tha stimulates the heart pumping was basically "firing too often." The heart itself beats normally, but it feels like it's missing beats. I've had several examinations to track my heart and it's fine, bt ma, it freaked me out at first. Apparently pretty much everyone has these, they just vary in how strong they are and are brought on by stress and even diet.

 

That sounds like palpitations. I had em because of dehydration & stress.

 

Yeah, that's exactly what they are. Spicy foods, stress, alcohol, sugar, even indigestion can bring them on.

 

My first clue that it wasn't actually my heart (besides not being short of breath, in pain, dizzy, etc.) was that I never get them while exercising. Working out helps relax me, so they're never noticeable then.

 

"palpitation" is really just a general term used to describe describe an abnormally fast heart rate. it's non-specific.

[Jon]

Trib[/url]"]MESA, Ariz. -- Mark DeRosa flew to Chicago Monday to see a cardiologist after experiencing an irregular heartbeat during Saturday's practice.

 

DeRosa said he may have a surgical procedure done to correct the problem, which he said he's had since he was a teenager. He did not know what kind of surgical options were available but said he expected to be back to playing again by next Monday.

 

"If it is surgery, it's an outpatient one," said DeRosa, who will see a cardiologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital Tuesday. "A lot of people take medicine. I don't want to deal with that. I'm 32, I don't want to be on medication for the rest of my life if there's a procedure I can do. It's something I've been able to control without any help.

...............

"Until Mark sees the cardiologist, it's too early to speculate on what the procedure, if any, would be," Cubs spokesman Peter Chase said.

 

DeRosa said he's experienced an irregular heartbeat, or atrial dysrhythmia, since he was 16 years old.

 

"It's happened during games, it's happened playing golf, it's happened watching TV," he said. "There's no rhyme or reason as to why it happens. I've been able to do techniques I learned as a high school kin to take myself right out of it without anybody knowing."

Hopefully it won't requite surgery, but it sounds manageable.

[Sammy Sofa]

I thought I was having symptoms of this or worse a few years ago when I started getting weird "fluttering" feelings in my chest like my heart was missing beats. I was suddenly getting them several times a day and even several times in succession. I was convinced some kind of heart defect was making itself known. Truns out that the muscle or whatever tha stimulates the heart pumping was basically "firing too often." The heart itself beats normally, but it feels like it's missing beats. I've had several examinations to track my heart and it's fine, bt ma, it freaked me out at first. Apparently pretty much everyone has these, they just vary in how strong they are and are brought on by stress and even diet.

 

pvc. premature ventricular complex, i get them sometimes.

 

OK, that's what they're called. I remember my doctor saying "PVC," but was not remembering what the hell it stood for.

[Magnetic Curses]

Trib[/url]"]MESA, Ariz. -- Mark DeRosa flew to Chicago Monday to see a cardiologist after experiencing an irregular heartbeat during Saturday's practice.

 

DeRosa said he may have a surgical procedure done to correct the problem, which he said he's had since he was a teenager. He did not know what kind of surgical options were available but said he expected to be back to playing again by next Monday.

 

"If it is surgery, it's an outpatient one," said DeRosa, who will see a cardiologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital Tuesday. "A lot of people take medicine. I don't want to deal with that. I'm 32, I don't want to be on medication for the rest of my life if there's a procedure I can do. It's something I've been able to control without any help.

...............

"Until Mark sees the cardiologist, it's too early to speculate on what the procedure, if any, would be," Cubs spokesman Peter Chase said.

 

DeRosa said he's experienced an irregular heartbeat, or atrial dysrhythmia, since he was 16 years old.

 

"It's happened during games, it's happened playing golf, it's happened watching TV," he said. "There's no rhyme or reason as to why it happens. I've been able to do techniques I learned as a high school kin to take myself right out of it without anybody knowing."

Hopefully it won't requite surgery, but it sounds manageable.

 

i can understand why he wouldn't want to take pills the rest of his life, but no dr. in their right mind is going to perform an unnecessary cardiac procedure just so derosa doesn't have to take one little pill every morning when he wakes up. even catheter ablation has it's risks.

 

atenolol costs 10 bucks a month without insurance. if derosa lives another 50 years, the total cost will be around $6,000. heart procedures cost considerably more than that. rich people (with insurance) asking for major invasive procedures for problems that can be managed easily with medication just drive up those prices for people who actually need major invasive procedures. deal with it, mark, your life is slightly less perfect than before.

[BCVM22]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-cubs-derosa&prov=ap&type=lgns

 

Cubs expect DeRo to return to camp on Monday; Cintron will start at 2B for the beginning of the exhibition schedule on Thursday.

[soapy]

I thought I was having symptoms of this or worse a few years ago when I started getting weird "fluttering" feelings in my chest like my heart was missing beats. I was suddenly getting them several times a day and even several times in succession. I was convinced some kind of heart defect was making itself known. Truns out that the muscle or whatever tha stimulates the heart pumping was basically "firing too often." The heart itself beats normally, but it feels like it's missing beats. I've had several examinations to track my heart and it's fine, bt ma, it freaked me out at first. Apparently pretty much everyone has these, they just vary in how strong they are and are brought on by stress and even diet.

i have the exact same thing. i finally got it checked after a while because it got really bad once when i was on my way back from vegas. it was the same thing you're talking about and my doctor said it was often worsened by a lot of caffiene, a lot of alcohal or a lack of sleep.

 

Doctor: "Have any of these been present in your life lately."

Soapy: "I just spent a week in Vegas...so.........yeah."

 

anyway, i notice it more at times when those three things are more prevelant.

[JGalt73]

Looks like they will try to surgically correct DeRosa's condition...

 

Cubs.com

 

If all goes well, and depending on what the doctors find, DeRosa could return to Arizona on Sunday and could resume taking batting practice by the beginning of next week. Adams said if DeRosa passes all the tests, he could be going "full throttle" by the end of next week.

 

Good luck Mark DeRosa.

[Derwood]

my best friend just IM'ed and said that this was the same procedure he had

[Magnetic Curses]

my best friend just IM'ed and said that this was the same procedure he had

 

what, sulley doesn't get his due credit?

[ConstableRabbit]

Theriot said DeRosa was upbeat, "but nobody enjoys going to the doctor, especially when it has to do with heart."

 

ESPN.com with the unintentional pun. Nice.

[Jon]

Trib[/url]"]MESA, Ariz. -- Mark DeRosa will undergo a surgical procedure Thursday to fix the irregular heartbeat that has been affecting him on and off since he was a teenager.

 

Cubs physician Stephen Adams said DeRosa will have an EPS (electrophysiology study) performed on him by Alan Kadish,a cardiovascular electrophysiologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The procedure involves putting a catheter in a vein in the groin that is then threaded into the heart to induce an irregular heartbeat (atrial arrhythmia).

 

"Depending on what they find with this diagnostic study, they will undergo what's known as a radiofrequency catheter ablation, or RFCA," Adams said. "And hopefully, depending upon what they find, it will be curative of his past problems of jumping into the [irregular heartbeat]."

 

The low-voltage, high-frequency electricity causes an abnormal heart rhythm and permanently burns off small areas of tissue, preventing them from generating electrical impulses, and thus curing the individual. Adams said the procedure should take up to two hours and, if all goes well, DeRosa will return to Phoenix by Sunday and could continue his baseball activities at the beginning of next week.

 

"By the end of [next] week, hopefully he'll be going full throttle again," Adams said.

It doesn't sound like a fun procedure.

[mul21]

Just heard on ESPN radio update that he had the procedure and is expected back in a couple weeks as has been reported.

[Vanilla Ice]

Trib[/url]"]MESA, Ariz. -- Mark DeRosa will undergo a surgical procedure Thursday to fix the irregular heartbeat that has been affecting him on and off since he was a teenager.

 

Cubs physician Stephen Adams said DeRosa will have an EPS (electrophysiology study) performed on him by Alan Kadish,a cardiovascular electrophysiologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. The procedure involves putting a catheter in a vein in the groin that is then threaded into the heart to induce an irregular heartbeat (atrial arrhythmia).

 

"Depending on what they find with this diagnostic study, they will undergo what's known as a radiofrequency catheter ablation, or RFCA," Adams said. "And hopefully, depending upon what they find, it will be curative of his past problems of jumping into the [irregular heartbeat]."

 

The low-voltage, high-frequency electricity causes an abnormal heart rhythm and permanently burns off small areas of tissue, preventing them from generating electrical impulses, and thus curing the individual. Adams said the procedure should take up to two hours and, if all goes well, DeRosa will return to Phoenix by Sunday and could continue his baseball activities at the beginning of next week.

 

"By the end of [next] week, hopefully he'll be going full throttle again," Adams said.

It doesn't sound like a fun procedure.

 

 

Ow

[Roast]

OUCH.