Right bundle branch block???

Okay., after many, many EKG's and others test to determine origin of heart palptitations, my primary care doc suddenly finds a right bundle branch partial block on my EKG that he did a couple weeks ago. He's telling me that this is a normal abnormality and I was probably born with it. Okaaaayy.... so, in the 6 or 7 EKG's that the cardiologist has done on my, this never showed up and i've had it since birth???

PCP says it's not dangerous, won't do anything at all to me. Okay.. I did some research and I almost believe this now. Almost. Still have that anxiety/panic disorder kicking in about it. The only symptoms the websites list for it to cause is passing out, which I di not do.

Any thoughts on how a cardio can miss this after so many exams? Or could the PCP be wrong? And is it really as benign of a finding as the doc is telling me? My stress test was excellent according to doc.

thanks so much

-Sarah 

Dear Sarah;

         MY husband age 63 has a right bundle branch block due to him haveing rheumatic fever when he was 3 years old due to a strep throat.

The cardio's can hear it some times and not sometimes and yes it does show up on his EKG"s we are doing nothing about it except keping an eye onit and he knows how to handle it to much strenous work can make it act up or geting sick with the flu or a bad cold but till then the Dr told us you are fine and we are keeping an eye on it and nothing to conern yurself about till it gets worse and if it does and I repeat IF you might eventually need a pacemaker and he was told this back in 1974 and still no pacemaker he just knows how to live with it and  what to do and not dow ith his exercise.

Sarah my dear plese take it easy and no freaking out over this it can make it worse so can stress so deep cleansing breaths lern to relax and enjoy little things ok and as long as they keep an eye on it you will be fine ok.

Heidi

A echo wil show other heart damage yes I have had a friend whose Right bundle branch block showed up on the echo she had along with an exercise stress test she informed me when i was a suport coordinator for  a suport group of p[atients with hert disease I ddinot argue with her for she had alot of flu colds strep throats in her yunger days she is around 75-80 now. But I just listened to her.

Heidi

Thanks everyone!! My primary care doc says I was probably born with this? And that any future heart conditions I will develop will not be from this. The strange thing is that between the having of EKG and two weeks later going to see PCP and being told this, I was in ER with severe gastric distress and had an EKG done then, which the doc said nothing about this. None of this showed up on my stress test EKG either, which was done after the one my pcp did.
I do have a thin chest wall, and a marked sinus arrythmia, which is just that my heart rate changes when I breathe more than most and especially while I am lying down. So, is it really possible that he misread the EKG or it was just a "bad" finding?
I think I'm going to call my cardio and ask his opinion... he discharged me a few months ago and told me that I had NO heart problems.
Thanks for the great replies everyone
-Sarah

Hi Sarah and Welcome to the Cardio forum!!

 

I know about that anxiety/panic thing kicking in - I've been there before!  However what most everyone here has told you about Right Bundle Branch Block has been right on the head!

I found a link that explains it pretty well and I hope you'll get a chance to read it!

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=990

 

Another site that I use quite frequently says that the tests used are different for different reasons...you may want to check this out as well! "An echocardiogram or myocardial perfusion studies may be indicated if the RBBB is new or if concern exists about coexisting cardiac problems that cannot be assessed adequately by means of a routine ECG. For example, the standard criteria for ventricular hypertrophy or ischemia are less helpful in a patient with a preexisting intraventricular conduction defect."

http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic2500.htm

 

I hope this has helped you, or any others that may have questions re this!?  Come back and see us again!!

 

Hugs, Teri

This thread is lock as it is 8 years old.  Look for your new thread I started for you with your name in the title of the thread.

 

Post Edited By Moderator (stkitt) : 5/24/2013 6:01:32 PM (GMT-6)