Abnormal EKG?

Question

I went into the emergancy room this last weekend for chest pain that turned out to be an anxiety attack. However, when the ekg results came back the doctor said that it was "not normal but not abnormal either" I pressed for details and he said that my heart was taking longer to recharge but it was firing and working fine. He didn't say anything else but told me to follow up and see a doctor, he also said they could do a stress test in the hospital if I wanted. I didn't opt for that but when I got home I was looking up different things on the net and found some really scary stuff. Now I am more anxious than ever. I am trying to get into a doctor now but I think I might have Long QT Syndrome. I was just wondering if anyone else has heard of anything like this and maybe it wasn't Long QT or maybe it was something else. They did blood work as well and said it was all normal. I know Long QT is rare and I do not have that diagnosis but my mind is running away from me. :(

He didn't give me any concrete factors at all. I asked him if I was in any danger and he said no, then I asked him later if this was something I had to worry about in the future and again he said no. It may be stupid on my end but he was young and this was the second day on the job. Part of me thinks that if it was really really bad they would have said something or admitted me. I came up with Long QT based on what he told me my heart was doing...taking longer to recharge. My grandfather died from a misdiagnosis so I am most likely really paranoid.

Answer 1

Get a second opinion
You must have seen an intern or a resident
Show the EKG to a fellow or a consultant in cardiology
It is most likely normal
Long QT was a good guess, but confirm it
If you like, measure it yourself
Start from the q wave till the end of the t
Each small square is 0.04 secs (40 ms)
You have to correct for heart rate to get the QTc
ahhh.. forget it! Do what I said first, show the ECG to a cardiologist/fellow in cardiology

Answer 2

I wouldn't worry about long QT syndrome because that could have easily been picked up on your ECG. Most likely the T-waves on your EKG were smaller and elongated and perhaps your heart rate was running low.

In any case, a follow-up visit to your family doctor should clear up any problems with your potential diagnosis, he can consult a cardiologist if necessary.

Answer 3

well, if your doctor was a cardiologist you would not need to worry at all. s/he knows what the long qt interval is and takes it more serious. if you visited a general practitioner, you need to get a second opinion. but on the top of everything, if you don't have signs of a cardiac disease (rate or rythem problem or any ischemic problem like angina) don't worry at all. ekg and other tests are just complementary to the clinical signs. I suggest following:
visit a cardiologist and show him/her the ekg
give him or her any detail about any sign of a cardiac or non-cardiac disease
he may decide on complementary tests

but i am pretty confindent that the problem is not serious
good luck

Answer 4

Could he have said your ECG showed ST segment depression?