Active 40 Year Old Seeking Modern Heart Monitor
My 30 day experience wearing a heart monitor
I am forty years old. Not young, but there are plenty of miles left on this baby! In any case, my body, like everyone else’s, isn’t perfect. I have seasonal allergies, as does what seems like half the population these days. I also have food allergies, which allowed me to have two lovely trips to the emergency room and means I carry an epipen around (although not as much as I should- don’t tell my allergist!). I have a fibroid tumor, like many other ladies. My gynecologist tells me I have entered perimenopause (yay!), which bums me out a bit, but so be it. It’s like being a teenager again with hormones and irregularity. The only difference this time is that now I have a little more wherewithal to know that it is my hormones that sets my personality to “random mode” and then I can adjust for it.
I have to avoid certain foods because of my allergies and I choose to avoid others to support healthy eating habits. I run about 20 miles a week. I stretch and do body weight exercises. I swim and bike when I can. I am a relatively healthy, in-shape person.
However, the human body is a complex system. Mysterious, even in the 21st century. So even for a relatively in-shape person, I have a few issues. For years I have had flutterings and heart palpations, but never enough or often enough (once per month that I noticed), that it warranted a closer look. I don’t know if it was because of my iron markers (many of which were red flag high with the exception of my ferritin, which was almost red-flag low), my age, that I had been unusually tired, or all three, but my doctor ordered an EKG, echocardiogram and a 30-day monitor to investigate further.
The EKG and the echocardiogram came back normal. After I had finished both of those tests, I received my monitor. When I first got it, I thought, “How amazing that they can record my every heart beat with this!” Technology is amazing! Then, after about three days I thought, “all the technology in the world and this is the best way to monitor a heart?”
Over thirty days I had to wear four electrodes which were connected via wires to a sensor, and by sticker to your body. One electrode is placed near your heart (think just below your nipple), another a few inches below that, one just below your armpit and the other on your right pectoral just a few inches below your collarbone. Each of the connecting stickers has a snap for connecting and disconnecting.
The sensor that the electrodes are connected to can be worn on a lanyard or attached to your body via an electrode sticker. I tried the snap for my sensor and found it wasn’t enough. Moving around for daily activities with the boys and a dog, not to mention running, made it tug and pull. Instead I tucked it into a pocket, my waistband or used the lanyard if I knew I was going to be relatively still, like when I was sleeping. When I ran, I used a vest.
You are meant to change out the electrode stickers every 3-4 days, which means if you are like me and you workout or you just like to take a shower once a day, you have to disconnect the monitor for a period and the stickers stay on (ick! – remember, daily workouts). My skin didn’t really like this process, but I don’t know if there is a way to avoid it. Because you aren’t supposed to take the electrodes off unless you are switching them out, I decided to forgo any pool workouts for the 30 days. I would have hated to lose one in the pool and I didn’t know how other people would feel about swimming next to someone who looks like they may have major medical issues (even if I don’t). I know it shouldn’t bug me what other people think, but I do. It’s a struggle 😕.
The sensor “speaks” to a monitor/cellphone which transmits the data back to the maker of the sensor continuously with the option of “recording” episodes so as to draw attention to and help specialists identify what’s happening with your heart. It’s pretty good at what it does, so when you disconnect the sensor to get in the shower, a few moments later, it will beep i.e. yell at you to let you know that something is wrong. There is a volume button, but no matter what I do, the volume stays the same. I have since learned that if you close out the screen that tells you to check your electrode sensor, it won’t beep again unless there is another error. The sensor will also beep (yell) to let you know that you are out of range. Out of range is 6-10 ft.
For your convenience, the cell phone looking monitor comes in a leather case with a belt strap (yes, a belt strap). I’ll just say this…the majority demographic which is being catered too is quite clear…ahem…middle aged male. Hardly inconspicuous for a woman in a dress.
Wearing the monitor isn’t the most fun experience I have ever had. Other folks may not have or will not have the same experience, or it’s possible one may be cool with wearing cell phones on their belt. But, in case you aren’t in that boat, I do have a few tips to share.
If you are active, a running vest (Ultimate Direction shown here) or a fanny pack are the best. Because the sensor is sensitive to moisture, it is best to keep it one layer of clothing away from your skin. I would have used the pocket in the back of my shorts, but the wires connecting the electrodes to the sensor are too short to do this, even though there is a lot of wire. Instead, I tucked the sensor into one of my water bottle pockets and put the cell phone monitor in the pack in the back. You could easily put both in a fanny pack, too.
Depending on the time of year, you may not have to worry about finding new places to store the monitor and sensor. In the cooler months when you are just walking around, a jacket or sweater with big pockets will work. Or, if you are fine having it on all day, a fanny pack will definitely do the job. It isn’t so much the sensor that is the problem as it can fit in most front pockets. It’s more the monitor.
On warmer days, I would wear a light jacket and wear loose fitting clothing. Otherwise the shapes of the electrodes and wire will show up. If you are wearing a dress, you can wear tights or hose, tuck the sensor into the top (control top will keep it secure!), then carry the monitor around with you.
Again, overall, it could have been a worse experience and I know that compared to many others, it’s a walk in the park. I don’t have to worry about a colostomy bag, or a feeding tube where infection is possible. It’s not like needing to carry oxygen around with me with a tube around my neck. This is not that bad.
BUT, I can’t help but think that with the tech we have today, it should be better. It’s great they use a cell phone to report out data, but the sensor looks like it was originally attached to a beeper that would only report out only if you “record” an incident. For those of you who may not know what a beeper is, just know its super old technology.
What I wonder is, can’t they have electrode heads that are wireless? The electrode stickers can be the same, but the heads of what is now connected via wire to the sensor are just the heads. Then, you could get rid of the sensor and have four heads attached to your body via sticker and carry around the cellphone. I’m sure that the market for it isn’t there, but a smaller phone (considering it doesn’t have to have gigs of storage as it is sending the info out), that could fit into your pocket would be great.
If you are in the a situation where you need to wear one of these and you have any questions, please feel free to email me at lifegotag@gmail.com or find me on instagram, twitter (@lifegotag). All in all, it could have been a worse experience and I am glad I did it to at least have a reference point for later in life. Even though a big part of me doesn’t want to ruffle any feathers, stir the pot, make any waves, make a fuss,….you name it….I know it is better to tell your doctor all the bits and pieces than to wait until something unsettling happens. Even if you have to wear a monitor for 30 days and find out everything is normal, it is worth it!