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Date sent: Wed, 24 Oct 2001 22:52:20 -0400 Send reply to: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network <[log in to unmask]> From: "B.BRUCE ANDERSON" <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Medical, but not PD To: [log in to unmask] > Do any of you physician or other people out there have an opinion > on this: Three times between June and August I had a health care > professional who was new to me take my resting pulse rate and > express alarm because it was 120 (2 of them) & 128 (the 3rd). > They were a new GP, a doctor at the VA, and a home physical > therapist [PT] from the Visiting Nurses Assn. I have always had a > high resting heart rate - 80 to 90 back pre- 1996 when I used to > run 15 to 20 miles per week. I recall that Bjorn Bjorg, the > tennis player had a resting heart rate of 50. I went to a > cardiologist in August, who hooked me up to a 24 hour heart rate > monitor. Plus he ordered a Thyroid test, an echo cardiogram, and > a cardiogram. All were normal + heart rate monitor showed a > steady 100 rate. His conclusion was that since Normal is 60 - > 100, my rate of 100 is normal. Meanwhile the PT checked it at her > last visit about a month ago & it was 120. Do I need a second > opinion? I'm 55. > THANKS !!, BBA I would tend to trust the cardiologist. Get someone "familiar" to check your heart rate. I will share an experience with you that I had some years ago when I applied for some additional life insurance. The insurance company sent a R.N. to my office to get a urine sample and to check my blood pressure and other vital signs. My blood pressure came back slightly elevated and the insurance company started making noises about "rating" me (giving me a higher premium). The R.N. who came to take my vital signs looked like Marilyn Monroe and I suspected that this was the cause of the "hypertension" in this normal, red-blooded, heterosexual male. I asked the insurance company if they would allow my own nurse (who was not bad- looking, but was someone with whom I had worked for years) could check my vital signs. The insurance company said that if she did my blood pressure reading twice a day for a week and it came back normal, they would give me a "standard" policy. It worked. A pulse of 100 is a little fast, but, as long as it is "normal sinus rhythm", I would not worry too much about it. Checking the thyroid was a good idea. I would also make sure that I wasn't anemic. Also, some medications can cause a rapid pulse. Best, Bob ********************************************** Robert A. Fink, M. D., F.A.C.S., P. C. 2500 Milvia Street Suite 222 Berkeley, California 94704-2636 Telephone: 510-849-2555 FAX: 510-849-2557 WWW: http://www.rafink.com/ mailto:[log in to unmask] "Ex Tristitia Virtus" ********************************************* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn