Getting a 24-hour EKG in Japan

I recently went to a cardiologist to have my heart checked out. We did a regular EKG at the clinic which showed no abnormalities. However, as the condition POTS that I have puts my heart under more stress than that of a healthy person I also wanted to get a 24-hour EKG where you wear a device that records your hear beat for 24 hours to be extra sure everything is all right.

For the 24-hour EKG you will have to make 3 appointments in total. One to get the device placed, one to have the device removed and one to hear the results. It is a quite time-consuming process.

The first two appointments are fairly quick, however. On the first appointment a doctor or nurse will place the EKG device on your chest. It is recommended to wear loose clothing as to not accidently rip the device off when undressing. I didn't mind having the device taped to my chest too much, but I did have trouble sleeping that night which might have been due to the unfamiliar feeling.

They will also hand you a card where you are supposed to note your activities and symptoms during the time you wear the device. This card is very important so do make sure to not forget it on the second appointment. The card I got looked like this.

On the left you note the time of the activity and then you make a check for the corresponding activity (walking, eating, sleeping, working, etc.) and symptoms (chest pain, vertigo, palpitations, fatigue etc.) if any.

While wearing the device you cannot take a bath or go swimming, however a shower is all right. Otherwise, you can go about your daily activities as usual.

The second appointment will be on the following day of the first appointment. On this appointment a doctor or nurse will remove the device and make a quick check if everything was recorded correctly. You will also have to hand in the activity card.

It does take a few days for the data of the 24-hour EKG to be checked, so the final appointment will be several days after the second. On this appointment the doctor will explain the results and further treatments, etc. if necessary.

With the regular Japanese health insurance, the fee for a 24-hour EKG is about 5,000 yen, which is cheaper that I would have expected. If you ever have to undergo this

examination you now know what to expect.