Supraventricular Tachycardia

[LuLuO]

Anyone ever experience this? I had a horrible episode today and ended up in the ER. They had to give me medication, twice, to bring my heart rate down. It was well over 200. I am following up with my GP on Friday and will undoubtedly be referred to a cardiologist.

I've been having heart palpitations, lightheadedness, shortness of breath off and on for over a year, as well as a host of other issues. I've been to a lot of docs over the last few months but not a cardiologist. I'm 34 and just trying to wrap my brain around this and was wondering if anyone here had any similar experiences.

 

[Feralpeg]

My SIL had something similar. They ended up doing some type of procedure to actually kill a little place in her heart. It was causing some type of misfire. The procedure only took a few minutes and she's not had any problems since.

OP, hope things get better soon!

 

[Tiggeroo]

My SIL had something similar. They ended up doing some type of procedure to actually kill a little place in her heart. It was causing some type of misfire. The procedure only took a few minutes and she's not had any problems since.

OP, hope things get better soon!

Dh has this. His is completely controlled by meds. An alpha blocker I think. It works well. If it didn't he'd have the surgery which we were told was minor.

 

[hambirg]

Yes. . and I know how scary it can be. My situation was kind of complicated. I had a bad gallbladder and was having attacks that felt like heart attacks and then the tachycardia on top of that. It was a scary time and I had a zillion different tests. I had several king of hearts tests and I even ended up having to have an angiogram. This went on for almost 2 years before they diagnosed my gallbladder. After I had my gallbladder out I was still having some tachycardia. Ugh. Well, it turned out I was also severely anemic. Once I got that issue taken care of it went away never to return.

So I guess the moral is. . .don't let them overlook the easy stuff.

Also, I don't know if they told you to lay down and bear down (like you're trying to go #2). Sometimes this will stop the episode. . .it usually worked for me.

I hope they figure out why this is happening and you don't have to go through everything I did.

 

[LuLuO]

Thank you all so much. I am feeling a bit better mentally about this. I've just got so much going on and no answers for much of it. Adding one more thing to my plate is overwhelming.

hambirg- they told be about bearing down at the hospital. They also tried having me blow through a covered straw. Neither of those things worked. I think it was too involved at that point. If there is a next time, I will do that early on to see if I can combat it. This hit me so fast out of nowhere, I didn't know what was going on. I thought I was having a heart attack or a pulmonary embolism.

So sorry you had to go through so much. It is terrible going to doctor after doctor and getting nowhere but still suffering.

I did just have a full Iron panel done. Waiting on the GI to call me back on that.

 

[disfan07]

I have IST (Inapproproate Sinus Tachycardia) which is a type of SVT. It's apparently very uncommon.

I had an EP (Electrophysiology study) done to confirm the diagnosis but she could not do a cardiac ablation during the EP study because of the location. My tachycardia comes from the Sinus node and if you destroy that you have to put in a pacemaker. I cannot take beta-blockers because of my asthma. We went through 3 calcium channel blockers plus two other meds that did not work. We finally found a last resort med that had only ever been used in case studies for it. Even with meds, My resting heart rate has never been below 85 (and that is usually when I am sleeping) and my usual resting heart rate during the day is between 100-110.

When it was first discovered, I was 18. I was in the ER with a heart rate of 245. They could not get it below 180 for 4 days. After that they could only get it down to about 140. It took 2 years and 3 doctors to get a firm diagnosis when I was 20.

My cardiologist is very happy with a heart rate of 100-110 since its a normal sinus rhythm. It only tends to get really bad when I am sick. When I get sick (especially respiratory illnesses) my heart rate spikes and it also becomes abnormal occassionally. As my cardiologist said, I have a very strange cardiac presentation.

Good Luck. Hope you get an answer soon

 

[low-key]

Yes it was my favorite song in Marry Poppins

 

[Lorem Ipsum]

Yes it was my favorite song in Marry Poppins

Really? I thought you liked "Feed the Birds." You know, the bag and all.

 

[taymacsmom]

I have not personally experienced it but my neice struggled with it for years! She was just a toddler and everytime she had an episode it would stop by the time my sister got her to the pediatrician. After many years, lots of different docs and finally an ablasion, she is perfect!

Hope all goes well for you!

 

[FINFAN]

Anyone ever experience this? I had a horrible episode today and ended up in the ER. They had to give me medication, twice, to bring my heart rate down. It was well over 200. I am following up with my GP on Friday and will undoubtedly be referred to a cardiologist.

I've been having heart palpitations, lightheadedness, shortness of breath off and on for over a year, as well as a host of other issues. I've been to a lot of docs over the last few months but not a cardiologist. I'm 34 and just trying to wrap my brain around this and was wondering if anyone here had any similar experiences.

YES! My DD has it! I was called by my DD's BF lst year as he was following the ambulance to ER from their college...OMG, they had to give DD an injection en route as well, as she was at 200 too! DD said she remembers sitting straight up thinking this is it.:scared1 She had been to GP as well, but after this, you betcha a Cardiologist. While she was in the hosp. she was seen by one who ruled out any immediate/obvious concerns, gave a beta blocker sent her on her way. Once she got home from school for Chrstmas break we saw a Cardiologist. It took a few visits, a cancelled WDW trip ( he did say that, no rides until we got this thing figurered out)She wore a heart monitor for a while that sent info back, had all the usual tests, EKG, Echo, ultrasound,bloodwork...in a nutshell, more was ruled out that decided upon, but they did say she has increased adreneline coupled with low BP (66 is not odd for her) which causes her heart rate to jump much faster in a situation than the average. which sends her into SVT. Along with her daily beta-blocker, she has emergency meds to take if it occurs again as soon as she calls 911 as the techniques they taught her will not be effective for an emergence. The good news is all the tests ruled out anything major and she may grow out of it, but she is almost 21 so not really sure. It was a very scary experience but once you see a cardiologist you will have more info. giving you peace of mind which honestly, is a huge relief. Hang in there! on a side note, her BF still tells of how scared he was making that call to us...I always tell hom NOT calling us would have been far more firghteneing. ONce your kids are 18 and at college, the parents do not HAVE to be notified...stupid Hippa law!

 

[Allison]

I have it. I have regular but very short episodes - not severe enough that I take medication at this point. I need to cut down on caffeine but haven't done a good job of that. The doctor told me to hold my breath or cough to get it to stop.

 

[ReneeA]

My mom has it...it started when she was in her late 30's, and tends to be an inherited form (she's got 2 aunts with it). She's had 2 ablations that didn't work and takes Norpace daily to control it. She's supposed to cut down on stress and caffeine, and can do vagal techniques (bear down) when she feels it start. She's 54 and has been told it's a short time until she needs a pacemaker.

I'm 37, and have felt my heart racing at times - normally when I drink a pot of coffee or during certain times of my cycle. I'm hoping to escape it, although looking unlikely at this point.

 

[dngnb8]

Anyone ever experience this? I had a horrible episode today and ended up in the ER. They had to give me medication, twice, to bring my heart rate down. It was well over 200. I am following up with my GP on Friday and will undoubtedly be referred to a cardiologist.

I've been having heart palpitations, lightheadedness, shortness of breath off and on for over a year, as well as a host of other issues. I've been to a lot of docs over the last few months but not a cardiologist. I'm 34 and just trying to wrap my brain around this and was wondering if anyone here had any similar experiences.

I was a medic. Youre 34 so that seems unusual to experience SVT. You stressing? Essentially, you had another pace maker in your hear take over from the sinus node. It originated in the Ventricles (bottom chambers), not the atrium (top chambers).

Did they counter shock you?

 

[Tiggeroo]

Also it took them awhile to diagnose dh. He had an episode when in the dr's hooked up to the ekg. It was a classic episode and clear to the dr. Dh was told to carry a copy of this ekg with him in his wallet. If he has an episode and has to go to hospital he can show this and they will know how to treat it immediately.

 

[goofyernmost]

I don't know if this is exactly the same thing or not. My X-wife used to have them on and off for years...from her early 20's thru her 50's. Sometimes she could stop it by holding her breath and breathing slowly. (Don't know why). Other times it was a trip to the ER where they would give her an injection of something and that would bring it back to normal. It was never more then a gigantic pain in the butt until she was at work one day and actually blacked out, falling and hitting her face on the floor.

At that point they suggested surgery. It seems that she had an extra "node" on her heart that was sending out electrical signals that caused it to flare up. She had a surgery that involved running a line through an artery to her heart where they removed the node. Amazingly that was a day surgery and within 4 hours was on her way back home. Long story short...that was 20 or so years ago and to my knowledge has never had another episode. I say, to my knowledge, because we have been divorced for 10 years, but I haven't heard that she has had any problems.

 

[LuLuO]

I was a medic. Youre 34 so that seems unusual to experience SVT. You stressing? Essentially, you had another pace maker in your hear take over from the sinus node. It originated in the Ventricles (bottom chambers), not the atrium (top chambers).

Did they counter shock you?

I wouldn't say that I'm stressing. I have a DD3 and DS2 so I guess that is stressful in and of itself...lol. At the time that it happened I was happily setting up my new fish tank and playing around with my son.

I've had a lot of health issues since I had my son two years ago and those are frustrating. Been to a lot of docs but no answers. Maybe this SVT is another piece of the puzzle. Maybe someone will finally be able to figure out what is going on with me.

ETA: They gave me Adenosine, 2 doses. I don't think they counter shocked me. So much was going on, alarms, lots of people, ect., but I think I would have known that, right?

 

[stashbin]

I have it. When I was 21 I had a heart ablation done to correct it. Basically they went through my leg (like a heart cath) and used a laser to burn off the irregular cells causing the tachacardia. So far, the only time I have flutters or any type of weird beats is when I have hormone surges. (such as monthly or while I was pregnant). I have not needed medication since 6 months after the procedure.

ETA: When they discovered mine, my heart rate was well above 200 and my entire body was shaking from my heartbeat. There happened to be a cardiologist on call in the ER that day and he suggested having a heart cath to see what was going on. Once in the heart cath procedure, they were able to identify the part of the heart that was causing the issues and perform the ablation.

 

[elgerber]

I have had one episode of that, it was terrifying, and made me shake uncontrollably. It only lasted maybe 15 minutes, but felt like forever. I did see a cardiologist, but they didn't do anything about it. I also have benign PVC's, have for about 13 years. They don't freak me out as much as they used to, as I have been told over and over they are nothing. I tried Beta Blockers, but all they did was make me woozy because they lowered my blood pressure too much, and didn't help the PVC's, so I don't take anything anymore.

 

[hambirg]

Thank you all so much. I am feeling a bit better mentally about this. I've just got so much going on and no answers for much of it. Adding one more thing to my plate is overwhelming.

hambirg- they told be about bearing down at the hospital. They also tried having me blow through a covered straw. Neither of those things worked. I think it was too involved at that point. If there is a next time, I will do that early on to see if I can combat it. This hit me so fast out of nowhere, I didn't know what was going on. I thought I was having a heart attack or a pulmonary embolism.

So sorry you had to go through so much. It is terrible going to doctor after doctor and getting nowhere but still suffering.

I did just have a full Iron panel done. Waiting on the GI to call me back on that.

Yeah, try not to stress too much over this. I know that's easier said than done. Xanax was my friend while I was going through all of this. I wasn't really happy about taking it but my MD convinced me that the stress and anxiety was likely making it worse.

I hope it turns out to be something simple like anemia. If not, when I researched it, it seems like ablation is a fairly standard procedure and most people have good results with it, if it comes to that.

Ugh. . .I feel for you. I was in my mid thirties when this all started with 3 kids, two being toddlers like you.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I was a medic. Youre 34 so that seems unusual to experience SVT. You stressing? Essentially, you had another pace maker in your hear take over from the sinus node. It originated in the Ventricles (bottom chambers), not the atrium (top chambers).

This is incorrect.

Supra = above the ventricles. (Ventricular tachycardia is more serious.)

Arrythmias can (and do) occur at any age.

The test for arrythmias is known as an Electrophysiology Study (EPS). If a correctable arrythmia is inducible they do an ablation, i.e. they ablate the "accessory pathway" or the irregular electrical conduction pathway. They can do this in several different ways. Sometimes patients prefer to try "medical management" with medications. Often these work but it may take several different medications before finding the one that works best for any given patient. If medications fail to control it, or if the patient prefers not to take medications, then they can go ahead with ablation.

Straining to try to stop this type of arrythmia stimulates the vagus nerve, which slows the heart rate and hopefully a normal rythm kicks in. (Normal rythms start at the sinus node; arrythmias/dysrythmias start elsewhere.) Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. (This is the same action that causes people to pass out during blood draws or other painful procedures when the vagus nerve is stimulated inadvertently, aka a vasovagal response.)

LuLu, good luck. Anyone who has this type of thing should definitely be seeing a cardiologist.