Cardiologist who blows you off

I've been "blown off" for 30 years.  Yes, you read that right.  THIRTY. YEARS!  Then, on 2/26/18, ended up having a STROKE because no one would help me.  I was in the ICU for two days and on the telemetry floor for another two days.  Now, I've been firmly diagnosed with Atrial Tachycardia along with Atrial Fibrillation.  I've started on Verapmil and Lipitor.  I've lost my job because of all the time I've missed, my husband's company dropped me from the health insurance without notifying me (we're divorced and we knew it was coming, but still, aren't they supposed to legally notify you??).  All because NO ONE believed me or took me seriously for all of these years.  I KNEW something was wrong.  Hell, I wore a halter monitor for a few days (planned to be for 10 days) but after only 3 they called me and said, "Umm, yeah, we've already caught THOUSANDS of events, you can bring it back now."  And still. . . .STILL no treatment!  I'm a woman so, of course, I'm "depressed or having a panic attack or looking for attention".  There's no way that a WOMAN is really sick??!?  Funny, if that were the case, wouln't women live forever? 

I'm sorry that this is happening to you, but it seems as though it's par for the course, as far as I can see.  Good luck!  I hope that someone takes you seriously soon!!  XOXOXO

Hi,  SVT episodes are notoriously difficult to catch on monitors when they are random and unpredictable.  I had the same problem for years.  My attacks were horrible they lasted for hours and my heart rate went over 200 bpm and left me exhausted.  I was never able to convert them either so just rested and waited them out.  The only time I was able to record an attack was when I was given a monitor to keep at home and only use when an attack occurred.  Following that SVT was diagnosed and I was given an ablation.

Maybe ask your cardiologist if you can be given one of these monitors.  There is also a gadget you can buy to attach to a smart phone which will record your heart rate and send it direct to your doctor.  I can't remember what it's called though.  Good luck.

Yes I had been to several heart doctors and every test you could imagine when I was young I started having some problems I thought in my younger teens that it was normal because I was active but later when I was about 20 it hit me and I thought I was having a heart attact and of course when the doctor seen me it had stopped he did ekg and said your to young to have a heart attack. so the regular doctor put me on valium thinking it was stress and panic disorder. went on for ever over the years through out 3 kids and years I would go through attacks and everyone was like she will be ok its just her panic attacks and of course my depression well sometimes worse than others I would end up in er and be sent to heart doctors and be admitted into hospital, oh its what we call angina or its an infection around your heart. there has been no test available I haven't been through I am now 48 yrs old last April it hit me again but this time it woke me up at 430 in the morning out of my sleep. it was so hard I absolutely knew this was a major heart attack I couldn't breath, cold sweat, my heart pounding through my chest my husband rushed me to er my heart was stuck at 257 beat a minute they had to stop my heart and reset it. I was in the hospital for 3 days. the er doc sent me to an electrocardiologist and after al the test found out that I was born with svt do to extra nodes in my heart that the other doctors never found. iwas set to finally goin to do the heart abalation for November 22,2017 but before I could I woke up again with svt  er here i come at 244 beats a minute again they stopped my heart restarted it again. Finally time for my heart ablation November 22,2017. They went through my arteries in my neck and both sides of my groin and they found it as soon as they located it and touched it my heart flew up into the higher 200's so the ablated it. its now 3/8/2018 and I still have some after effects like pinging heart pains and some skips or off beat but from what I understand its normal because my heart did it for so long it tring to go back into the old rythem but the place where the node was has been burned but at least  its not near what I was going through. now I can take like a 5 mg of flexril to help it to calm myself and it down which is few and far between. skip the bull s**t doctors and find you a electrocardiologist.

 

oh also have the doctor test you for sleep apnea I found out I had it very severely and that may have been what set it off while I was asleep. they found out while sleeping I only breath maybe 30% on own the rest of the time I stop breathing I have to sleep with a machine every night

felt to me as i am describing my situation. i had SVT in 2016 but not yet diagnosed and i have undergo.. multiple times ECG, stress echo, CT angiogram , Brain CT and holter last week. Nothing showed up.

As per doctor i shall not think about this and move on, ignore the feeling and when ever i start to feel anxious, just relax and take deep breaths..... doc suggested Reveal device, loop recorder to idenfity.

google about this Loop recorder to know more about it.

Thank you all for the replies. I finally got the diagnosis. Howerver, because he can not duplicate with the test he doesn’t want to do anything at all. I am making him keep the stress test appointment. Just do not understand, if he believes this is my problem why won’t he refer me, to the surgeon who performs the ablation? Instead tells me, see ya later bye call me, if you have a problem.. I have a problem this is why I’m here in the first place. 

I guess I can live with this as my episodes are not daily, and like you all know you just don’t know when they will hit.. at least I do not not faint when this happens. I’m just not sure if, I should just go and fine a surgeon who performs the ablation, and ask for a second opinion..

It can be very hard to capture SVT, so tell him you want a 30 day event monitor, if he refuses, go get an appointment with an electrophysiologist cardiologist  that just deals with the electrical system of the heart. 

You need to go to the er when it’s happening. They can tell from the ekg what type of svt and prescribe meds. I did 3 months ago and was out on metropolol. I’ve had 2 since usually when I am suffering from anxiety. Cardiologists don’t think svt is a big deal from what I’ve seen. It scared me to death 

Had my first episode 2 weeks ago. Went to ER they diagnosed me.  Had another one yesterday went to ER and they slowed my pulse but didn’t offer any other info..  Now I have anxiety anticipating the next one..  What an awful feeling.  Sorry I r going through this