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Feel as though I have been misdiagnosed. Really think I have SVT

Posted , 5 users are following.

danielle17413
danielle17413

Hi everyone, I am a 21 year old female and I am absolutely anxiety ridden over the possibility of me having SVT. I'll give you some back story.

When I first started drinking alcohol, wine specifically, I noticed my heart rate would jump to about 120 and this would last for at least 30 minutes. I put it off because I just thought I was allergic to wine like my aunt is. This happened at least three times in a span of 2-3 months. In January 2018 is when I hit rock bottom. I was exercising on a rowing machine and was doing really well until I stopped and noticed my heart rate was not going down, but getting increasingly faster. I had my husband call an ambulance and they said my heart rate was at 240bpm. I thought I was going to die. I couldn't breathe, I was too weak to stand, I just remember wanting to pass out so badly so I could end the suffering. Unfortunately I didn't and I made it to the hospital without any intervention except IV fluids. At the hospital, my heart rate stayed around 100bpm for about an hour after. They did tests on me and checked everything and one of the nurses mentioned SVT. I was given metoprolol to take home until I saw a cardiologist.

Here's where everything gets confusing. I saw my cardiologist multiple times and he ran EKG's, echocardiograms, holter monitor and everything came back normal. Then he mentioned to me that he went over my hospital records and they had documented at the time of my SVT attack, I was extremely dehydrated, literally almost zero fluids in my body. So this is what caused my heart rate to spike and not be able to slow down. It made sense because I've always been healthy and I used to run cross country and this has never happened before. So he told me he wouldn't be needing to see me anymore and that I just need to hydrate.

The point of all of this is that I am still scared to death to exercise hard. Can dehydration really cause a heart rate of 240bpm that lasts over 30 minutes? I live every day in constant anxiety thinking that I am just one day closer to my next attack. I have been trying to lightly exercise to stay in shape, but the fear of it happening again scares me to death. Another thing to mention is that he never got to do a stress test on me because I found out I was pregnant. So I never really found out if exercise was the cause of the episode or if dehydration was. So I live every day in fear. If I walk up the stairs too quickly and my heart speeds up, it makes me panic because I think it can cause an SVT episode. Sometimes I'll overheat while outside and my heart starts to speed up and this will also make me extremely anxious. The point is, I'm babying myself severely because of what happened and I can't stop. And even though it is now April (4 months since the attack) and I have not had another, I can't help but think I still may have one in the future. I really need help. It's ruining my life

 

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • linda90194
    linda90194 danielle17413

    Posted

    SVT is very scary and unfortunately it can many times be hard to diagnosis. I was in the ER with high heart rate-200 and they thought I was dehydrated. I didn’t think so as I had already been drinking a lot of water that day. All my tests at the hospital came out okay. Blood tests won’t show SVT, it shows if there is anything else going on. The bad part about SVT, is that is comes on without any warning. My doctor told me that it’s genetic and food, exercise, caffeine does not bring it on. It just happens. And now I believe that. SVT is an abnormality in the electrical part of the heart.  SVT can literally paralyze you from doing what you enjoy in life because it is scary. I would suggest you keep doing what you have always done, then if it happens again, see a different cardiologist. I am told that it will NOT kill you! 
  • paullie
    paullie danielle17413

    Posted

    I know it can be very stressful ...but you have to live your life ...I know what triggers my SVT and so I try my best to always avoid them...dehydration and low potassium was a big trigger for me...I always thought you could tell from an  EKG or monitor if you have SVT...I hope you get more definitive answers. 
  • Rachnroyce
    Rachnroyce danielle17413

    Posted

    I too suffered from anxiety brought on by my SVT. I thought after my ablation in 2016 I would be back to my old self. I was for a bit but then I started having panic attacks. I talked to my doctor and got on Paxil and it has changed my life! I no longer have anxious thoughts or feelings. I highly recommend talking with your doctor to see if anti anxiety meds would be right for you. Good luck!
  • tfxnyc
    tfxnyc danielle17413

    Posted

    I would suggest you start a medical log and record everything your heart does. Notate date/time, your activity and what you ate. Make sure you take pulse rate and blood pressure if you can. You will help the doctors rule out anything that would confuse the diagnosis. Also, see if you can visit different doctors and get another opinion. I've been dealing my heart issues for years. I know it's difficult, but stay committed. You can get thru this. Good luck and take care. 

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