First SVT episode?
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hi all ??
I was making my kids breakfast when my heart pounded once so hard I felt like I got kicked in my chest then kept pounding fast and hard for over 15min at the end it did another crazy one then went back into rythem. Scared me as you would all know. I’ve been referred to a cardiologist. I caught a small clip of my episode on my phone. Is there a way to share that here? Can you just have one episode and not have one again? Thanks
0 likes, 7 replies
bhrt1266 rachel17113
Posted
First of all very sad To hear this but this things might reoccur chances are quite high... unless you change you lifestlye and take healthy diet and start to listen what your body is telling you.
Unless you have ecg graph its difficult to understand.... that too by doctors only. Try to forget this and have less anxiety as anxiety boosts chances of re-occurence in my case for sure.....
jimjames rachel17113
Posted
Hi Rachel,
It sounds like it could be SVT but don't be surprised if your cardiologist just says it was a panic attack and to forget about it. You could do it now, or wait for it to happen again, but think about getting a Kardia Mobile portable ecg device that works with your smartphone. If you get an attack you can take an ekg in 30 seconds and then either bring it or email it to your doctor. That's the only way they will take you seriously. Alternatively you can ask for event monitoring but that's usually for only 2 weeks and it might not be enough time to catch the next event. SVT can be very stressful but I heard one of the biggest stress factors is that doctors don't take SVT patients seriously unless that have an ekg that proves it.
Jim
gene91169 rachel17113
Edited
Sure sounds like SVT which stopped when something called an ectopic allowed your pacemaker to work normally again. But, I'm a "civilian" only and very glad you're soon seeing a cardiologist. You may well get encouraging news from him or her. In the meantime, do some reading and you'll probably learn that SVT in an otherwise healthy heart is very well tolerated. Plus, there's lots of medical help available to you, including a good possibility of an actual cure. I'm one of those who may have been cured, since I haven't had SVT for a year now. That's after decades of having that aggravating and sometimes very frightening stuff. I wish the best for you.
jimjames gene91169
Posted
Hi Gene, When you say you may "have been cured" could you please elaborate? Did you have your SVT diagnosed with an ECG? Did you take meds or have an ablation?
Jim
gene91169 jimjames
Edited
I experienced SVT for at least 50 years, first as a teenager. Not much known about it back then. It was then called PAT (paroxysmal atrial tachycardia, I think) and since I was otherwise very heathy, health care folks told me to ignore it. In fact, as a U.S. Naval Aerospace Physiologist in flight status, I passed an extremely demanding physical exam annually.
I couldn't ignore my SVT, though, and at times it really got to me. More so as I aged, and my newly named SVT became more frequent and harder to stop with breathing maneuvers, etc. Beta blockers helped some, but my emergency room visits for adenosine finally convinced me to try ablation. My first was 4 or so years ago. It actually resulted in more frequent and severe SVT, and I wasn't doing very well emotionally. My second ablation was a year ago, and no SVT since. I still have lots of ectopics and some brief flutters, but I feel physically great and much better emotionally.
I was decades into SVT before mine was actually recorded. That shouldn't be the case these days for most of us, since there are so many options for "remote" sensing and recording.
More info that you maybe needed or wanted, Jim, but there's method to my madness. I want "new" SVT folks to take advantage of available health care, consider the advice, and then make a confident decision as to treatment. Most of us can be very effectively helped. Best wishes from me to you.
jimjames gene91169
Posted
Jim
virgo87346 rachel17113
Posted
Hi Rachel, I'm not sure what you mean by "I caught a small clip on my phone."
But anyway, what I can do - since I cannot diagnose what happened to you - is relate what my SVTs feel like to me (supraventricular tachycardia). For me, the last two times it's happened, I have been standing up, piddling around, having just finished eating (and there often was some sugar involved), have been mildly stress, when all of a sudden my heart beat very fast. The first time I noticed this, about 5 years ago, I chalked it up to an anxiety attack. What I think happens, however, is that SVTs CAUSE panic attacks (not the other way around). I have to sit down and try various valsalva maneuvers to get them to go away. The last two times, since I'm a HCW, I slapped a pulse ox on my finger and just about scared myself to death! My heart was beating so fast. This last time, it lasted 3-6 minutes, way too long for me! I could not "maneuver" it away. (It just went away eventually) The feeling is one of discomfort in my chest, some pressure. One time I got dizzy and bolted out the door because I felt I had a build up of excess energy (this is when I chalked it up to a panic attack) and thought I need to just walk fast, which I did, and I guess it helped. I have seen a cardiologist about 3 times for this, and last time wore a Zio patch to understand the scope of the issue. This is what I recommend. The next few comments are directed at people who have been actively managing their SVTs for a while. I do not want to take beta blockers, as is probably true for the majority of people dxed with SVT, and will think about supplementing again with magnesium (after a blood test), and for the short and medium term I am again cutting out added sugar and HFCS as well as coffee. These are big sacrifices for me! Does anyone have suggestions for good and I mean good coffee subsitutes? I guess decaf would be it. I do drink green tea, and I suppose I need to start making myself find deeper satisfaction in that, for the time being.