Frustrated - Possible Misdiagnosis of SVT

Posted , 2 users are following.

Hi Everyone,

Back in 2018 I experienced some heart palpitations. Majority of the heart palpitations were triggered from lack of sleep or stress. I decided to get this checked out by my GP and Cardiologist.

I did a sleuth of tests (ECG, 48 Hour Event Monitor, Stress Test, and Echocardiogram). They caught "SVT on the Event monitor. it said I experienced 62 episode of SVT in 48 hours. with traces of Sinus Arrhythmia. The highest heart beat was 128 bpm for 14 beats - not that long at all. However, I did NOT feel anything! No rapid heart beat, no pain, no discomfort, no tightness in chest - Nothing. I do run up flights of stair in my house. I live in a two-story house, so I take any opportunity to be more active, even if it's running up 13 flight of stairs to go to my room. I am almost certain that's what triggered the event monitor but I never paid attention to the times I went up stairs.

Fast forward to 2020. I still have not had a true SVT episode as everyone describes, with a racing heart beat or pounding chest. None whatsoever. I have however experienced 3 random episodes of extreme fatigue and a LOW heart rate (52 BPM). This experience alarmed me so I scheduled an appointment back in March 2020, with a new cardiologist because the prior cardiologist had poor bed-side manner.

The cardiologist saw my initial test results from 2018 and almost laughed at them, he said, "128 BPM with only 14 beats? That's more like a hiccup in the heart rhythm that everyone experiences, not real SVT. Let's redo all those tests." They re-did all the tests, this time with a holter monitor rather than an event monitor, they did not catch anything. Absolutely normal. The cardiologist said my experiences of weakness and fatigue maybe because of my blood pressure (I am usually around 110 / 70).

I did not go see the cardio because of my doubts of SVT, I went because I was worried about the random onset of fatigue, weakness, and low heart rate. I thought it may have been caused by the after-effects of SVT since I do not feel the actual event? I wanted a more thorough examination with an EP study or a MUCH longer event monitor recording. I felt like I wasn't being listened to and I am diagnosed with something actually do NOT have, and I am afraid of waiting until something actually does happen until I am allowed to get further tests.

Could it be the case that the event monitor used in 2018 has different measurement criteria compared to the holter monitor I used in March 2020? I also do tests on my thyroid each year at GP, my thyroid is normal.

0 likes, 0 replies

0 Replies

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.