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Lightheadedness with no cause... Had SVT ablation 5 weeks ago.

Posted , 7 users are following.

megan42488
megan42488

Hi guys, 

This is my first post here. Im a 20 yr old healthy female and had an SVT attack July 14 2017 triggered by bending over. I was seen in electrophysiology and had my Ablation done Aug 1st 2017. 

I have had no svt attacks since then but am feeling very sluggish. I am constantly lightheaded, short of breath, mild chest pain and the odd flutter here and there. My bpm was always raised due to my sinus tachycardia, so even after the ablation im still very tachy. 

I have down countless test, numerous times. Blood work, ECG, CT scans, XRAYS, all coming back normal. 

Im starting to loose my mind because i cant focus or concentrate in school or work. Its a terrible quality of life to live at this age and im tired of feeling in capable of doing things other 20 yr olds are doing. Ideas? 

0 likes, 24 replies

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  • Dumodal
    Dumodal megan42488

    Posted

    I've known people who actually took around 3 months to feel normal after ablation, try to wait aittle bit more of time, in the other hand there is some people who the ablation itself left them with some kind of Disautonomia problem like POTS.

    Try to talk to your electrophysiologist about a possible tilt table test.

    • megan42488
      megan42488 Dumodal

      Posted

      Hi Dumodal

      I am seeing my doc Friday sept 22nd to see what is going on, he does not believe it is anything serious as he is 99% sure he got it all.

      Last night I had a short run of flutters, lastes maybe 5 seconds or less... not too sure if it was Atrial flutters or not. Never had afib. 

      I am terrified to leave my house in case I have a flutter and pass out. 

      I have called my doc numerous times and he has expressed the same opinion of it being normal and a part of the healing process. 

      I have done an ECG & bloodwork recently to see if I was in NSR during my lightheadedness.. and I was in NSR.

       

      kind of loosing hope at this point. 

  • peter01729
    peter01729 megan42488

    Posted

    Where you on Beta-blockers at any point?

    I had an ablation for VTs in April, whilst it successfully prevented ectopics turning into runs of VT, I am feeling worst and worst including the symptoms you discribe and more, utter exhaustion so that I have to make a conscious effort to take a breath, a constant cough sine April, the latest thing I have developed is a total absence of a QRS complex evry fourth heart beat so I think I am now heading towards stage two heart block!

    I dont know whether to put it down to beta-blockers having permanent damaged my receptors as I started getting the breathlessness and the cough and the drunk zombie feeling, once I went on BBs before the ablation, even though I have been off them since March. Or maybe its the ablation as well or maybe the underlying heart defect is getting worst or a combination of all three? 

     

    • megan42488
      megan42488 peter01729

      Posted

      Hi Peter  

      I wasnt on any beta blockers or medication. When I had my SVT we went straight for Ablation because I am young and Healthy. The ablation forsure prevented any SVT episodes but i still have flutters and PVS/PACS. When I have my Flutters, my HR & BP are normal as well as my O2 levels but the funny feeling in my chest and foggy head Is scaring me out of my whits ends. 

      I think the ablation had some negative effects for you.. im sorry to hear that you are heading towards full heart block. It sounds like You are free from vt but now have IST, which is better then VT 100%. I had it as well post Ablation.

      Im pretty worried that when my heart beats funny I will A) pass out

      B) go into SVT

      C) go into any other arrhythmia

       I am loosing my mind here. 

    • peter01729
      peter01729 megan42488

      Posted

      People keep trying to say I am thinking about my problems too much and its causing me anxiety which is easy for them to say being not me and experiencing what I am. Having said that, are you being too anxious about things?, maybe you are exhausting your brain which gives you the foggy feeling or if you are still not going out and interacting with the world cannot be so good.

      I get PVCs every fourth beat now by evening, but I dont even feel slightly as if I am doing to pass out. I did have an episode once when washing up and I felt I was about to faint, my heart rate had suddenly rushed up to 181 for now reason and I had eight ectopic beats in a row, but apart from that I dont feel like I am ever in danger of fainting so maybe venturing outside for a walk might help?

    • megan42488
      megan42488 peter01729

      Posted

      Hi Peter 

      So yesterday I was attending one of my moms appointments when i started to suddenly sweat, lightheaded, fast HR(123),pale and PVCS. It only lasted for about 5 minutes which felt like forever. And due to being in the hospital at an appointment they rushed me to the ER and did all of the tests for my heart and nothing came up. Everyone thinks I had a panic attack... freqishly scared now.. that was an awful feeling and i dont know what triggered it so im afraid to do things now! It keeps getting worse. 

      Megan 

    • peter01729
      peter01729 megan42488

      Posted

      Ive had that, people at work calling me an ambulance and by the time you have been sitting down resting waiting for it, the symptoms have gone.

      Best thing I did was to buy one of those little handheld ECG machines, that way, whenever you get the PVCs you can see and record it on your little machine. Every time I go and see my cardiologist, I take the print outs which he eagerly takes and says they are very useful to him.

      I also recently bought one of those Oxyimeters that measures your blood oxygen over night, its supposed to be between 95 to 100%, for half of the night mine was at 85% so I am wondering if that is causing my fatigue and foggy headeadness, brain damage through lack of oxygen!, I always feel like I was drunk the previous day now. I have lung function tests on 6th October so will take those blood oxygen readings and see what they say. 

       

    • megan42488
      megan42488 peter01729

      Posted

      Hi Peter, 

      Did those symtpoms go away? Its driving me insane, I feel like im constantly floating or going to pass out. 

      Did your cardiologist say that it was heart related? Or was it just a fluke/anxiety? 

      Im afraid to even leave my house. Even though I have never passed out im pretrified of it and dont want another SVT. I  Wonder if yesterday was SVT or anxiety... 

    • peter01729
      peter01729 megan42488

      Posted

      Hi Megan, you definitely need one of those ECG machines so that you will know if it is SVT or anxiety, if anxiety you will be less anxious!

      As for me, my symptoms seem to be getting worst. I even asked my GP for a brain MRI, he just laughed. I too would describe feeling floaty, not just in my head but my whole body, its such a strange feeling.

      When I attributed all my symptoms to when I first took Beta-Blockers, all the doctors and cardiologists dismissed it and said its just a co-incidence as I have been off them since April. My ablation cardiologist however, is a very nice Asian guy, he said its rare but possible, he has arranged all these extra tests for me, 6th October is lung function test. He did say though that the tests are to eliminate a physical cause as he thinks all my problems stem from a life-long state of anxiety that I am unaware of, as I cannot compare it to not being anxious, due to severe child abuse and neglect. Whilst I acknowledge that I have been in hyper-vigilance my whole life and that this could well be the cause of my heart failure, why is it the very minute I started taking beta-blockers that I felt my nervous system has been irreparably damaged? 

      I think you should try and go out else you will become a self fulfilling prophesy, develop agoraphobia which in itself will cause the stress that could lead to svts or fainting. Haven't you got a friend who could accompany you when you go out so that you feel safe? 

       

    • peter01729
      peter01729 derek76

      Posted

      Yes, as soon as I started taking it I described myself as feeling like a drunk zombie, I could also no longer feel my lungs working. I still feel like I have a hangover even though I stopped taking Bisoprolol in March, I feel as if my automatic breathing system is damaged, at night now my oxygen levels fall to a dangerous 85%. I had none of these issues before Bisoprolol. They took me off Bisoprolol in March following a near collapse when my weak pulse was found to be 40bmp after oxygen was administered.  So they then put me on Solotolol, this right away put me into a coughing frenzy so after a few days my GP told me to stop taking that. Here we are over five months later and I still have a chronic cough. 
  • peter01729
    peter01729 megan42488

    Posted

    Forgot to mention the lightheadedness post ablation. Standing at the sink doing some washing up when I suddenly felt I was going to faint. So I asked St Thomas' hospital who monitor the ECG device in  my chest what had happened, they said I suddenly had a run of eight ectopic beats and my heart rate had shot up to 183.

    Thats another thing, my heart beat used to be quite slow, in the sixties at rest, post ablation it is always around the 90s at rest, but sometimes, just sitting down it will go up to 147.

    • megan42488
      megan42488 peter01729

      Posted

      Hi Peter01729,

      It’s been some time I’ve been on here. How are you feeling? Any new symptoms? Any insight on the lightheadedness? 

      I recently had the tilt table test done and I do not have pots but the lightheadedness is getting worse. Seeing my EP on Friday to see what’s going on. I have a weird sensitivity to ginger shots (pure ginger and lemon) and my hr shot up to 150 for two hours. Odd

      How’s it been? 

      Megan 

    • megan42488
      megan42488 derek76

      Posted

      Nope no rash. Just faster hr but blood pressure was stable. I used to drink ginger tea often. Odd cardiac response to it. 
    • peter01729
      peter01729 megan42488

      Posted

      Hi Maggie. Whilst I attribute my lung problems to the Beta blockers I was on for a few weeks at the beginning of the year, and the feeling I am always slightly drunk. I bought myself a blood oxygen level reader that also reads your pulse and will also record it for you. Blood Oxygen is supposed to be between 95 and 100%, turns out mine is usually 90 at rest 93 walking around, though sometimes its as high as 99%. Worst thing though was is showed when I sleep, for half the night it went down to 85% which some people claim is brain damaging, would certainly explain my exhaustion and brain fog. My GP is therefore going to arrange a sleep apnea study. Nice that I have to do the NHS job for them though by finding out whats wrong with me!

      The other thing this device has revealed though is that my heart rate is not being regulated properly, today, doing the same gentle walking around, my heart rate went between 43 and 187bpm.

      I am thinking that the beta blockers permanently damage my autonomic nervous system which regulates all the automatic functions such as breathing and heart rate and hunger that I am experiencing problems with.

      Trouble is, the NHS dont want to admit their drugs made me worst, and they dont want me telling them their job, so nobody is investigating the root cause, just a symptom or two now and then!     

    • derek76
      derek76 peter01729

      Posted

      Amiodarone is the one that usually causes lung damage. I blame bisoprolol for my neuropathy. It did improve to a degree when I stopped it but not that much. 

      Does your blood oxygen level reader  record during the night?

    • peter01729
      peter01729 derek76

      Posted

      Yes. Here is the report I got from my first night trial.
    • derek76
      derek76 peter01729

      Posted

      You get a lot of worthwhile data from it.

      Is it one of the ones made by Pulmo Link ?

    • peter01729
      peter01729 derek76

      Posted

      CONTEC CMS50F White Digital SPO2 Oxygen Monitor Wrist Pulse Oximeter
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