1. Community
  2. Heart Health
  3. Supraventricular Tachycardia

Newly diagnosed with SVT

Posted , 5 users are following.

rebeccalc
rebeccalc

Hi everyone! 

I am 21 years old and I was recently diagnosed with SVT. I was just getting ready for bed when I had pains in my right shoulder, my chest, my heart rate was going. As well as this I felt sick, dizzy and headachey. Luckily, my nanna is a nurse and tried to calm me down. 

I was confused and terrified. That episode stopped, I then contiued to have 2 more episodes in the space of half an hour. I've had an episode before that lasted 20 secs. I went to the doctors and they told me it may be allergies. 

After those episodes I was rang NHS line who sent paramedics to me (I really didn't want to bother them but my family insisted). I was then taken to hospital to be assessed. 

I  had been assessed by a few doctors who told me I was suffering with panic attacks. I just knew this was not the case. I am a happy, carefree person who was just going to bed...

Finally, a doctor who knew what they were talking about diagnosed me with SVT. 

Since then I have been feeling paranoid and scared to leave the house. It has totally shook me up! 

Just wondering if anyone has any tips with dealing with SVT. Also should I let my uni know about illness?

Thanks very much! This forum is helping me undestand SVT. 

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • mssteed
    mssteed rebeccalc

    Posted

    Can I ask how they diagnosed your SVT? I am having trouble getting a clear diagnosis on what I have. Thanks!
    • kaela
      kaela mssteed

      Posted

      When I got diagnosed with SVT, I had a week long heart rate monitor and a month long heart rate monitor and that showed I had SVT. If you haven't gotten a monitor yet, I'd request one! And if they say they'll do a 24 hr monitor, request a week to a month one because the 24 hr monitor doesn't always pick up your SVT. It could be better than other days.
    • mssteed
      mssteed kaela

      Posted

      I got the 48 hour monitor and it showed nothing. I am on the 30 day monitor now. So far the doctor says it's just high heart rates. Hopefully they will figure it out soon. Thanks and Good luck with your SVT.
    • kaela
      kaela mssteed

      Posted

      Oh excellent they put you on a month one! It's a pain, but in the end it's worth it. I don't know how they figured out if it was SVT or just regular tachycardia with me, but as soon as my doctor seen the results for my heart he immediately wanted to do an ablation. It worked for 2 months, then SVT came back and had another ablation, but this time they burned inside and outside my heart. I got told after second surgery, ANY type of heart surgery it'll be open heart, guess my heart valve is shaped too odd to work with. At this moment my SVT is back, but my doc doesn't want any more surgeries due to it being open heart. So now I'm on the search for another doc to see if he'll do a pacemaker. Good luck to you and keep us all updated! If you have questions don't hesitate to ask.
    • rebeccalc
      rebeccalc mssteed

      Posted

      Hi there! 

      The heart rate monitor picked it up when I had my attack. I was lucky enough for them to actually to pick it up. The Dr told me it can be very difficult to actually catch an SVT attack happening. 

  • lizzieozkiwi
    lizzieozkiwi rebeccalc

    Posted

    Hi there Rebecca - my heart goes out to you, you are so young and you should be out enjoying yourself, not sitting home worrying about this. Get all the heart checks done, if they tell you your heart is okay - then it is.......Don't let your heart be the boss, if your'e told it's okay, then you be firm with it and let it know it's okay and to stop anxing you about it. Now, that sounds stupid, right? of course it does.....but, it happens. I've lost track of the times I've stood in front of the mirror with my heart flipping round and said "now look here you, just stop messing about. There is nothing wrong with you and you are not going to ruin my life!"......I've then giggled and hoped no-one can see me talking to myself. But in our minds, fear can take over and symptons can increase just out of sheer anxiety....Try to be strong and in control. SVT's are scary, a lot of us know about that. Just bear in mind that a lot of the people who post here have been having these jolly things for a lot of years, and they are still here. Still anxious about them naturally enough too. So Rebecca, get your checkups, when your doctors tell you everything is normal, perhaps look at ways you can control your SVT's instead of them controlling you. Some people cut down on coffee etc, others might take up a walk after tea, cut down on spicy foods, you will get to the stage where you might recognise what is causing this, it could be that something is stressing you without you being really aware of that, ......But, you are not alone girl, keep your chin up and get out and enjoy your young life....Lizzie
    • rebeccalc
      rebeccalc lizzieozkiwi

      Posted

      Thank you very much for your kind words. It's really nice to know I am not alone. My friends and family are really confused as to what it is and I keep having to tell them over and over. One of my friends even said it was "a bull sh*t illness". Which, as you can see is not the case at all. 

      It's really nice to be able to talk about SVT with sufferes like yourself, and people understanding how it feels to have an attack. 

      I am sure I will come to terms and just live my life without a care in the world. Thanks for your advice I will make sure to give it go if another attack happens.

      Becca smile 

Back to top

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.