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Supraventricular tachycardia and exercise?

Posted , 41 users are following.

amy2612
amy2612

Hi, I was diagnosed with SVT from an early age, and spent most of my childhood going to and from appointments at the children's hospital. Eventually, after many many episodes (and of increasing length!) I was suitable for an ablation. I had the ablation at aged 17, however, unfortunately it did not work and I had an episode 6 weeks later - frustrating! However, it has somewhat modified it and my episodes are less frequent and the length of episodes has decreased substantially from 3 hours to just 5 minutes! So I would definitely recommend the ablation surgery, although it didn't quite have the desired effect for me it has improved the condition and the effect on my life. I now control my episodes through the various maneuvers suggested (and with success thanksully).

My question is, how do people with SVT get on with exercise? I have always been keen to compete in sports, especially during school - however the severity and frequency of my episodes before the operation meant that this tailed off a little. I am now 22 and I am keen to get back into running, moreover, running distances for charity etc.! I am just a bit apprehensive about over-exertion and effects on my heart! I would thoroughly appreciate any help/advice about how much exercise people tend to do! especially those who have been diagnosed with SVT from birth or a young age.

I am due to run the race for life in a few weeks, and have been running a little in preparation for that. But I am keen to get back into running longer distances with a view to doing half-marathons/marathons. Has anyone run these kind of distances with SVT?

Many thanks, Amy

3 likes, 56 replies

56 Replies

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  • shelley30914
    shelley30914 amy2612

    Posted

    I had a heart ablation and have been symptom free for ten years. Thoughts? I used to have heart race to 200 and cold sweats, pain in chest, dizzy to almost blackouts. I could stop it with beardown for awhile but that stopped working to the point Id go to the hospital for a shot of adenasine(sp) which stops and restarts your heart. Doctor finally said no more so I had surgery-scary yes, best decision I ever made YES. Take care of yourself.
  • rochelle43965
    rochelle43965 amy2612

    Posted

    I've always been able to get my down by holding my breath and "bearing down".  I hope they don't start getting worse. The electrophysiologist told me I could up my metoprolol and take 25 mg at bedtime if I wanted to.  I haven't done that yet.  I worry that my blood pressure may go too low.  The dosage I'm on has been working pretty well for me.  I know I worry too much about my heart rate.  I carry a little fingertip monitor with me in my purse and it shows my pulse.  I know yesterday I was very uptight while shopping and kept putting in on my finger to check.  It was in upper 60's or mid 70's most of the time.  Then we were almost done shopping it shot up to 150.  Do you think worrying about it all the time could cause it?  My doctor says no, that anxiety doesn't cause this.  He did tell me I don't need to be checking my pulse all the time.  I just get worried that it will start going up and if I don't get it down quickly I will get that faint feeling.  I'm glad the ablation worked for you.  What kind of PSVT did you have?  My doctor say he thinks mines is "Focal AV".  I'm not really sure what that means.  Do you know?  I mentioned ablation to him and he said that here are risks.  He said I could die or end up with a pacemaker.  He also said that I could be lying there sedated for a long time and they may have a hard time finding the right spot to ablate.  He didn't even act like he wanted to consider me for an ablation at this time.
    • shelley30914
      shelley30914 rochelle43965

      Posted

      I'm from Canada, alberta...there are specialist here that do ablation all day every day. Yes there are risks but for me nothing was working. I did take something for awhile but I don't remember what it was called. I'm not a doctor but you could be dealing with two things-anxiety and Focal AV. I agree with your doctor taking your pulse all the time is of no benefit it just stresses you. The decision to have surgery is yours not the doctors. That said you would need to research to find heart speciaialist that know what they are doing. If things are bearable then you may be okay without surgery. Again it is your decision not the doctors a heart specialist is better able to help with that decision. I had wolf-Parkinson white syndrome-10 years no problems and the procedure was straightforward and uneventful. I was tired for awhile after surgery off work for a few weeks but all in all so worth it.
  • ABS9940
    ABS9940 amy2612

    Posted

    Hi,

    I'm 39 and have been experiencing SVT like symptoms since I was 28yr old. I visited multiple cardiologist in the NYC area (that where i live) but none would diagnose me with SVT. My episodes only happen when I exercise. Note - i'm an avid runner/cyclist (Competed in multiple Ironman Triathlon races, Marathons, cylcing races, etc). When i started having abnormal rythams, i didn't think much of it, it felt strange, my heart would flutter, the feeling was almost like having an asthma attack but i could feel my heart out of sorts. My HR monitor would read 225bmp! I tried halter monitors, stress tests, echo cardios, echo cat scans peformed in a hospital and they couldn't find anything! Everyone told me that my heart was healthy. Finally, in the past 2 years, my new cariologist belives I have SVT but doesn't want me taking meds or having the ablation done. Her reasoning is that my heart is healthy enough to withstand the SVT attachs/episodes. I should also note, each episode only lasts 15-45 seconds. It happens about 4-6 times a year. More often as i get older for sure.. when i was 28, it was happening 2 times max a year. She did say if the epsisodes start to happen more frequently, eblation would be a good option. Fast forward to yesterday, i had another episode towards the end of my run (not a very hard workout), HR spiked to 225, lasted for only 15 seconds or so.. i spoke to my cardiologist yesterday and she is arranging for me to meet with a CA Lab specialist at Mount Saini. I'm really looking forward to hearing what they have to say. Even though Im not experiencing major attacks, it's starting to weigh on my mind and starting to effect my life. i'm affraid to work out knowing that an attach lurks around the corne. Everyone says it's something that wont kill you but as all of you know, it's still a very stressfull time when attacks occurs. Glad i found this forum. I really thought i was the only one experiencing what i feel. 

  • datta6896
    datta6896 amy2612

    Posted

    Hi ,My sitiution is also very similar.I had the abilaton done six months ago(I am 19 now).I asked my doctor whether its possible to get rid of it completely,asked him if it was completely curable,asked him wheether i could go back and live life like a others.He told me that its possible.But  just like you i had it back in 9 weeks.I was frustrated.I felt exercise was helping with my condition{ reducing the duration  of the episodes},but now i am finding it difficult to continue with my exercise.

    I only have one question,Is it possible to get rid of svt completely .I am still young and i dont want to carry this problem with me throughout my life.

    Thanks

  • renee_90234
    renee_90234 amy2612

    Posted

    I just found this discussion. My heart surged to and usually while working out- I have noticed that bending cause it in 3 of 4 times. I am on medicine but don't want to be. It last about 1-3 minutes. What causes this?
    • brandi6481
      brandi6481 renee_90234

      Posted

      No one knows really it's a miss fire in the heart . I hate the medications too . They make me feel worst sometimes . I am looking for an electrophysiology so maybe they can ablate and I can move on
    • diane21732
      diane21732 renee_90234

      Posted

      Bending definitely starts mine or raising my hands over my head. However, it's a lot more often if I drink caffeine.  Definitely, cut out the caffiene.  The ablation did not work for me so they put me on a beta blocker, which made me nauseated.  They switched me to a caclium blocker (diltiazem) and I've had no side affects from it at all and once they adjusted the dosage (240 mg in the morning and 120 mg at night), it's mostly in control - unless I cheat and have caffiene.

      I'm a golfer, so bending over to get the ball out of the cup may trigger it.  In fact that's when I first discovered I had it.  Playing the game otherwise does not.  I'm also a gardener, so reaching up to trim branches triggers it.

      Otherwise, it's just a nuisance more than anything.  I just have to watch my diet and watch my movements.  I worried about it more before I found this forum.  It helps to hear other's experiences and get new ideas.

    • brandy2222
      brandy2222 diane21732

      Posted

      Glad to hear I'm not the only one who triggers when my hands are raised above my head. Doctors thought I was nuts when I described it.
    • nick00672
      nick00672 brandy2222

      Posted

      Hello, I am new to this forum but wanted to pass on a recent experience. I have been diagnosed with SVT for about 2 years now. Sometimes I have managed to stop it by holding my breath. The last occurence I had was quite unexpected, all I did was eat a curry. I believe there is something muscular/skeletal/digestive related about SVT, and have come my own conclusion that ablations are dealing with the symptom rather than the root cause. I have recently spent time in Austria where by accident I came across Balacrian Forte which is simply a 350mg dose of Valerian. Typically Valerian is available at Boots in 150mg doses so it is a comparatively large hit of Valerian. On two occasions of SVT I have taken one of these 350mg doses and found that after a few minutes the SVT stops. To be clear: I am not making a recommendation to anyone or advising to take this but it worked for me.
  • caramarie
    caramarie amy2612

    Posted

    I know this is quite late, but I agree with the majority here. I am 35, diagnosed 4 years ago and exercise is extremely important to me, especially since a have coronary artery disease running rampant in my family and I am starting to notice signs of my metabolism slowing down.

    I am also a nurse and can tell you quite confidently that I have NEVER once heard a cardiologist discourage anybody with SVT from participating in cardiovascular exercise. It sounds like Jay needs some educating and or is looking for an excuse to sit on his dupa and collect government funded benefits.

    I commend you for your willingness to "keep on truckin" and not letting this benign condition get the best of you!

  • patrice.brown
    patrice.brown amy2612

    Posted

    Amy,

    I am a distance runner with SVT.  Sometimes running does trigger an episode with heart rate between 190 and 230 bpm.  Sometimes coughing or stopping to walk with get it back in rhythm.  I have run 8 half marathons and 1 full marathon since my diagnosis.  I had an ablation 6 years ago with symptoms recurring after 2 years.  Now I take Flecainide every 12 hours to keep it under control.  My doctor recently prescribed a beta blocker to take 30 minutes before I run to try and control the episodes while I am exercising.  I am just now trying this additional medication to see if it is effective.  I am running a half marathon this weekend and completing a duathalon the day before for a total of a 35.1 mile race weekend.  My cardiologist supports my obsession with exercise and is working with me to explore different options to make it happen.  Don't give up on distance running.  Keep your pace slow and keep working with your doctor and try different options.  Good luck and happy running!

    Patrice

    • patrice.brown
      patrice.brown

      Posted

      Make that 10 half marathons...I miscounted.

       

  • xxxlouiso
    xxxlouiso amy2612

    Posted

    I was diagnosed with a form of SVT last year and have been struggling to get back into exercise. I used to train quite hard until my symptoms became almost unbearable. I am now essentially, starting again after taking about twelve months off. I take ivabradine to reduce my heart rate although still suffer from frequent ectopics and irregular rhythm, particularly during exercise. I am not eligible for ablation. I have found that taking a mild pre-workout (pyro) has helped with increasing the level of exercise that I am able to do. I ensure that I have taken all medication in the lead up, and have gradually increased the amount of preworkout that I took over a few weeks. Before I started, I was struggling to run as little as 1km without issue but after about two months I am back up to 5km and can also do some resistance training in the same session. It is ever improving. It is important however, to get clearance from your cardiologist and if you do try it, make sure that you do not train on your own until you know how it affects you. I have a higher tolerance to caffeine than most. I have found that by using mild supplements in addition to the ivabradine (sensibly and under supervision), my heart rate is far more controlled during exercise and it has helped me to get back to my former fit self bit by bit. While some will likely tell me that I have a death wish, I am increasing my fitness and improving my quality of life. I am always going to be at risk of having a complication during exercise (notwithstanding my tactics) but I have been advised that if I am fitter and my heart is stronger, I will be in a much better position if that were to ever happen than if I did nothing.
  • FlyingWoldo
    FlyingWoldo amy2612

    Posted

    Hi Amy

    My partner has SVT and used to be very active.  Around the time she started developing SVT she had other issues that stopped her activity.  Now she has lost a lot of her earlier form and is seeking to rebuild her old strengths and endurance.  I read your request and from it I did not see many answers to your question whic I feel is the same as my partners.  What can you do to rebuild old strengths so as you can return to loved activities.  My partner who was once very fit now has difficulty walking up a steep hill.  Yet she can swim a kilometre no problem.  She has taken up Paragliding with me and the issue is walking up steep hils to launch.  She wants to regain that ability without killing her self.  So the question is can you rebuild that strength and fitness and what process you need to take to get there.  How do you do it while keeing safe.  Who is and expert on these things can we get a personal trainer specialising in this to help with regainging this strength and ability.  Looking for a solution and a plan rather than sypathy or empathy?  Py partner wants to explore the world with me and fly and we are looking for a plan to make this happen!

     

    • rebecca41650
      rebecca41650 FlyingWoldo

      Posted

      Hey Woldo,

      Persistence is key! I live in a very hill-y neighbourhood in Canada where going to the mailbox requires a steep climb daily. 

      My only advise to your partner is to practice walking hills regularly. 

      Albeit I'm younger (22) and have only been having these issues for 3 years (maybe 4-5 times in total), I've felt the toll it takes on your body when you try to get into routines that you used to enjoy (in my case, cardio and weights). 

      Anyways, sometimes I find I can do hills with no problems, however other times they're more challenging for nearly no discernable reason (except perhaps anxiety). Something I've learned is that people who live with SVT also live with anxiety (they go hand-in-hand), so learning how to manage stress is huge for learning how to exercise to the best of your ability with it.

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