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Svt attacks have changed.

Posted , 5 users are following.

deborah36618
deborah36618

Started with svt 6 yrs ago at menopause. Attacks only lasted minute although went very faint. Always had bad ectopics since i was in my 20's. Finally diagnosed two half years ago after having loop recorder implanted. I refused drugs or ablation as attacks though almost daily were very short. Had bad flu 8 weeks ago. 10 days had run of what felt like ectopics then my heart was racing to 196bpm. Panicked rang ambulance. Taken to a&e. Had 6 short attacks in 5 hrs with sinus tachy of 120 between svt attacks. Caught svt attack on 12 lead ecg so have exact origin which cardio pleased about for ablation. I have echo scan next week. I was given 1.25mg bisoprolol. Not keen on side effects. Heavy chest. Low bp and pulse. In week since hospital stay have had 3 attacks following same pattern. Sudden run of what feel like either ectopics or short svt episode then sudden increase in heartrate but not up to 150bpm. Eventually after 30 mins heartrate goes back. Feel like a really bad anxiety attack during. Always starts after evening meal? I see cardio again in 3 weeks to discuss ablation. Just wondered what others think of whats happening to me.

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • ann82027
    ann82027 deborah36618

    Posted

    You mirror my problem exactly, I also get ectopics and svt, I hated the Bisoprolol it made my ectopics and wellbeing worse, chest tightness, low blood pressure and heart rate. I see an electrophysiologist on March 6.   I don,t want an ablation because the attacks of svt were not too bad and not often, I had a big attack when I went to my uncles funeral last year which had me hospitalised and another after the general anaesthetic for my broken ankle.  I get the strong heartbeat after I have eaten, I cannot eat large amounts. After reading all the posts about it not being successful I don’t want to put myself through that and having all the medication because of the result.  I am 71 in April and active.    I want to know whether I have got a fib, also I have a leaking heart valve which I want checked.
    • deborah36618
      deborah36618 ann82027

      Posted

      Thanks Ann. Can your ectopics set off the svt?

      I think i am going to have to stop the bisoprolol as my chest tightness is getting worse every day. I didnt have it when i got up today bet exactly hour after taking it i feel its such hard work to breathe. My ectopics have got worse as well. I had 2 episodes last night where i had run of ectopics then fast thumping heartbeat. Didnt get to svt rate but took hour each time to calm down.

      I seem to be able to feel my heartbeat in my chest and head even when its slow and worse when laying down.

    • ann82027
      ann82027 deborah36618

      Posted

      Yes I have the same, when I lie down I can hear my heart beating in my head and chest.  Stress started my svt but I only had short runs then a big one,197 beats a minute, put back with adenisone in hospital last year. I have ectopics most of the time but have learnt to come to terms with them, sometimes they are bad, had them for 43 years and used to panic like mad which made them worse. I get that hard thumping heartbeat where my heart seems to want to beat out of my chest, just horrible!  I want quality of life not quantity, if I had to sit in the chair feeling sorry for myself I would get depressed. Surprisingly I held down a job until I retired brought 3 children up and don,t look my age, you would think I would be a shrivelling nervous mess, I live alone but have had some frightening moments with this svt, it mainly happens a couple of hours after I fall asleep at night, I used to think they were night frights because the doctors never seemed concerned about this condition years ago, now it seems to be recognised.
    • deborah36618
      deborah36618 ann82027

      Posted

      I have had ectopics for over 30 years and at one time in my late 30's every 3rd beat was an ectopic. I finally accepted they were harmless and they seemed to wax and wane without any particular reason. Then when I became perimnopausal they impoved greatly but it was a short lived window as I then got the svt attacks and the ectopics were back. My ectopics have altered in how they affect me.  Before I got svt they were just a strange feeling in the chest, thump and pause thump and pause could feel it in the throat and sometimes my heart would beat hard for a few beats afterwards.  But now I cannot tell the difference between an ectopic and the beginning of svt both of them cause me to feel very faint. With the ectopics the sensation is momentary whereas with the svt it stays as long as the svt does but now when I am having alot of ectopics a day the effect on me is much much worse and anxiety making.  Have you always been anxious person, I due to trauma as a young child have had severe anxiety especially around health since I was 5 yrs old  so developing ectopics was on the cards!

    • ann82027
      ann82027 deborah36618

      Posted

      I had a terrible childhood, I was brought up by elderly grandparents in Wales, I took care of them sthe end of their life, I came to London picked bad relationships Married to a policeman who was mentally and verbally abusive, I left 6 years ago.   Yes I have always been very anxious and nervous, you ask me something about health and I mostly know it, but I,m still here with lots of niggly health problems. I am a lonesome person and like my own company and space, mingling with people makes my heart go crazy, I do have a couple of friends I see occasionally. I have the awful feeling of my heart flopping sometimes and sometimes a long pause.  I had  the hot sweats real bad going through my change still get the hot feeling overcome me sometimes.   I thought I was the only one with this problem in the whole world until I found these sites, I didn,t use a computer until 2010 so it opened up the world for me.
    • deborah36618
      deborah36618 ann82027

      Posted

      I ended up back at gp this morning because my anxiety around this has gone through the roof and i was literally shaking all the time. She has given me a short course of diazepam so we can work out whats what. I have to keep taking the betablocker for 2 more days then stop as i am sure my tight chest upset stomach etc is from them. The pacing clinic at heart hospital who moniter my implanted heart recorder have said i get a run of ectopics which we know are harmless but i go faint as well as the massive thump flip flops. When they stop my heart races and its at this point that i can get the svt attacks. I had this twice yesterday with 2 svt attacks both times although they stopped when i did the val sal bearing down. But its the fear they either wont stop or keep happening that is causing me problems.

      At least my specialist will have lots of info about it when i see him at end of this month.

      The diazepam has not yet stopped the pounding feeling of heartbeat which makes it hard to sleep.

    • ann82027
      ann82027 deborah36618

      Posted

      Well I have not long got back from hospital after my heart racing at 188 beats a minute,  3 rounds of adenisone which did not put it back into rhythm, then beta blocker into the drip which eventually got it back to 80.  What a shock, it just took off at 12.15 after I had eaten and wouldn,t stop, the last big one was in August after the general anaesthetic when I broke my ankle.  I came off the beta blocker before Christmas because it made me feel awful now I start it again tomorrow.  The heart doctor said he doesn’t,t know why some of us get this, he said it was a word I forgot by the time I got home. I had a lot of palpitations this morning when I got up so took it easy,   I got the big flops like you before it started. I know all about those and the feeling as if my heart is trying to beat out of my chest.  At the moment it’s all quiet after the drugs but I feel quite dizzy.  We must keep our spirits up Deborah and not let it get us down, it’s easier to say that than suffer this horrible thing. 
  • agy26775
    agy26775 deborah36618

    Posted

    I'm very sorry to hear about your experience.

    One thing I noticed is you said these attacks tend to happen after dinner. I noticed a similar pattern in my own SVT attacks. I found out that when I ate particularly carbohydrate-heavy meals, such as pasta, potatoes, breads etc., it seemed to trigger ectopics which then lead to an attack. Also, overly salty foods were horrible triggers. I completely stay away from those, such as crisps/chips, pretzels, cured meats, sausages, etc. Very hot foods also trigger attacks. So, a simpler diet really helps my SVT. As much as I love eating nice big meals, full of spices and flavours, I find that it isn't worth increasing my proneness to getting an attack. So now I follow this diet.

    Perhaps, at least to help you find some relief for now, you might consider eating lighter/simpler evening meals to see if your symptoms improve a little bit. 

    My SVT attacks are always reduced (in severity and frequency) when I make sure to eat lighter meals throughout the day. Usually a good serving of oatmeal for breakfast, a reasonable lunch, and a light dinner (eating foods cold or at lukewarm temperature, as opposed to piping hot, also helps when I feel particularly SVT-prone). Just my two cents. Hope you get better soon.

    • ann82027
      ann82027 agy26775

      Posted

      I just come back from hospital, I ate my lunch and my heart kicked off at 188 beats, 3 adenisone and it did not go back , blowing into a tube, holding my nose and blowing,nothing, then a beta blocker was given in my drip, thank goodness I am home now .  I think eating started it,  I do not eat large amounts because it causes palpitations
    • agy26775
      agy26775 ann82027

      Posted

      Ah, that's rough... I guess sometimes the only solution is to persevere! good luck. 

  • deborah36618
    deborah36618

    Posted

    Oh poor you having such a prolonged svt attack. You will feel rough.

    I never eat much at once as i am on a strict diet for my weight or should i say to keep off the 3 st i lost. I do have a bad habit of eating fast so am trying hard to eat slowly. It is often about 30 mins after i have eaten.

    • ann82027
      ann82027 deborah36618

      Posted

      I had half a roll with butter and a apple and blackberry pie, I have a sweet tooth but control it to a certain degree, I,m a size 14 used to be a 10 when I was young.  I don,t feel too bad today, I’m resting, it’s very cold here in Essex.

       

  • deborah36618
    deborah36618

    Posted

    Stopped betablocker yesterday and today my heartrate suddenly shot up to 145. After 20 mins the svt attacks started. I can stop them with val sal but over 5 hrs had 15 of them. Had sinus tachy of 120-130 in between. Saw my gp who sent me to hospital. 6 hrs after starting pulse went down to 110 and only few short svt attacks. Cardiac dr i saw after 4 hrs said he would not keep me in but i needed another drug so given verapamil. He said both ectopics and sinus tachy can trigger svt. Suggesyed i wait 12 hrs unless i stay in svt before going to hospital. If stay in svt then hour or so.

    The bisoprolol at 2.5mg seemed to stop the sinus tachy and svt but bp was in boots and really tight chested so hoping the verapamil side effects are not as bad and it works. I asked why i can feel my heart pounding even when rate normal and he said its not harmful. I had it even when bb lowered rate to52bpm! Hard to sleep when you are being shaken with your heartbeat.

  • ann82027
    ann82027 deborah36618

    Posted

    You are having problems, mine is not as bad as that, just feel worn out today going back on bisoprolol.  Hope things improve for you.
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