SVT Catheter Ablation

Are you in good overall Health and do you have any other Heart problems? Do you take any kind of Medication?

Also, have you had any success stopping the attacks on your own?

I'm 57 and I've never taken any medication or been to the emergency room over this. I've learned to stop them on my own.

i have had many attacks that  have gone back to  normal rhythm after a while, last year i went to A and E  when it was 150 but that one went back on its own, the last one would not go back after 2 hours. it seems to be getting more frequent as i,m getting older also the missed heart beats are worse.   I have a slight heart murmur and only take a statin, quite active but i have strokes running through my family on both sides.  I was started on 1.25 bisoprolol 5 weeks ago but i noticed breakthrough of palpitations lately, i have been reluctant to take medication over the years but i was suffering more and more with attacks of svt and palpitations all day, they were taking my energy and i was feeling so tired, i,d gone to the doctor the previous week and he,d given me a leaflet to take to the hospital for a 24 hour monitor which doesn,t pick the svt up anyway because its random, this was a wake up call and it was more serious this time. When i get an attack i feel as if i,m going to die, my whole body reacts violently.   I,ve had the palpitations for over 40 years but the svt kicked in about 11 years ago, i,ve had lots of attacks.

 

Statins have gotten a real bad rap lately. They can also thin the blood. Whenever I take drugs like Advil, which also thins the blood, my attacks increase and are harder to stop.

The Medical Industry is over medicating people with drugs that have horrible side affects and your SVT may be affected by the drugs you are taking.

Diet, exercise, and lifestyle all affect our ailments, for better or worse. I would suggest finding a doctor who is more proactive with an approach that looks into your refrigerator and pantry and who could put you on a mild exercise program.

I am very active and walk around the field every day outside my flat, i do not look my age because i never smoked or drink alcohol, maybe one or 2 in my younger days, one would last the night back in the 60s on social occasions.  I eat healthy no junk food but do like home made cake  and apple pies, one thing i steer clear of is coffee and no carbonated drinks.  My son has the condition also he is 47, he is active and holds down an excellent job, he like myself doesn,t suffer as much with this condition at this age, i read that it can be inherited.   I do not know my fathers side of the family.  Nhs outside London is under pressure, so many people come here because of work,i have seen a massive change in 10 years.

Sugar and Salt both affect the heart and should be avoided, especially as we age. I would also recommend a more vigourous exercise than walking, as you can't reach a fast enough heart rate that would be considered anaerobic or the erobix stage (over 120 beats per minute).

Your heart is a muscle and can become weak just like other muscles in our body. When you reach these higher stages, the heart becomes stronger and more vigilant.

It's very interesting that you came down with this much later in life as we are born with this problem. I would go back to day 1 when you had your first attack and see if you can find and remember any change in your Lifestyle that may have triggered that event. Anything, from diet to other habits.

I do know this in America, Doctors here want to put everyone on drugs of some kind that go over the age of 50. I am totally opposed to our current Medical Industry that is drugging our children and adults with dangerous medicines that are making us sick, not healthy.

Hi Ciarin,

Just curious, when you say, "No Choice", what do you mean by that?

Thanks

Hi Vader. Over the years the SVT meds became less effective. The episodes became more frequent and longer in duration. I was switched to different/stronger meds a few times but the side effects of the meds were as bad as SVT itself. So with the agreement of the Cardio and my GP I stopped taking SVT meds altogether. 

Then I had a bit of a run of bad luck and ended up getting my spleen out and they found HSTCL cancer in that. A combination of the I/V chemo and steroids drove my heart so wild the cancer people refused to continue to chemo unless the heart people made it safer. Hence the ablation with a day of that impasse. One of the best things that ever happened to me, no longer a prisoner of SVT 

Thankyou for this, it does reassure me somewhat.   Not a nice thing to live with, it does affect your life even though you fight your way through it, i am welsh of hardy farming stock, you just pick yourself up and carry on.   

Thanks so much for the response! I'm a Health Nut and I always attempt to deal with my ailments without medication or a surgery.

If I am proactive in my Health and Diet, I can totally take control of this problem. Yes, I will have an episode from time to time, but they don't get in the way of my everyday life.

In your  situation, I would do what you've done! And I'm glad it worked out for you because someday I might need it!

You're right Ann, SVT is a horrible condition, a bloody curse.

I'm sure Barts are experts at ablations. Go for it. Like me you will look back and regret not having it done years earlier 

Thanks Vader. Even though I identified and avoided the key SVT triggers in my case, the episodes still became more frequent as time went on. I only wish I could have managed/stopped the episodes as well as you seem to.

But from a few years on this forum it seems that no two SVT folk are the same in terms of health, triggers, symptoms, frequency, meds, methods of stopping it etc. 

Ironically, one of the things we are most likely to have in common is otherwise healthy hearts!