SVT Events. Morning is the Worst. Lots of PACs as well.
Posted , 5 users are following.
Been having SVT events the past six weeks or so, mostly in the morning but not always. Events verified by Kardia Mobile.
Sometimes HR goes up to 160-190, sometimes it just rises to 120 with little exertion walking around. Events usually resolve on their own within 10-15 minutes. I also have recorded one afib event and one aflutter event during this period.
Currently trying lifestyle changes but so far things remain about the same with one to two epiodes per week which sometimes knock me out for the rest of the day or even the next day.
Not taking meds yet but if things don't resolve soon I will be probably looking at beta blockers and/or Flecanide and if that isn't satisfactory, then ablation. I also have 5-10 PACs a minute which no doubt may be setting off many of these events.
Wondering if anyone else out there has had similar symptons and how they are dealing with them. Starting to feel like a walking time bomb because I never know when an episode will hit.
Jim
0 likes, 9 replies
toffeecushion jimjames
Posted
jimjames toffeecushion
Posted
Hi Toffee,
Yes, if your HR is over 100 you will almost always get "unclassified", however the ekg is still accurate and can be taken or emailed to your doctor for diagnosis. Alternatively, you can email the ekg to Kardia for a fee for an analysis. Kardia's turnaround is one hour or less for their ekg techs and 24 hours or less for their board certified cardiologists.
Jim
annie56356 jimjames
Posted
I'm surprised that such a short SVT episode knocks you out for so long.
Nutrition-wise you can do a lot to reduce the episodes by ensuring that you're removing inflammatory foods from your diet as well as taking a good quality form of Magnesium (glycinate or citrate).
jimjames annie56356
Posted
Hi Annie, Some of the episodes that knock me out have been diagnosed by a cardiologist as Atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia (AVNRT). They tend to come on very suddenly and revert just as suddently. For example, if I I'm wearing a HR monitor during the episode, I will see the HR at say 180 and one beat later it will be 74. These episodes all tend to cause significant urination (polyuria) for up to 24 hours because of alternation in the production of the adh (anti-diuretic hormone) and other factors.I have had some other episodes of tachycarida with a more gentle rise and fall of HR that did not tire me as much. I'm 71 years old so and i'm guessing that may also heavily play into the fatigue I feel following an episode. How old are you if I may ask?
Jim
jimjames annie56356
Posted
Forgot to mention, I am very careful with diet and have been taking Mag Citrate. Also no caffeine or alcohol. I do however find that meals can be a trigger so I am trying to cut down on the size of the meal which seems to be the problem.
Jim
annie56356 jimjames
Posted
Hi Jim
Yes your age is probably contributing. The polyuria is caused by atrial natriutetic peptide and I agree that it can leave you feeling a bit dehydrated but I don't find 15 minute episodes particularly problematic. My excess urination ceases when the ANRVT (this is the most common type of SVT) reverts to sinus rhythm. I once had a 7 hour episode which then restarted itself so I had another 2 hours of it - I was pretty tired for a few days after that. I am 45 years old. Mostly my episodes go for 2 hours before I get myself to the hospital if I can't convert. A 15 minute episode however I'd just brush off and get on with the day. Maybe electrolyte supplementation might help with the fatigue.
Have a look at the modified valsalva on youtube as you may find it helpful to be able to change back straight away.
Re: SVT after eating - have a look at Dr Sanjay Gupta's channel on youtube - York Cardiology. He describes something called "gastro cardiac syndrome" which explains why we have increased symptoms after eating.
A low inflammatory diet would be one without gluten, simple carbohydrates, sugar and only carefully chosen types of low inflammatory fats and proteins.
jimjames annie56356
Posted
Hi Annie,
I think age is probably the big factor. I do remember "45 years old"...vaguely
... and my overall response to any type of physical stress was markedly different. I do try and rehydrate with electrolyte supplementation and will work on that more but often I feel the fatigue even before the dehyration would set in so probably more the very high heart rate and keep in mind that the predicted maxium HR of a 71 year old is 26 beats per minute less than a 45 year old. So, if you're episode is 160 bpm, you're at 90% of predicted maxium but I would be over 100%.
Fortunately I am able to resolve most of my episodes in 5-15 minutes simply sitting down, with forced breathing per valsalva although not sure if the episode would terminate without it. I do try and elevate my legs if at home but difficult to replicate the modified valsalva by yourself unless you have one of those recliner chairs.
I did see Gupta's video on gastro cardiac syndrome some time ago but thank you so much for pointing it out again because I had forgotten how relevant that may be. I have both GERD and a hiatus hernia and lately have been noticing more events on a full stomach.
Is the low inflammatory diet you are talking about the FODMAP diet? If so, maybe I should try it. Haven't been motivated until now but the way things are maybe worth a try. My present diet is in line with the DASH or Mediterranean diet. I do avoid simple carbs, sugar, processed foods and red meat with fish a couple of ties a week. I do eat bread.
One point of interest on the Gupta video is that he said best to lie on the left side versus right side. From what I've read on most of the forums, one hears the opposite advice, i.e. that sleeping on your left side can cause ectopics. On the other hand, sleeping on your left side is supposed to be worse for GERD so you really can't win! As to sleeping on your back, which he recommends, my sleep study showed more apnea events on my back, so that's out.
Jim
annie56356 jimjames
Posted
I don't think the heartrate parameters apply to SVT - they only apply to sinus heartbeats which are different to SVT. Either way it sounds like it's exhausting you easily and I don't know if there is a solution to that. Unfortunately Beta blockers are pretty bloody exhausting in themselves too. I won't take them because of how I feel and I figure I don't want to be on a medication daily for something I don't get daily symptoms of.
The DASH diet is good as long as you're getting enough good fats (probably more than that diet recommends). I believe they did a "Dash II" version and found better outcomes with people's cholesterol even though the fat contents were higher. You could try a gluten free diet and see if it makes a difference. I find that people report some profound differences even after a few weeks. Just don't be tempted to replace wheat bread with GF bread as it's highly processed flours, sugar and lots of chemicals. Best just to remove bread altogether and see if it makes any difference.
jimjames annie56356
Posted
You are probably correct but I also have had some incidents of inappropriate sinus tach (IST) at 161bpm, although at that point one wonders if there can be a combination and how much you can really rely on a one lead ekg like Kardia's to make find distinctions. In any event, I do get worn out but over time maybe I can better correlate my fatigue to the type of incident -- SVT, IST, Aflutter, etc.
My next step was going to be beta blockers but I have read just what you state so it could either be a quick step or straight to an anti-arrythmic like Flecanide and if that doesn't work, SVT or SVT/Afib Ablation. But for now I will experiment witth lifestyle and father time.
The FODMAP diet is more than just gluten free and at least one person here has reported very good results. I believe she had afib. Also considering going back on PPI's for the GERD although Dr. Gupta makes a good point that PPI's can have downsides as well in terms of absorption.
How long have you been having SVT episodes and what is the average rate and frequency? Are you on any meds at all such as thinners? Have you considered Flecanide or SVT ablation?
Jim