SVT Help
Posted , 11 users are following.
Hey everyone.
Just looking for a bit of guidance or advice from anyone who has been through something similar.
When I was a teenager (maybe 14-15 although I do remember a handful of times it happened when I was younger) I started getting regular episodes where I would feel my heart "flop" then straight away head into a string of really fast beats in the high 100's-low 200's. This would last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours accompanied by a pounding sensation in my neck, lightheadedness and a general feeling of discomfort. These episodes were completely random. Sometimes I would be exercising and it would happen, and other times I would be rolling over in bed. Bending over can also do it as can getting really excited. 10 years on and this still happens once a fortnight.
In addition to this I also started getting some days where I would get extra heart beats every couple of beats. This would often leave me feeling nauseous and dizzy. This can still happen maybe once a month or so. But again it's totally random.
For years everyone kept on putting it down to anxiety or panic attacks. Even my own mum was telling me I had to let it go and get over it. Being someone that experiences panic attacks and general anxiety while flying I can safely say that the sensation I get between the two is very different.
I ended up seeing a cardiologist at 16 and he said it sounded like SVT but without being able to see it on the 24 hour holter monitor (in which I had no episodes) he could just offer a guess. He gave me a few tricks like the val salva manouver and this has helped me immensely when the episodes come on. There has only been one time it didn't work in which the episode lasted more than half an hour and I started to feel very unwell. And ambulance was called but as we live quite far away it took over 25 minutes and by the time they got there it had thankfully resolved.
Throughout the years I've just handled the episodes when they come. I saw another cardiologist last year after a few episodes of waking up with a racing heart and feeling nauseous, then passing out. He did another 24 hour holter but again I episodes happened. He recommended staying off caffeine and that has seemed to help with the extra heart beats I tend to get. The fainting episodes have also resolved. Although the episodes remain just as frequent.
I've just recently been referred to another cardiologist as the extra beats have just started occurring more frequently and are impacting my day to day life. The episodes themselves remain the same. The gp said medication won't help the extra beats however an ablation will as it will likely solve the root of the problem with the added benefit of getting rid of the episodes that affect me fortnightly. I'm excited to see if he has a solution as it's really getting me down. Ive tried explaining what happens to my friends but they just say I'm just imagining the problem which makes me feel terrible. I guess my questions are;
1. Does this sound like SVT? Has anyone else had trouble with getting people to believe them?
2. Is there anything I can do to make sure that they capture an episode (ie. some sort of device I can keep on me) or is it worthwhile letting the episode continue and driving to the hospital so they can record it? Is there any benefit in this?
3. Has anyone had an ablation in which it solves their extra heart beats?
4. What is it like to have an ablation?
5. Is there any alternative to stopping the persistent extra beats?
Sorry for all the questions. I'm just really struggling and feel like I need to get this sorted.
0 likes, 17 replies
ciaran33745 Emily2009
Posted
Hi again Emily. Although its a truly horrible condition, SVT on its own will not kill you, so most people have a choice between trying to cope with it (and any side-effects of the meds that go with it) and having an ablation.
I don't know your family circumstances, but SVT came between me and my kids when they were small and I guess the legacy of that is still apparent in our relationships today. There were so many things and places I couldn't risk doing or going.....
Whatever about a father, I cannot imagine how a mother with SVT (or the fear of it happening any second) could cope with a baby or small child.
I can understand why most people are afraid of an ablation - our hearts are our motors and if they stop, well, we stop. If an ablation was carried out on tissue in your lower leg would you worry? I doubt it.
But the experts that deal with these things every day are so good at stuff like this, and have such good equipment, that its not only a procedure with a very high success rate, its also an extremely safe one.
Some people have had difficult or unsuccessful ablations, but the vast majority have straightforward and successful ones. If you look back on the comments here over the years, the three most common types of comments afterwards are (a) it was nowhere near as bad as I thought it was going to be and (b) Its brilliant not to be a prisoner of SVT any more and (c) I will definitely have it done again if I need to (if they are one of the small minority that need a second attempt). Of the many thousands of comments I've read here, I don't remember anybody saying they regretted having the ablation done (even if it didn't work first time).
Personally, I really would have it done multiple times to get rid of the curse of SVT.
Best wishes
Lolasmom ciaran33745
Posted