SVT - Is RFA worth the risks?

Hi Jay.

If you don't mind me asking, what age were you when your SVT started and has it got worse over the years? Has the Dr.ever recommended that you take the medication every day to prevent the attacks from coming on? The medical services here in Singapore are excellent but I think being at home in the UK would give me extra peace of mind. I have a consultation with the specialist tomorrow so at least i'll be able to ask him some questions and hopefully relax until I make my final decision.

Hi Deborah, I have had this since Xmas2012. Cardio guy said I MUST take verapamil 120 twice a day and gave me an everlasting scrip. They couldnt cure me in the ER so sent me on a one hour ride in the ambo to the big hospital, the lunatic driver went in every pothole and up on two wheels, this was my cure, and why I am convinced that a good shaking works. But have had to change my diet and get very tired=very annoyed. Good luck with your appointment,  I would think you are better off in Singapore than UK  ?

Hi Jay.

Have you ever thought about having the ablation op done in the hope that it works? Maybe then you wouldn't have to take your medication? I have my appointment with the specialist later today, I have a page full of questions as I know my memory will go blank when I get in there. These are my first major attacks in over two years so I'm keen to find out what could of triggered it. I'll let you know how I get on!

Hi Deborah - Ablation .. ASK HOW MANY THE SURGEON HAS DONE if you decide to go for this- IMPORTANT.

Hi Jay.

Just back from seeing the Dr.

He took one look at my graphs and said he knew what it was. The AV Node appears to be the area that's giving me trouble. My Dr. done most of his training in the UK, Canada and Singapore and has done over 3000 since qualifying 35 years ago. He made me feel very much at ease.

All booked in for the 6th of June!

Hi Merryl.

If you don't mind me asking, what age were you when you first became aware of your SVT and was it caught on an ECG because of more regular attacks? I'm not sure about the ectopic beats but my heart often flutters for no reason, often for a few seconds everyday. I'm seeing the Dr. here in Singapore tomorrow and have lots of questions written down that i'd like to ask. I have my heart set on RFA now but need the Dr. to confirm that i'm making the right decision based on the type of SVT I have. I don't want to be on medication forever.

Hopefully i'll find out about available dates for the op tomorrow and i've already contacted a specialist in the UK. Fingers crossed!!

Hi Deborah

I was in my early thirties when it all started. Sometimes it can go away for quite a while but then comes back as bad as ever. My heart flutters on and off all day long. Some of the flutters are quite bad and frightening. When I get these it feels as if my heart is ready to go out of control. I also get short of breath with the heart flutters. They have been quite bad for over 2 months now and I feel unwell. Do you get short of breath and does medication work for you.

The medication is not doing any good for the flutters. I have not seen a cardiologist but will ask my Dr when I see him next if I can have a referral. Are you having the op in the UK or Singapore?

 

Hi Merryl.

Mine are similar in the fact that I went 1 and 1/2 years without an attack before they reappeared out of the blue. I asked my Dr. today if this could of been because of lifestyle changes (moving to another country) but he told me that the AV Node will often tigger for no reason at all. The Dr. wasn't surprised when I mentioned the 'flutters' and he said that these often go hand in hand with SVT. I have my operation booked for the 6th of June, after meeting the Dr. today he made me feel very comfortable. He took one look at my graphs and said he knew what it was. The AV Node appears to be the area that's giving me trouble. My Dr. done most of his training in the UK, Canada and Singapore and has done over 3000 since qualifying 35 years ago. He made me feel very much at ease.

Get booked in for some more tests, to put your mind at ease if nothing else. Having something like this hanging over your head is not nice at all. Please let me know how you get on.

Hi Deborah

Glad to hear you are having the operation soon. Seems as if you have a very good Dr. I wish I was having it done. Do you have shortness of breath and did the meds work for you? The shortness of breath is the worse part for me. When I get this I also get numbness in my hands, legs and feet.

I won't be seeing my Dr until the begining of June. I can't go on like this, as I feel quite unwell at times. Please let me know how the operation goes.   

 Hello Merryl, looks like you and I should pop over to Singapore, sounds like Deborah has stuck lucky with her doctor. The verapamil does work for me most of the time but I still feel I have lost half my life with this SVT.

Hi Jay,

I wish I could have the operation. I have suffered with SVT for years but the ECG only picked it up about 3 weeks ago. The medication I am on (Bisoprolol) seem to wear off towards the evening. I was on the lowest dose and it has been increased recently. The meds stop my heart from racing but does not get rid of the ectopic beats. I will mention the operation to my Dr when I see him next. I also feel I have lost half my life because I have had symptoms on and off for years. I don't want to lose any more. Have you suffered from breathlessness?   

Hi Merryl.

According to my Dr. most ectopic beats are normal. Everyone gets them, even people without SVT. We are only more aware of them because of our condition.

The Dr also told me that breathlessness has nothing to do with an SVT. Again, he said that we may just be more aware of our bodies because of the condition and the fact that we don't like to exercise too much doesn't help.

I hope this helps.

Deborah.

Hi Deborah,

I wonder why I get breathless with the Ectopic beats, there must be something else going on with me then besides SVT. When I get breathless it feels as if I am going to pass out at times and I feel quite unwell when this happens. Have you ever felt breathless when your heart flutters? I only feel breathless when I have the flutters and not in between. I have also noticed that my chest hurts when this happens. Thanks for letting me know this.

Merryl

hope it worked out well for you today deborah

I think there are a few different types of SVT Merryl, but your symptoms seem to be exactly the same as those I had (and throughout the specialists said I had a healthy heart). Please get the ablation done soon if at all possible. Good luck

Hi Merryl. I feel the same as you apart from the chest pain. After I have stopped the rattle with the crushed Isoptin/Verapamil I am very weak for a few hours. 

I am wondering what happened to Deborah ? ? 

Hi Ciaran Could you tell me what type of SVT you had and did you feel breathless with the heart flutters? Also, have you had the Ablation op? I came out of hospital yesterday I was in for 10 days after an attack. I am now on Beta-blockers which make me feel tired and my head feels fuzzy.

Hi Merryl. I can't remember (or never knew?) which particular type of SVT I had all those years. I was usually on Isoptin, but when I got too many 'breakthroughs' I was switched to different beta blocker type drug for a while. That made me so tired and dopey that I couldn't drive a car (which I needed for work) so I opted to  go without any medicine for a while. I think that's when I discovered that caffeine (even the tiny amounts in decaff tea) was a major trigger for SVT. Cutting caffeine out completely helped a lot. Eventually, about two years ago, I got an unrelated blood cancer (HSTCL) and the massive amounts of steroids I got during chemo sent the SVT so wild that they expected a heart attack. The only way out was to have an ablation where they 'burnt away' some ?tissue near my heart that was confusing electrical signals and causing SVT. I haven't had a single SVT episode since the ablation. That transformed my life from one of almost constant fear to one of freedom! I would definitely have an ablation if at all possible. Now rushing out to play golf...... talk later, take care,

Hi Ciaran

I was told by the cardiologist that my heart is sound so don't know if I could have the ablation because of this. How did your specialist decide that you needed the ablation? 

HI again Merryl. Thats good to hear.

 

In a nutshell, because I would have died quickly from the cancer, or probably even quicker from an SVT-induced heart attack if I didn't have the ablation.

Every scan and other test I ever had also showed my heart to be in very good order, with no issues at all other than the SVT. A long time ago (maybe 20 years or so) I went to see a heart specialist about the recently-diagnosed SVT. He told me that the ?ablation procedure was too risky, so I would just have to learn to live with it. In between then and the cancer treatment two years ago I never came across anyone else with SVT, and most GPs and A&E doctors seemed to be pretty ignorant about SVT, so I never had reason to question whether the risks and benefits of an ablation had changed (before I had no choice but to have it done with one days notice). I think it is a very low risk procedure now compared to twenty years ago.

I am in Ireland rather than the UK, so I am unfamiliar with the NHS, but I would guess they would be less keen to do an ablation if there was actually anything wrong with your heart. 

Knowing what I do know, I would have jumped at the opportunity years earlier.

The procedure was a bit unpleasant as all theatre stuff is, but it was nowhere near as unpleasant as a single long SVT episode.

Take care