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what to do !

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louise08207
louise08207

hello , new to this group , last week i felt lightheaded , but i put it down to my raised blood pressure and the stresses of every day life, i went to see the doctor who found my pulse was 130 , so she sent me to have an ecg 

i had this , along with blood, test and chest xray , all of which has come back clear. the doctor at the hospital said it could have possibly been an svt , but not recorded as such as my heart rate was back to normal.he the put the fear of god into me by saying i shouldnt drive ,i was given a letter ,with an appointment for a monitor 4 weeks from now. i was fine the next day and have been back at work 30 /40 hours a week no issues. my question is do i have to wait until after i have had the monitor for a week (5 weeks away ) before i can drive, do i need to inform the dvla ? i looked at the forms but i havent been diagnosed with a heart condition so i dont know what to do . i explained in the event of driving if i felt unwell i would be able to pull over safely , but he put on my letter advised not to drive 

i was allowed to go home the same afternoon with no medication or anything, or any suggested ideas as to what the cause was , and told i probably wont happen again. any thoughts would be most welcome,thanks

 

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • Pasty_man
    Pasty_man louise08207

    Posted

    Hi Louise

    I had SVT for 14 years until having it ablated last year and my pulse used to run to 230/240.

    I work in General Practice myself but my GP at another practice never advised me not to drive as I never passed out with mine. Also as I wasn't on any medication I didn't have to advise DVLA.

    The consultant cardiologist also never stopped me driving, or riding a motorbike. I'm also a DVSA motorbike instructor in my spare time!

    Don't worry is the first thing.

    My advice would be to speak to another GP and gain a second opinion. If you're not on medication and otherwise non diagnosed and you don't pass out I can't see why you've been advised not to drive. I know your waiting for a halter monitor, but I think your GP is being very risk averse. Don't hesitate to go to another practice if you have to, or for around £100 book a private appointment with a cardiologist at your local private hospital.

    I hope that's helped a bit and good luck.

    Chris

    • louise08207
      louise08207 Pasty_man

      Posted

      thanks for that reply, it was the doctor at the hospital who i saw who advised me not to drive, , not my own gp

      i was thinking maybe i will contact my gp on monday to get her opinion 

      as i cant really inform the dvla of a condition i havent been formally diagnosed with  and i also want to book a holiday and my husband is panicking that i wont be allowed to fly etc ! i have not driven of my own accord for a week not because i feel ill but because the doctor terrified me by saying i could cause a crash and kill innocent road users ! a bit strong i thought ! many thanks for your reasurrance , its been a great help

    • Paladinx
      Paladinx louise08207

      Posted

      It sounds silly to me.. Why are they even thinking you have SVT with a pulse of only 130?   Even if it was SVT.. a pulse of 130 isn't really high... Yes 100 is normal RESTING heart rate, but any kind of stress, excercise, fear etc, can bring your heart up to that with no problem at all..  I haven't read anyone yet who had a pulse with svt only at 130... I mean its possible but it sounds like you probably don't even have SVT anyway. 
    • louise08207
      louise08207 Paladinx

      Posted

      i can only think that they were covering all options ! to be honest the more people fussed over me the worse i was feeling, i wish i had just gone home from work and gone to bed now !! the feeling was not unlike the one you get if you havent had enough to eat, not a spinning dizzy feeling or fainting,  not that i am not greatful for all the care they gave me, they were wonderful , i did a hike over the moors where i live today with no ill effects !  its the one thing i do alot and to think i couldnt drive there  fills me with dread . my husband says not to fill in anything unless i have a diagnosis .thanks all x
  • geoff10274
    geoff10274 louise08207

    Posted

    Hello Louise,  I had svt for five yrears, but I was not advised to avoid driving.  I suggest you ask the doctor who gave you this advice for an explanation.  He may well have one, but you should know the reasons.
  • judith85360
    judith85360 louise08207

    Posted

    I had an SVT about eighteens ago with heart rate of 250 and had cardioversion. No one told me not to drive after I was back in rythm" I would ring your insurer and ask. Maybe the doctor was overzealous.
    • louise08207
      louise08207 judith85360

      Posted

      well after another sleepness night worrying, i phoned my own gp today who had my notes from the hospital and she said she was happy for me to drive, and couldnt understand why the other doctor told me to involve the dvla, ( tto hasty she said ! ) i still have the monitor to wear for week and as long as that comes back ok then im fine , thank you all  i ve learnt a lot from here in the last week , as id never heard of svt before , best wishes to all
  • geoff10274
    geoff10274 louise08207

    Posted

    Hello Louise,  I have just remembered, after an ablation for svt there is a dvlc rule which says you must not drive for four days I think.  That applied to me after my ablation in December.  That was the only mention I heard of driving bans.  Best wishes.

     

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