I have Giant Cell Arteritis, diagnosed in October last year, and have been on steroids since diagnosis, starting at 60mg per day and reducing, now down to 12.5 mg. I'm also on asprin, calcium and vit d and omeprazole. Just before Christmas I had several episodes of SVT culminating in a rush to hospital when it just wouldn't stop after 40 minutes. It actually stopped in the ambulance, but my heart was being very irregular for several hours. After about 12 hours I was given bispropolol, and things gradually settled down, and I was discharged in the morning, with a letter telling me to make an urgent appointment with cardiology for an echocardiogram and 24hr monitor, and then a follow up with the cardiology. When I phoned for the appointments I was told I had been downgraded to "routine" and would have to wait. In the end I got my 24 hr monitor on December 31st due to a cancellation, and my echo on 11 January. My follow up appointment was supposed to be 13 March, but was postponed to 1 May, so I came to the conclusion that nothing much was wrong, and went along expecting to be told I was fine, and I could start weaning off the bispropolol. Instead I was told I have leaky heart valves, and that I should also be referred to and EP for an ablation. Since taking the bispropolol I have only had one episode of SVT that only lasted about 10 minutes, but the bispropolol badly affects my eyes, and I have to use eye drops all the time. Unfortunately the cardiologist seemed to be too busy to actually listen to anything I wanted to say, and so I am hoping to get more sympathetic attention from the EP, as I'm not at all sure that anything will be necessary as my steroid dose drops.
Sorry for the long ramble, but I really feel I need to share with people who understand!