Afibber now with SVT's.

[Graham194]

Hi,

I've posted on the forum before (re. orange juice and salt drink and not drinking hot drinks (tea & coffee etc.) to keep away afib) - and generally I'm pretty sure this helps with my afib attacks only happening say once every 6 weeks or so.

However, something else has now reared it's ugly head, in the form of SVT's . Luckily, in a way, this only happens when I get on my road bike.

After about 10 minutes on the bike I can feel my chest getting a bit gurgly (with want of a better word) - I think they may ectopic beats happening. A few minutes further on I look down at my bike computer (with HRM) I see my heart is at 160/165 bpm (from being at 125 bpm). This is with putting little effort into peddling and on flat terrain. From then on in the ride my heart will carry on peaking - the peaks only lasting say 10 to 20 seconds. The last three rides have been getting worse with more peaking and I'm feeling really drained after just a 10 mile ride. This drained feeling with slight nausea will carry on for the rest of the day of the ride and will carry on into the next day. With this, I also get a dull pain in the top left side of my chest.

With these SVT attacks not happening when I'm not on the bike say taking a brisk walk, I'm wondering whether these are caused by my position on the bike (drop handle bars - racing position).

I went to see my GP about this and she had no idea what could be causing the SVT's - other the being on the bike. I am being referred to a cardiologist so hopefully he may have a bit more idea.

All this does make me wonder whether the problem is with my digestive system. I do have a small hiatal hernia - could this be aggravating my vagal nerve thus causing the SVT's? But what would cause the drained feeling with the nausea after each ride?

Hopefully the cardiologist may have some answers but in the meantime do any of us affibers suffer anything like this? I'd be very interested to hear any views. Thanks!

[BobD Volunteer]

I really thing you need to look long and hard at your life and start listening to your body. It obviously does not like what you are trying to do with it. Chest pain of any kind needs to be checked out. I think you must already know all this.

Until you get some answers please take care and stay off the bike for now.

[Hidden]

No disrespect intended, but isn’t this a bit like a man banging his head on a brick wall and asking why he has a headache?

I’m interested how you know this is SVT and not something more ominous.

How much do you know about the state of your coronary arteries?

Athletes have been known to die while exercising, from heart attacks.

But you know all this. Such is the addictive power of endorphins.

[Graham194 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks very much for your replies BobD and Oyster.

I'll certainly be refraining from cycling until I have have seen the consultant and had more tests.

The last time I saw my consultant (about my afib and not this new what I suspect (going off Google!) the SVT's when cycling) was back in early May of this year. After looking through my history (angiogram about 3 years ago and a echocardiogram and 7 day Holtor monitor more recently) he signed me off his clinic and informed me I was fine to carry on cycling as there was nothing other that the PAF that was to worry about. Maybe things have deteriorated quickly heart wise.

I regularly check my blood pressure and blood oxygen levels which are both fine.

I recently saw my GP about going private to see a cardiologist which I thought might speed things up - still waiting for a letter 3 weeks on.

Anyway, I'll be taking it easy while I wait................

[UScore in reply to Graham194]

In my opinion you are absolutely right to get this checked out out, but also right to aim for continuing your cycling (once you've seen the cardiologist of course).

If it's something you enjoy doing, particularly if it's something that will bring the other health benefits from being fit, then it would be wrong to drop it at the first sign of trouble.

If other forms of exercise, like a similar amount of brisk walking, doesn't cause the same problem then it is a very reasonable hypothesis that the cycling posture is causing or at least contributing to the SVT.

I think it's very easy as an observer who, for example, doesn't do cycling, to recommend someone else simply gives it up.

You shouldn't ignore the problem, of course, and you aren't. But the fear of AF could easily push all of us back into our shells when it's important we try to live our lives as best as we can. We have to be realistic about our limits, but it's entirely reasonable to spend some time finding out what those limits are, before giving up and having to take up something boring like golf*, instead.

* insert your own boring way to stay fit.