Hi Everyone, just thought I’d post and see if anyone can shed any light on what’s going on with me. So in October 2018 I was diagnosed with AF and SVT and had a cryoblation. Apart from a few jumps I have been completely fine.
I am now 3 months pregnant and yesterday I was sat watching tele and I sniffed, then a palpatation started. After half an hour it still wasn’t stopping and I felt sick and had discomfort in my chest like always.
I ended up having to go to A&E and was rushed to Resus as my heart rate was 240bpm. I was scared incase AF or SVT was back but the strange thing was (good but strange) I had a normal sinus rhythm so they said it was Sinus Tachychardia. After a while it finally started to come down.
Has anyone else experienced this? I am under a lot of stress at work at the minute and also had a virus with vomiting so was dehydrated.
Thanks guys x
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Amy2805
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How very worrying for you. I have had AF off and on for nearly 30 years but never have I had to experience a heart rate as high as you had.
You must at all costs avoid stress and anxiety as these conditions often precipitate AF and/or Tachycardia.
As you are also pregnant it is important you get some medical guidance as to best manage your life to minimise the risk of developing AF or Tachycardia.
Thanks so much for your reply. I will ask my consultant and GP tomorrow as not back to my EP until October. I’ll see what advice they can give me. Thanks again
Hi Amy, it sounds like you may have inadvertently created the perfect storm, a combination of work stress and a bad virus was a bit much for the ticker to stand. Both of these are well known triggers for us Afers so although it's difficult you must try to avoid them.
Sounds like a sick note at this stage would be a good option to get some rest and a de-stress! You need to be a healthy mum for when the big day arrives 😊 best wishes
I know my thoughts exactly. I feel like a ticking time bomb at the minute. I’m going to have some time off and de stress like you say I need to be healthy for baby 👶🏻😊
Was it one of the cardiac team who diagnosed sinus tachycardia? 240 seems a little on the high side for this. If it wasn’t, perhaps your arrhythmia nurse could show the ECG to your EP for confirmation.
No it was Resus in A&E my Iwatch is fairly accurate to test my heart rate and even my cardiac team told me this. When I first got to hospital I was rushed in he checked my pulse and said I was beating at 240. On the way to Resus the palpatation finally started to slow down. Then they did my pulse again and my ECG and said it was 140 and he thinks the machine was counting an extra wave to make it look like it was 240. But my watch confirmed 240 and I know my own ticker, it was the fastest it’s ever been. So not sure.
Yes I agree with everyone. You have the ingredients to make a perfect bout of AF. Try and reduce the stress. When do you finish work? How do you get on with the medication whilst pregnant?
I only finish in October and I am completely drained. My heart rate rise from any small bits of exercise. I am only on Labetelol for high blood pressure but I see my consultant tomorrow (at antenatal) and he is going to see what else I can have to help me. Thanks so much for your reply
I realised the dehydration thing as I ran on coffee and beer....so kept a bottle sports drink in the fridge. I gulped down some of the really cold liquid and got a 150 beats flutter within 20 seconds... Took me 12 hours of metopropol to convert... Now I keep the sports drink at room temperature so avoid the shock of the cold drink...
I am not trying to be critical but when do think you come first? Afib just loves anxiety and sickness especially dehydration due to vomiting. If these things are not clear signs that you are off the charts, then maybe being pregnant will bring you back to reality. I am just a man with Afib but you are a superwoman who, after experiencing your outrageous physical demand/dilemma, finds herself still in normal sinus rhythm. I say, don't tempt the rhythm gods. Be good to yourself, please. Whatever you are doing to get your heart to go to 240 bpm has to stop - hopefully you can consciously stop it soon. No job, no person is worth ruining the quality of your life.
The episode has certainly made me realise I need to look at my life. Work stress is the major trigger and I shouldn’t have pushed going to work whilst with the vomiting, was just worried with not long having 10 weeks off due to ablation.
I am going to take some time off and drink 3 times more than I was doing and stay away from anyone with the slightest Cold! Fingers crossed it won’t happen again.
When I used to work I mixed with 80 people and I had 5 heavy colds every year for decades....Now I am retired and I get one cold every 4 years..... I am a hermit !
I too was taken into A & E eleven times Christmas before last with heart rate of 240-250 and I sympathise with you it was awful not being able to breathe, sweaty, aches in my arms, headache, and so frightened and when the hospital finally got me down to 110 I felt as if a horse had kicked me in my chest and for a few days afterwards s well.
On the last ambulance into hospital I was given a cardioversion after I had had the scan checking no blood clots behind/in my heart which thankfully worked immediately. From there it was decided to have an ablation, but I was wary of having that as I had been put on rivaroxaban and flecainide which to me was a miracle pill and I felt great on it.
After about 3 months after the ablation I was taken off the flecainide and I had a few months of adjusting wishing I had just stayed on that and not had the ablation, but I was told that flecainide could sometimes cause atrial flutter????
Touch wood I haven’t had the really fast irregular heartbeat since the ablation, but my heart rate has gone down to about 40-45 (except when I go to hospital when last time it went up to 51)
Now what I’m getting at after this long novel is that when I calmed down, took it easier, didn’t have my grandchildren so much, tried not to stress about anything especially when I went to bed at night when things like palpitations and ectopics reared their head big time, it all settled until last Christmas my daughter-in-law’s Father came to stay with terrible flu and was quite ill and he kindly shared it with me and the rest of the family and whoosh back came the irregular very fast heartbeat and I was rushed into resuscitation once more.
So sorry everyone for my boring long writing, as everyone has said to you, less stress, drink warmish plain water, within reason keep away from flu or gastric germs and try to calm down and think of yourself and your dear little new life inside you.
All the best for a healthy pregnancy, contented life and a gorgeous little baby.
I have had Atrial flutter and a and the following information was taken off another site.
Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT)
This type of tachycardia produces heart rates between 140 and 250 beats per minute. PSVT usually occurs in people who are born with an extra electrical circuit or pathway between the atria and the ventricles. PSVT often starts when you are young, but it may also start later in life. It may be distressing, but it is rarely life-threatening.
Paroxysmal means short lived.
If this is what you have it is unlikely that work related stress or your dehydration is responsible and the stress was the result of believing that you may have AF again. I was very worried when I had a fast heart beat, as I had no idea what was happening this produced a dread in me and magnified my symptoms. Nowadays I have occasional missed heartbeats and that uncomfortable feeling that could be a fast heartbeat but keep calm and it disappears very quickly, I wish you the best.
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