svt condition asking for information

[Elpieo]

I was diagnosed 8 years ago with Supraventricular tachycardia (svt). Had ecg, heart monitoring and a test at the hospital. Nothing was found on all three tests but the doctor said I have svt. And that’s it I haven’t been offered any other help just deal with it myself with breathing, drinking cold water and holding my breath when it happens. Has anybody else felt the same or have you had help? Any tips on controlling it?

[hausjac]

Have an accessory pathway in my heart which causes SVT so I take Disopyramide an old drug which works for me and Bisoprolol. I think when it comes to medication it depends on how fast and frequent are your episodes. I’ve been documented at 230 on testing hence the 2 medications which still work for the paroxysmal atrial fibrillation which I was diagnosed with a year ago.

[stagecoach]

In my 30s I started having episodes of light headedness followed by racing heart and these lasted for a couple of minutes or so. I had cardiology visits, ecgs galore but these never showed anything. A cardiologist thought that they might be SVTs and I was told that I should use the Valsalva technique and, like you, I was sent on my way. Over the years these got more frequent (I'm mid 60s now) so had more tests. So for the best part of 30 years I wasn't really treated, self managing triggers and use valsalva. The problem was when I had an episode I couldn't get an ECG so it was all pure speculation that it was SVT

Past few years though I had a minor stroke, got diagnosed with Paroxysmal AF which was successfully ablated and then I had a 4 hour SVT episode with very high pulse that I went to A&E with and it was my first definitive diagnosis of SVT. After that I was offered an EP study and ablation and the EP successfully ablated AVNRT form of SVT. I have been free of arrythmias for a couple of years now. My EP believes that my episodes in the past 30 years were most likely SVTs rather than AF.

To try to control it you need to look at your triggers, mine was mainly exercise (swimming), some foods, not alcohol or coffee.. If you have short episodes there's not much you can do unless you can get a trace so if you don't have a kardia/apple watch/other device I would get one. Once you have evidence of what it is and frequency you can show your GP and you'll have a better chance of getting it addressed. You can always talk to your GP if you are concerned. Depending on the type of SVT there is a good chance it can be successfully ablated.

[Elpieo in reply to stagecoach]

thanks for the reply, mine vary from daily to monthly episodes. I’m looking at what might trigger them and have an iwatch.

Thanks again

[Islandee]

I have had SVT and atrial tachycardia for years. When it first started it was occasionally but would wake me up in the middle of the night and it was concerning. Doctors said my heart was healthy so didn't do anything. As I have gotten older it had increased in frequency until the last 2 years they were almost nonstop. I had to ask the doctors for medications that might help and I tried most all of them without much success, but they can be very helpful for others. There are some meds that can be used as a pill in a pocket so you won't have to take it every day. I suggest that you look up SVT management on the internet and compare medications that are recommended and then ask your doctor if you could try a few to see if they help. My doctor, not the cardiologist, was very helpful and willing to try to help me as I was losing so much sleep due to the thumping in my heart. How often do you feel your SVT?

[Elpieo in reply to Islandee]

I will contact them as I have an iwatch and record them. Sometimes daily then maybe nothing for a month. I was a postman walking 6-8 miles a day but now work as an engineer which is a lot slower paced.

[Islandee in reply to Elpieo]

Good for you. I have found that we have to be advocates for ourselves and too many of us have been diagnosed as just anxiety.

[Tapanac]

I had an ablation because I had aflutter and tachycardia (240 beats pm was the norm) and it used to feel like the settee or bed was moving, not me. So pills were prescribed until the ablation in St George’s Tooting. Now I have bradycardia with occasional breakouts of tachycardia and back on bisoprolol and flecainide and apixaban. I know a lot of people on here say flecainide has its problems and a black box pill (although im not exactly sure what that means), but to me I feel much better (touch wood) and am reluctant to go through another left sided ablation in Harefield.

Good luck to you. All the best

[Elpieo in reply to Tapanac]

thank you, take care

[needlestone]

I suffered with debilitating SVT from 2014 until ablation in 2016. Could never catch any SVT runs in doctors office so finally put me on a holter monitor for several days. They were capturing daily episodes getting up to 250 bpm. I would feel faint when that high and those were multiple times daily. I had a traveling job that I had to quit due to these events and the anxiety they brought with them. I was given flecanide as pill in pocket but it made me feel like a zombie in my mid forties, could not tolerate so went for ablation. They did have to ablate in both sides of my heart and dr. Said it was a success, however, I continued having ectopics after the ablation until I went gluten free and eliminated anything with aspartame and sucralose. Many will know me on here as I am the one who cannot even chew gum with aspartame without it setting off crazy beats but never over 110 since ablation. However, I recently started taking 10 mg Amitriptyline for nerve pain and may not be able to continue as I get high rate at night after taking it but it only lasts a short time and then all is okay.

If ever needed again I would not hesitate to have an ablation. I believe between that and dietary changes I have managed well on no meds.

[Elpieo in reply to needlestone]

thanks for the reply, I’m trying dietary changes for now, see how it goes

[JustJared]

In February I was told I had A-Fib after an ER visit with heart rate running 180 to 220 bpm, defibrillator was tried and it went to 280 and climbing, and they shocked me again. Sometime around 5 am, heart rate went down and was normallish. I was given medications. After stress test, wearing a holter monitor, echo cardiogram, and few other tests, I was told by an interventional cardiologist that I was in great shape and to keep taking a medication that made me zombielike. (metoprolol twice daily, and another pill in my pocket for episodes.)

I went to another Cardiologist (EP) who worked in a Rhythm Clinic at the Veteran's Affairs, and he looked at the data from the previous cardiologist, and asked why they were saying A-Fib? He said I had a form of SVT called AVRNT. He wanted to send me to get an ablation at another hospital (they don't have a catheter clinic in the VA Hospital here) and I went and saw the EP at the heart hospital (name of the actual hospital). He suggested an EP study with possible RF ablation. Ablation was performed in September.

While they couldn't induce as high of heart rate, they performed an ablation. I had a few episodes, but they were only around 120 BPM. I have had one episode with a really high heart rate, and it was 208 BPM. As opposed to episodes prior to ablation, it was a couple of minutes and didn't drain me for days, and I continued on with my day.

I got tracings from my Fitbit on all of the episodes and provided those to my EP last week when I went for follow-up.

My suggestion, ask for an electrophysiologist.

[needlestone]

yes I took it as PIP. Mainly I just felt dull and lethargic. Not my normal energetic self.

[stagecoach]

I've stopped all medication for arrhythmias after the ablation and only take bp medication and anticoagulant. I do get the odd ectopic but once or twice a day is manageable. I was given PIP medication but it was unused and now expired.

Ablation was the best thing I have done.