So Ive just been shopping with my mum to Aldi. Upon leaving the store I suddenly felt my heart rate increase very high. Packed the shopping in the boot and took the trolley back all the while having this fast heart rate. Sat in the car and my mum said I looked pale and clammy. I felt slightly light headed and uneasy. My watch recorded 163bpm. Sat doing some deep breathing until it passed. Lasted about 2 maybe 3 mins but felt like an eternity. I had a similar event last Oct and went to A&E. They gave me a box of 1.25mg bisoprolol and said if it happens again take this. I already take 2.5mg daily anyway but by the time I would of gone home and taken the extra tablet and waited or it to kick in the episode has passed.Trouble is I felt worried it wasn't going to come down.
I don't think it sounds like AF but I could be wrong. I do however have Sinus tachycardia.
Has anyone else had this?
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DanniC88
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I have these episodes, but they are not regular. I could be working, going on a walk, eating my dinner and randomly get episodes of a high heart rate which settle on its own fairly quickly. I usually do vagal manoeuvres to bring the heart rate down quicker. If it carries on too long, it can trigger a coronary artery spasm where my arteries go into constriction due to a congenital heart defect that I have.
I’ve been told not to worry about these as they are not frequent enough. I can see you have a history of abnormal heart rhythms. Probably a good idea to keep an eye on it for the time being and see if they increase in frequency. If they do, it’s best to get in touch with your GP to have it investigated further. If they are accompanied by chest pain, 111 can help.
Aww thankyou for replying. Its not nice I know but its comforting in a way to hear I'm not alone. I wondered whether it could be SVT. They said I have sinus tachy which is a high rate rate generally but never that high. I read SVT symptoms are similar to what happened today. Im no doctor so guess I will have to wait until my next cardiac appointment in July 24.
Your post brings back memories of AF coming out of the blue alternating with tachycardia episodes as you've described sometimes over 200 bpm so scary ,the times I went to ED just to have the flipping thing come right before they could capture an eventYou must see your cardiologist sooner than July 24 for a proper diognoses so go back to him/her and ask for a stress test, a holter,there are many things they can do
If you don't have one already buy a kardia device not expensive it will tell you exactly what your heart rate is doing.
Only a cardiologist can tell you what your heart rhythm is doing for sure so if your cardiologist cant see you till next year get a referral from your GP and see one privately that's what I did then as soon as your in the system these tests will be offered to you.
Thankyou for your reply. Unfortunately going private is not financially feasible for me. Getting hold of my cardiologist is a nightmare. However, I bet any money if I did go private I'd see the same guy next week . Ive had an MRI, echo scan, stress test, and a 7 day holter. All back in 2019-2020. Nothing since apart from telephone appointments. All they say is Oh lose weight, avoid caffeine and stress.
Well I don't know what to say having started off well giving you all the right tests they can't just leave it at that ,cant you get your GP involved .I really urge you to buy a kardia device it would put your mind at rest to know what your hearts doing and you can email the results to your cardiologist
Mine always says be a squeaky gate keep on and on phoning for another appointment meanwhile be assured that everyone on here knows how you feel
Hi, I was diagnosed with SVT with the help of a loop recorder. I now take Flecainide to control it after a failed attempt at ablation. Perhaps having a loop recorder implant is something that you could discuss with your cardiologist as these episodes are not happening very often but understandably you are concerned about it, but your appointment is a long way off. Perhaps your GP could write back to cardiology and suggest it to them? That's what my GP did and my cardiologist agreed to it.
An Implantable loop recorder (ILR) is a small device that is implanted under the skin that continuously records the heart beat for up to 3 years. Although mine lasted nearly 4 years before the battery died. It is a simple procedure done with a local anaesthetic, the ILR is implanted under the skin. I was given a monitor to take home with me which is plugged in at the side of the bed which is then linked to the ILR. It will automatically generate a report and it is downloaded overnight and sent to the local hospital. A separate device is given that I kept with me at all times and If I had any symptoms such as a fast heart rate, chest pain and so on I could do a manual recording and download it myself to the hospital for the cardiac physiologist to have a look at. Its a clever piece of kit and very usual to help with the diagnosis. If you do have it done keep a diary of your symptoms and the time it happened.
Perhaps you could carry the extra Bisoprolol with you in future, if you are getting random events? Pale, clammy, light-headed, uneasy, together with 163 HR are symptoms I would say are worth discussing with your GP.
It doesn't happen often but I do get regular palpitations/ectopic beats which are extremely annoying. By the time Ive taken the extra pill and it kicks in the episode will have stopped. Its worth a try though.
Hi Danni, sounds scary & definitely something to follow up.
If you have a fitbit or similar (you mention a watch) you hopefully can access a graph of your heart rate.
When i couldn't get an appt for love nor money, my GP sent some pics to my cardiology team and an appointment came through. She explained I was watching TV or walking gently at the time.
Im now even getting some whilst asleep 🤷🏽♀️ Hope you get answers soon, please don't ignore it.
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Fast heart rate?
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Follow up appointment at GP. 
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