I have atrial tachycardia and an abnormally fast heart rate in general. I have seen a cardiologist who wasn’t overly concerned as I am young and relatively fit. I had a normal echo scan. I take propranolol daily to stop my heart rate from being so high (180-200 at times) I’ve been getting back into more exercise recently after being given the all clear. Tonight I played a competitive badminton match and my heart rate at times was so fast i could barely feel the individual beats and I got a really tight chest. I didn’t get dizzy or feel unwell, but I did consider stopping to sit down. My watch recorded 183 but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was faster than that. I don’t know whether to be concerned or not, although it was a competitive match I wasn’t overly out of breath or breaking a sweat. It was just my heart rate going mad. Anyone had any similar experience or should I be going back to the doctor / cardiologist?
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Cookieisland
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I would get a referral to an Electrophysiologist they are cardiologists with extra training in heart rythym disorders. This is a high rate to just live with. You may have Atrial Flutter,a disorder characterised by a very fast regular rate.I had it and the best treatment is a procedure called catheter ablation ,very high success rate (95%) stopping it completely. It is also used for other arrhythmia.You have the right in the UK to be referred to a consultant of your choice, may be a while tto see them. Some people like me,paid to see one privately first then they transfer you to their nhs list.
Also you might head over to the AF Association on Health Inlocked a fantastic forum for arrhythmia patients of all kinds
Unfortunately you do not have the right to see a consultant of your choice. What you do have, however, under NHS Patient Choice, is the opportunity to choose which hospital to be referred to and the consultant's team you wish to see, although that does not mean you will necessarily see the lead consultant. More here
Thanks for your reply, it is an electrophysiologist that I saw, I live in quite a rural area so only have the one hospital to choose from. He has said for me to get back in touch if anything changes so I think I will.
Doesn’t matter where you live, you can chose the hospital. If you want a referral to a teaching hospital miles away get referred - if the best specialists are in Manchester London Dover wherever, it’s worth a train ride of car journey to get the best medical answers. Have a look into it 👍
Hello and thanks for sharing your experience. It can be very concerning when you notice crazy fast rhythms and it is a good idea to keep an eye on their frequency.
Almost 3 years ago, I started to get fast HR when hitting the gym. I was a middle distance runner and would go to the gym 2-3 time a week for a cardio workout. Sometimes, I'd feel faint during the fast rhythm episodes (anywhere between 190-220), but most times I just noticed the fast rhythm with occasional dizzyness. I'd ease off and, just like a switch flicking, it would return to a more normal HR zone.
My first echo 2.5 years ago showed that I had an athlete's heart and all looked structurally sound.
But I was still getting the tachy episodes, so they fitted an implantable loop recorder. I'm glad they did, not least as the tachy episodes started to become more frequent. Initially I had been diagnosed with SVTs (supraventricular tachycardia - i.e. from the atria/above the ventricles), with very little apparent concern; I believed that it was a relatively straightforward electrical short-circuit. However, the ILR identified that my fast rhythms were coming from one of my ventricles. This turned out to be a whole new territory and was considered to be a bit more serious - non-sustained VTs.
During an electrophysiological study, they managed to induce a VT for 5 minutes and this rang alarm bells for the team. They advised me against exertional exercise until they could rule out several potential underlying causes for these bizarre episdoes. If you have been allowed to return to exercise, then this is a good sign. 🙂
In August, I suffered a sustained VT episode whilst out with friends and I collapsed. I was close to cardiac arrest. It was utterly terrifying when I realised what had happened, but it expidited deeper investigation. I was admitted and had lots of tests, including an MRI on my heart. That's when they diagnosed arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), a disease that subtly progresses, but which is accelerated by exertional exercise. 😳
I now have an ICD (defibrillator) in my chest, to bring me out of dangerous arrhythmia, if they occur. It has already saved me 🙏 I am no longer able to exercise nor do anything exhilarating (e.g. roller coasters, skiing), but I am alive and am making the most of these bonus days.
I wanted to share this with you Cookieisland as I really identified with your account, but would not wish my experience on anyone else.
My advice is that you keep the hospital informed as they may wish to check you again. Even if they are atrial in origin, there may be a better way of managing these episodes and reducing their frequency, either through a tweak to your medication or how you approach sport activity.
Maybe keep a log of how often and when these tachy episodes are occuring? If you have a smart wearable device that logs your heart rate, then it might be worth showing some of your graphs to the cardiologist, especially if you notice a change in the frequency.
There could be a whole number of possible reasons that you are getting these tachy episodes, but please don't ignore them.
Thank you for sharing your story, what a scary experience you have been through.
Last night I was really so confused as I feel like I have lost track of what is normal and what isn’t. It is such a great resource here to be able to come on and speak to people who have had similar experiences. The electrophysiologist that I saw thought that part of what I was experiencing was an increased awareness of my heart beat but surely anyone would be aware of it when it’s beating so fast you can’t barely feel the individual beats. I did get that atrial tachycardia svt I mentioned captured on a 14 day monitor earlier in the year, but the rest of the time I didn’t experience anything out of the ordinary - annoyingly as it makes you doubt yourself. Last night was the worst I’ve been in a while, but at the weekend I couldn’t get my heart rate below 130-140 all Sunday morning, when I was just in the house not doing much.
I am going to contact the electrophysiologist’s secretary, I have an email and a phone number so not sure what would be best, perhaps phoning so I know I have passed on the message. And until then I will hold off with the competitive badminton matches. Thanks again for your advice.
Yes, definitely contact the hospital again. As to email/phone, it depends on what the phone number is for. My hospital has a team of arrhythmia nurses who I can call with an initial query, but I also have the secretary's email. No two hospitals are the same, so you may need to experiment. But given that you were tachycardic for a long period on Sunday, I would contact them sooner rather than later. This is something that the clinic would likely want to be aware of. And even if they give you reassurance that it is nothing to panic about, then this would be better than leaving it and worrying about it.
Arrhythmia are uncomfortable and bloody annoying at times, and it is perfectly normal to become more aware of your heart beats/rate once you commence investigations or have had previous symptoms. This can be beneficial, but it can also be tricky to manage and may trigger over-thinking. All of these responses are normal and I can assure you that you are in good company on here. 🙂
Just remember that the root cause of your SVT could be due to whole barrage of possible reasons. If it continues to be troublesome, they may well be able to do an EP study to find it and ablate it (aka catheter ablation).
And yes, you are being sensible by easing off on the intensity of exercise, just for the time being. Good luck and keep us posted!
I think you should be getting yourself checked out properly before you engage in vigorous exercise which sends your heart rate so high you can't measure it. I would be listening to my body, and chest pains during vigorous exercise irrespective if whether I broke sweat or was not out of breath or didn't feel unwell, would be a sure sign that something was not right. Giving up a few games of badminton is a small price to pay to ensure you don't cause yourself any serious harm.
I’m so glad to read about your experience. I was diagnosed with SVT and have twice gone unconscious which they said was probably vasovagal syncope . I’m just about to have a loop recorder and I’m so relieved because that’s the only way to get definite answers . I’m super relieved yours was found and you have a icd fitted because they’d just keep telling you it was a benign condition . Thank god you got a more accurate picture and importantly you’re now protected by your little device ❤️
Aww, thank you for your kind words. Yep, I am so pleased it got picked up too and I am being kept safe. I hope your ILR brings clearer answers for you - they are amazing little things.
Now let's keep this thread focussed on Cookieisland . I don't want to distract from their original query and get myself into trouble. 😳
hi cookie… my other reply was for the lady with the ICD. In your case you really need to pin them down . I’m told I’m ok to exercise but my young daughter has been told she can not play sport competitively she has Wolf Parkinson White . I’m
sorry my reply was sent before I’d finished . Despite being told I’m ok to exercise I went up to 180plus just doing a gentle jog on a treadmill for 15 minutes. I’m about to have a loo recorder and have just seen an electrophysiologist. That’s who you need to see ideally as they are more expert with electrical rhythm issues in a structurally sound heart . Be a strong advocate for yourself . This is what I was told by the cardiologist secretary , she said this is what they’re here for and we only have one life . So push for answers if you are concerned x
Thanks for your reply! After reading everyone’s replies I will definitely get back in touch with the cardiologist, he is an electrophysiologist so at least I don’t need to push to see someone different.
Sorry to hear that you and your daughter both have been through such difficult times, it certainly makes you appreciate your health a lot more!
I have persistent AF that doesn't seem to be related to usual triggers. The only episode we know the starting point was triggered in the middle of the night... I'm quite active and I noticed rarely to have many extrasystoles while exercising, it only happened 2 times (and I was exercising 3 to 4 times a week) but both the times I stopped immediately when I saw beats like 175 and 38 the second after. When I stop the extrasistoles stop immediately, so for me it's really not worth keep going. I have to say I don't do competitions which makes easier monitoring. It happened while hiking up hill, which I don't do anymore and once inexplicably (as I wasn't under strain) while surfing.
That definitely needs to be checked and personally it would make me feel unsafe during the activity. Best of luck 🤗
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