SVT attack today

I have had an attack of svt which lasted about an hour and went back down on its own, 185 beats. All the others have had to be put back in A and E. I am awaiting an ablation. I got up this morning feeling unwell and dizzy but carried on as normal then lunchtime I nearly passed out and it felt as if my heart was quivering before it went off. I had put off having the ablation because I felt at age 72 it would take longer to recover and may cause extra problems but now I realise I must have it. Has anybody experienced the Svt reverting back to normal on its own?

[LMor]

Hi. Yes mine have reverted in the past by themselves & some I was rushed into a & e and given adenosine. My heart rate was always 240-280. It’s a horrible experience having these attacks. I had an ablation last February which went well, but I have had attacks of fast heart rate every so often since. Only reaching around 120-145. Consultant doesn’t think it’s Svt this time and is unsure what is causing it, so I’ve had a loop recorder fitted. Nothing since (fitted December). Good luck with deciding what to do...I would personally have it done again in a heartbeat 💓

[Hidden in reply to LMor]

Thanks for your reply! That is what I,m worried about having the ablation but I can,t live like this having good and bad days never knowing when it’s going to kick off. The attacks feel awful like someone is squeezing my lungs and pressure on my chest,I also get an ache in my chest and shoulder to my elbow. I will have it done, I,m waiting an appointment from the electrophysiologist at Barts hospital London. I,ve already seen him in March 2018 when my attacks were not so frequent. I hate the adenisone,I feel as if i,m going to die.

[LMor in reply to Hidden]

The adenosine basically flatlines you for a few seconds which is why you probably feel like that. Svt is absolutely horrible and anything you can do to help can only benefit your situation. There are risks, which I’m sure you have or will be told of and then the decision is up to you, but you already sound like you’ve made your mind up. My heart, like you beat so fast that I also had awful chest pain, pain in my Jaw and neck and left arm...it felt like an elephant was squeezing my chest and the beats, you could actually see in my face they were that fast. I’ve had mine since I was a little girl and was told after the ablation that it was a birth defect. How long have you been getting your attacks?

[Hidden in reply to LMor]

Little attacks which resolved quickly for about 15 years,I was unaware what they were then I started to get the big ones back in 2015 and the biggest February 2017. They got more frequent the last year and were making me feel tired, pressure in my chest and dizziness. My son is 50 and has short attacks but leads an active life and a responsible job, my 2 daughters are ok. I,ve had palpitations since I was 28 but worked until I was 60. I can,t imagine what it feels like to have runs of 240, 197 is my highest. I reckon it must be a birth defect, I always used to ask friends and family if they could hear and feel their heart beating , they said no, I just got on with it. I have a mitral valve prolapse too, I,m not surprised after the years of palpitations and pauses. I,m still here and will be 73 soon,there are people worse off than me.

[Hidden in reply to LMor]

I forgot to ask you, do you get a pressure feeling in your head as well? I feel unwell for a few days after an attack too. I did notice the last few episodes that when my heart decided to revert I felt a draining feeling in the back of my head momentarily. Now my head feels full of pressure and I,m lying down with no energy.

[LMor in reply to Hidden]

One attack literally took me three weeks to recover...I also have an under active thyroid so my body struggles anyway. My last big attack left me exhausted and yes my head feels pressure and a sense of not being here. It’s hard to explain...I’m definitely glad I had the ablation as whatever is going on now with my heart, when it’s under attack, it’s only beating at around 120-145. (I say only very lightly lol) It still feels the same as Svt but consultant said he doesn’t think it is. Let’s hope the loop recorder will pick it up. I really wish you the best and let me know how you get on with everything x

[Hidden in reply to LMor]

Thankyou! It’s nice to talk to someone with the same problem. I will keep you informed and hope you get a result. This condition is horrible and affects my life, I,m afraid to go anywhere now. I went to my uncles funeral in Wales ,my home country,and had an attack there , I was miles out in the country and it took me an hour to get to the nearest hospital in Merthyr Tydfil around all the country roads. I don,t go anywhere nowadays. Even eating too much gives me palpitations,I think it’s the vagus nerve so I don,t go out to eat with my family.

[LMor in reply to Hidden]

That’s really sad that it is now stopping you do the things you want to. I would say carry on with your life but I know it’s not that easy & if everyday you’re worrying, then maybe contact the hospital to forward any plans for the ablation. Nothing triggered mine...I could just stand up and it would start...knowing triggers is useful because then you can try to avoid them. If too much food starts an attack then don’t stop going out to eat with the family, just have a small meal. I am sorry you are struggling

[Hidden in reply to LMor]

Thankyou, I will try to overcome the fear. My family have a prolonged meal and I find it overwhelming and want to go home. Today I feel completely washed out after yesterday and in no fit state to go out today,I will rest. Maybe my age does not withstand the beating. Just before my attack I felt my heart flicker and I nearly passed out, it’s called syncope, do you get this?

[LMor in reply to Hidden]

Yes I have that every time, to the point that my legs give way & I literally fall to the floor. I’ve never passed out but certainly feel like I will...

[Kaz747 in reply to Hidden]

They call Adenosine “impending doom”. I had it once to try to chemically cardiovert me when I had atrial flutter but it didn’t work so the next day they did an electrical cardioversion.

[Nick1957]

My wife suffered SVT (200bpm) and we had to frequently visit A and E to get reverted to NSR. Tried the valsava method first and it did work to a point but when it didn't it was A and E for adenosine drug. She had an ablation at st Barts and the consultant was very confident that it would be a succes. He mentioned that she had a 98% chance of success. How good was that! Touchwood over a year now and very little elevated hr since.

[Hidden in reply to Nick1957]

Thankyou, that gives me confidence that I will be ok but we are all different. I don,t have a quality of life at the moment because I am too worried of going too far. I,m fortunate that the hospital is only 10 minutes away from my house.

[jleith]

Hello, a lot of mine reverted themselves when I was younger after around 15-20 minutes. After having some longer episodes I learned about the Valsalva manoeuvre using a 10ml syringe. You blow into the tip of the syringe trying to make the plunger move, it feels unpleasant doing it as you need to blow hard and feel faint by the end of it. I had 63 episodes of SVT in 2019 and 60 of them were resolved using this. I am 52 and have been having since I was 10 but first time SVT captured on ECG was December 2019. Just earlier this month I was told I have Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome since birth and apparently is evident in every routine ECG I have had when not having SVT but previous cardiologist failed to spot it - some others in reply chain might want to ask about this. Now on urgent waiting list for ablation, can't wait to have it done.

[Hidden in reply to jleith]

Thankyou. I get a lot of the long pauses but yesterday was a bad one, worst I have had. I have had hundreds of short attacks of svt from age 50 and didn,t know what they were, a lot at nights where I would wake up feeling as if my heart had stopped then a short run of racing before it resolved. Of course unless the hospital catch it they don,t know you have it, the big one was Feb 2017 when I got realisation. I wish you luck and would like to know how you get on.

[Ernest76]

I had similar intermittent bouts which eventually became permanent. I concluded they coincided with alcohol (up to 48hours after) and caffeine. Ablation cured Afib but to ensure stability I completely stopped alchohol and caffeine resulting in 100% stability. I was your age when the problem became critical and am a fit 78 skiing, walking, and sailing.

In retrospect if I had given up alcohol and caffeine earlier (say 70) I may not have needed the ablation. Hope this helps and you feel better soon

[Hidden in reply to Ernest76]

I have never smoked, drunk a little alcohol when young,a gin and orange would last the night lol. Don,t drink coffee only weak tea, watch my diet but indulge in cake occasionally, always trying to eliminate the cause, oh yes and eat chicken once a week the rest fish and eggs. Thanks for your input.

[Ernest76]

Sounds as though you are doing the right things.

Next is adrenalin rush can create the problem.

Low stress and or meditation may help.

Try to empty your mind for a few minutes twice a day.

Also stomach problems via the Vagus nerve can be a cause.

It may be worth the simple swab test for helibacter pylori next time you see your GP

[HowMyHeartSings in reply to Ernest76]

Hi, what is the relevance of the swab test for helibacter pylori?

[Stumpy47]

I had persistent SVT runs lasting hours & needed Adenosine to convert many of them, I had a successful ablation aged 71 last year! I have now been fitted with a pacemaker for Bradycardia. The positives far outweigh the negatives I'm now walking my dog for a couple of miles everyday!

[Hidden in reply to Stumpy47]

I hope this works for me! I will be having a scan for my mitral valve March 2nd. Two days after my Svt attack I still feel tired and unwell, it’s like having mild flu. I have a country park a hundred yards from my house and go down there each day to feed the hungry birds would love to walk further. I keep track of you,I,m on here multiple times a day.

[RoyMacDonald]

Mine always cures itself. Or rather I cycle back home and end my workout early if my heart rate monitor detects an SVT rate above 160 bpm. The highest rate detected was 254 bpm. I'm 76, and have had an episode about every 2 weeks for the last 3 years. Nowadays it doesn't seem to go over 190 bpm. But maybe I'm managing it better.

[Hidden in reply to RoyMacDonald]

The attacks make me dizzy and breathless,I haven,t the energy to even get up the stairs. I also get an ache from my left chest to my elbow, I,m wondering if the mitral valve prolapse causes it to feel so bad.

[Stumpy47 in reply to Hidden]

I don't know if you drive but my dizzy spells were enough to surrender my licence on medical grounds!! I didn't want to risk passing out & injuring anyone! 6 months after being clear of svt's I got my licence back!

[Hidden in reply to Stumpy47]

I drive,I just come back from Sainsbury’s, I don,t go further than a couple of miles. I am thinking of giving up but my family all work and I wouldn,t like to be dependant on anybody. I moved here 3 months ago and we have a convenient little bus that runs every 10 minutes , it stops wherever you wish to get off ,in a safe area of course!

[RoyMacDonald]

You don't say what medication you are on. Have you looked at the side effects if you are on any?

[Hidden in reply to RoyMacDonald]

I,m on a low dose of Bisoprolol 1.25 which I take at night before bed. It doesn,t affect me too bad when I live my everyday life and I,m quite active. I get very physically tired though,it’s like a fatigue.

[RoyMacDonald]

Sounds like the Bisoprolol, that's how it affected me.

[Hidden in reply to RoyMacDonald]

I can,t remember what it felt like to be normal. It’s the last couple of years that has affected me with this problem.

[Pat666]

I hope you are feeling better.

I have svt episodes that have lasted 8 hrs,I tried to convince myself they would "settle", and if I'm honest I loathe adenosine as it makes me feel rubbish for days after.

My heart beat has been 230 but currently when I take svt its 190/200.

I had a blood test to see if I was likely to develop heart failure and had my beta blockers cancelled following the test.

I haven't been able to get an appointment to discuss with GP.

I have to have an echo of my heart early February because I have a leaking valve but honestly haven't a clue what's going on.

I also have developed high blood pressure 171/101 ,again has to be reviewed by GP.

Anyway rambled too long.

Just remember NHS advice is to go to hospital if svt episode goes beyond twenty minutes

Good luck

[Hidden in reply to Pat666]

All information makes people feel they are not alone, to ramble is better than a few words! After stopping Bisoprolol I had high blood pressure for a while and I have never had it before. I now refuse the adenisone because 7 times it hasn’t, set my heart back to normal. Usually a stronger dose of beta blocker and then verapamil did the job, the last attack went back on its own, I know the ambulances are busy but it hadn,t turned up after 45 minutes. My echo is soon,it makes one think whether this may be connected to all the heart problems, they have a limit how bad it is like 5 or 6. A lot of my family have had valve problems,my half brother recently had his replaced in his 60s,so did my uncle and various others too. I want to go into town today on the bus but I do not feel good, I will leave it until later,I hate all the crowds when I go later and can,t wait to get home.