SVT troubles

Hey! I need some advice! I am 22 years old and have had SVT since I was 17.  I get it around 2-3 times a month and my HR gets to on average around 230 each eppisode. In the beginning it used to last hours but I would get it to go away, and now they just last up to 5 minutes.  I get eppisodes when I am really nervous, after hot showers, or sometimes just at random times.  I just graduated college and have started an internship that I need to pass in order to first get a job.  I have only been working for 5 weeks and have now gotten my SVT 5 times all being at work, in which i need to leave the patient and my supervisor, lay down, drink water and try to get rid of it.  Today I just got my SVT 3 times.  The second time I thought I was going to pass out and it was really hard to breathe.  I just can't keep having this when I am dealing with very sick patients. I had an ablation when I was 18, but it was unsuccessful because they couldn't start my SVT so they couldnt' find where to ablate it. So I did all of that for nothing. Now I am consider doing it again, but now that I am a little older, I am more freaked out about going through that again.  I don't want to do this again! It shoudl have worked the first time! I guess I am just frustrated.  My SVT like ruins days at a time.  usually when I get it once I will get it again a few times that day.  about 3 months ago I had it 6 times in one day (of course all the times lasted under 5 minutes).  Should I go through that again? I was so scared the first time, I mean they are working with your heart and I don't really want to deal with the possible complications of a stroke, or pacemaker, or die from this which are possible effects of it. I don't know what to do, no medicines (betablockers) work for me, and I am just sick of this. any advice? sorry i am so down, just had a really bad day....thanks for listening =)

Oh and one more question for those who may know. The last eppisode I had lasted an hour and a half (it usually doens't last that long like I have said), is that really bad for your heart? I know SVT can't cause like heart disease or etc. but I am just wondering if its really bad for it. thanks once again!!

Hi ot4nyr, welcome to hw, we are glad to have you join us here.  I am so sorry to hear about your troubles.  I dont have PVC's so I am not going to be of help but I do hope that one of our veteren members will come along shortly and post to you.  Please do hang in there and be patient with us sometimes the heart forum gets alittle slow.  Take care and please do keep checking in.

 What kind of beta blockers did they have you on in the past?  Have they tried a combination of several to try and help you?  I had SVT's for 12 years and they kept telling me to have the ablation procedure done but I was to afraid of the complications to have it done.  They told me they would get worse as I got older and sure enough they did.  I would always have to go to the ER to get my under control.  Sometimes when the meds they gave me at the ER wouldn't work they would have to shock me.  I finally had enough when I was going in every month to the ER, it was ruining my life and my families and I took the risk and had the ablation done in May. I am doing great.  I hated getting it done like you I worried about all the side effects that could happen but there are risks in any procedure.  If it is ruining your life like it sounds like, I would have it done again maybe this time they can find it and ablate it and maybe try a different EP Dr. that has good recommendations.

 

 

I had SVT attacks that would last for hours, they told me it wouldn't hurt me but I alway wondered!!! Do you know if your SVT's are coming from your Atrium or your Ventrical? If it is from your ventrical they can kill you.

I was told that my SVT that lasted one hour I was lucky it did not do heart damage, I had my ablation in May, of course I was told that they could not get the entire 'short' since it is a short in the electrical system, I get a minor, minor start of the short and it ends, it hits where it was ablated :)  If it was me, I would be at the cardiologist, it's a electrical issue, you are not pumping correctly, my beats were 230 and I almost passed out, not pumping blood, seriously look into it.

Pam

It sounds like stress is a trigger for your SVT. Stress hormones are know to interfere with the electrical paths in your heart. Since you have already tried the ablation route maybe you could ask your cardio doctor or electrophysiologist about the stress issue and/or if they are up on VAGAL techniques that can be used to alleviate the SVT symptoms.

Do you take any BETA blocker meds as many of these have anti-arrythmic tendencies. I was taking Amiodarone for several years until the doctors I have put me on a high dose of Toprol. The Amiodarone was causing some pretty heavy side effects that I don't have with the high dose Toprol. I also have been able to live without too many arrythmia problems too.

Have you had an Electro-Physiology Study done. During this test if the doctor can induce an arrythmia you may be a candidate for an AICD. I have had one for that past several years and it does a great job of get things back to normal when it needs to.