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 =)

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.

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Elisha
Co~Mod: Depression
Moderator: Heart & Cardiovascular Disease
https://www.healingwell.com/donate

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.

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.