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Very long episodes of tachycardia
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I am a 29 year old, normotensive female with no other medical issues. I was diagnosed with PAT as a teenager and was given a prescription for Lopressor to use on an as needed basis. Over the years, the tachycardia occurs more frequently (a few times a month), and the episodes are lasting much longer at this point. A typical bad episode (usually in the afternoon or evening) consists of an initial period of sudden increase in heartrate to 160-220 bpm which lasts for 15-20 minutes. If I remain perfectly still, it drops to about 120-130 bpm (baseline for me is about 76 bpm). The slightest movement will trigger an increase back to the 160-200 range. This will go on for up to 4-6 hours. During the peak tachycardia, the vessels in my neck feel like they are twitching/spasming even faster than the heart rate (and not in time with the beats), when I put my hand to my neck I can feel it as well.
I told a cardiologist about the tachycardia, and was told that unless I came in and had an ECG during an episode, or had an episode captured with a Holter monitor that he would be unwilling to do anything about it (e.g., represcribe the Lopressor). I would have to wear a Holter for weeks to ensure that I captured an episode because they occur on a sporadic basis. Valsalva maneuver does not work for me, and I have been told that I am doing it correctly by an MD.
My questions:
1. Is there any danger associated with these long periods of tachycardia? I have come close to passing out on many occasions and have been told that I have passed out once during an episode (but I think I was just unresponsive). I will not drive during an episode. Are there any long term consequences (e.g., hypoxia and the brain)?
2. How do I present this to an MD if I am seen between episodes? I do not want to either be blown off again or alternatively be seen as a hysterical patient.
3. I drink very little caffeine, never smoked, and rarely drink alcohol yet these episodes continue to occur. Can food allergies trigger episodes? I am allergic to kiwi fruit and had an episode after eating something that contained kiwi.
4. At what point is ablation a treatment option?
5. Should I be concerned about the twitching/spasming in my neck during episodes? I have not mentioned that to my doctor.
Thank you very much to taking the time to address these questions and to make this forum possible.
I am a 29 year old, normotensive female with no other medical issues. I was diagnosed with PAT as a teenager and was given a prescription for Lopressor to use on an as needed basis. Over the years, the tachycardia occurs more frequently (a few times a month), and the episodes are lasting much longer at this point. A typical bad episode (usually in the afternoon or evening) consists of an initial period of sudden increase in heartrate to 160-220 bpm which lasts for 15-20 minutes. If I remain perfectly still, it drops to about 120-130 bpm (baseline for me is about 76 bpm). The slightest movement will trigger an increase back to the 160-200 range. This will go on for up to 4-6 hours. During the peak tachycardia, the vessels in my neck feel like they are twitching/spasming even faster than the heart rate (and not in time with the beats), when I put my hand to my neck I can feel it as well.
I told a cardiologist about the tachycardia, and was told that unless I came in and had an ECG during an episode, or had an episode captured with a Holter monitor that he would be unwilling to do anything about it (e.g., represcribe the Lopressor). I would have to wear a Holter for weeks to ensure that I captured an episode because they occur on a sporadic basis. Valsalva maneuver does not work for me, and I have been told that I am doing it correctly by an MD.
My questions:
1. Is there any danger associated with these long periods of tachycardia? I have come close to passing out on many occasions and have been told that I have passed out once during an episode (but I think I was just unresponsive). I will not drive during an episode. Are there any long term consequences (e.g., hypoxia and the brain)?
2. How do I present this to an MD if I am seen between episodes? I do not want to either be blown off again or alternatively be seen as a hysterical patient.
3. I drink very little caffeine, never smoked, and rarely drink alcohol yet these episodes continue to occur. Can food allergies trigger episodes? I am allergic to kiwi fruit and had an episode after eating something that contained kiwi.
4. At what point is ablation a treatment option?
5. Should I be concerned about the twitching/spasming in my neck during episodes? I have not mentioned that to my doctor.
Thank you very much to taking the time to address these questions and to make this forum possible.
I can sympathize with all of you. Recently, out of the blue I started have what felt like a skipped beat. I kept up for almost a week when it got so bad one night that I may have panicked. I felt nauseous and broke out into a sweat. My heart felt like it was skipping every third beat. My husband rushed me to emergency. My pulse was racing so fast that they took me right in. They did blood tests, x-ray, ekg monitoring. Everthing normal. I went to cardiologist next day and had stress test done with normal results. Doc says I am having an extra heartbeat not a skipped heartbeat. I am an otherwise healthy but under a lot of stress 40 yr old. Doc thinks stress may have caused it and told me there was nothing he would do for it. It has been 3 weeks since and I am still having this constantly. Mostly every 10 or 12 beats. It worsens when I eat but feels better when I walk or sleep. It's a scary situation.
I am a 23 year old healthy female. I was diagnosed with an innocent murmur when I was 14, but I haven't been diagnosed with any other heart problems. I'm not on any meds, and I'm not overweight or anything. Lately, I've been experiencing some very long periods of tachycardia. My heart rate at rest holds steady at about 115 through the day. Any activity can shoot it up to between 130-200bpm, depending on the type of exercise. These rates can last for up to 45 minutes. My heart takes an extremely long time to slow down once it reaches these rates. About a month ago, my husband had to call the paramedics because my heart was racing so fast that he couldn't even count my pulse beats, and I blacked out and almost stopped breathing. When the medics finally got there and got me hooked up to the heart monitor, my heart was beating at about 290bpm and I was suffering some nasty PVC's. It didn't seem like anything significant brought this on. It came out of nowhere. The hospital could only get my heart rate down to about 100, which although is in the normal range is fast for me, and my bp was low the whole time. I went to my cardiologist two weeks later, and my EKG and stress test showed everything was normal. My heart rate is still at about 100, but my doctor said that was normal. How can this be with such a serious episode? I'm going nuts.
risky? no, dont worry about it. it really depends on what he does i guess, but even then, chances are very small....if they do a catheter ep study, they might intenionally trigger an arrythmia, but they can bring you right back out of it. it might not even come to that. i would suggest that you bite the bullit and go. it could cure you permanently!
Did the ablation help with the skipped beats???? I was told that I would have to live with the skipped beats.
Since posting the original question I have been referred for an EP. What does this involve? Is it risky?
Dear Mary, I just have my ep study and ablation for my irregular heart beats. Any one wish to share my experience please email me at lainorman@hotmail,com
Thank you all for your kind help. I just managed to post a question today. Hope you are all having a good day. Mary
the device is called the "king of hearts" transtelephonic monitor...i wore one last month and although i never had an episode while i was wearing it (of course) i did catch some nasty pvcs.....going on wed. for a review with my doc. an ep test is next on the agenda i guess and a possible ablation....let us know brian how things come out.
My PSVT was diagnosed or started to be diagnosed by a simple 3 pt EKG. Since then have had many many tests. It all came down to wearing a monitor for a month, its a small beeper looking device with 2 leads. I would see into wearing one of these to get diagnosed properly. I am having the ablation done wends and feel great about it (no more pills, no more attacks). Good luck to all of you.
Brian
Brian
Mary,
Have you worn a holter moniter or one of those moniters you wear for a month? Maybe if they can catch the fast heartbeat on the moniter they'll know better what it is and possible treatments? I don't have a fast heartbeat, but I do have an irregular one. I suffered with it for 4 years before I read about the holter moniter and asked my Doctor for one. I don't take any meds for the irregular beat, I did try beta blockers, they didn't really help. But just knowing that what I have has a name (PVCs) and that it won't kill me has been a tremendous help with the anxiety that I get when my heart beats weird.
Good Luck!
Christine
Have you worn a holter moniter or one of those moniters you wear for a month? Maybe if they can catch the fast heartbeat on the moniter they'll know better what it is and possible treatments? I don't have a fast heartbeat, but I do have an irregular one. I suffered with it for 4 years before I read about the holter moniter and asked my Doctor for one. I don't take any meds for the irregular beat, I did try beta blockers, they didn't really help. But just knowing that what I have has a name (PVCs) and that it won't kill me has been a tremendous help with the anxiety that I get when my heart beats weird.
Good Luck!
Christine
I have these symptoms and seem to go round in circles with the Doctors. Have been to the ER twice in the last month. The first time I had no heart symptoms but on arriving at my work, I had been feeling light headed driving to work, I all but passed out, had numbness in the right side of my face and all down my left side arm and leg. The ER did a cat scan and found nothing. The 2nd time 2 days ago I awoke with a fast irregular heartbeat and then pain in the left side of the chest. By the time I got to the ER my heart rate and BP were normal even slightly low for me 90/60. They did an EKG and blood tests. The doctor said "you didn't have a heart attack, that is all I am concerned with here" diagnosis: possible non specific Ventriclar Tachycardia atypical chest pain. The next day I had a bad migraine so did not again go to work. My question to you people with similar problems is how do you cope with being at your job? I am already in trouble for having taken too much time off and in the past month have spent hours not being able to function just sitting in front of my computer screen either with a racing heartbeat or feeling like I am about to pass out. I like my job and always get a great evaluation except for attendance and am taking programming classes in the hope of progressing further. I am getting really depressed by all of this and don't know what else to do. Any suggestions comments etc. My e mail is ***@****. I empathize with all you out there who have similar problems. I have been diagnosed at different times with WPW and MVP but currently my doctor says I have neither. The more these episodes occur the more I feel like the doctors are treating me as just a nuisance.
I'm very sorry to hear of your situation. Your situation sounds more medically serious than mine (based on the angina symptom) and I already had a diagnosis/prognosis for my condition. If you haven't already, post a question on the forum (it took me a while and lots of tries to get my question on but it was well worth it). I would recommend writing the question in Word and and pasting it in when you are able to post and you could even copy and paste your reply to my question to do so. As far as my work, my problem interferes with work only occasionally (although I am pretty much incapacitated when it does), and my boss is sympathetic to cardiac issues. Everyone is not as lucky, and I would recommnend that you contact your human resources department or equivalent and let them know that this is an issue. Companies have a hard time discriminating on basis of medical issues, and the sooner you get a diagnosis and take it to the place you work the safer you are (unless you are working for a very small company which for legal reasons does not have to provide a HR department). If it is really wearing you down, it may benefit you to get some counseling in addition- there's no sense in relying on yourself if you feel that the situation is out of your control.
1. As a young healthy person, there is no really significant risk other than passing out. This, however, can be quite serious if you are driving or on a ladder etc. Long-term, there is no damaging effect on your brain or on your heart, as long as the episodes are not frequent.
2. You should see a cardiac electrophysiologist, a cardiologist who specializes in arrhythmias. This type of doctor could perform an EP study that can sometimes detect arrhythmias even when you are not actually having one.
3. No food allergies themselves would not trigger an arrhythmia, though if the allergic reaction gets your adrenaline surging, this could trigger an arrhythmia.
4. It may be an option right now, depending on what an EP study showed.
5. No, it is just a manifestation of the underlying arrhythmia. I really think a cardiac electrophysiologist can help you, and maybe even cure this.
2. You should see a cardiac electrophysiologist, a cardiologist who specializes in arrhythmias. This type of doctor could perform an EP study that can sometimes detect arrhythmias even when you are not actually having one.
3. No food allergies themselves would not trigger an arrhythmia, though if the allergic reaction gets your adrenaline surging, this could trigger an arrhythmia.
4. It may be an option right now, depending on what an EP study showed.
5. No, it is just a manifestation of the underlying arrhythmia. I really think a cardiac electrophysiologist can help you, and maybe even cure this.
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