pvcs followed by tachycardia. what is this please help!? svt or vt??

[sb786]

hi last night i was getting rows of pvcs everytime i laid down, it took me about 3 hours to settle down and as i was dozing off i was woken by about 6 pvcs in a row, then my heart just went boom and started to race. It raced for about 15 mins i usually have svt but this didnt feel like svt. in the morning i was laying awake in bed and my heart did 6 very very fast beats and then it started to race again but only for about 2-3 mins. it was very very fast. i'm not sure if this is svt. my svt attacks usually happen with one pvc and then my heart starts beating really hard and fast for at least half an hour. the thing that happened last night and this morning was not as srong and forceful but definitely was just as fast. i'm thinking it is vtach, everytime i call the ambulance my heart is back in sinus rhythm. how would i know if that was vtach?  does it sound like svt to you? please please reply

[centrex]

Yes I have svt, as for my episodes well they come from nowhere.  I feel a sinking feeling in my stomach and immeditaly my heart rate jumps to 200-290 bpm this is only captured on the monitors in the er rooms becuase I have a very light to no pulse during vtach. And It feels like my heart is going to explode with pain in my back and throat. According to my doctor I have had these problems all my life. But my lifestyle a year ago agitated them.  As far as how many pvc's do I have aday?  It depends, if I drink caffine, alcohol, or eat chocolate ice cream.  Then the next day they hit, usally about every 4th beat is extra.  I have found that drinking alot of gatorade makes them go away.  I do not have pvc's every day but when I feel them I know that day I will go into vtach sometime.  It is my hearts way of reseting itself I guess.  You are doing the right thing by seeing the ep.  As long as your cardiologist has said there is no heart disese the ep is the only one that can help. Let them know though if during the ep study they find the problem to ablate it then.  Mine wanted to see if the problem would go away if I changed my lifestyle. But I think if you have ever been in vtach it sticks with you and without having  a procedure being done you never feal safe.

[sb786]

Do you have SVT? Can you please describe your a fib episodes??
How many PVCs do you get in a day? How long have you had both arrythmias? I'm so sorry you have both atrial and ventricular arrythmias. I hope you have success with the ablation.Thank you for the advice i am going to make an appointment with an ep.

[centrex]

wow heartofgld, yours sounds like the worst case I have heard of, the tunnel vision and passing out.  I feel for you.  But I dissagree with collegegirl143 (sorry but I can back it up) I have both Atrial and Ventricular arrhythmias.  They both cause a rapid heart rate Sb786 but in my opinion the ventricular tachycardia is worst than the Atrial fibrillation but only in that it last longer.  But with the Atrial fibrillation even though it only last for 30-90 sec when my heart rate returns to normal my blood preasure drops and talk about a scary feeling.  This will be taken care of on Feb 13 however as I was just scheduled for an ablation (I am praying it will be taken care of anyways) I would have to go to the Cleveland Clinic in order to get the the ablation done for the Ventricular arrhythmia.  My ep doc said it may take care of all my problems with just the Atrial ablation.  She believes that while the pvc's trigger the Atrial Fib the A-fib triggers the v-tach. These places were found back in March but she didnt albalte then.  I belive she wanted to see if me changing my life style exp. caffine, nicotine, and alchole would help.  But no joy.  In closing SB786 if you are looking for advice, I would say request a visit with a electrophysiologists becuase if your heart is in other wise good condition, no structural damage or other diesease there is nothing your cardiologist can do for you. Good luck and god bless

[robbiecriss]

I too am sorry to hear of your problem. Believe me I understand how frantic you can feel when symptoms arise. I finally realized after many years that we really cannot trust ourselves to self diagnose and it is very difficult to know by what arrhythmias feel like to tell whether they are atrial, ventricular, dangerous or benign. I have to believe the cardios when they say in the absence of structural heart problems and in the absence of sycope or other definite physiological symptoms, arrhythmias by definition are benign. You can only know this by extensive testing like an ep study, echos, holters, stress tests, etc.. I would encourage you to get the most extensive testing you can afford and then to believe whatever the doctors tell you. Otherwise you will exacerbate your problem by simply worrying about every flutter or flip that happens.
I hope I don't sound insensitive. I have walked this road many years and have finally figured the doctors were right and now I do not get as anxious about it and guess what? They slowly have gotten better. I am convinced for benign cases the vast majority of symptoms are largely influenced by worry and anxiety over them. Of course, if in fact yours are not benign based on the tests and facts, then multiple treatment options are usually available to you. Best wishes!

[sb786]

thanks! i have had 2 24 hr ecgs which are normal except for the pvcs, i have had an echo done which shows my heart is structurally normal. i have not had an ep study done as my cardiologist didn't suggest one. i have had the svt confirmed at hospital. my cardio and docs tell me that i do not have any other arrythmia problem but sometimes when i am feeling runs of pvcs its hard to believe. my cardio says i have probably always had pvcs but have only just become aware of them, i find that so hard to beleive. i feel every single pvc how can i have not noticed them before? Anyway once again thank you for you post

[sb786]

thanks anacyde sounds like a very good idea, will try it tonight!! its just so annoying when my docs tell me that the pvcs are benign and i should learn to ignore them!! NO WAY can i ignore them when they are preventing me from laying, sitting yawning!!!

[anacyde]

I'm glad you found some reassurance.  I think the event monitor will also ease your mind, I'm glad they're doing that for you.

I was told the same thing, that benign beats are still benign beats even if I get a bunch in a row.

What works for me (I get them when first lying down) is starting out with an extra pillow, starting out on my right side, or sitting up briefly when the palpitations come on.  I think sometimes my body has irritability when transitioning from being up and moving to lying down and not moving so much.  But those three things I mentioned seem to relieve some of the symptoms for me, so maybe they can help you too.

[sb786]

thank you to everyone. i was so scared last night, everytime i would lay down the missed beats would start. i was getting upto 6 in a row straight. i saw 2 cardiologists yesterday and both said not to worry about the pvcs. it doesn't matter even if you get runs of 10-20 in a row if you have a normal heart they are benign. sothe next time i hear someone tell me that more than 6 in a row is dangerous i will..........!!! i asked about the fast arrythmia i experienced and like you guys he thinks it was probably svt but he is going to give me an event monitor to catch it.
the reason why i was so scared was because of the fact that i felt lots of pvcs first and then the really fast heart rate. Thanks for all of your kind words of reassurance.

Heartofgold: i asked my cardiologist if i can see an ep and he is arranging an appointment for me. By the way i am in England

massagetherapy: thankyou so much for your advice and email address. i would really love to chat to you.

[anacyde]

Like heartofgld mentioned, I have to agree, this sounds exactly like a run of SVT.  I'm a fellow sufferer as well.

The big thing is whether or not you were otherwise symptomatic.  Definitely report it to your doctor if the frequency, feeling, symptoms, etc. have changed from your normal.  It isn't uncommon for SVT to change in freuqnecy, duration, triggers, and severity (for better or for worse).

[massage therapy]

hi there,
i, too have avnrt. i get runs of hr up to 280/minute. and they come out of nowhere! i'll go through tiime periods where i'll get them when drifting off to sleep and BOOM! it hits, and i'll get out of bed and do vagal maneuvers. (squatting is what works for me) other times i can drift off to sleep with no problem.
the past few years i've developed pvc's as well. i've worn a king of hearts, and my episodes have been recorded as well as being in the er during an episode. my doctors have all told me not to worry, and yes, i have had ablation, but it was 15 years ago, and it didn't work for me. they've gotten much better at it now, and it has about a 99% cure rate.
you're not alone in these symptoms, and while they're initially very frightening, you do somehow get used to them. i'm currently taking 10mg of lexapro for anxiety due to them.
feel free to email me if you'd like to chat. ***@****
take care!

[CollegeGirl143]

sb, first, take a breath, and try to calm down. Go read back through the past posts about this question and re-read them.. Its very unlikely you are suddenly experiencing vt out of nowhere, especially since you already have svt. Atrial and Ventricular arrhythmias are very rare to have together.. If your cardio is telling you that you do not have VT, for your sake stop driving yourself crazy thinking they've missed something.

[heartofgld]

So sorry you are having a rough time. I usually can tell the difference. When I have been in afib, my pulse is very irregular, last week when I was in aflutter my heart rate was very fast, 300+ but very regular. I am just getting very frustrated with all that I have been through since Sept. It seems that for every step I take toward a cure I get bumped 2 steps back. I have spent more time bouncing in and out of the hospital. I have a bag, in my bedroom, ready to roll at all times. It has been very hard for my family, especially my 2 kids. They just want their mom to be better. I have not been to the other forum lately, but I will go back and read your post.
As for your question about people with AVNRT getting afib or aflutter... I don't know what the stats are on that. When I was in the ER for the 1st time in Sept, after 3 hours of of tachycardia, my initial EKG said that I was in SVT. My hr was about 180. They tried adenosine, didn't work. After 2nd ekg, it now said that I was in afib w/ rapid ventricular response, hr was 280. They continued to try another round of adeno, then lopressor, digoxin, diltiazam...my bp dropped to 60/30 so they decided to cardiovert. What does your cardio suggest you do? I guess I feel so lucky that my doc is so aggressive. You need to find a good EP. Where are you located?

[sb786]

i was given adenosine to convert me to sinus rhythm and they told me i have avnrt svt.
i know i don't have pacs because they have never been caught on the 3 24 hr holters i have worn.

how do you know which arrythmia you are having?
do alot of people with svt avnrt get afib and a flutter?
i'm just so scared today i wish i knew whaty was happening to me. b the way did you getmy message on the other forum?

[heartofgld]

Yes, I do get both short and long episodes. My longest was 7 hours and shortest was about 30 seconds.

[heartofgld]

When mine comes on my vision gets hazy, almost like tunnel vision, I get very light headed and sometimes pass out. I get a tight feeling in my throat and of course my heart rate is very rapid. Since Sept I have had a myriad of Atrial tach arrhythmias. I have been in Afib, Aflutter, Atrial tach, sinus tach, accelerated junctional escape rhythm. When you say that you don't get pac's only pvc's, how do you know this? Also, I can't believe that your doc has not recommended an EP study/ablation. It sounds to me that you are very symptomatic. How were you diagnosed with AVNRT?

[sb786]

no i haven't had an ep study done. my cardiologist never recommended it. no i was laying on my back. do you have short episodes and long episodes? i have never had a short episode. the thing that happened last night and this morning didn't feel like an svt to me.also i don't get pacs just pvcs. please describe your svts to me?

[heartofgld]

The characteristics you are describing sound like short runs of SVT to me, I am not a DR but fellow sufferer. When you are lying down and notice them, are you lying on your left side? When you are lying on your left side your heart is closer to your chest wall and any activity is more noticable. Multiple pac's can trigger SVT. I have had simmilar experiences with my SVT. I always know when it will strike...I feel like my heart is flip flopping in my chest and then after a really hard beat, it takes off like a sewing machine. I think I had asked you in an earlier post, whether you have had an EP study done yet.