How do you deal?

[dolphin8808]

So many of us on here have our own battles with rhythms... PACs, PVCs, NSVT, SVT etc... My question is, how do you all deal?  What things do you do to get through an episode or a day filled with skips?  To control the panic they bring?  Any positives you can share that help you face these things head on? What about advise to give?

[MichelleP_3811]

I guess I am lucky or naive but I never was frightened of my heart conditions for the most part.  I was born with svt and had episodes ever since I can remember but actually thought it was normal.  They generally didn't last long and always stopped on their own so I never feared the svt.  Since they always stopped since I could remember I simply trusted that they would stop again.  I did not know that I had pacs/pvcs though until after I had the ablation to correct the svt.  Those threw me off a bit not so much because I feared them but I feared that I would feel sick the rest of my life.  After my ablation I was in some sort of a storm of them probably having 15,000 a day and that many was making me physically ill.   They did eventually calm down but it took a really long time.  I still get them every day but I don't feel them as much and don't have near as many so for the most part is is just a battle to try and ignore them.  I trust that they won't hurt me any more than the svt did but they are a bit more distracting since they are all day long whereas the svt was maybe once every other week or so and only lasting for a few minutes most of the time so the ecoptics are a bit more distracting to say the least but in general I get more aggravated by them then fearful.  And they are a really good alarm at alerting me when I am getting stressed out.  So I try to even use them as a gauge sometimes to pay attention if I am stressing or not.  I have yet though found anything to get them to stop.  I just try to push through and ignore them as best I can.  Take care.

[RainLover71]

I have been so scared recently but a visit to the heart specialist confirmed SVT not VF.I need to learn about my condition now.So sorry to hear about your dad,I lost my dad in 2005 & have never got over it.

[dolphin8808]

Very interesting and thank you all very much for sharing! Its nice to hear how others deal with the anxiety and fear that can come from these things. Coping skills some of us have not thought of before :)

[demps123]

Well I just keep counting down to the ablation day and think to myself .."it will be sorted soon hopefully". Helps me out. I had a big thump feeling today after lunch and it gave me a lil fright but I took a deep breath and it calmed down before it could go into svt. I always panic more when im at work or out on my own.so I guess you just have to relax and stay calm.

[ireneo]

If I'm having a bratty heart day, I tend to be a bit bratty myself. LOL When my heart is hiccuping all day and having tachy bursts, I tend to feel tired and annoyed that I don't have the energy I typically have. But I keep busy, keep moving. Since I know the wacky rhythms aren't going to kill me, I do my best to ignore them. They don't give me any anxiety issues. They're just irritating like having a headache.

[achillea]

For those whose hearts have been thoroughly and repeatedly examined and found to be healthy:

Because this has worked well for me, my approach (and advice) is to see the right doctor.  For bone and joint problems, we see an orthopedist; for lung problems, a pulmonologist; and for fear or panic--a psychological/psychiatric problem--we need a nice shrink.

By 'shrink' I mean a psychiatrist, because reactions of the type we're describing have a physiological component, and these specialists have actually been to med school, unlike most family counselors.

In my experience, what a good doc of this type can offer is remarkably effective.