Is it really PSVT?

For years I have had arrythmia, particularly during pregnancy, stress, surgery, etc. but no health insurance until recently.  I was treated for heart failure in 30's, right at death's door from overwork and stress, but now have recovered.  Five years ago, I started exhibiting all the fatigue and breathlessness that I had in my previous illness. One night, I had sudden cardiac arrest.  I felt the usual emptiness, strangeness in my chest, but it wouldn't pass, tried to get to my husband, but made it only a step before dropping dead in the floor.  He leaped to assist me, saw that I had no pulse or breath, was white and icy, and he shook me fiercely, yelling at me, then gave me a great blow to the chest which apparently cracked some ribs, but restarted my heart.  For days I was extremely weak and breathless, and unable to walk very far.  My doctor diagnosed sudden cardiac arrest and put me on drugs for arrhythmia.  By the time I got to a specialist several months later, my EKG was normal, echo normal, etc.  I've never done drugs or smoked, cannot drink alcohol, because it has was like a kick in the heart for me the few times I tried it.  Fluid in lower extremities constant problem since 20's, was on lasix from 30 to 40 to keep it out of my lungs, as it kept me breathless.  Now, near 50, I finally had good enough insurance to wear a monitor for a month and the doc says psvt, because echo and ekg are normal and heart is no longer enlarged, but I keep showing these super fast beats.  He prescribed cartia, which I took one night and woke up the next morning in extreme distress, barely able to breath and with a day-long headache.  I just don't see all these symptoms listed when I read up on PSVT, and wonder if there is any other possible explanation.  I am so tired of the constant neverending fatigue, even falling asleep standing up, and the breathlessness when I try to talk too much or walk too far.  The lung specialist told me that my lungs were in fair shape and he was convinced that my lack of oxygen was caused by my heart in some way.  I have very poor circulation and have had all these symptoms when 120 lbs and all the way through to 180 lbs now.  I have always worked and do all the chores around my home and stay active, and I have no intention of stopping, but it is getting so hard to keep things done, and I am so frustrated with not knowing whats wrong.  Can only a holter monitor be enough to diagnose PSVT?  Do I have to worry about dropping dead again?  I am just so confused, since PSVT appears not to be life threatening.

[tom_h]

The last sentence says it.  PSVT or SVT as it's more commonly known is not life threatening.... usually!  There may be underlying circumstances that may make it dangerous, such as in the elderly with aged hearts.  SVT usually manifests itself as a sudden, rapid but for the most part normal rhythm.  The heart may speed up three to four times the resting pulse rate, and it does so within one beat.  It will return to normal rhythm just as abruptly; there is no ramping up and down. Some people report feeling faint, or dizzy.  I felt neither.  If it occured while driving, I could continue driving to a safe place where I could pull over and attempt to convert it to normal rhythm.  In other words, most can continue functioning thru an episode.

This obviously doesn't sound like what you are experiencing.  All of us here are patients and not experts, so we're unable to say what you might be having.  You should continue to be seen by your specialist, and note all of the symptoms you're experiencing.  Logging heart rate, BP if you have a cuff, all pertinent information will be helpful to the physician examining you.  Best of heath to you!