PSVT Ablation concerns

Hi

I am very scared...I know something has been up these last few years but it didnt happen too often and now it has and ive recently been diagnosed with PSVT due to 5 ER visits in a row! It came along with chest pains and tons of anxiety... I was given a monitor to wear at all times and had sent in about 20 or more recordings and they had found repeated Psvt episodes...I had my heart rate go to about 180 at rest and was freaked out on many occassions, i thought i was going to die. i also got very nausus when this would happen...Since then Ive been on Metoprolol tartrate which has helped greatly, although I am not tolerating the medication well, i am very tired on it and sometimes cannot do my normal everyday tasks without needing to rest. I even got fired from my job due to feeling like this. I am currently on 25mg in the first 12 hours of the day and 12.5 mg at night when i go to bed. I was on more but was experiencing some major problems such as blacking out when standing.I can live with being tired though, I just cant help but wonder if this will someday take my life from me... I am being told that an ablation is needed along with an EP study of course and here in Vancouver, Washington Its about 60 grand for it all. I have no insurance and I am scared for my life...Ive been going through the state trying to get medical to have this procedure but nothing yet.....I need help in alot of areas as you can see but my main concern for my life is...Do you think it would be smart to do a cryoablation rather than the normal radio frequency type? I am very worried someone is going to mess up! Also Other than meds are there any other safer effective methods of treating this? Its getting worse with time and i dont want to leave this planet early.

Scared In Vancouver, Wa.
Raquel

[ireneo]

If they've checked your heart and there's nothing structurally wrong with it (like being enlarged or have bad valves), PSVT isn't likely to kill you. If it did, I'd have died years ago. I've had PSVT since I was very young. I won't go into my long history but I've done fine all these years with it, even gave birth to 3 children. It was just 10 years ago someone recommended an ablation to "fix" it. Before that I just lived with it, laid down if it was too bad.

I can't offer any advice about the financial aspect of it. I'm sure there are state health programs in Washington to help with coverage just as we have the Oregon Health Plan here. I don't know if SW Medical Center does cardiac ablations though. Sometimes they do refer patients to OHSU in Portland but they would work that out for you.

Cryo vs. radio frequency ablations? I would leave that up to the EP cardiologist to decide.

I wish I could help you. I can say the anxiety isn't helping you feel better. I know this is new to you and you're fearful but remember, you've had these PSVT times and you're still alive and doing fine. I've had 50 years of PSVT and so it seems normal to me. I know I'm not dying from it. Your job is to convince your mind that your heart is just being a stinkpot and you'll be fine in a bit. Have you tried the vagal maneuvers to stop the PSVT?

[Darlingorla]

Like Ireno I have had PSVT for many years, in fact for 28 years and I am still here.  PSVT is a benign, non life threatening, debilitating condition which has scared the ..it out of me and most other people here on this forum.  It wasn't even suggested to me to have an ablation until 6 months ago until I ended up in the ER 3 times (I was given Adenisone which I didn't find that bad - it did the trick, back me back into SR - after 90 minutes of tachycardia).  Amazing in all the years I've had this condition, I remain very CALM during an episode, focused, trying each vagal maneuver - I only ended up in the ER the first time because I was giving a presentation at a college when the event happened, and they called an ambulance.  I know the event was brought on by stress, I was presenting in French which is not easy.

It sound to me that if you can accept that this condition is non life threatening, can be controlled most times by you - doing the vagal manouevre, thing could get better.

I am sorry that you do not have the medical insurance to cover the procedures - if it is PSVT, AVNRT then it most likely can be cured by an ablation.

I would suggest you get some anti anxiety medication - stressing out over it is not helping you.  Try doing yoga breathing.

[Raquelll]

thank you all for the advice i appreciate it greatly. For the record, I have only been told i have PSVT, no other type no other form, just that. I have been reccommended an ablation and what they think is exactly wrong is they think i may have a little off-path pathway that is going the wrong direction in my electrical pathways.its wierd because it used to happen only when i was doing something bad to my body like having too much to drink or smoking ..even sometimes eating a large meal could do it. then in late febaury of this year, 2010, i had an alarming pain in my chest that happend with every beat for about 30 mins. i was in the ER and they sent me home saying it was a panic attack, suffering with anxiey for all of my life, i knew it was NOT  panic attack! the pain happend first, then my heart rate reached 180 laying there at rest all of a sudden, then i decicided to go to the ER. the nexy day i had the same thing happen out of no where again and that time the ER gave me a monitor to waer for 2 weeks, the instantly caught numerous PSVT attacks, i was put on Metoprolol and have been on it since, which BTW HAS ANYONE EVER BEEN ON THIS AND FOR HOW LONG? I FEEL LIKE ITS HELPING MY ATTACKS BUT I AM SO AFRAID OF ANY MEDICATION, I WAS ORIGINALLY A KIND OF GO ALL NATURAL TYPE BEFORE THIS.AFRAID BECAUSE I HATE CHEMICALS AND WHATNOT, THEY MAKE ME FEEL SO GROSS,i feel very ill on metoprolol tartate. now lowered to 25 mg in the first 12 hours of the day and 12.5 at night, i experiences alot of synecope on a higher dose. thats when i pased out at work stocking the shelves at night. I feel most of my attacks are mild on metoprolol which is why i dont want to get off it yet, have anyone lived many years while taking this? I do want to have a child someday and i dont want this psvt crap in the way! FOR THE RECORD, WA. STATE MEDICAL PLANS FOR THE POOR DO NOT EXIST UNLESS YOUR DYING! IVE BEEN TRYING FOR NEARLY 3 MONTHS TO GET MED. INSURACNE THROUGH THE STATE JUST TO HAVE THE DAMN ABLATION! i understand its non-life threatening, but i cannot live with this , i have been told not to exercise (i am overwight and was trying to lose 7o lbs!!!) argh! i want to cry at the thought of this altering who i am.