Aa
Wish I had never had 30 day monitor
For years, I have been told that my tachycardias were 'anxiety'/panic related. I went through dozens of tests (ekgs, echocardiograms, stress tests, Holter Monitoring, etc) and was assured that I had no heart disease whatsoever.
Now, a cardiologist has told me that I experienced a supraventricular tachycardia of 182BPM (during an anxiety attack) on the THIRTIETH DAY wearing an 30-day event monitor. He did not really explain what the basis of his diagnosis was, or which specific form of SVT I experienced. He briskly referred me to an electrophysiologist without further explanation and more or less rushed me out of the office without further comment, and told me not to worry.
I have always had a fast resting heart rate, for which I have taken 25mg atenolol since age 18 (I am 35 now), but I went 9 years without having a panic attack (SVT attack?) and was content with the diagnosis of being an anxious (but heart-healthy) person.
Now this diagnosis of SVT, and the failure of my cardiologist to offer any explanation/clarification about it, is making me a nervous wreck. My EP appointment is not until early July. It hasn't even been explained why I am being referred to him.
I wish I had never asked for the Event Monitor. I probably could have gone another 10 years without a panic attack (or "SVT" attack, according to my new doctor). Now I am sick with anxiety.
Now, a cardiologist has told me that I experienced a supraventricular tachycardia of 182BPM (during an anxiety attack) on the THIRTIETH DAY wearing an 30-day event monitor. He did not really explain what the basis of his diagnosis was, or which specific form of SVT I experienced. He briskly referred me to an electrophysiologist without further explanation and more or less rushed me out of the office without further comment, and told me not to worry.
I have always had a fast resting heart rate, for which I have taken 25mg atenolol since age 18 (I am 35 now), but I went 9 years without having a panic attack (SVT attack?) and was content with the diagnosis of being an anxious (but heart-healthy) person.
Now this diagnosis of SVT, and the failure of my cardiologist to offer any explanation/clarification about it, is making me a nervous wreck. My EP appointment is not until early July. It hasn't even been explained why I am being referred to him.
I wish I had never asked for the Event Monitor. I probably could have gone another 10 years without a panic attack (or "SVT" attack, according to my new doctor). Now I am sick with anxiety.
Yes, it is possible to have both issues. The things is the main trigger for a reentrant svt is the presence of what is called pvcs or pacs. These are extra beats in the heart that can disrupt the normal beat cycle when that happens the reentrant circuit is complete and the heart is off to the races. A lot of people do not notice the actual ectopic beat and only notice the heart suddenly racing. If you are noticing ectopic activity first, stressing out which can actually trigger more ectopic beats, then your heart starts racing more I could see this being a scenario you are troubled with. I personally did not know the different feelings until after I had the svt corrected. Now I notice things with my heart I did not before and there are times when my heart feels off or on the edge so to speak. This is at times when I am really prone to high ectopic activity. And there were times when I would feel what felt like some sort of fizzle right before my heart started o race. Though the beat didn't feel fast and when it did go fast if felt like one beat but there were other odd feelings that I did not panic over that could be what is masking a reentrant issue with you. I can not say that for certain and suspect if it was true reentrant you would have had at least one episode start and/or stop in one beat at some point. The fact that you haven't makes me question if it is reentrant svt like avnrt but maybe some sort of runs of pacs. The EP should be able to give you better answers.
To minimize any ectopic activity that might be contributing to whatever type of tachycardia you have try to clear up and acid reflux you may have and do your best to work on stress. It is a very big trigger so if you can do deep breathing every day, maybe try yoga or meditation. Or talk to someone about ways to cope with stress. The more you take care of the stress factor the calmer your heart will be. Best of luck. Stay strong.
To minimize any ectopic activity that might be contributing to whatever type of tachycardia you have try to clear up and acid reflux you may have and do your best to work on stress. It is a very big trigger so if you can do deep breathing every day, maybe try yoga or meditation. Or talk to someone about ways to cope with stress. The more you take care of the stress factor the calmer your heart will be. Best of luck. Stay strong.
Mine pop up out of nowhere. I can say that early on it was a chicken or egg first type thing. PSVT would trigger a panic attack which would exacerbate the PSVT or sometimes vice versa, and sometimes I really wouldn't know which came first. I do know, I had PVCs and PAC many years before PSVT and I remember very well my first attack of PSVT. I was in a particularly heightened state of anxiety all day, I got a run of PVCs ( or PAC, I'm not sure which ) that seemed to last a very long time and instead of going back into NSR, I jumped right into PSVT. I had no idea what was happening and it triggered a major panic attack. After about a half hour when my HR wouldn't slow I went to the ER. I clocked in at 220 bpm and was converted with adenosine. I was tried on several different BBs and my doc finally settled on metropolol tartrate. Although it hasn't completely stopped the PSVT, as I said before I have been able to self convert lately and I usually top out at around 180 bpm.
Elli, I am so glad to hear you have had found ways to deal with this condition.
If I may ask, do you find that having a panic attack leads to an SVT, or the other way around? Was there a time when your SVT was misdiagnosed as purely panic/anxiety?
If I may ask, do you find that having a panic attack leads to an SVT, or the other way around? Was there a time when your SVT was misdiagnosed as purely panic/anxiety?
I have closely monitored every SVT thread on this forum since joingin nearly 4 years ago. I can't ever saw a report on this forum where a member reported difficulty with self conversion as they age with SVT. While mine progressed in numbers as I aged, it actually became easier to convert towards the end of my 54 years with it.
My wife suffered from anxiety neurosis for many years. The key to her cure was psychological counseling. Once the root of her anxiety was found, the treatment was easy from there.
Life is short, my friend. Confront your issues now and enjoy your life.
My wife suffered from anxiety neurosis for many years. The key to her cure was psychological counseling. Once the root of her anxiety was found, the treatment was easy from there.
Life is short, my friend. Confront your issues now and enjoy your life.
My PSVT averages 220 to 300 Bpm when it kicks in. Lately I have been able to self convert but for years before I could, I was converted in the ER with adenosine. I also suffer from panic attacks and they exacerbate the condition. You would not be left in PSVT for hours or days if you seek help. I also have PVCs , and PAC all this has been going on for over 3 decades and I'm still alive. You might want to try what I did and treat the anxiety first and foremost, it helped me tremendously in dealing with all my crazy rythym.
Artaud, thank you for your help. Again.
>>"SVT is a very common disturbance, you're not alone. If you had an episode of self limiting SVT, where it returns to normal without needing intervention, it's really not of much concern since you've already been examined."
I definitely take your point and I see what you are saying. Nothing has changed except the terminology, true. But in my mind, I am obsessing over the possibility that the SVT could become 'worse.' In my reading on the subject of SVT, it seems that people's self-limiting SVTs often progress to the point where they are no longer able to control them. Then they end up in the ER getting the adenosine shot. Then stage 3 is that are left with no choice but ablation.
I also believe that my level of adrenaline sensitivity is so profound, that if I were to have one of these SVTs that got 'locked in' at 240BPM for several hours, my panic at that point would be like pouring gasoline on a fire, and I would cause myself to go into cardiac arrest.
Dealing with panic attacks is one thing when you have been told that your heart rate will only reach the typical maximum sinus tach (160-180). But to know that, my hear now has the capacity to race as high as 300BPM, and to STAY at that rate for hours or days, is whole other matter for me.
>>"SVT is a very common disturbance, you're not alone. If you had an episode of self limiting SVT, where it returns to normal without needing intervention, it's really not of much concern since you've already been examined."
I definitely take your point and I see what you are saying. Nothing has changed except the terminology, true. But in my mind, I am obsessing over the possibility that the SVT could become 'worse.' In my reading on the subject of SVT, it seems that people's self-limiting SVTs often progress to the point where they are no longer able to control them. Then they end up in the ER getting the adenosine shot. Then stage 3 is that are left with no choice but ablation.
I also believe that my level of adrenaline sensitivity is so profound, that if I were to have one of these SVTs that got 'locked in' at 240BPM for several hours, my panic at that point would be like pouring gasoline on a fire, and I would cause myself to go into cardiac arrest.
Dealing with panic attacks is one thing when you have been told that your heart rate will only reach the typical maximum sinus tach (160-180). But to know that, my hear now has the capacity to race as high as 300BPM, and to STAY at that rate for hours or days, is whole other matter for me.
michelle, first of all, thank you for your kindly and thoughtful reply. I am new to the forum and very confused/anxious, so I am just posting haphazardly when my anxiety gets the better of me, and I appreciate the knowledgeable responses. You all seem very intelligent.
>"You are correct that they start AND stop in what feels like one beat. If you don't sense that then you may be just having panic attacks. An ep would likely have a better sense of what your event monitor picked up so try not to worry until you talk to them."
Precisely. This is my understanding of Paroxysmal SVT - that it starts on a dime, then stops on a dime, often in the absence of any precipitating sense of agitation, and does not require a 'cooling down' period (whereby the heartrate gradually normalizes over many minutes) to abate. It flips on and off, like a switch.
I did not have such an on/off experience.
For instance, my recent tachycardia experience , which was caught on an Event Monitor, was 100% typical of all 20-or-so similar episodes I have experienced between age 16 - 35 (events which I had previously understand to have been Panic attacks, but which now, according to my cardiologist, must have been PSVTs as well). These episodes begin with my sitting around my hose and noticing a feeling of amorphous anxiety, like a sense of having adrenaline circulating in my system, and a sense of my heart being "on edge" as it were, ready to accelerate -- I can sense that my heart is "primed", as it were, to begin racing. (I am 100% of aware of my heart beating at all times, every sensation, every beat, every flutter, etc, 24 hours a day, so I am reliably able to report on any change in sensation, no matter how nuanced.) At these times, I try to sit down and relax until this agitation passes.
In the un-averted episodes that end up progressing to full-blown 170+ tachycardia, the sequence of events is as follows. I begin to grow apprehensive that I am about to have another 'episode'. This drives my already agitated, hair-trigger heartrate up another 20BPM, and then I get a bit more anxious and start pacing around, drinking ice water, trying to soothe myself. At this point, I either succeed in pulling myself together and calming down, or, I simply lose all control and my heart rate shoots up another 20 BPM and then another, my anxiety now growing totally out of control. The end stage is that my heartrate approaches 180-200+BPM, and I call a friend/relative (2-3 times in my younger days I called the Ambulance and was given EKG in my home, which showed no abnormality), or take 2mg of xanax and more atenolol and prepare to die (this is the panicky mindset I am in during these episodes).
Never once, during any of my 20-25 episodes, have I been calmly going about my business, to find myself a second later with a 200BPM 'SVT' type event, which then abruptly terminated back to a normal resting heart rate.
It just doesn't sound like Re-entrant SVT. But apparently my cardiologist made the diagnosis on the basis of the entire event being recorded on the EKG Event Monitor. So how can I argue?
is it possible for Inappropriate Sins Tach, PSVT, and Panic Disorder all to coexist in the same person, and for possible 'SVT' and Panic to abate for 9 years?
>>"What drove you to get the monitor seeing how you mention that you have gone some time without incidence?"
I was driven to get a whole cardio workup because I've had a recurrence of panic attacks this year (3-4 so far), and I am a hypochondriac/cardiophobe. I also wanted to finally get some definitive answers re: my Inappropriate Sinus Tach, which causes my resting heart rate to be excessively high, causes exercise intolerance, etc.
I was not expecting to uncover a new, more exotic issue (SVT).
Anyway, sorry for rambling. Everyone can feel free to ignore my posts, as I am just 'blowing off steam', so to speak, as I am very distressed with no one else to talk to.
>"You are correct that they start AND stop in what feels like one beat. If you don't sense that then you may be just having panic attacks. An ep would likely have a better sense of what your event monitor picked up so try not to worry until you talk to them."
Precisely. This is my understanding of Paroxysmal SVT - that it starts on a dime, then stops on a dime, often in the absence of any precipitating sense of agitation, and does not require a 'cooling down' period (whereby the heartrate gradually normalizes over many minutes) to abate. It flips on and off, like a switch.
I did not have such an on/off experience.
For instance, my recent tachycardia experience , which was caught on an Event Monitor, was 100% typical of all 20-or-so similar episodes I have experienced between age 16 - 35 (events which I had previously understand to have been Panic attacks, but which now, according to my cardiologist, must have been PSVTs as well). These episodes begin with my sitting around my hose and noticing a feeling of amorphous anxiety, like a sense of having adrenaline circulating in my system, and a sense of my heart being "on edge" as it were, ready to accelerate -- I can sense that my heart is "primed", as it were, to begin racing. (I am 100% of aware of my heart beating at all times, every sensation, every beat, every flutter, etc, 24 hours a day, so I am reliably able to report on any change in sensation, no matter how nuanced.) At these times, I try to sit down and relax until this agitation passes.
In the un-averted episodes that end up progressing to full-blown 170+ tachycardia, the sequence of events is as follows. I begin to grow apprehensive that I am about to have another 'episode'. This drives my already agitated, hair-trigger heartrate up another 20BPM, and then I get a bit more anxious and start pacing around, drinking ice water, trying to soothe myself. At this point, I either succeed in pulling myself together and calming down, or, I simply lose all control and my heart rate shoots up another 20 BPM and then another, my anxiety now growing totally out of control. The end stage is that my heartrate approaches 180-200+BPM, and I call a friend/relative (2-3 times in my younger days I called the Ambulance and was given EKG in my home, which showed no abnormality), or take 2mg of xanax and more atenolol and prepare to die (this is the panicky mindset I am in during these episodes).
Never once, during any of my 20-25 episodes, have I been calmly going about my business, to find myself a second later with a 200BPM 'SVT' type event, which then abruptly terminated back to a normal resting heart rate.
It just doesn't sound like Re-entrant SVT. But apparently my cardiologist made the diagnosis on the basis of the entire event being recorded on the EKG Event Monitor. So how can I argue?
is it possible for Inappropriate Sins Tach, PSVT, and Panic Disorder all to coexist in the same person, and for possible 'SVT' and Panic to abate for 9 years?
>>"What drove you to get the monitor seeing how you mention that you have gone some time without incidence?"
I was driven to get a whole cardio workup because I've had a recurrence of panic attacks this year (3-4 so far), and I am a hypochondriac/cardiophobe. I also wanted to finally get some definitive answers re: my Inappropriate Sinus Tach, which causes my resting heart rate to be excessively high, causes exercise intolerance, etc.
I was not expecting to uncover a new, more exotic issue (SVT).
Anyway, sorry for rambling. Everyone can feel free to ignore my posts, as I am just 'blowing off steam', so to speak, as I am very distressed with no one else to talk to.
SVT is a very common disturbance, you're not alone. If you had an episode of self limiting SVT, where it returns to normal without needing intervention, it's really not of much concern since you've already been examined. Your cardiologist would not have you wait until July if there was any concern about the stability of your heart, you would have been sent to the hospital. You knew you had a rapid heart rate, attributing it to anxiety, and have lived with periodic bouts of it much of your life. Naming it and providing technical jargon does not change anything, even if you have SVT, are sent to an E.P., and he/she advises an ablation, at this point you don't have to agree. I went to one E.P., he offered to ablate my PVCs before we even talked, I did not return to him. I went to another and told him flat out that I was not there for an ablation, and we talked medication. Just because a doctor says something, especially concerning a disorder that is considered benign and that you have lived with, doesn't mean you have to take action.
Hold in there.
Hold in there.
First of all if you have any questions you have every right to ask the doctor for clarification. Doctors are busy so they will rush past us but you have every right to stop them and insist that they explain things to you better. Since the moment is past you can call the office with questions and ask that someone get back to you. Be persistent. It is your life and you deserve to have answers to your questions.
Secondly and I don't know if this will be a comfort or not but if you do happen to have accessory pathway svt then you will likely not be able to stop it from never happening again. It is just the nature of the condition. But if you sense that you do not have the accessory kind then trust your instincts. You are correct that they start AND stop in what feels like one beat. If you don't sense that then you may be just having panic attacks. An ep would likely have a better sense of what your event monitor picked up so try not to worry until you talk to them.
What drove you to get the monitor seeing how you mention that you have gone some time without incidence? Are you seeing someone for your stress and anxiety. It is really important regardless of what type of svt you have that you get a handle on your stress. If you are uncomfortable seeing a doctor about it think about trying meditation or yoga. The fear you are producing is actually causing you a lot more symptoms then you would have if you were able to find stress release. I know easier said then done but really honestly and truly it will do you a lot of good to get it under control.
Finally if you do happen to have an accessory pathway svt you are under no obligation to get it fixed. There are techniques you can use to get an episode to stop like holding your breath and bearing down as you would if you were straining to go to the bathroom or you can try drinking a really cold glass of water or even jumping up and down. If you are able to get the episodes to stop in a quick matter of time then you may never need an ablation. It would be totally up to you.
In the end nobodies heart is perfect. Virtually everyone's heart will act up at one point or another. But it is a very very strong muscle and it can handle a lot and still keep going quite well. Focus on that and not on all the odd feelings you are having and maybe you can get over a bit of the stress this is causing you. It is really important that you shift your focus if you would like to get past your stress and anxiety. Best of luck and keep us posted on how you are. Take care.
Secondly and I don't know if this will be a comfort or not but if you do happen to have accessory pathway svt then you will likely not be able to stop it from never happening again. It is just the nature of the condition. But if you sense that you do not have the accessory kind then trust your instincts. You are correct that they start AND stop in what feels like one beat. If you don't sense that then you may be just having panic attacks. An ep would likely have a better sense of what your event monitor picked up so try not to worry until you talk to them.
What drove you to get the monitor seeing how you mention that you have gone some time without incidence? Are you seeing someone for your stress and anxiety. It is really important regardless of what type of svt you have that you get a handle on your stress. If you are uncomfortable seeing a doctor about it think about trying meditation or yoga. The fear you are producing is actually causing you a lot more symptoms then you would have if you were able to find stress release. I know easier said then done but really honestly and truly it will do you a lot of good to get it under control.
Finally if you do happen to have an accessory pathway svt you are under no obligation to get it fixed. There are techniques you can use to get an episode to stop like holding your breath and bearing down as you would if you were straining to go to the bathroom or you can try drinking a really cold glass of water or even jumping up and down. If you are able to get the episodes to stop in a quick matter of time then you may never need an ablation. It would be totally up to you.
In the end nobodies heart is perfect. Virtually everyone's heart will act up at one point or another. But it is a very very strong muscle and it can handle a lot and still keep going quite well. Focus on that and not on all the odd feelings you are having and maybe you can get over a bit of the stress this is causing you. It is really important that you shift your focus if you would like to get past your stress and anxiety. Best of luck and keep us posted on how you are. Take care.
I should clarify that I am pretty certain (and my old family doctor agreed with me) that I suffer from one of those andrenergic/autonomic dysfunctions, which all seem more or less interrelated (POTS syndrome, Inappropriate Sinus Tach, MVP syndrome, DaCosta Syndrom, Dysautonomia, etc).
I fit the description perfectly. I have extreme adrenal sensitivity, heartrate rises significantly when standing as opposed to supine/sitting, heat/exercise intolerance, PACs, heartbeat "awareness", fatigue, etc.
I have always assumed this umbrella diagnosis (of some kind of autonomic/nervous system dysfunction) nicely accounted for all of my symptoms, including my anxiety/panic.
Furthermore, my experience does not seem consistent with SVT at all. My tachycardias are never of instantaneous onset, in the absence of panic feeling. Never. So I am hoping that I will be told that I am not suffering from any re-entrant SVT, because I don't think I could contend psychologically with having an ablation/heart surgery.
I fit the description perfectly. I have extreme adrenal sensitivity, heartrate rises significantly when standing as opposed to supine/sitting, heat/exercise intolerance, PACs, heartbeat "awareness", fatigue, etc.
I have always assumed this umbrella diagnosis (of some kind of autonomic/nervous system dysfunction) nicely accounted for all of my symptoms, including my anxiety/panic.
Furthermore, my experience does not seem consistent with SVT at all. My tachycardias are never of instantaneous onset, in the absence of panic feeling. Never. So I am hoping that I will be told that I am not suffering from any re-entrant SVT, because I don't think I could contend psychologically with having an ablation/heart surgery.
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