Fastest heart rate ever ... so scared!!

[gothic_beauty]

The most terrifying thing happened to me today!

I was grocery shopping, and not feeling very well: I had been sort of weak and tired all day. I was also really hungry, for some reason, even though I'd eaten no less than usual. I could feel my heart beating faster than normal, and as I've had horrible heart palpitations in the past, I was sort of scared. Then, as I was in the queue ready to pay, my heartbeat paused for a second and then motored ahead at full speed, racing so fast I could hardly even detect where one beat ended and the next began. I grew so dizzy I could barely stand, and I was certain I would either faint or die. The cashier offered to find somewhere for me to sit down, but I thought the best thing would be to get home as fast as possible. My heartbeat slowed enough for me to walk home, but it was still going way too fast and I was so afraid. I'm certain it reached 200 beats per minute: it was the fastest heartbeat I have ever experienced, even during the most intense exercise.

I'm so afraid to leave the house now, for fear it will happen again and cause me to faint or die in future, as I feared it would do before. How dangerous is a heart rate that fast? I've heard so much conflicting information on the subject: some people say that a healthy heart can beat at over 200 beats per minute for weeks on end with no problem at all, but others say that after a few minutes only, a heart rate that fast can cause blood clots that could kill you instantly. I don't know who to believe, and I really don't want to die so young! Why, oh why, can't my heart just behave?!

[ThatSuperGuy]

You could have had an episode of SVT (super ventricular tachycardia) or VTACH (Ventricular Tachycardia)

[tom_h]

The EKG may have indicated "Atrial Flutter", but what you were given to slow your heart down, Adenosine does not work with atrial flutter.  What you had was most likely supra ventricular tachycardia, or SVT, especially if the physician mentioned "alternative pathways" better knows as "accessory pathways".  Ablation is your best bet to rid it completely and positively.  Many of us have had it done, and have lives free of SVT.

[kecuia]

It happened to me at work.I happen to work in Er.My heart rate was 225.They immediately put me on the monitor and did EKG.EKG read Atrial flatter.All tests came back normal.They had to inject me with Adenosine to slow the rate down.I was advised by the doctor to be evaluated for alternative pathways and possibly get an ablation.

[achillea]

Wow, Sooze, that's a helll of an experience!  You write about it really well, too.  Seriously, I think you should consider submitting that account to a magazine.

I am glad it all came out sort of well for you.  Tom-h's advice should reassure you, and thank goodness for those on this board who have gone through such things and can offer advice based on that.

From my own experience, I would advise you never to try to 'work through' knee pain.  Look up chrondomalacia, and consider avoiding (especially) squats and running, or any high impact things for a while.  Ibuprofen, ice, and the stationary bike are your friends for now.

[tom_h]

I don't want to make light of your experience.  But this sounds to me of an ER overreacting to an incident of (P)SVT.  285 is high for someone of 56 years of age.  Mine were around 225 by the time I hit 60. Until I found this site, I never had encountered anyone else who had multiple incidents of sustained SVT.  So I suppose when someone rolls into an ER, with a 285 rate, it's treated as an emergency.  The fact is that in most cases as uncomfortable as it feels, a person in SVT is not in a dire emergency.  Heck, if mine hit on my 50 mile drive home form work (which they did sometimes, I'd drive the rest of the route on the interstate.  Many people have short runs of SVT.  It sounds like you as did I, had a sustained run of SVT.  These can last for hours, even days unless halted either chemically, electrically, or by vagal maneuvers which I did for every one of my hundreds of self-sustaining SVT.  If you've had one event, it's very possible that you may have another.  If it happens again, please know that this isn't a dire emergency.  You have plent of time to either halt it yourself, or get to a medical facility where it can be converted.  By the way, at 6 years old, my SVT heart rate was 312 upon admission to Saint Christopher's Hospital in Philadelphia.

[Cheers]

Holy MAN!! What a story. Totally freaked me out, made me grateful and so sympathetic all at the same time. I sure hope you are feeling better and are on your way to a positve outcome. Geez Louise...

[tom_h]

SJ....South Jersey?  If so, what town?

[SJSooze]

I just looked it up and read on the internet (medMD, I think) that heart rates as fast as 400bpm have been recorded without death...  I thought i was special at 285 - Nahhhh.
  
HONEY!!!!   Dont be scared to live your life - this aint no dress rehearsal,  you know!  This is all we get, dont waste it on fear.  Nobody gets outta here alive!

[SJSooze]

So I joined the gym about 3 weeks ago & just last week have been having CRAZY pain in my knees.  It was so bad last week, that in my office I was trying to loosen them up with squats & jumping jacks behind my closed door!  Since all this happend, though, I found out from my Doc that I may be experiencing "runner's knee".  My doc said it's like shin splints of the patellar tendon - EWWW!  & THAT is EXACTLY what it feels like.

Anyway I digress...
So, while doing my office squats & jumping jacks I became tired WAY TOO QUICKLY.  After all, I was up to running 3 times around the strawberry patch in my back-yard (approx 3/4 of a mile)! I didnt know what that was about at the time.  I was determined to work thru the pain & I was going to meet Linda (my trainer) in the gym, so when I got home I grabbed my dog for our warm-up run around the strawberries but I couldn't make it out of the back yard!!!  I couldn't run - like I was crippled!!!  I was ready to cry - Something felt "off", ya know?  So, I went to the gym anyways & talked to Linda.  I said my knees were CRAZY killing me & told her I had the couple previous days where I didnt do anything at all cause I was feeling crybaby!!!  I was hoping she would say that she knew exactly what was going on - but even with my knees she was clueless.  She said, "you know your body pretty good, Susan -  go home if you aren't up to it".  But I wanted to try & work the "kinks" out of my knees so I went up to the bike.  

Not 2 minutes in my daughter called called.  She was stuck in traffic, I'd go get her son, take him home & go back to work out when she got there. That was the plan.  I went & got my grandson, took him home & started some Bubba Burgers but as I talked to him about how to flip them.... both arms went numb & limp.  My face got numb & my lips.  I put my head down & squatted to be closer to the floor if I fell,  but I didnt.  I went to the couch and then a big FLUSH.  Lots of sweat.  My bra felt REAL TIGHT (thats what I thought at first) and then my heart went NUTZ!!!!  

No shortness of breath but a pulse was EVERYWHERE!!  In my chest but also neck, in my armpits, in my groin, in my belly - even in my FEET.  It was crazy! I was using my breathing (lemaze) but it wasn't even making a dent!  So I called my daughter and calmly asked where along the route she was & she said literally at the corner.  I told my grandson to shut off the stove, move pan from the heat and as my daughter tried to walk in - I walked out.  I was whispering & not looking at her so to stay calm.  I knew PANIC would be my enemy.  "You have to drive me to the hospital..."  Just those words - from me??  I'll tell you tho I thought I was having a heart attack & the strongest word I can use for how I felt for myself was "concerned".  I dont get scared very easily.  But I DID NOT WANT ANYTHING TO HAPPEN in front of them.  THAT worried me the most.

The triage nurse was mad because my whole body was pulsing & she couldn't get BP when they hooked me up to monitor.  When she said to other girl, "That cant be right, can it?" we looked over & saw 285 on the  heart beat thingy.   Thats when it all started moving really FAST!!!  

They were yelling and the lights were all big.  "Put her in 2!!"   It was like on TV!  The doctors have tags that say "DOCTOR" & I saw 4 and 2 of them were putting on gloves.  Nurses were hooking me up to another cuff/finger-tip/heart monitor (which now was down to 230 - I actually felt 'better') and another machine that printed out paper over by where my daughter stood.

One Doctor was by my shoulder comforting me & giving me instructions like "bear down like you need to go to the bathroom", "look over there and cough real hard" and he was pushing on my neck.  I could feel blood running down my hand & off my fingertips while the girl was putting the IV in...  I was like "YO!  you OK down there, Sweetie?" She said "Sorry, making a mess at the end of my shift".  People were yelling out TIMES & miligrams and stuff like "Who's writing?" "I'm writing!!" - It was quite the circus.  

The doc by my shoulder looked worried when he told me they were giving me some medicine , and I might feel some kinda way about it.  Somebody yelled "7:43 pushin 6..."  "OK Push it" then everyone got quiet !!!!!  I felt exactly what I readied myself for - some kind of wave of uncertainty. I didnt know what to expect & couldnt tell you what I felt.  Now I was watching all the people in the room & by now there was a bunch of them -  watch me - watch the monitor...  watch me - watch the monitor...   Then they all yelled at once - "There she goes, Right back up!" "We have 234!"    

Then one guy says, "Lets get the line closer to her heart.  I'll use 14" and he started doing stuff to my IV.  Then the doc by my shoulder yelled "Let's try 12 this time" and then said to me "we are going to try it again with a bigger dose - Dont worry it'll only be a few seconds, dont be afraid, it will be OK."  He was holding my shoulder in a comforting way but tightly... I wasn't afraid or anxious.  I kinda just put myself in their hands - I asked him very calmly, "Do you know what is happening?  What is going on?"  My brain couldn't process it at the time but he said, "We're gonna use medicine & stop your heart"...  What I heard was - "We're gonna use medicine &  stop your heart from acting crazy like this".
  
Then the same crazy yelling started - stuff about "12" & then the quiet again.  But this time I felt a little weird something more - kinda more of a panic & I dont think it was coming from me - my conscious self.  It was as if my body was panicing all on its own.  It didnt like the flat-line that was so fascinating to every doctor, nurse & student in the room...   It was strange!  But then they started yelling again "There she goes!" "RIGHT BACK UP!"  "Put in the line!" "Big Pinch, hun, Sorry"...  They pulled out what I later saw was the cart with the paddles on it? "CLEAR" like that?  Now the blood running down my hand was spurting...

And then, as fast as it started, it stopped.   It just stopped.  They called it "breaking".  It broke finally.  

There was some discussions and the doc that was by my side went over to printing machine and watched a minute.  He looked over all the papers that had already printed.  He looked up at the monitor behind my head and said "120???   I can live with 120..."  And they all split!   Just like that!  The fun was over!  Nothing to see here people - Move on!!!  LOL!!!   Everyone gone but my daughter, me & the guy putting the LOG of a line  into my arm.  

The cardiologist drew pics on my sheet explaining PSVT & listened to me whine about coffee & migrains.  So I have to learn to drink water & cold turkey coffee.  I complained that since I quit smoking almost a year ago I gained 40lbs - that is why and he said No.  He saw NO correlation between my weight gain NOR my recent diet and attempts to loose it!?!

The echo & nuclear Cardiolite Treadmill test all went fine.  Doc said I have a 30yr old heart.  He said it was the first episode in 56yrs and may not have another for at least another 56.

I got my ER report & took it to my friend & family doc.  It classified me as "critical" - that freaked me out!  I had NO IDEA!  And then he asked "Did you see your own flatline?"  AWWWWE Man, NO!

[jkfrench]

Several years ago, I had a really bad attack.  My heartrate paused then took off.  It was clocked at 220 when the paramedics got to my house.  They also told me I could die and took me to the hospital by ambulance.  When I got  to the ER, they put a moniter on me, diagnosed me with PAT (which is svt), told me it was NOT life threatening and handed me a sheet of paper with instructions to follow up with my cardio.  This paper also offered techniques to try and stop the svt at home.  (like splashing cold water on my face, bearing down, lying on my back on the floor etc).  They were going to push that drug you were talking about, but I didn't want them to and opted for 1/2 of atenolol.  This stopped it within 10 minutes.
My point is, try not to worry until your are diagnosed.  There are a lot of benign arrhythmias.  Those paramedics had me scared to death.  When I saw my cardio (with the strip from the ekg), he told me that I would not die from this.  My heart was going over 200 AND, throwing pvc's at the same time.  It was all over the place and it was scary.  It was also going on long enough for me to call my brother to come watch my daughter, dial 911 and get to the ER.  It was probably beating at 220 (and irregular) for almost an hour.
I truly understand how you feel.  They put me on atenolol (just a small amount) and through the years, these attacks have become less and less.  I think my last svt attack was 2 years ago.  That was compared to it happening about 4 times a year.  (not often enough to warrant  an EP study according to my doctor)
But, it could happen anytime because my pacs, and pvcs are still with me.  
Hang in there.  Let us know what the doctor says.

[pinklulu11]

Just like everyone else, Im scared.  I've always had a higher heart rate then most, dr's never said much until in my late teens when I was diagnosed with anxiety.  Never took meds for it or anything. It would go away for a year or years and then come back.  I suffered pretty bad.  In my late twenties Iearned to control with breathing and other exercises.  My HR wouldn't get to high..maybe 125 at the most, but only last a short time. Well anyway, this past weekend I was out to dinner and afterwards while driving home my heart just started racing and it felt like it was pounding HARD.  Never had that, not even while working out.  Went to ER and they gave me that med that they Push fast through an IV and it almost stops your heart to bring it back to normal.  They did it twice!   Then they gave me anxiety meds and a beta blocker... I was a total zombie but my HR did come down, but it took maybe a good 45 min to get into the 90's.   They took blood, ekgs, etc and sent me home. OMG!  I slept the next day.  I couldnt even walk.  I read alot of posts on here about people having these rapid heart beats, but they just waited them out???  My ER doc said you can die from it and that is why they jump started my heart.  It was a horrible experience.  Its like you die for six seconds.  I just cried.  I still cry. I had a follow up visit to DR.  did another ecg and more blood work.  Got to wear a holter next week,and in two weeks do a stress test.  I started on beta blockers today. Metropol? The first couple hours I felt bad..then it kinda just was fine.  But at first it did feel like it made it hard to breathe..but figuring that was my anxiety..cuz i HATE meds and I held that pink pill in my hand for a hour before I actually stuck in my mouth.  My dr. told me I HAD to take it!!  I felt I had no choice.  I took it at 530pm though which was a mistake cuz i have to take it twice a day..and im thinking at least ten hours apart??  So, Im not gonna take another one until 9am...and next at 9pm so I can get on that schedule.  I hope nothing happens inbetween that time of when Im supposed to take it 530am-9am.  It was my first dose, so im thinking it will be ok.  sigh*  Dr.s do NOT give you enough info!!  Ok, so I haven't been able to sleep now.  Been up all night.  SCARED to sleep because of this.  I try to relax but I cant, its bad and all i want to do is cry.    So if anyone can give me some glimpse of hope that would be great.  And what do u think of having to get that IV push that pauses your heart to get it back to norm? anyone else have that?  Its HORRIBLE.  I need advice on how to live a positive life again?  I feel like Im a ticking time bomb.  Please help!  Thank you! xoxo

[gothic_beauty]

Didn't know that about nurses: interesting ... thanks RNRita! Wow, too many abbreviations for me too. I'll have to study up! However, it sounds like I had some sort of SVT as my heart rate was so high.

[RNRita]

I think people get screwed up by regular ST and SVT, too.  Sinus tach is a HR from 101 to 150 and it originates in the atrial chamber like PAT.  SVT is supraventricular tach and it is a HR of 151 - 250 and originates above the ventricles.  This is to distinguish it from V-tach.  There are a ton more that spin my head, as well.

[Mom2four85]

PSVT is Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia; I think PAT & PSVT are the same thing? I don't much about upper chamber stuff though :P so I could be wrong...all these abbreviations still leave my head spinning.

[RNRita]

Just a quick one here.  A nurse cannot do an EKG without a physician's order in a hospital setting.  I would do one in a heartbeat (pardon the pun) on many people, however, if an RN ever did an EKG before at least a verbal order, she would be written up and could lose her license.  Better off calling 911, asking for a medic unit, and tell them you have heart problems.  They can hook you up a lot faster and the whole event is recorded.  Just had to say something cuz I saw the "stupid nurse" comment, and (not saying she wasn't) but I know a lot of people blame nurses for things they don't understand....I'm just saying...:)  

[gothic_beauty]

Thanks for the info, is_something_wrong! Wow, sorry for what happened to you at the ER ... I don't think a nurse should ever refuse an EKG to anyone experiencing tachycardia! Believe me, I would have been screaming at her too if it was happening to me. These episodes are just so scary. It's so easy to tell myself they're harmless when they aren't happening, but when I'm in the middle of one, my mind just shuts down and I can only think that I'm going to die. I think that my Holter monitor actually didn't show any abnormal rhythm, only a very fast heart rate ... that's why my doc thought anxiety was my only problem. Low blood sugar does seem like a very likely cause though, now that people mention it here. I am always dieting, so I don't always eat as much as I should, and am often hungry. Never had these problems before I started dieting either ... hmm. Heart has been OK since that one episode, although possibly a little faster due to my increased worries about future attacks :(

[DeltaDawn23]

Cindy is right on about the triggers.  Caffeine, lack of sleep, stress, low blood sugar.  Sitting down and doing breathing exercises helps me.  Once I get my breathing slowed down, my heart usually follows.  I chewed 2 asprin my last afib episode and it began to subside over a 3 day period -- I saw the doctor twice during this time.  I definitely would check in with your doc if your heart rate stays high.

[DeltaDawn23]

PAT is paroxamal atrial tachacardia.  PAC is premature atrial contractions.  What is PSVT?

[kbug1013]

What does PAT stand for? I have PSVT that seems to come on out of the blue. Most of the time around my monthly cycle.  I am 45 peri-meopausal.  My HR will get to 180-200. I am considering ablation.  It's makes me afraid to live anymore.  I want my life back!!!!!!

[is_something_wrong]

Sorry for the spelling mistakes, writing from my iPad with Norwegian spelling check.

[is_something_wrong]

Funny, the same happenes to me a year ago, strangely enough om my way to the emergency room. I remember I was screaming to the nurse, asking for an EKG but the stupid nurse refused. Really a shame because it would be interesting to know what rhythm I had. Now I have a note from my GP allowing me to get an EKG anywhere if I ask for it. But my heart is acting fine now when my anxiety is gone

I agree with Curmugden, low blood sugar can trigger this. What rhythm did you record on the Holter? You probably had some kind of supraventricular tachycardia, but it's possible it did origin from the sinus node. The dizziness is another story. When we exercise at high heart rate, the muscles squeeze blood back, allowing the heart to fill. With anxiety or responsive high heart rates (like the one hypoglucemia causes) or arrhythmias, this doesn't happen and you get dizzy.

[jkfrench]

I get those episodes about 4 times a year.  Heart pauses, then takes off.  I actually did go to the EF and it was diagnosed as PAT.  My heart was beating at 220.  I was told it wasn't life threatening but man it was and still is scary when it happens.
I know you don't want to take drugs, however I really believe that the 1/4 of the 25mg of atenolol is helping with my problem and I wouldn't go a day without it.  1/4 is only a little over 6mg and almost nothing.  My doctor said it was like peeing in the ocean.  But, that is what works for me.
Just a thought.
Oh, my doctor also told me that yes it was scary but I won't die from it.  Hope that helps.
Jodie

[curmudgen]

Hypoglycemia is the fancy term for low blood sugar - You initial symptoms reminded me of how I have felt when my blood sugar dropped well below normal. Your brain needs a steady supply of sugar (glucose), for it neither stores nor manufactures its own energy supply. Hypoglycemia may cause these signs and symptoms:

Light headiness
Dizziness
Heart palpitations
Tremor
Anxiety
Sweating
Hunger

Just a thought.

[gothic_beauty]

And Cindy and Lisa, I'm sorry for the problems you've had. Although, I guess it's good to know that these types of health issues can be lived with and overcome. I will try to calm down and believe in my body's ability to survive, as you suggest.

Best of luck to all (including me!)  ...