How fast is too fast and has anyone else been this fast SVT

[CallaAlexa]

I am 42, have had PAC's, PVC's since my teens.  I have recently been having attacks of PSVT.  I was in the ER for the first time last Friday because my svt stopped and started 3 times in an hour lasting 5-20 minutes per episode. I have had all the tests previously and since this was by far my worst episode of svt I wanted it on tape (I was also short of breath this time which really scared me).  I told my husband I think I need to go to the hospital because of symptoms and I couldnt get it to stop on my own.  I was in bigeminy PAC's all the way to the hospital and for an hour in the ER. I asked the nurse to lay my bed flat as this is usually when the SVT has started, when I lye down, and although I never wanted it to happen again, I very much wanted it to happen there and be recorded.  My bed was laid down for 20 seconds and there it went SVT.  6 people ran in, more monitors, crash cart, hooking a syrenge in my IV, I asked why the syrenge? and he said to stop my heart with a drug and restart it.  Wow, thats scary.  I told him I wanted to try to stop it myself but was so out of breath I gave up and said just do it, then bam it went back to normal, I thought they gave it to me but it went back on its own.  The nurse said I would have known if they gave it too me and said its not fun.
I saw an electrocardiologist on Monday and he, of course, wants to do an EP study and ablation.  He said the rate of the SVT I was having makes it more dangerous especially when I get older. My recorded rate was 230 but my husband saw the monitor say 257.  
I do not want an ablation. Has anyone had SVT at this high rate?  If so did you not get the ablation and control it on your own?  Has anyone had a complication from SVT this high?
I have been on 37mg metoprolol for HBP for about a year and that has now been increased to 50 and slowly going to 100.

[kay2486]

if in were you i would have an ablation, like sian says its safe n easy operation you dont even have to be put sleep or if u want u can.

its not open heart surgery its done through a vein, luckily i have only pvcs if there were really bad  n i got offered an ablation id go 4 it if it meant i could live life to the full again.

one day it ur svt may happen n u could be in the middle of nowhere what would u do then?

go for the op is its offered, good luck :)

[sian333]

Why don't you want an ablation?

It's really not good to be having to run to the ER everytime you go into SVT...it can happen anytime and it can sometimes be unsafe to have an SVT, for example, when you're driving. This happened to me and I nearly blacked out at the wheel. I don't ever want to put other people in danger because of my condition.

Ablations are very low risk and most EP's do them 5 - 6 times a week. They're very common procedures now and very successful. I've only had tachycardia issues for 9 months and that's enough for me! Getting ablation in two weeks.

257bpm....I think you should seriously consider ablation, unless the Metoprolol is working well for you. Metoprolol works OK for me but I still have break through episodes and if I took a higher dose I wouldn't be able to function. I'm already exhausted and sleepy on 50mg [I take 12.5mg 4 x a day]

See an EP and see what his opinion is. I really think you should look into an ablation.

Take care and good luck! : ]

[twinbee]

I did not suffer from svt. I suffered from a-fib, a-flutter and the occasional VT. My heart would go up over 300 during some of my episodes. I too was told that this high rate was too dangerous. I have passed out on numerous occasions due to the fast heart rate. In January 08, I had my ablation done. I have been in NSR ever since.