Any ideas on how to get energy back after tachycardia?

[LittleTicker_no1]

Any run of pvc's and tachy usually leave me feeling physically and mentally exhausted- like I know if I move before its over it'll get worse and my limbs just seem to hang off me afterwards along with a nice pulsing headache -but I'm sure I'm not the only one who has this problem though and just wondering if any of you wonderful people have suggestions? :)  I'll try anything at this stage!

[gogetter7]

I am 41 year old female with Raynauds syndrome, IBS, sinus Tachycardia, and low magnesium.  I went to the ER in July and they kept me 3 days they gave me metroprolol which made me worse cause people with Raynauds should not take this medication because it makes your symptoms worse.  I took this for 16 days before I gave in and called the heart doctor and told him to do the abulation surgery and he said after further review he could not do surgery on me because after my egg showed that it was my sinus node and he could not do anything for that.  It is now January and I just finished a 30 day cardio monitoring.  Sinus tachycardia but my magnesium levels are now 1.6 after taking magnesium oxide since my ER visit in July when it was 1.7 I don't understand this when I've taken it daily.  Any suggestions surely someone out there has had these problems.  My spells usually last 15 minutes with rates as high as 180 bpm some shaking and teeth chattering afterward.  I am hoping you or someone replies soon with some suggestions.  Thank you in advance.

[gogetter7]

I also have Raynaud's syndrome and have had sinus tachycardia.  I thought that the Raynaud's was possibly the problem cutting off an artery to my heart causing these spells as I call them that usually last for 15-20 minutes from beginning to end.  Pulse Rate up to peak at 180.  My magnesium levels were low also.  Which is also linked with the Raynaud's syndrome.  My heart doctors (2) when asked if these spells were caused by the Raynaud's their reply was I don't know.  Any info from your doctor and the link?  I am also tired after the spells and sometimes my muscles jerk then I freeze.

[MichelleP_3811]

When you said you caught most of the symptoms but not the worst days what did it miss?  I will say if you had an ablation in November that wasn't all that long ago.  My heart took almost a year to fully calm down.  As well I did find out I can get sinus tachycardia when I become dehydrated after drinking too much.  It is a different issue from my main svt issue which was avnrt so now I have to watch getting dehydrated.  I think you said previously you presented in the ER with a rate of 240.  That sounds like avnrt or something similar.  Does what you are feeling now feel similar to what you use to feel?  I do believe someone else on here had continued issues with some sort of junctional rhythm after their ablation maybe because they didn't quite get everything but I also know after my ablation I had an elevated heart rate.  Not in the 180s but if you are doing things that dehydrate you like going in a jacuzzi then that could be triggering normal sinus tachycardia in your still sensitive heart.  Then again, this could also be something not related to your original svt but is now apparent since your bigger issue has been eliminated.  Like I stated, I had no clue I was also getting sinus tachycardia when I got dehydrated because I thought everything I felt was related to my svt.  I even thought my pvcs and pacs were related.  So this could be a whole other issue altogether.  Just because your blood work came back normal doesn't rule out this isn't being caused by something outside your heart either.  It just means it isn't because your electrolytes were out of balance.  Like I said before a condition like dysautonomia can cause issues with the heart.  But as for sick sinus syndrome or anything else this could possibly be a doctor has to make that evaluation and this is why the doctor is having you wear a heart monitor to try and see if it is something specifically with the heart.  At this point it does not appear he is finding anything to fix (heart issue as the cause) so it could mean that you simply need more distance from your ablation before everything calms down for you or it could mean you just haven't caught the main issue yet.  Some people do wind up having multiple spots that need ablating so you could have a secondary area that wasn't fixed in your initial ablation.  Anyways, at this point just keep the monitor on and see what comes of it as well just take things slow until you feel better.  It is possible with the 40 burns you mentioned before you heart is just trying to heal from all that and it will all eventually calm down.  I don't remember how many burns I had but I don't think it was 40 so your heart could simply just be super stressed out and this will all settle down eventually.  Well hang in there.  I am sure whatever is going on will get resolved as some point.  Just try to stay as patient as possible so you don't add stress to the equation which can aggravate the issue.  Like I said before, your heart is a very resilient muscle.  It is good to hear you are having better days.  It is a sign the heart is hopefully recovering and/or can recover once this new issue is resolved.  Take care and stay strong.  

[LittleTicker_no1]

Sorry my earlier response doesn't seem to have reached you! I recorded most of my events but as you said yourself some of them are hard to catch, I seem to be having pretty okay days right now which although Is good for me is irritating as well as obviously they're not seeing my bad days. My bloods always come back normal, so they're pretty sure it's my heart.. I think. Not getting much info from my cardio other than this is normal for you (not the norm for others) yet he can't see how delibating it is, and yet still wants me to be near a hospital... The cardio I dealt with last time I was in the er thought I might need another ablation, I'm not sure what to do to be honest! Is sick sinus tachy and how would I know if that was it?

[MichelleP_3811]

Sinus tachycardia is hard to treat if that is all it is.  The doctor really does need to try and figure out what it is and where the issue is coming from.  If your sinus node is sick as they say then they can try and modify it or they can ablate it all together and give you a pacemaker.  If it is a run of pacs or something like that they can try and find the spot and that is acting up though technically that is considered an svt as opposed to sinus tachycardia.   Sinus tachycardia however, a lot of times, originates from issues outside the heart.  It could be from meds, or electrolyte imbalances or hormonal issues, bp or breathing issue or disorders like dysautonomia.  It can be a bit difficult to pin down unfortunately.  If you have issues of dizziness make sure you drink lots of water and maybe even invest in compression socks and maybe even add a bit of extra sodium to your diet see if that helps.  

Do you know when you had the monitor on for the two weeks did you record/catch all of your most concerning symptoms?  If not  then keeping the monitor is good because you really do want to catch the main issue.  I know it can be a bit of a bear because heart rhythm issues can be elusive but you do have to keep trying to catch it so that you can get it properly evaluated.  If you do have true svt it likely won't just go away, you will have it crop up from time to time.  However, if you know for sure your worst symptoms were captured then you may indeed only have simple sinus tachycardia and will need to look elsewhere other than the heart to correct the issue.  

[LittleTicker_no1]

Hiya, well doc says it's sinus tachy, doesn't want to do anything and my nurse is disgusted! I was meant to go away next week but he doesn't want me to go as I won't be near a hospital.... How refreshing! So I've an event monitor on for another two weeks although I'm not sure what that's going to show because I think he's looking for Svt and I clearly don't have that anymore! The last day I had the strange dizziness was about two weeks ago, whenever I got up I couldn't really stand up straight as I was falling around the place! Otherwise the usual dizziness last for a minute or so but usually subsides, I'm just wondering because it's sinus tachy (with the usual runs of pvc's) could he ablate the sinus node?

[MichelleP_3811]

Three recordings may be plenty.  It really only takes one to know what the issue is though be specific with the doctor on whether or not the times you initiated a recording were also times you had your major concerning symptoms.  I had a holter and had symptoms but not the major one so all they caught was pacs and pvcs but not the svt.  I didn't catch that until I had the 30 day.  As for the dizziness, how long does it last.  I have recently had a few very brief times were I felt out of sorts but it really was very quick and I do tend to low bp so it could have something to do with that. It did not seem related to my heart doing anything so not sure yours is or isn't unless you actually feel symptoms at the same time but I can't say for sure unless it is caught.  I think if you get it again hit your recording if you haven't already and make note of the dizziness.  But it could be some sort of vertigo or something else totally unrelated to the heart.  Obviously if things get worse or you actually pass out then see the doctor about it but I know for me that type of thing comes and goes and I don't know that I ever really found a cause for me.  But again mine are usually so fast I almost wonder if they happened at all.  

[LittleTicker_no1]

Thanks for all the tips, I'll bare them in mind! I'd love to see my file but I'm nervous about asking for it! I've been wearing the event monitor and pressing it loads but my nurse said she only got three as the rest were too noisy, so if this doesn't work I'll have to wear a holter for a few days! Yesterday I had a slightly different experience than usual as I was pretty disorientated on my feet -although I couldn't pinpoint why, I kept on swaying and the ground moved once or twice, not sure whether its to do with the heart or what! -have you ever felt anything like that?

[MichelleP_3811]

I do know what you mean your heart is tired after the tachycardia that is why you feel so heavy and it is tough to move.  I had it only twice when my tachycardia went too long but in general my episodes only lasted a minute or two so it didn't tax my heart out too much.  I had avnrt and it is one of the easiest to fix not nearly as many burns.  I cannot say what type you actually had but I know afib can require a lot more burns as well maybe atrial tachycardia caused by a lot of hot spots where pacs are.  The only way to know for sure is to question your doctor about what specific type of svt you had considering svt is a general term for a fast heart beat in the atria.  I would also highly recommend drinking a lot of water if you ever want to go into a hot tub.  I think most people will have an elevated heart rate if they get dehydrated from heat but in your case your heart is still recovering from all it has gone through so you need to be especially vigilant about being as gentle with it as you can.  The headaches are likely due to lower oxygen levels to the brain due to a lower blood circulation from the heart beating too fast.  Try and breath as deep as you can when in tachycardia to try and lessen the headaches.  

[LittleTicker_no1]

My ablation was for Svt, doc said I must have been in it quite a lot as he ablated 40 times! I'm getting an event monitor for two weeks tomorrow and am just hoping to god they can make sense of it, it's frustrating when they can't even figure out what it is and you feel so crap! I was away this weekend and although I know heat sends your hr up anyway, I wasn't expecting a sustained 180 after being in the jacuzzi :L  It's like my body knows when my heart is going a bit crazy and just tries to shut down, everything becomes so heavy? -If that makes any sense to you! What type of tachy did you have ablated? And did you ever get pulsating headaches afterwards?

[MichelleP_3811]

What type of tachycardia did you have ablated?  I am glad to hear your feet are not swollen.  The heart is a very strong muscle and can handle a lot.  It can recover from being overworked from the tachycardia but like I said really just do your best to rest as much as you can.  I am sorry that your ablation in November doesn't appear to have worked.  A lot of times a second ablation can do the trick.  Stressful I know but if it works it is worth it.  Stay strong and keep me posted on how you are doing.

[LittleTicker_no1]

Well I had an echo before my ablation in November, nothing shows up in blood tests and upon the results of my last holster my cardio said I was getting there but I wasn't there yet, then last week I was back in a&e again (even the paramedics and nurses recognize me now!) so he's going to give me an event monitor next Tuesday, I'm just hoping they'll finally reach a conclusion to what exactly is up, I'm trying to stay on top of school as I don't want to have to repeat but I guess you're right, I don't have much time for me at the moment.  I don't actually work out as I find it too much, the smallest pressure seems to send it into tachy so I do try and ignore the strenuous things in life!  I'm not actually on meds, cardio in the er didn't want to put me on anything without knowing exactly what's going on.. My feet are far from swollen as I also have raynauds, I'll say it to my cardio again about the tiredness although he doesn't seem too concerned about it, just gotta hang in there I guess! Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a long reply, I really appreciate it!

[MichelleP_3811]

One thing I forgot to ask.  Are your feet swollen?  If they are has this been addressed by the doctor?  Are you on a water pill?  If your feet are swollen and you haven't mentioned this to your cardiologist it would be wise to address this with them.  But again the best thing you can do for your heart is to give it a lot of tender loving restful care.  Let someone else do the strenuous things for now.   Ok, take care.

[MichelleP_3811]

I assume you have had a full battery of tests to check the health of your heart.  The best advice I can give you is to take it extremely easy.  My pvcs don't do this to me and my tachycardia only did this on the two occasions I let it go on too long.  Other than that I might have had a slightly elevated heart rate for a time after and episode but I didn't feel as exhausted as you get.  It sounds like your heart is getting a bit worn out by it all and any rest you can give it would help.  If you work out I might suggest slowing down a lot at this point until your heart gets its strength back.  I would also recommend telling your doctor how you are feeling.  Are you on meds now?  I believe some bp meds can have some tiring effects on a person so you may need to adjust your dosage.  It could be depressing your cardiovascular system too much.  But talking to a doctor is probably your best bet so they can look at your overall picture to hopefully get you some strength back.