Possible PSVT

[Liza1996]

Hi! I am a 16 years old girl. Ever since I was around 10 I have been experiencing heart palpitations. One moment I will be fine, and the next my heart will start racing and beating very hard. It is sometimes triggered by physical activity, but is often triggered by simple things like standing up, bending over and picking something up, moving to fast,or even sneezing. These episodes last anywhere from a couple seconds to hours. After the attacks my throat and chest ache and I am extremely tired and drained. I know when an attack starts because my heart will skip a beat and then "click" into this new rhythm until it decides to go back to normal. I often feel light headed before and during these attacks almost to the point where I feel like I will pass out. My vision has blacked out a couple times along with my hearing and tingling in my fingertips.I have discovered that usually I can stop the attacks by leaning foward and putting my head between my legs, or in the summer going into a freezing cold pool so the water is up to my chest.I haven't told my parents yet because until recently I thought it was a normal thing that happened to everyone. I've been doing research lately and thought that they may be panic attacks, but i never felt a sense of fear or anxiety before an attack.Doing further research I think it might be a rhythm disorder specifically PSVT. Could this possibly be it? Is it dangerous? Should I see a doctor? Help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[tom_h]

Part #2
The good news is that most SVT's (there are a number of different types) aren't usually dangerous.  They do however really mess with your life.  It totally disrupted mine and prevented me from reach my full potential.  If you're active and athletic as I was, don't let this happen to you.  I was treated at 60 years old after first developing it at the age of 6.  Please don't let this happen to you.  Do something about it.

Treatment usually starts with drug therapy.  It may or may not work.  There's another high tech procedure called an Electrophysiology procedure where very thin wires are inserted in your leg and threaded into your beating heart.  The source of your SVT is located, and "disconnected" which prevents future episodes.  This is called "cardiac catheter ablation".  Although it is a very complicated procedure sometime lasting 6 or more hours, the patient is either asleep (like I was), or remains still and in a relaxed state.  Recovery is merely a weekend of rest.  I was out shopping 2 days later with only a sore leg to show for it.  Many of us here on the forum have undergone the procedure.  There are several on here presently that have had it done within the past week and who are recovering.

Please show this post your parent so they may understand and investigate your potential heart issue and get you treatment.  I and others are alway monitoring the forum to answer questions that you may have.  While you feel that you may be the only one with this condition, there are many of us here who have experience the same exact thing.  Good luck and keep in touch with us!

Tom

[tom_h]

Part #1
Liza, for 16 years old, you are a very observant young lady!  This is very helpful in finding the correct diagnosus for you.  The triggers that you mention are very common for a person with SVT.  The method you use to stop the event is known as Valsalva.  I used this method to slow mine.  I'd sit on a step which brough tmy feet up to my chest and too a shallow breath and bear down hard for  few seconds.  This always worked for me.  Others here have reported doing headstands to slow theirs.  Other use a shallow pan of ice water and plunge their face into it for a few seconds.

Let us assume that what you're experiencing is SVT.  It's very inmportant to inform your parents so they can get started on finding treatment for you.  SVT is typicall caused by an extra fiber of conductive heart muscle referred to as an accessory pathway.  Many of us are born that way or develop it as our heart grows.  It's good that you can differentiate between anxiety attack and what you're feeling.  For now, stick to your self-diagnosis.  When you're not having an episode, your heart will appear structurally normal and the electrical activity will look normal as well.  Many physicians will stop there and treat you for anxiety. It's only when you have an episode does your heart reveal what is actually occuring.  This is often referred to as "concealed".  A physician can prescribe a small monitor which you wear for 30 days which will hopefully catch an event, and start you on a path for treatment.

[kimtitus]

I'm 57 and I've had the same thing since my teens.  I finally found out what it was when a cardio did an EP study.  My triggers are caffeine of any kind, not enough sleep, twisting my torso, bending over, touching my stomach or wearing tight clothing and a bunch of other things.  Mine happens more frequently when I've eaten too much or eaten fast or other things that cause acid reflux.  Sometimes I just move a certain way and it'll start.  Mine have lasted up to 4 hours or as little as a few seconds.  I also get PVCs and other irregular rhythms but they saw that I have PSVT.  I've been taking Sectral (a beta blocker) and magnesium for over 20 years.  Gaviscon helps with indigestion and you definitely need to talk to your mom and see a doctor.

[ireneo]

Welcome to the forum. Your story sounds very much like mine. I had these odd bursts of tachy starting at a very young age. I remember my heart racing and  pounding while I sat at my school desk. I didn't dare lean against my desk because my body would bounce back and forth and I felt embarrassed. In my 20's I finally found out it was called PSVT. The doctor was able to capture the sudden start and stop of the rhythm on an ECG. It's not life threatening but it can wear you out.

It would be a good idea to mention it to your mom or say something to the doctor the next time you have to go in. Explain clearly just as you have here how it works: sudden start, races for long periods of time. If the doctor does an ECG right then and your heart is acting normal s/he will see nothing out of the ordinary. It would be helpful to wear a small heart monitor for a couple of days to catch one of these.

All the triggers you mention are quite common for those of us with PSVT. But the only way you can get relief is to let the doctor know and discuss options for treating it.

Although I was in my early 20's when I found out what was happening, I didn't get any treatment (none was offered back then) till I was 48. There's no need for you to wait that long.  :-)