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Question: How has SVT adversely affected your life?

I'm curious - how has SVT adversely affected your life?  What have you had to give up and how have you had to modify your life because of SVT?

Last night, I was pondering the many ways SVT has changed the way I live over the last 25+ years.  So many favorite foods and beverages I've had to give up, so many activities I no longer take part in.  I've posted a short list of things below.  

Foods, beverages, and OTC medications........No more.....
-  Alcoholic beverages
-  Caffeinated beverages - soda, coffee, tea.   And have stopped decaf beverages as well.
-  Soda, diet soda, and any other beverages containing aspartame or artificial sweeteners
-  Cough and cold medicines - anything with Pseudoephedrine
-  Allergy medications
-  Chocolate - fortunately only have to give this up temporarily until after ablation.

Outdoor & Indoor Activities and other things that will trigger an SVT event.
-  Hiking.....which I absolutely loved.  My heart can't handle uphill climbing.  For whatever reason, walking downhill isn't a problem, only uphill.
-  Climbing stairs - barely able to climb a flight or two of stairs without having to stop.  This has been one of my biggest triggers for SVT.
-  Roller coasters and amusement parks in general.  (And I love roller coasters, the bigger the better!)
-  Exercise - no more walking on the treadmill till my cardiologist gives the OK after ablation.
-  Volleyball - another activity I loved, had to give this up 25 years ago
-  Aerobics - had a really bad SVT event in the middle of an aerobics class - very embarrassing, that was the end of the aerobics.
-  Swimming in the ocean - cold water guaranteed to set off an SVT event
-  Work functions - I used to take a vacation or sick day anytime the company had an employee activity, like going to a waterpark, beach, party, participating in presentations, holiday parties, etc.  Did not want to take the chance of having an attack in a crowd of people.  This gained me the reputation of being "antisocial".  Only my boss and HR knew about the SVT and kept it in confidence.
-  Working out in the yard.  I feel bad that I can't help my husband with the yardwork and gardening.
-  Snow shoveling ...... ok, this was something I didn't enjoy, but nevertheless it's another thing on the "do not do" list.
-  Climbing stairs - guaranteed to set off an SVT event
-  Taking hot showers - guaranteed to set off an SVT event
-  Stooping, kneeling, or squatting - fair chance of setting off an SVT event when I got up.
-  And one of the worst things - being startled by the phone ringing in the middle of the night.  It always set off an SVT event.  (Unfortunately, we're not able to turn off the phone as I have an elderly parent who isn't in the best of health.)

52 Responses
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Avatar universal
I posted a message here in 2013 when I was still having PSVTs. I've had PSVT off and on since I was 10 or 12 years old. I'm 44 now. From age 20 to 40, I'd have between two to four PSVTs every year. I have not had any PSVTs in over four years now. Magnesium helped me. Beta blockers did not really help much. I take 500mg magnesium citrate (or oxide, whatever I have on hand) at night time.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have found that I can sometimes take a deep breath or two and it prevents the SVT cycle. I get a tightness in my neck and slightly dizzy feeling. Also, the last two times, I have tried a friend's suggestion. Lay down on your left side (heart side) on the floor, deep breaths, relax as much as possible. Within 5 minutes it converted on its own. The last several times before that, no other attempts (coughing, bearing down) have worked as they have in the past. It has saved me a few trips to the ER and the horrifying dose of adenosine. However, that does always work.
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Avatar universal
I have found that I can sometimes take a deep breath or two and it prevents the SVT cycle. I get a tightness in my neck and slightly dizzy feeling. Also, the last two times, I have tried a friend's suggestion. Lay down on your left side (heart side) on the floor, deep breaths, relax as much as possible. Within 5 minutes it converted on its own. The last several times before that, no other attempts (coughing, bearing down) have worked as they have in the past. It has saved me a few trips to the ER and the horrifying dose of adenosine. However, that does always work.
Helpful - 0
1423357 tn?1511085442
There have been a couple of people on heremin the past few years who've had cardiac ablations with only onemor two events.  I think your wise in waiting.  I had a nearly a lifetime of them; 6 to 60 brfore mine was repaired.
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Avatar universal
Just an update on the post above. I did the public speech thing and although my adrenaline was through the roof, I did not have a PSVT or a PVC, as I had feared I would.

For some reason, adrenaline doesn’t start my PSVTs. But sudden movements do, and gas and bloating also. A nerve, or something pushing on my atrium is my trigger.

Also this month I drove through the desert of Arizona and through New Mexico, through Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, and Michigan - and all the way back - twice. I used to be too afraid to drive more than 30 minutes from medical help.

On one of that, my wife and I took a two-mile tour through cavern by foot, with no medical help for miles should I had slipped on the slippery walkway in the cavern, which would have easily started up my PSVT.

I've been a little adventurous and risky with untreated PSVT. Exposure therapy actually. My anxiety was getting the best of me.

I did have one PSVT in the middle of nowhere, driving from Arizona to California, in death valley of all places, but I didn't panic. Well, I panicked just a little. But the PSVT stopped and I continued driving. It was a fast PSVT, maybe around 250 to 280 beats per minute and I felt faint. My wife could have taken over driving but I was fine. The PSVT stopped on its own. I had antiarrhythmic drugs in my pocket and even an AED in the car. Probably would have done me no good, but the point is, I'm still alive. PSVT is mostly a benign condition that causes a lot of anxiety for most of us. The exposure therapy has helped some.

I still will not step foot on an airplane bound for a trans-Atlantic flight, and I won't travel more than about an hour or two away from medical help (I won't be doing any camping in the wilderness). My cardiologist recommended against that kind of stuff until I get this fixed one day. But the anxiety is a lot better than it used to be.

I still have PSVTs about once or twice a year. Too infrequent to have a procedure according to my EP, which sux.

Question: has anyone had an ablation with having only between one to two PSVTs per year? My EP won't do it.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
yes, with Kaiser...$30K, 5 hrs., EP could not trigger for 3 hrs, woke me up a bit more, IV stimulant for 1.5 hrs., no trigger. on beta blockers. 3-5 episodes yearly now, 260 bpm average. ANXIETY..about when, where...the tips on the parasympathetic nervous system are one key for control.

Paul
Avatar universal
Yes sometimes if I'm dehydrated, stressed, and tired I get those short 5 to 10 second runs of PSVT but I just hold my breath, relax (to not get my adrenaline going) and if possible, lay down quickly to slow my heart rate. That stops it.

I've been taking Toprol XL for about five years. I take 25mg in the morning around 6am and 25mg around 4pm. The generic versions don't work for me. I had a PSVT three years ago that lasted 20 minutes but otherwise I've only had about one 5-minute PSVT a year. I've had tons of PVCs though.

The main trigger for me is my thyroid. I have thyroid disease and so when I become hyperthyroid, I get PVCs and PSVTs like crazy unless I go up on my beta blocker dose. Magnesium really helps too. I recommend for anyone who has PSVT to also ask their doctor to check their thyroid. My cardiologist said that the cure for PSVT used to be to take the thyroid out, but that's probably worse than having the PSVT in the first place.

I stay away from fat soluble supplements. For example one time I took fish oil and D3, and had so many PVCs that I nearly went to the ER. It took three days for the stuff to get out of my system and the PVCs to go away.

The anxiety of not knowing when it is going to happen *****. But this month I have to give three public speeches and I worry about my adrenaline from performance anxiety starting up the PSVT and making me look like a fool in front of hundreds of people. Hope that doesn't happen.

Richard
Helpful - 0
1464004 tn?1384135733
Hi, I have the same PSVT as you, 250 to 280 BPM. I also take Metoprolol which has brought it down to a manageable level. I get fewer episodes of shorter duration, which I can most times convert myself (I could never do that before). Yes I do get side effects from the drug, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, and some depression. Is it worth it? So far yes, I hate going to the ER (which I'm sure you have read above lol )and until I'm insured, that's about the only alternative. I get the hard beats in SVT sometimes, sometimes not. It also has caused me to have panic attacks for which I am on Ativan PRN.
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Avatar universal
Hey Rich,

I have PSVT with a rate of 250 to 280 BPM as well. it seems everybody has slower SVT. I get very hard beats also, and chest pain during the episodes, and on the monitor my rhythm at that high rate looks like ventricular tachycardia. I'm scared to do anything, anymore. I've developed an anxiety disorder, and panic attacks. I started taking metroprolol, and that has kept me from having a sustained episode for about six months now. I do get little runs that last about 3 to 10 seconds several times per month. Do you get these or just no SVT at all. Also, did you notice any side effects from the metoprolol, perhaps depression or dizziness.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi. I know that PSVT causes a rapid heartbeat (I've had qvrnt PSVTs since age 12 and I'm 37 now), but does anyone else get very HARD and FORCEFUL heartbeats when having a PSVT? When I have PSVTs I get up to 250 to 280 bpm and my heart beats so hard that you can see it. My cardiologist said that's normal for some people with PSVT.

I had PSVTs a few times a week until about age 20 and they've gone down to about once or twice a year since I started taking 50mg of Metoprolol extended release. The beta blocker doesn't help much with the forcefulness but does slow it down a bit. I had a really bad episode in 2006 when I had to have Adenosine for the first time. The paramedics tried 6mg, 6mg again, then 12. Felt terrible but it finally worked. Since THAT episode happened, I've developed anxiety about my PSVT. Although I used to hike and drive alone, I can no longer do that. It makes my adrenaline go just thinking about it and that can start up a PSVT just from the adrenaline.

Because I only have one episode a year or more now, my EP doesn't think it's worth messing with. But the anxiety just knowing that it could happen is  terrible. The scariest thing is driving on long stretches of road where there's no sign of life for 30 minutes to an hour.

Exercise is also very difficult. I'm a man and find it difficult to stay in shape because when I lift weights, especially with upper body exercises, it really does a number on me. I get a few bad beats and if I don't hold my breath, those turn into a full blown PSVT.
Helpful - 0
1423357 tn?1511085442
SVT sometimes occurs during pregnancy, and disappears following delivery.  Most SVT's are harmless, but are frightening nonetheless.  If the SVT doesn't convert own it's own, there are techniques that you can use yourself to convert them to normal rhythm.  Up doing so,will save you a trip to the ER.
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Avatar universal
Im 32 years old and had a attack Im also six months pregnant i never had this issue before . The doctor has not given me meds yet. can u die from this
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Avatar universal
It totaly ruined my life untill my second ablation surgery. Last year I was diagnosed with AVNRT and WPW. I was very active before the symptoms came on. I raced dirt bikes every weekend and I worked out every day. I also work as a full time firefighter, which totally began to slowly crumble due to the fact I could never do anything physical without having an episode of SVT. I was forced to take lots of time off work, which finacially was crippling cause I didn't have enough sick or vacation time to cover some of those days. Mentally I also began to crumble, I could no longer do the things I enjoyed doing the most. I was on anxiety meds, heart meds, pain meds, which totally drains you out. It was the worst year of my life to say the least!!!
Helpful - 0
967168 tn?1477584489
ok this makes sense then...I think mine starts in the ventricles and then goes to the atria which would explain my 10% increase in atrial involvement as well as ventricles...in other words my electrical system is all kinds of confused :P

it would definitely explain the "episodes" I've gotten since surgery that are completely different than previously when it was only pvc's/nsvt runs.
Helpful - 0
1569985 tn?1328247482
What is the difference between SVT or PSVT and Afib?  I have had pac's, pat, short runs of tachycardia and Afib.  My last hospital diagnosis was Afib with rapid ventriicular response.  My atria were quivering and the ventricles not filling properly, therefore not enough blood being pumped around my body and to my brain, not to mention the 180 bpm heart rate.  I have been converted at the hospital with meds, at home after 15 hours, at home after 3 days, and the last time had to be electro-converted after 4 days.

My life changes are: being afraid to drive, go places alone, walk any distance without a resting place in sight, panic -- I can't sit in a traffic jam without room to move if I need to.  It has ruined job opportunities.  I have completely given up soda, coffee, caffeine, chocolate, even decaffinated tea.  I take Atenolol in divided doses and Xanax, and am now on coumadin and have managed to hang onto my job, but stress will send me into a bout of tachycardia.  Breathing techniques help, but not always and I have to leave my desk and find a quiet place to practice them.  I was not taken seriously for years and did not realize a lot of my symptoms were due to the heart condition, then due to the meds, as well as the panic an episode can bring on.  I haven't driven in 3 months, but took a walk yesterday across the campus where I work and managed it without too much panic.  I did stop frequently to rest and talked to my husband on the cell phone all the way over and back.  Walking in to work in the mornings has been a nightmare in this past bitterly cold Michigan winter.  I want to be well.  My sleep apnea is better controlled and my cardiologist thinks that could make the difference in my condition being paroxsymal or persistent or permanent.  I am about to retire and hope less stress will make life more enjoyable.  I'd like to take a walk around the block, walk my dog or go for a bike ride.  pvcs, pacs, and short runs of tachcardia are normal for me.  The Afib episodes can be years or (lately) months apart.  This message board has helped me enormously.  I finally knew my symptoms were real and not just in my head.
Helpful - 0
1423357 tn?1511085442
I never had to be converted.  I was taught at 6 years old how to do Valsalva to slow it down, and that always worked for me. I had SVT probably 50 times per year towards the end I sure thousands of episodes over the 54 years that I had it.  Medication often does little to help SVT, and in some cases may actually create another arrhythmia.  You shouldn't fear the EP procedure, as it's probably safer than messing with the different meds to find one that works.   Check my journal for details on my ablation as well as the expected charges that you will incur.
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1464004 tn?1384135733
Thanx so much for the info, makes sense to me. Did you always have to be converted like I do? I have the same deal, 200 beats per and no self conversion except once. Still tryin to get the finances togethre to see the EP but still chicken about ablation!
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1423357 tn?1511085442
" My ER doc ( the first time I had to be converted ) did use the EXACT words "your heart is running backwards........Do you have any idea what he may have meant by that?"

I'll take a stab at it.
The electrical pulse that is your heartbeat is generated by the sinoatrial node, a bundle of special tissue located on the right atrium of the heart.  The pulse propagates down the heart muscle's conduction pathway to the AV node. This is kind of a gate, delaying
the pulse which gives the ventricles time to fill with blood before contracting. The charge disapates after reaching the ventricles.  In some folks with SVT, me included, an accessory pathway allows the charge to propagate back up, or reverse of what it should be doing.  The returning charge sort of fakes out the sinoatrial node into firing again, over and over.  In my case I had a very good return conduction pathway.  Once started, my heart would remain in tachycardia, in excess of 200 beats per minute until it would have failed.  Only once in 54 years that I had it did it drop out on its own.  My personal condition is referred to as Circular Movement Tachycardia as once the accessory pathway started to conduct, the pulse loops back up causing the SA node to fire again.
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1464004 tn?1384135733
Thanx Irene, you can just chalk that up to my horrible spelling. You wrote exactly what I meant. My ER doc ( the first time I had to be converted ) did use the EXACT words "your heart is running backwards." I thought it was so odd I never forgot it! Do you have any idea what he may have meant by that? I think I get better and more accurate info on here from my fellow Arrythmiacs ( a made up word entirely lol ) than I do from the docs!
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187666 tn?1331173345
Actually if you look up PSVT in any dictionary it will show paroxysmal supra ventricular tachycardia. Paroxysmal means it's a sudden outburst of tachy. PSVT tends to start in the space of a heart beat and will stop the same way. Supra ventricular refers to "above the ventricles."  I can't find the word "paradoximal".  If the rhythm is kicked off in the ventricles I think they refer to it as some kind of ventricular tachy then.
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1464004 tn?1384135733
Lisa, the doc in the ER told me when I was being converted with the Adenosine the first time that the P in PSVT was paradoximal , meaning the SVT was triggered in the lower chambers of the heart rather than the upper. I think that is the only difference and it is the type I get. Self converting only worked for  me once and Adenosine has had to be used every other time!
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187666 tn?1331173345
Mine has been life long so I've grown up avoiding certain things and that's my life.

I don't drink alcohol,coffee or tea; I don't eat too much chocolate; I avoid high sodium foods which trigger fluid retention and more palpitations and tachy bursts. I never run and can only go uphill slowly and carefully expecting to rest as I deal with tachy times. And this is my new and improved heart after the 3 ablations.

Good news is my heart doesn't pop into tachy every time I move and it doesn't last very long. As I sit here answering emails and such, my heart will do little tachy bursts of 5-10 seconds and then settle down again. That's a big improvement and easy to ignore. No worse than yawning or a couple of hiccups.
Helpful - 0
967168 tn?1477584489
thanks Tom; I wonder why some dr's call it different things? Maybe mine put PSVT because I already had VT and S-VT episodes...

I'm going to ask for another holter when I go back in May because on top of my NSVT runs I'm getting what seems like PSVT runs frequently - what I think of pac type arrhythmia but in my throat more and a fast HR

has anyone ever had all types of arrhythmia's daily? ugh this is so frustrating

btw...I know what it's like to be driving and faint..ugh that is a horrible experience - so please be careful driving =)
Helpful - 0
1423357 tn?1511085442
Lisa, the terms SVT and PSVT are as you found out are interchangable..  However, SVT is not chaotic, but rather a super rapid, but relatively normal  heartbeat. You might be thinking of (sustained) ventricular tachycardia which happens to carry the same initials, but is a totally different condition.  The regular albeit rapid heartbeat is why SVT (or PSVT) is usually not life threatening.  There can be a problem in some people with a rate so fast, that the lower chambers cannot fill fast enough, or with an older persons heart not being able to cope with the high heart rates usually in excess of 200 bpm.  But I've heard of folks who've been in SVT for hours at a time without problems.  I'd often find myself on the interstate driving to or from work when one would hit, and I'd sometimes drive to my destination before I'd attempt to convert it.  If not, I'd convert it on the side of the road.  This is something you don't want to do while driving!  Forcefully holding one's breath can lead to passing out, although this never happened to me; dizzy, yes, but never unconsciousness.
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967168 tn?1477584489
Thanks for the responses; I'm still confused but I'm trying to understand this.

running backwards, I wouldn't doubt my heart does that lol it's funky I've found and does all kinds of weird stuff

This article says PSVT - (Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia) means the same thing as SVT which is Supra Ventricular Tachycardia...which is an occasional rapid heart rate that's chaotic or doesn't contract in a coordinated manner with the ventricles...

What I find weird is I didn't get any of this before ablation, only after...but my SA node wasn't ablated.  I have a Pacemaker/ICD and it shows I have NSVT runs about every other day..

I ride a HR roller coaster from 60 (lowest it can go right now) to 200 in a blink and no provocation; dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath - don't even ask me to bend to pick something up or blow dry my hair - that sets off the HR and bp tanking.  

My atria activity went from <1% to 11% in one quarter, so I'm questioning what's going on after reading this thread; sounds like part of what I'm going through too.
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