Svt @ 176 bmp Please Help

[Spoiledbrat0627]

Hello, I am a 22 year old female. During my 2nd trimester of pregnancy I started experiencing rapid heartbeats, hot flashes and loosing concious. I passed out several times. I was in the hospital for a week and nothing came up. I had a 24 hour ekg and nothing showed. The symtoms went away in my 3rd trimester. I have my baby in November. Everything was normal and he was a heatlhy little boy. Lately I have had been getting hot flases again and dizziness but nothing bad. Well Yesterday I was at work. I had only been there about 45 mins. I work at a local hospital and I started sweating, shaking and almost passed out. One of the nurses hooked me up to a monitor and ny blood pressure was 152/88 and she said my heart was 176 SVT...
After getting worked in the bed and everything..My heart rate came down but only to about 110..and stayed there for some time. I had a ultra sound done of my heart and Im waiting for the results. My blood work came back ok. During these episodes my hands go numb. I am still having some dizziness. I go to see a neurologist tomorrow and go for an mri of my head. I am kinda courious to know what is going on. Anyone else experience this? Please help.
I am 22 no hx of heart problems of me but in my immediate family there are.

[Moony37]

Your situation sounds just like mine.  I started in with SVT (120-160+ bpm, same symptoms as you) when I was 10 weeks pregnant with my younger son (I was age 22 and worked in a hospital also, weird!), prescribed meds and eventually bedrest to control it.  They called it a "reactive heart" and said it'd probably go away after he was born.  I went off the meds when he was born and had no problems until two years later and beyond.  Long story short, I've now got the official diagnosis of SVT and am on metoprolol 100 mg that does a very good job of controlling it.  I still don't know the reason for mine (investigating other cardiac issues right now) but if meds control it I'm happy.  

I was told mine isn't classic SVT, in that it doesn't end as quickly as it starts but rather slows down on its own, and it sounds like yours isn't either but that's not necessarily anything bad.  My hands will go numb when my heart is racing, as well as my face if it's really racing along (sometimes pins and needles, too).  I've been told that's from hyperventilating and to take long, controlled breaths to even things out.  This is hard because my instinct is to pant from the shortness of breath, but it works.  Laying down on my left side makes the effects of the SVT less extreme for me, including getting rid of that feeling that I'm going to pass out.  Decongestants and caffeine kick off the SVT for me within a few minutes of taking them and they seem to be fairly common triggers.  

I don't know what else to tell you but to hang in there.  It's frustrating, I know, when it just happens out of the blue.  You're getting good care, though, so good luck.

[LukeL]

It could be anxiety or panic and even depression. I am sure you were checked for gestational diabetes so that probably isn't an issue. What kind of heart problems run in your family, remember it is usually only important if it happens before 60-65 in women and 50-55 in men.

It sounds like you are getting apporpirate care having your heart and brain looked at.

[sugarpea013]

I think the most important thing is to see an Electrophysiologist and have an EP study done. It will trigger these arrhythmias. Could be a reentrant SVT with an assessory pathway, could even be inappropriate sinus tachycardia. Good luck!