Tachycardia Concerns!

[Intandem]

I have been diagnosed with Supraventricular Tachycardia along with a sinus arrhythmia. This is a result of negligence on my part and not watching what substances I put into my body.

I am only 21 but experience SVT (or PSVT?) on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, depending. I'm not quite sure what triggers my SVT but it is quite nerve racking. I experience chest-discomfort on a daily basis and also find it difficult to catch a full breath, although I do if I try yawning a few times.

I have quit smoking cigarettes, marijuana, drinking alcohol, and partaking in other substances (stimulants) for over 2 months now.

I am quite frightened, to the point where I am afraid to go for walks as the last episode was triggered going for a brisk walk after returning from seeing my doctor who gave me my diagnosis. I sometimes feel a light sensation in or around my heart area, a butterfly sensation along with a light discomfort when I breath at times (although this may be in my head?).

I have been prescribed Teva-Dilitizem, taking one 30mg tablet daily. I have been on it for only a few days now but do not notice any effects as of yet.

I am concerned about my health and whether or not I am in imminent danger, especially whilst exercising. I've had 2 ekgs performed as well as an echocardiogram and they've all returned positive results except for the sinus arrhythmia and SVT that a holter monitor picked up (heart rate shot up to 170). I believe my cardiologist also said my left ventricle is slightly enlarged but that could be due to stress.

These palpitations are driving me crazy and I am paralyzed by fear in not knowing when the next episode of SVT will occur. So now I don't move anymore than I have to.

My main inquiry is how much danger am I in? Is it safe to exercise (mainly walking) with SVT? Even when I experience SVT whilst walking at times?  If my echo came out fine but I still have SVT/tachycardia, does that mean my heart is healthy and can take the palpitations/SVT without risk of sudden death or atrial fibrillation/ventricular tachycardia? Do you recommend that I exercise anyway and that it is safe to do so? My doctor told me exercise is good for the heart and to cut down if I experience palpitations. Well that same day while walking I had an episode and sat down to get my heart rate down while trying to take deep breaths and not panic. I hate this!!! Anyhow, I am hoping for a 2nd opinion from someone who may have an idea of what I am going through! Thanks!

[itdood]

sinus arrhythmia is perfectly normal.  

Dang I wish they would stop noting that on ECGs.  In fact, it's much more worrisome when sinus arrhythmia ISN'T present, but I digress....:-)

What type of SVT do you have?  If the episodes are sinus tachycardia, perhaps you are getting scared when you feel a palpitation of some sort and driving the rate up that way?  It's not uncommon for someone your age to drive the rate up towards 180 or so by getting panicky, and this can happen really fast.

[Mom2four85]

I have concentric LVH, an enlarged heart, HOCM, valve problems, malignant arrhythmia's, PVC's, VT, PAC's, SVT and was advised by my dr's not to exercise the month or so before my ablation until they finished all my testing...afterwards I was told to walk as much as I could and felt like it; but it's best to ask your dr and make sure in your case.

[Intandem]

My cardiologist sent my results from the ekg's/ecg/holter monitor up to London which is the best cardiology center in Canada in order to catch anything she might have missed, my next appointment isn't until the end of January I am assuming as she said it could take anywhere from 3 to 6 months to get in contact with the other hospital/center.

She seemed confident in letting me go home but I still have this thought in the back of my head that something's not quite right. Oh well I've got to put up with this I suppose. We'll see if the medication takes effect in a month or so.

[Intandem]

Thanks guys, I've been reading up on enlarged left ventricles and it doesn't sound good, but my doctor said it could be from stress.

Is walking a good thing to do? Does it strengthen the heart or would I need to do something more intensive (which at the moment I shouldn't until i figure out what's going on with my left ventricle?)

[MichelleP_3811]

Just a side note on possibly what you felt in your class.  I had what is called avnrt.  It is a reentry tachycardia where there is a secondary pathway into the avnode.  I also had pvcs that are an extra beat arising from the ventricles that then cause the sinus rhythm to pause a beat.  It was the pause that would allow the secondary pathway signal to reach the center of the avnode and then get stuck in a circle whereas the electrical signal would go out the entry path and then back around.  There is a lot of literature online to help explain it a bit better but generally if you had that type of svt your heart rate would reach near 200 or more becasue the reentry path is very short.  But again, you need to get it captured to know for certain what is going on but definitely the disruption of a pvc in the steady beating of your heart will definitely give a reentry svt a change to go off.  

[MichelleP_3811]

Yes, there seems to be a breathing component to my pvcs as well. Sometimes when I breath in the heart will skip a beat but it isn't always on the breath in though my heart rate slows quite a bit when I breath in and then speeds up so it is jumping around a bit when I have the pvcs which may be what gives them a chance to fire.  If I hold my breath for any reason like when I bend down to tie my shoe or pick something up I can have a pvc.  But I can also get them just from changing position.  In any event, bp medicine that regulates your heart rate will show some improvement to the pvcs if there is the fluctuating heart rate component.  The more steady the beat the less likely a pvc will sneak in I guess.  That being said, your second comment sounds more like a reentry svt so you may have a secondary condition not related to the sinus tachycardia but you would need to get that captured on an event monitor to have a proper diagnosis.  If it is something you felt during one of your medical tests then I would say the doctors likely captured it and it was nothing more than the sinus tachycardia but if you didn't have one of those episodes captured then you may want to address those instances with your cardiologist who may give you an event monitor to record such an episode when it happens so long as you have enough of them to capture at least one in a month.  But as I stated before the two types of tachycardia feel totally different.  The Sinus Tachycardia feels like a simple fast heart rate but a reentry tachycardia feels more manic like the heart is beating super super fast.  Obviously only you can say for certain how it feels for you but if your heart all of a sudden starts to beat at upwards of 200bpm without provocation then you may have a reentry svt that could be treated but again you need to get that captured first.  However, if you do have a reentry svt and are able to get it treated and fixed you will still likely have the pvcs since it is a completely different animal.  The svt problem arising from somewhere in the atria whereas the pvcs arise from somewhere in the ventricles.  Completely different sections of the heart.  Unfortunately a lot of people who have an arrhythmia problem generally tend to have more than one issue.  And some of the issues we just have to learn to deal with.