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Does PVST show up on a monitor?
Hi guys - I've got a quick question that some of you may have experience with. If someone is having a sustained period of PVST and they are hooked up to a heart rhythm monitor at the time, will the PVST show up on the monitor? And if so do you think a typical ER (A&E) doctor would be able to look at the monitor and see PVST if that is what is happening?
I'm thinking back to the day my heart issues began...I had tachycardia for 2-3 hours and the ER doctors were basically like, "Your heart's beating really fast...that's strange seeing as there's nothing wrong with you." They could not find anything wrong with me besides mild unexplained fever and high BP. They hooked me up to IV fluids but no meds, and the tachy eventually went away along with normalization of BP. I'm now wondering if I could have PVST and am trying to find out more about it.
I'm thinking back to the day my heart issues began...I had tachycardia for 2-3 hours and the ER doctors were basically like, "Your heart's beating really fast...that's strange seeing as there's nothing wrong with you." They could not find anything wrong with me besides mild unexplained fever and high BP. They hooked me up to IV fluids but no meds, and the tachy eventually went away along with normalization of BP. I'm now wondering if I could have PVST and am trying to find out more about it.
Luckily I don't have sleep apnea, but there were some unexplained results on my sleep tests...however, I've gotten a letter today saying that my neurologist recommends I continue with melatonin and practice relaxation techniques and that's the end of my 'treatment'!! I'm pretty upset about it...he was seeing me for Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome, which is recognized as a disability in some countries, so not a minor issue at all. He had previously mentioned other avenues to try, so I'll guess I'll have to call up on Monday and ask why this is suddenly no longer indicated.
My tachy episodes never stop suddenly although they start that way, so maybe it's more likely to be an adrenaline issue than a heart circuitry thing. After the initial episode 3 yrs ago, I had a few days of normalcy and thought I was OK, but then things got really bad - hours-long episodes of feeling I was flooded with adrenaline, high BP, lots of tachy, palpitations, couldn't breathe properly, etc.Thought I was going to die. These 'episodes' and other symptoms like muscle weakness and tremors continued pretty intensively for months, which is why I took the pills - desperate to try anything!
Since that time I have continued to have symptoms and have been back to A&E once, but overall I've very gradually improved over time. Since I still have weird heart behaviour and some other symptoms, though, I guess I'm worried that there's still something wrong, and that whatever it is could still interfere with my heart to a dangerous degree.
My tachy episodes never stop suddenly although they start that way, so maybe it's more likely to be an adrenaline issue than a heart circuitry thing. After the initial episode 3 yrs ago, I had a few days of normalcy and thought I was OK, but then things got really bad - hours-long episodes of feeling I was flooded with adrenaline, high BP, lots of tachy, palpitations, couldn't breathe properly, etc.Thought I was going to die. These 'episodes' and other symptoms like muscle weakness and tremors continued pretty intensively for months, which is why I took the pills - desperate to try anything!
Since that time I have continued to have symptoms and have been back to A&E once, but overall I've very gradually improved over time. Since I still have weird heart behaviour and some other symptoms, though, I guess I'm worried that there's still something wrong, and that whatever it is could still interfere with my heart to a dangerous degree.
Well I'm glad you got your heart checked out and it's in good shape. The sleep test will come in handy to determine if you have sleep apnea which can cause heart problems down the road.
A Holter monitor is fine if you happen to have a tachy time while you're wearing it. If not, then they won't see much.
PSVT is a type of arrhythmia that starts suddenly (within a heart beat), runs fast for a period of time and then stops just as suddenly. So maybe your tachy time 3 years ago was a burst of anxiety. I know I'm a bit of a crank when it comes to meds but if I only had one episode like that, I don't think I'd take the pills. Why medicate for a single circumstance.
In any health care situation, there are going to be some nurses and doctors that simply have a bad attitude. You have to wonder why they're in the business.
Hope you get some answers soon.
A Holter monitor is fine if you happen to have a tachy time while you're wearing it. If not, then they won't see much.
PSVT is a type of arrhythmia that starts suddenly (within a heart beat), runs fast for a period of time and then stops just as suddenly. So maybe your tachy time 3 years ago was a burst of anxiety. I know I'm a bit of a crank when it comes to meds but if I only had one episode like that, I don't think I'd take the pills. Why medicate for a single circumstance.
In any health care situation, there are going to be some nurses and doctors that simply have a bad attitude. You have to wonder why they're in the business.
Hope you get some answers soon.
Hi ireneo, thanks for chiming in again!
I too was not impressed with his anxiety guess, which is what it was. He didn't feel it necessary to refer for any testing whatsoever - he just prescribed an anti-depressant and a beta blocker.
I was already booked to visit my family in America shortly after it all began, and a friend of the family there (cardiologist) checked out my heart at a very generous discount. He did a heart trace, an echo, a stress test and then a stress echo. He found nothing wrong with my heart and said I was slightly above average in terms of exercise tolerance (which was very surprising). So that was reassuring, but it's been over three years now and I am still having some issues.
I've gone to A&E a few times...once they did send the tape to a cardiologist, who didn't bother to look at it and told me I was fine :(. Looking back I can't believe I didn't protest at that kind of treatment. (I feel I should add that normally the NHS is good and I would DEFINITELY recommend a well-thought-out national healthcare programme...I've just been unlucky enough to encounter unsympathetic individuals with regard to this particular problem).
The neurologist I'm seeing for a sleep problem has promised to get me a Holter monitor because he knows the heart issue is still worrying me somewhat, so I'll wait a while longer on that and if nothing happens will go back to my GP and demand further testing.
I too was not impressed with his anxiety guess, which is what it was. He didn't feel it necessary to refer for any testing whatsoever - he just prescribed an anti-depressant and a beta blocker.
I was already booked to visit my family in America shortly after it all began, and a friend of the family there (cardiologist) checked out my heart at a very generous discount. He did a heart trace, an echo, a stress test and then a stress echo. He found nothing wrong with my heart and said I was slightly above average in terms of exercise tolerance (which was very surprising). So that was reassuring, but it's been over three years now and I am still having some issues.
I've gone to A&E a few times...once they did send the tape to a cardiologist, who didn't bother to look at it and told me I was fine :(. Looking back I can't believe I didn't protest at that kind of treatment. (I feel I should add that normally the NHS is good and I would DEFINITELY recommend a well-thought-out national healthcare programme...I've just been unlucky enough to encounter unsympathetic individuals with regard to this particular problem).
The neurologist I'm seeing for a sleep problem has promised to get me a Holter monitor because he knows the heart issue is still worrying me somewhat, so I'll wait a while longer on that and if nothing happens will go back to my GP and demand further testing.
Not to belittle your GP but he's not a cardiologist either. He "thinks" it's just anxiety but did he refer you to a cardiologist for more testing? Did he have the A&E heart monitor results sent to a cardio?
If you continue to have these episodes (beyond the one time you ended up in emergency) I'd say go back and explain that you need to be checked. A heart rate that high is not normal unless you're running a marathon.
If you continue to have these episodes (beyond the one time you ended up in emergency) I'd say go back and explain that you need to be checked. A heart rate that high is not normal unless you're running a marathon.
Thanks for your response. At the time my HR was over 150 but I can't remember exactly what it was...closer to 200, though, I think.
I don't think any tachy episode I've ever had has stopped suddenly, although they very often start suddenly, so maybe it's not PVST after all. The problem is that my GP thinks it's 100% anxiety-related. I've had to rely on other healthcare providers for what tests I have had. I may go back to him and demand further investigations, though. He did once say, "Well, it could be an adrenal gland tumour, but we won't bother testing for that since it's so rare." How lame is that!? He should've either kept that thought to himself or ordered the test!
I don't think any tachy episode I've ever had has stopped suddenly, although they very often start suddenly, so maybe it's not PVST after all. The problem is that my GP thinks it's 100% anxiety-related. I've had to rely on other healthcare providers for what tests I have had. I may go back to him and demand further investigations, though. He did once say, "Well, it could be an adrenal gland tumour, but we won't bother testing for that since it's so rare." How lame is that!? He should've either kept that thought to himself or ordered the test!
All the times I've had to wear a heart monitor they like to see the beginning of the PSVT and the end. A sudden start and stop to the tachy is the classic picture of PSVT. If a person goes in with a raised heart rate, they may write it off as stress, anxiety, fever, pain, whatever.
Do you know how fast your rate when you went in? If it was below 150, they may have written it off as a simple reaction to stress and the low grade fever. Anything over 150 usually gets their attention and they try to fix it.
You may mention this to your regular doctor sometime and see if s/he will order an event monitor for you so you can record the tachy. All you have to do is push a button when it starts. Event monitors are typically worn for 2-4 weeks. It's not so bad. I've done it several times. You get used to it after a couple of days.
Do you know how fast your rate when you went in? If it was below 150, they may have written it off as a simple reaction to stress and the low grade fever. Anything over 150 usually gets their attention and they try to fix it.
You may mention this to your regular doctor sometime and see if s/he will order an event monitor for you so you can record the tachy. All you have to do is push a button when it starts. Event monitors are typically worn for 2-4 weeks. It's not so bad. I've done it several times. You get used to it after a couple of days.
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