Inappropriate sinus tachycardia....HELP!!!

[Janmarie33]

Ok,so lately I've been having eppisodes daily that have taken over my life. On complete bedrest because of so many episodes with every little move I make. My doctors office just called me and said the monitor is showing im now having ISP. This is a new rythum added to my list of irregular beats,but I will say the worst feeling out of all of them. Very symtomatic with this one. Always feel like my heart is being squeezed,faint,dizzy n very short of breath. Just getting up from a sitting position I have to stand still so my heart can relax cause it feels over exerted. I feel like im 90 years old instead of 33. The dr office told me to change around my meds,but anytime I ever done this it disturbes my other rythums,svt/afib. Does anyone have the same symptoms im having with the ist? Would like to heart similair stories

[madamebrianne]

Hello,

Please look into Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). It is a very unheard of nervous system disorder that prevents the body from being able to properly adjust to the pull of gravity. Therefore, symptoms arise, such as: rapid heart rate upon standing, low or high blood pressure, dizziness, fainting, fatigue, sweating, anxiety-like symptoms, headaches, shortness of breath, inability to exercise, digestion problems, etc. The symptoms are endless and vary person to person day to day. Very few doctors are familiar with this illness and often misdiagnose patients.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Best wishes,
Brandi

[Janmarie33]

@Michellepetkus, I emailed you. Im trying to figure this all out so I know what exactly to bring up to my doctor with my upcoming appointnent.

[MichelleP_3811]

Gosh I wish I had an answer for you.  Have you ask the doctor what the issue with the avnrt is, why they couldn't get it all or of if they did why you still have it or if you still have it.  You stated before in another post you had it ablated 6 years ago correct?  Did you immediately have more episodes or did you go a while before the avnrt episodes came back?  I know initially I had a lot of pvcs and pacs after my ablation.  I had a bout of them probably close to 15,000 a day but in general I was getting thousands a day for a good 6 months and it has taken a year but they are now pretty calm.  But I never once in the past year, besides for a few times it seemed to feel like my heart sped up a bit, but I never had any sort of avnrt episodes.  I would say if you had an episode pretty soon after the ablation that means they weren't able to ablate it all.  If it happened years later it may be that the accessory pathway grew back.  You were in your 20s when you had it done so it is possible your heart healed.  I have read that that can happen in younger people.  As for the IST I generally get it when I have been drinking heavy and it seems to help if I down a lot of water granted I am likely dehydrated from the drinking but I have heard someone else felt better after drinking some water so maybe try it and see if it helps.  But if our main issue is still that you are falling into avnrt I know  I would get triggered by my pvcs.  My heart feels unstable as yours seems to and then the pvc would allow enough time for the signal to get stuck in a loop.  If you are having a lot of pvcs or pacs it is likely what is causing you to constantly fall into the avnrt. But I also wondering if you aren't just getting a lot of pacs and/or pvcs.   I know when I was getting a lot of the pvcs and pacs I felt really sick actually worse then I ever did with the avnrt.  So it is unclear to me if you are having avnrt episodes or if you are just having an inordinate amount of ectopic beats maybe causing you to fall into IST.   When you feel a fast beat are you able to get a reading on how fast?  If it is over 200 it is very likley it is your avnrt or some other form of accessory pathway svt but if it is closer to 150-180 it may be that you are getting ist in response to the ectopic beats.  I really don't know and you will have to question your doctor to get them to be specific about what your issues are.  Have them tell you exactly what they think is going on listing all the issues and what could be triggering each.  They may not be able to give you a full guarantee but they should be able to give you a better understanding of what your issues are then I can based on your symptoms.  You stated in another post you were going to see a new doctor on Thursday,  How did it go and what did they say?  If you didn't get these answers at your last appointment make a new one and have them really lay out for you what they think you have and what they think they can do to help you because it sounds like you are really struggling to function and that is no way to live.

If you still have avnrt find out if another ablation would help.  IST however is not something that really can be ablated unless it is related to a sick sinus.  They can then try to modify the sinus node and see if that would help or they can ablate the sinus node all together and put you on a pacemaker but not sure that would help in relation to the ectopic beats.  I would say if it turns out your main issue is pacs and pvcs try taking some antacids for a little bit to see if it will calm them down.  Pacs and pvcs can be triggered by stomach upsets but if the antacids help then make sure you talk to your doctor about the long term effects of taking antacids.  I believe you need to watch your magnesium levels as they can get depleted from the antacids but talk to your doctor about that.  Also do whatever you can to reduce any stress and anxiety you are feeling.  I know it is hard with everything going on but simply try to do your best to calm yourself when the symptoms arise.  Really try to slow your breathing down as best you can and breath deep.  It may not stop what is going on but it should help take some of the stress off the heart and help you to tolerate what is going on better. And try giving yourself a good coughing or gagging fit when you start to feel your heart is unstable.  This may help to break the signal loose from where it is getting stuck.  It may get stuck again but anything you can do to help it break free from where it is will help maybe even jumping up and down a bit see if that would help.  I know when I was falling into my avnrt it would always stop in the car after being bounced around a bit.  I know these things seem rather just like little bandaids but the point is to try and find something to disrupt the signal so you can gain even a little control over what is going on.  I know you also mentioned that the doctor spoke about trying different meds.  I suggest giving it a try even if it seems other times it caused more trouble then good.  Considering the trouble you are having now it can't hurt and you never know what is going to help it seems worth it to me to try every avenue possible to find some relief.  Well I am not sure if I have been much help.  I do hope your main issue now is only pacs and pvcs and not that you still have avnrt or vt.  If you can get those to calm down and for some they sometimes spontaneously do then maybe you can find some relief for your heart and the ist will go away.  But I do hope whatever it is that is causing you to remain in such a horrible state of dysrythmia can be isolated and corrected or managed at least to a point where you can function.  But do maybe get a bit pushy with the doctors to get them to fully lay out what they think all your issues are and where you stand with them.  Stay strong and keep doing whatever you need to do to get this figured out.  Take care, I am always here if you need to talk.

[Janmarie33]

@Michellepetkus, im confused is to why when I had my ablation why wasnt my avnrt ablated,but all other rythums were. Also is the avnrt what might be causing all my issues? Can avnrt cause the ist and all my fast rythums?

[MichelleP_3811]

I do not have the same issues as you.  I had avnrt that was corrected.  I have sinus tachycardia after a night of heavy drinking only.  I have ectopic beats and short bursts of some sort of run of something but nothing compared to you.  It sounds very debilitating what you are going through.  I send prayers your way that you can get this figured out and fixed or managed so you can begin to function again.  Stay strong and feel better soon.