Question: How has SVT adversely affected your life?

[Jannie411]

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.)

[Mom2four85]

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.

[DeltaDawn23]

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.

[tom_h]

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.

[Elli126]

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!

[tom_h]

" 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.

[Elli126]

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!