Anyone have, or know someone who has, SVT?

[lbgbvb]

I'm just taking a shot in the dark here - does anyone have SVT (supraventricular tachycardia)? Its a snazzy term for, "my heart rate suddenly doubles for no good reason."

 

When I was young, episodes were few and far between. Only a minor annoyance in my life. Now that I'm older and running more, the episodes are increasingly unbearable and frequent. I used to have them 2-3 times a year. Now I have them 2-3 times a week - sometimes 2 or 3 in a day. Whether I'm working out or not - they have just increased in frequency over the years.

 

If I'm at rest - say 60 bpm, then my "episode" will only be 120 bpm. No problem. Besides, vagal maneuvers (bearing down) stops the attack in seconds.

 

But if I'm working out, say at 150 bpm, when the episode triggers, my rate is 300 and the vagal maneuvers do not work - at all. Not for 20-30 minutes, until my base rate slows down to where the attack rate is slow enough to allow a vagal. But at 300 bpm, I collapse, see stars, colors get very bright....and I run alone so this is not good. I've not passed out, but I can't muster the strength to even ask passers-by for help. One of the last times I collapsed on the sidewalk I thought to raise a hand toward a city worker I saw doing some maintenance on the side of the road - but looking at his yellow vest was like looking at the sun. It burned. So I looked down at the grass for 20 minutes until I could do a vagal. Then I was fine!

 

I've been seeing a cardiologist and they want to ablate. In fact, I'm due to have the procedure next month.

 

My family is angry with me and just wants me to stop exercising. Stop doing anything that increases my rate over 60 and just live with 2-3 attacks a week and do my vagals. I have seen two cardiologists and they both said, "No, you do not have to live like this. You have a right to exercise and you should exercise!"

 

Then again, I'm a bit nervous about having heart surgery - even if this is considered a pretty minor procedure. Its still scary.

 

The Internet is full of lovely success stories. I watched tons of YouTube videos with happy patients who have gotten their lives back. Its just not the same as talking to a real, live person.

 

Anyone out there?

[moomin]

Hey lbgbvb, it's really brave of you to follow your cardiologists' advice and go for ablation! Good for you!

Best of luck with the ablation! Do be careful and check with your doctor whether you are cleared for running! The collapse and seeing stars sounds really dangerous. Your heart might have been pumping too fast to pump effectively and supply adequate oxygen to the brain, I think.

[lbgbvb]

That's exactly what the cardiologist said. My heart's pumping too fast to fill with blood, and I am not getting enough oxygen. Its not likely to be fatal, but one of these days I am going to lose consciousness.

 

I either have to take care of it with surgery, or just be a couch potato with a doctor's excuse.

 

So until I have the procedure, I'm running intervals instead of distance (trying to keep my rate as low as I can for shorter periods of time) and doing it on the busiest stretch of road in my town so everyone will see me if something happens.

 

Nothing is going to stop me from running - even fear of heart surgery. No.

 

But at the same time, I'm terrified! I want a shoulder to cry on but everyone in my circle is saying, "Well, you shouldn't have surgery anyway. You shouldn't run anyway! You should just take it easy." No!

 

Is our culture so skewed that people can't possibly understand how some folks just enjoy exercising? Basically the only two people who are patting me on the back and telling me its going to be okay and oh, how I'm going to be able to run marathons afterward...are the heart doctors!

 

Sheesh!

 

[joedog]

I think you'll find a lot of support here for surgery and running. You might look into something like Road ID or something similar so if you do pass out, your contact info is readily available. I wear mine all the time, not just for running.

I don't have the condition but good for you for not just taking the couch potato route!

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2

[moomin]

/* begin rant

I think the majority of people have a great mistrust of medications, procedures, vaccines (trajedy of measles resurfacing), even though procedures and medications have to go through many scientific trials before getting approved. People are generally too afraid to get surgery and would take the couch potato route. Hence they would think that you are silly to actually get CURED instead of living with your disease with limitations to your daily activity and with the future possibility of deterioration and progression. Even if you don't run regularly you could pass out one day chasing the bus!

You are choosing wisely and by your example you could show your circle how they should approach their own health problems!

/* end rant

The unknown is terrifying. But you know you can overcome it! You're here on nerd fitness and you know that you're Awesome and here to level up your life! Physically and mentally!

You have my full support!

[lbgbvb]

Oh, thank you. Even if nobody else has the condition, I appreciate the support more than you'll ever know.

 

The procedure isn't all that bad. They go in with catheters to get a good look at things, give me an injection of adrenaline (well, its a similar substance)....a la Pulp Fiction and poof - the injection will send my heart into an episode and the surgeon just burns away the bits of the heart that are causing the malfunction. Voila.

 

Its likened to having your tubes tied - something that is done every single day.

 

Its still jarring to imagine - somebody is going to stab at the 'ol ticker with a hot poker.

 

But I know its the right decision. Its the only decision. I was originally diagnosed when I was about 12, and now I am 34. In 22 years, its progressed this much, I can't imagine what another 22 years is going to be like if I leave this alone. It must be done. I'm not just limited in running/walking, I can't even mow the lawn without having an attack these days. Colds like to set it off too....so I can't be getting sick either. Sheesh. I just want to live and forget I even have this dumb condition!

 

You know, that is a good idea about setting an example to people in my circle about their own health issues. I used to be really fat. I used to hate to exercise - and I mean it, I hated it.

 

Somehow, I found myself and took off. More and more my body craved the activity. I learned to love it. I made up some boredom busters. I totally got over hating exercise and now I love it.

 

I'm having heart surgery so I can continue to do it  - exercise. Me! Won't take the easy route and use my doctor's excuse. Nope...I'm running.

 

But OMG! Halp! Hold my hand when they put me under, okay?!  Cause I dunno...if those in my circle don't get over it themselves, I might be in the hospital alone! ha!
 

[Vian]

I had an episode like that once as a reaction to a medication. I was sitting in a recliner watching TV, doing absolutely nothing, and out of nowhere my heart started pounding, I could feel it when I put my hand on my chest, really hard and fast. After about a minute I was fine, but it was SO SCARY, I can't imagine how terrifying it would be to have that happen on a regular basis! 

 

I am not one to make use of modern medicine lightly. Everything has risks, side effects, consequences. Some doctors are irresponsible, over prescribe various medications for conditions that don't warrant it. But on the other hand, modern medicine saves lives, prevents horrific diseases, and allows people to overcome debilitating conditions. I think there is a balance between taking the natural route, and using modern medicine when needed. 

 

Doctors always look at quality of life. What would your quality of life be like if you just gave in and stopped exercising? It sounds like you'd be pretty miserable. But this surgery could give you your life back, and while yes, surgery is scary, if you trust your surgeon, and he says you are healthy enough to have it, the risks are very minimal. 

 

In the past 5 years, both my mom and dad have had major surgeries. My dad had a quintouple bypass on his heart, and my mom had a meningioma the size of a lemon removed from her brain. It was scary, but they are both totally fine today, and their quality of life is much improved as well. 

 

Good luck, we are all rooting for you!

[lbgbvb]

Vian, I'm glad you know what its like, even if it were just one time! Sorry you had to go through with it, though! Its scary, right?

 

I've become so used to them, they're not necessarily frightening until I have what I call "the big ones," which just means it happened during a workout. The little ones aren't uncomfortable nor scary. They're just a very annoying fact of life. The big ones are just unbearable. I've never passed out but I feel like "Okay, this is it. I'm going to go...this time I am going to go for sure....I hope someone finds me."

 

I would be absolutely miserable being sedentary. I'm actually quite miserable right now, we're snowed-in! I'm still "getting it in," its just not the same on a treadmill or doing a video. I love just going outside and doing my thing - finding new routes, getting into trouble (haha), meeting people....I love it.

 

I have had so many surgeries in the past, I wouldn't know where to begin to list them all. Every new patient form I have completed at a doctor's office doesn't have enough room for me to write them down! I've even had super major surgeries (had both jaws broken when I was 17 and spent days in the ICU...yuck!) Heck, I even had surgery in February! Not too long ago!

 

I'm not necessarily afraid of surgery, its just that I've never been operated on an area that couldn't be removed if something went wrong. Anesthesia creeps me out as all get out. I've been under so many times - I hate it, its like death (or the closest thing to it). You're just there one minute and gone the next. Before you know it, someone is waking you up and you can tell you've been "gone" for a bit! Yuck!!! It's creepy!

 

If its any consolation to me, nearly every single person who has had the procedure has reported waking up in the middle of it after receiving the "adrenaline" shot. They recall hearing the doctor say something like, "I found it" "I got it" or "There it is..." and going back to sleep. That gives me comfort! I hope I'm one of those people! I'd love to wake up in the middle, check things out, see they're fine, and go back to sleep! Like checking in!

 

My surgeon is a peach - the cardiologist I saw before him was even better. They're both runners too! So I know they'll not only take good care of me, but they both know why this is so important to me as well. So we're all "friends."