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I have questions @harveywj or anyone that is knowledgeable in this condition, as I give a brief backstory. I do not have any previous health history or family health history regarding heart issues of any kind, up until 3 years ago, I was working in my garden and it felt like I was having a heart attack. I wore a monitor for 2 weeks and they found that, at first they were noticing an irregular heart beat, randomly. There were never any other symptoms. I did the stress test, and continued to feel off. My doctor had me where the monitor again for 2 weeks. This was last August. They found that now, I was having SVT in the middle of the night when I was sleeping, and heart beats getting as high as 200. This would wake me from a sleep, panicked. Then my doctor said, its normal. I am not concerned, its normal. How can something like this be concerned normal? It is not normal, and now it has become SVT after just a randon irregular heartbeat. So, I asked for a second opinion in the practice, after getting advice from Albert Jung of Langone NYC, to get a second opinion, its not normal. I was denied in the clinic, and nobody else in the clinic would even see me after asking for a second opinion. So, I need some help here people. I am concerned. What randomly causes this out of nowhere, when you have no history, no issues, the heart is free of plaque and I am told its normal. Please input.
Replies to "I have questions @harveywj or anyone that is knowledgeable in this condition, as I give a..."
Dear Closet Monster. I have had the same symptoms. I am lucky as my primary care provider believes my report of symptoms. He has ordered meds (metropopolol) and a statin. And he keeps referring me and testing me though results come back normal except for tachycardia. I am now on CPAP as my oxygen level falls at night while I am asleep causing my heart to beat too fast. I have now been referred to a cardiologist and a pulmonologist. I am lucky that my doc is willing to believe that I am just "not right" -- shortness of breath and what I call a "fuzzy head". Good luck in finding a doctor who will listen.
I can only assume from your story that the SVTs are longer than just a few seconds. You mention they will wake you up and you are panicked. How long are your SVTs? Very sort bursts are not uncommon but I am talking about a couple of seconds and not minutes. It you are having 200 bpm for minutes that is not normal. You mentioned that last fall working in your garden you felt like you were having a heart attack. I think you wore a monitor for 2 weeks and "they found that, at first they were noticing an irregular heart beat, randomly." What kind of irregular heart beat did they find last fall? Are you diagnosed with different arrhythmias?
Do you have access to the results of the holter monitors results?
More information is better: age, weight, bp status, prescription drugs. How often are your SVTs and how long do they last?
I would say that you need to go to a different facility and get a 2nd opinion. Did you see an EP or just a standard cardiologist. I think you need an EP/ electrophysiologist and not a standard cardiologist. EPs specialize in electrical problems and cardiologists tend to be plumbers but the plumbers do some of the same tests as EPs but not understand the results as well as EPs.
Here is my most recent Holter from just 3 weeks ago. I am post op from an Ablation Sept 25 and this Holter was done as a follow up from my ablation to see how well my heart was functioning.
I having regular occurrences of Afib. I also was having PACs/PVCs with a burden of 25% which mean 25% of my heart beats were PACs/PVCs. So during one week of a monitor last year I had 200,000 aberrant SVEs. This recent monitor reading I only had 2363(< 1%) aberrant SVE beats which is a dramatic drop. Note I had 9 occurrences of SVT with the highest 126 BPM and lasting only 10 beats.
Over all the results listed below are consider very good.
Date/Time Confirmed: 1/16/2025 2:06 PM (CT)
*The predominant rhythm was Sinus.
*The Maximum Heart Rate recorded was 126 bpm, 01/10 12:33:00, the Minimum Heart Rate recorded was 41 bpm, 01/10 09:13:21, and the Average Heart Rate was 57 bpm.
*There were 337 VE beats with a burden of < 1 %. There was 1 occurrence of Ventricular Tachycardia with the Fastest episode 105 bpm, 01/10 12:06:24, and the Longest episode 3 beats, 01/10 12:06:24.
*There were 2,363 SVE beats with a burden of < 1 %. There were 9 occurrences of Supraventricular Tachycardia with the Fastest episode 126 bpm, 01/06 13:10:41, and the Longest episode 10 beats, 01/10 12:50:28.
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There must be a teaching hospital with a cardiologist/electrophysiology lab in it, maybe a university hospital, or drive out of state if you have to, but I agree with you: it is not normal to have SVT runs in the middle of the night, not without a calming explanation....which has not been heretofore offered you.
PACs are common for everyone. In fact, a sign of heart health is a characteristic called 'heart rate variability'. A heart whose rate is very firmly established in a narrow range all the time is a troubled heart. All of us healthy people should have heart rates that vary between 40-100 BPM during the day AND at night while asleep. Outside of those numbers, there's something going on, and it bears scrutiny by an empathic, professional, and qualified physician.
As to why this is happening to you, it's something that happens to all of us, that being.....'age'. Aging hearts become more and more disordered over time. It is estimated that 40% of all adults living today will eventually develop an arrhythmia.
What is good for you, so far, is that your episodes are self-limiting, meaning they are what is known as 'paroxysmal'. This puts it at an early stage, and a kind and determined professional should have you on some kind of treatment for control, or perhaps if it becomes too burdensome, a referral to an electrophysiologist for an assessment for a catheter ablation.