How do you live with SVT

I’m so sorry to hear about how SVTs are disrupting your life. I was experiencing shortness of breath with minimal activity and was diagnosed with Premature Atrial Contractions 22% of the time. I had an ablation but unfortunately the errant beat emanates from an area too close to the correct path to be successfully ablated. I’ve been on Flecainide 100 mg and Carvedilol 3.125 mg twice daily with some improvement in symptoms, which for me are fatigue and shortness of breath with activity. Thankfully I am now rarely experiencing palpitations or shortness of breath when lying down.

I have had some improvement in symptoms after starting Jardiance (I also have Type 2 Diabetes) but still am experiencing PACs regularly. I have been able to find a new cardiologist and a new electrophysiologist who are more interested in finding a root cause for my symptoms and recently had a nuclear stress test and another 72 hour event monitor. The new EP has suggested that I may have better results with Tikosyn, so I am hoping to get some direction within the next week.

My experience has been gradual improvement with trying different medications (I didn’t tolerate Metoprolol either). I am grateful to be in the care of physicians who are more proactive than the previous providers. So far no AF, so I am very lucky.

Good luck to you.

I had SVT during exercise for decades and, while it was disruptive, I learned to manage it. At some point about 25 years ago I started getting SVT's during stressful times at work. At that point, I saw an electrophysiologist and scheduled an ablation which worked very effectively for a long time.

I only recently had a second ablation which seems to have calmed the SVT and AFIB events even moreso (they had slowly started to recur over the years after my first ablation). I read a lot about the new pulsed field ablation (PFA) techniques prior to having mine and it did not disappoint (my doc used a Boston Scientific PFA tool). I was out doing 7 mile hikes at elevation with no issues only 9 days post ablation. If you have SVT, don't fret. These new techniques should help fix your problems.

A quick review of my situation and why I don’t worry:
I have both 4% PVC’s and occasional NSVT lasting a few seconds at about 140 beats per minute. Over the course of two years, my EP recommended the following and I complied;
Wearable heart monitor for two weeks, documenting PVC’s.
Had an ablation to bring PVC’s down to a harmless 4%.
During that procedure, I had a link monitor implanted to continually monitor the PVC’s.
Non-sustained ventricular tachycardia(NSVT) began within months picked up by the monitor.
Next up: I had an ICD defibrillator implanted to give me 99.9% protection from a tachycardia which would cause sudden death. I take one long acting capsule a day of Verapamil to lower my heart rate.
I have never fainted and the ICD has never been activated. After exhaustive testing before the ICD procedure, it was determined that my heart is otherwise healthy with normal functioning and no blockages or structural defects.
I have a healthy heart as proven by recent testing and I am protected with the ICD.
Aided by all that information and protection, I am able to have a positive outlook, recognizing how fortunate I am to live during a time when so much can be done medically to help those of us with arrhythmias. I am free to do anything I wish with no physical limitations. I am 77. Already, some of my friends are suffering from health problems which include issues that limit their ability to function normally. My husband died at 72 from a terminal illness for which there was NO treatment. We are the lucky ones!
For me, I have found that knowledge is freedom from worry. A lack of understanding leads directly to frightening speculation. We can learn about what our hearts are doing in great detail. I feel every PVC in bed at night before falling asleep, but there is no need to worry about it.
I see an EP who is extremely respected within the Philadelphia medical community who has vast experience. I trust him- very important for your peace of mind!
We all need to try our best to approach life as the glass being half full, while also taking advantage of every available medical advancement with the best EP you can find to assess your individual condition and provide appropriate treatment.
Best of luck to you in your journey to the thorough and excellent care you deserve and for the peace of mind you’re working toward.

@mikeneverwired Unfortunately, as of last summer's formally published findings, PFA does not enjoy a reputation for succeeding to stop ectopy and AF over the other techniques. So far, its sole advantage is that it is safer in some ways (while not as safe in another). For example, there is much less risk of damaging the phrenic nerve or the esophagus compared to RF and cryo ablations. However, PFA requires more flouroscopy, and that means more radiation exposure to the body.

@gloaming I read a few papers on the process before having my procedure and was comfortable having it done on me. ...but as you say, it is important to review as much data as you can prior to getting anything done.

I can state for a fact that the PFA technique I had was effective as it almost completely eliminated my SVT and aFIB episodes. Can you please forward the link the the study you referenced? I'm sure everyone on this thread would benefit from reviewing it.

Thanks!

I was diagnosed with SVT 18 months ago and had an ablation which unfortunately I was in that percentage that didn’t take care of it. I was like you stressing about it, wondering when the next episode would be prior to the ablation. After the ablation I just thought that was it and I was good. 4 months later occasional episodes started but I wasn’t anxious about them. My cardiologist felt that since the episodes were very sporadic medication wasn’t needed as I could stop them immediately with valsalva maneuver and I chose not to under go another ablation. 6 months later he decided I should take Metoprolol and Flecainide and yet nothing had changed. Reluctantly I started them but 10 days in had to stop Flecainide due to severe acid reflux symptoms. Still on the Metoprolol which I want to get off of. I found this forum accidentally after the ablation and it really helped with being anxious about the diagnosis as numerous people had stated they had SVT for many years and don’t let it take over their lives and haven’t had treatment for it. In the past 7 months I have had 3 episodes which last less than 1 minute and as I said can stop them with valsalva maneuver. You may be one of the people an ablation stops the episodes. if you are considering it I wouldn’t hesitate as it was a relatively easy procedure.

@slw7252 I have commented on this before; the SVT "missed beats" are/were driving me crazy at night. I had taken Flecainide before for A-fib (then I didn't have SVT) but stopped it when I decided on an ablation for my A-fib vs medication. Now that the ablation as "given me" SVT instead of A-fib arrhythymia, I decided to take a very small dose of Flecainide at night just to see if it would at least minimize some of the sensations. I am moderately optimistic at this point; after 3 days of taking 1/2 a 50mg tablet at night, I have had a dramatic decrease in the extra beats and the flutter sensation they cause. I don't know if the smaller dose would work for you but the literature states that Flecainide is used to treat SVT, so I don't think I am too far off the mark when I decided to try it. If I can resolve some of my problem with this small dose, I could be happy-- even taking the drug I didn't want in the first place. Good luck. Let us know what the cardiologist says, but don't assume the ablation will "cure" you like I thought it would for me.