SVT-Dilitazem

Your fear is normal.....for everyone with a new and troubling, frightening, condition. We reading on these heart rhythm threads are all only too familiar with what you are going through. Yer in good....no, great...company here.
😀

You and I are symptomatic. Bummer. You'd be surprised at how many people simply have no clue they have an arrhythmia. It's baffling, and they're baffled when their cardiologist or family physician says, 'You're heart is in arrhythmia. We need to do an ECG now!'

Increasingly, the field of electrophysiology, the heart rhythm electricians, is accepting that all patients should carefully consider it....again...when they refuse or decline an offer of catheter ablation. The reason is that, as time goes on, more patients do better longer, often decades, having an ablation rather than continuing to endure and to experiment with drugs. The drugs have their own problems, as you are only too right to point out, and the fact is that they lose their oomph over time. You'll need a new one if more of the same doesn't work any more. And the new one is likely to impart new unpleasantness to the works where you have to adjust all over again. In 80% of all cases with SVT, an ablation is a one 'n done. Maybe not forever,....you may need a re-do in a few years, but meanwhile you don't have to take the medications that make life unpleasant and so limiting.

Catheter ablations are day surgery. Like a colonoscopy, you're put out with propofol, and they'll slide a trans-esophageal echocardiogram tube down your throat. That's to show them how close the energy tip is getting to the phrenic nerve and to the esophagus itself. Don't want to burn those!

The EP will make several tens of burns around the place he/she determines is your reentrant for the rogue signals, and then they whisk you out of the lab after using a chemical to 'challenge' their work and your heart. If your heart stays in rhythm, they've got it all, and you go to recovery. From there, about four hours on your back immobile so that you don't pop open that small slit they made on the inside of your upper thigh, near or in the curlies. After two-ish hours, they ask you to drink something. If that goes well, a muffin or a sandwich. If you keep that down, they want you to stand up and walk around the ward pushing your IV tree. If that goes well, it means you've recovered enough to keep blood pressure up while erect, and they'll offer to call your ride home for you. And away you go, but with instructions to not lift more than 8-10 pounds for a full week, to avoid steps if possible, NO KNEELING for 24 hours, and you CAN have a shower next day, even change the dressing if you wish. Just do not scrub the incision....please. Not with hands, not with the towel later.

You may feel drained, even for a week after. Our church organist and his wife were ocean kayaking the second day. So everyone is going to go at their intuitive pace for the next few days. You do the same.

You have nothing to fear, literally, except being paralyzed into turning away. No, not at this stage of your life, not with the days so few and you want them to be better than they are. The way ahead is through the cath lab doors. Trust us on this.

Thank you for taking the time to comment on my very first post. I actually found this site because I was just googling-SVT. You speak so much wisdom. I've been praying diligently on whether or not to have this procedure. I'm so incredibly sensitive to all medications and I'm currently struggling with a sudden onset of anxiety due to all of this cardiac interference in my life,!my husband and I just retired, and this has been burdensome for both of us. He really wants me to go through with this. Fear is paralyzing but not an excuse.
Your words were very comforting to me and I will rethink proceeding with this procedure. You're probably right if I just do this I'll feel much better because it's no fun going somewhere wondering if you're going to go into SVT- and you're right about the medication because my doctor said the same thing eventually, it loses its strength and the SVT wins out....I know not every ablation is successful, but I have to start somewhere. I just hope that and pray that God is with me soon and that mentally and physically I can handle that that's the concern. I have a good EP- I've never gone under anesthesia- nor had had any surgical procedures in my life so needless to say this had caused me many many sleepless nights and shortness of breath-I do thank you very much for your thoughtful response. I will be rereading your comment daily for courage and inspiration.! Funny thing is I've been praying diligently for it to go away-asking God questions-but I think he has bigger plans for me. The only way out is through- take a deep breath I keep telling myself and trust God

I had svt for about 10 years but only happened a couple of times per year than got progressively worse put me on a monitor and last day of usage heart rate went to 240 bpm on my morning walks put me on metroprolol that day which was April of 2024 and scheduled me for an ablation in September which I had and stopped taking metroprolol haven't had an issue since, and the electrophisiologist said 95% chance I won't.

Excellent! I'm so glad that the procedure went well for you!

@pixey Jump over to my posts about my SVT journey and ablation in March 2026. Smartest thing I've ever done! SVT all gone, anxiety all gone, back to having a life without worrying about when the next SVT episode is going to smack me down.

Just read your posts ....Hopefully I too have a successful ablation... thank you for your reply it was very helpful.

Hi @pixey. First, let me say, thank you for your post regarding your SVT journey.
I found this site shortly after I discovered that my heart was racing in early January 2025. Was diagnosed with SVT after I went to the ER one Saturday night when my heart rate got to 144 bpm as measured on a pulse oximeter. I was then prescribed 25 mg of Metoprolol twice daily. I found that my heart rate was going too low so, with my doctor's permission, I lowered it to 12.5 mg twice a day. Even that dose caused my heart rate to be low, so we cut the dose again to 12.5 mg once daily. I got good control of my SVT, but every once in awhile, I'd have a bout of it. My EP wanted to do an ablation so we scheduled one for April 1st 2026. My wife and I, however, were just returning from four months in the south and I canceled the ablation. I chickened out. We met with my EP once more, and he convinced me to have the ablation done. I had mine done on Monday August 24th, less than 48 hours ago. It was easy and I'm glad that I finally did it. So far, I have had no issues aside from a little muscle pain on the outside of my right knee/upper calf...which is the same side as the incision was on for the catheter insertion.
Kudos to @gloaming for his wonderful and thorough explanation of the process (as well as helping ALL of us on these forums) and with making those of us that are anxious about our heart issues, feel more calm and relaxed as we go through them.
God got me through my ablation and I'm confident that He'll get you through yours with flying colors too.
I wish you ALL THE BEST on your journey!

@stenechelives4ever Congratulations!! You did it... I have decided to go through with my scheduled ablation as well in a few weeks. I'm praying it goes well for me too. Thank you for your posting your journey. Sounds very similar to mine. I was going to chicken out too but I don't think that's the answer. SVT is no fun especially when you end up in the ER with it multiple times. Blessings for a speedy recovery!

Thank you @pixey. I just looked at the procedure notes that my EP wrote up. He originally suspected that the type of SVT that I had was AVNRT - Atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia. After mapping things out, it was determined that I had atrial tachycardia in an area of my heart that was between the left atrial appendage and the tricuspid annulus. He zapped it and there were no other "rogue signals" . Three days on, things are going well.
I'm so glad that you're going to get your SVT taken care of. I'm confident that you will be free of those crazy rapid heart rates and get your life back...free of trips to the ER. Wishing you ALL THE BEST!

@pixey I’m sorry to hear of your worries and situation. I have had SVT episodes as well, take a medication and am scheduled for some tests.

I think it might help you to forget about God and put your faith in first-rate medicine. If you look at the state of the world, you may wonder if God is watching at all. 1400 lives lost so far in Nepal.

Get a doctor you trust, get a second opinion and then take a deep breath and follow their advice. You’ll be fine!