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Having tachycardia suddenly- do I need to go to the hospital?

Posted by thehappyshiva @thehappyshiva, Feb 5 8:44pm

I am 35F today after dinner my heart rate shot up to 118 bpm (as far as I could tell) I had a cardiac event about 8 years ago but it was due to malnutrition and lack of potassium. I have gained about 75 pounds over the last 2.5 years and my body is just different. I started feeling heart palpitations just sitting down during dinner and then I did have some hortense of breath but that settled down pretty quickly- about 10 minutes. It took about 20-30 mins to get down to 100-105. Which is what it is now. It’s been about 30 minutes or so- other than the one event I had previously and a few weeks afterwards (potassium levels) I haven’t had this before.

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gloaming | @gloaming | Feb 5 10:52pm

I am not a physician and have no medical training. I'm just a heart patient who has had some treatment and who has done a lot of reading. Please consult a physician for proper advice and care!

It is either SVT (supra-ventricular tachycardia) or atrial fibrillation (AF). You can have AF with a rate higher than 110, but also as low as the 80's. When it is the higher rate, it means the ventricle below the left atrium, where the AF is originating, is trying to keep up. This is called RVR, or rapid ventricular response. SVT is not so bad, although it can be unnerving. If it's AF, though, you don't want to let it go indefinitely at that rate higher than about 100/110. It means the left ventricle is beating like it's trying to keep you moving in a foot race or a long stair climb. So, if it goes longer than 24 hours, get to an ER or a cardiologist's offices immediately. [This is what my instructions were after having my left atrium ablated, surgically treated to stop my AF. They said it is common to have short runs of AF for a week or three after an ablation, but if it lingers longer than 24 hours above a rate of 100 to get to the nearest ER.]

Arrhythmias are a sign of structural changes in the myocardium....the heart's muscles and in its valve structures. These changes encourage rogue firing cells to begin to fire and try to take over your heart's rhythm. The specialist you will ultimately see, in all likelihood (not an absolute certainty as medicines and even electro-cardioversions can put you into normal sinus rhythm (NSR).) is what is called an 'electrophysiologist.' EP for short in medical circles.

There are known triggers for heart arrhythmias, notably AF. It can be undetected sleep apnea, weight gain (visceral fat putting pressure on organs and their blood supply), dysautonomia, drugs, other medicines, alcohol, sugars and refined carbs, poor quality or insufficient sleep, worry, GERD, viruses and other pathogens that stress the body, and so on. Even caffeine must be foregone completely by some people; no chocolate, coffee, tea, sodas, sports drinks, etc.

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thehappyshiva | @thehappyshiva | Feb 6 2:16pm
In reply to @gloaming "I am not a physician and have no medical training. I'm just a heart patient who..." + (show)
Profile picture for gloaming @gloaming

I am not a physician and have no medical training. I'm just a heart patient who has had some treatment and who has done a lot of reading. Please consult a physician for proper advice and care!

It is either SVT (supra-ventricular tachycardia) or atrial fibrillation (AF). You can have AF with a rate higher than 110, but also as low as the 80's. When it is the higher rate, it means the ventricle below the left atrium, where the AF is originating, is trying to keep up. This is called RVR, or rapid ventricular response. SVT is not so bad, although it can be unnerving. If it's AF, though, you don't want to let it go indefinitely at that rate higher than about 100/110. It means the left ventricle is beating like it's trying to keep you moving in a foot race or a long stair climb. So, if it goes longer than 24 hours, get to an ER or a cardiologist's offices immediately. [This is what my instructions were after having my left atrium ablated, surgically treated to stop my AF. They said it is common to have short runs of AF for a week or three after an ablation, but if it lingers longer than 24 hours above a rate of 100 to get to the nearest ER.]

Arrhythmias are a sign of structural changes in the myocardium....the heart's muscles and in its valve structures. These changes encourage rogue firing cells to begin to fire and try to take over your heart's rhythm. The specialist you will ultimately see, in all likelihood (not an absolute certainty as medicines and even electro-cardioversions can put you into normal sinus rhythm (NSR).) is what is called an 'electrophysiologist.' EP for short in medical circles.

There are known triggers for heart arrhythmias, notably AF. It can be undetected sleep apnea, weight gain (visceral fat putting pressure on organs and their blood supply), dysautonomia, drugs, other medicines, alcohol, sugars and refined carbs, poor quality or insufficient sleep, worry, GERD, viruses and other pathogens that stress the body, and so on. Even caffeine must be foregone completely by some people; no chocolate, coffee, tea, sodas, sports drinks, etc.

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@gloaming Thank you for such a detailed response, my mother has a-Fib but it’s only been diagnosed in the last few years, I guess I could have the same thing, I wonder if genetics plays a large role in it. I have made an appointment with my PC so I can get a referral to cardiology

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