Supra Ventricular Tachycardia

Hi 56 just diagnosed with SVT and my first episode was 12/7/24 while walking. Scared me to death! Weakness, short of breath, dizzy, heart rate 188. After an hour of feeling this i decided to get to the ER. I couldn’t drive, thank God I was not alone. My husband took me in and they immediately got me a bed. My heart was racing 188bpm. They injected me with the medication that slows the heart rate down. I thought I was going to die. They let me know what was going on with my heart and told me I was not going to die and this condition is common. I know I was under a lot of stress with work, holidays, house hunting, taking care of my neighbor who lives alone, etc. I do struggle with anxiety but thought I had it under control. Walking helps, yoga helps. They prescribed me Flecanide. I calms my heart, I like it. My cardiologist told me I needed to get the Ablation procedure done. He said the Flecanide is not a cure but only a temporary solution. I understand that but what happens if I don’t do the ablation? Is this procedure safe? Has he ever done this procedure and how many??? He said he does the procedure every week for the last 10years. I am scheduled for a heart ultrasound and two different monitors over the next few weeks. I have a scheduled procedure for the ablation in early February. Has anyone had this procedure done and can you provide me any feedback on how you feel now?

Hi 56 just diagnosed with SVT and my first episode was 12/7/24 while walking. Scared me to death! Weakness, short of breath, dizzy, heart rate 188. After an hour of feeling this i decided to get to the ER. I couldn’t drive, thank God I was not alone. My husband took me in and they immediately got me a bed. My heart was racing 188bpm. They injected me with the medication that slows the heart rate down. I thought I was going to die. They let me know what was going on with my heart and told me I was not going to die and this condition is common. I know I was under a lot of stress with work, holidays, house hunting, taking care of my neighbor who lives alone, etc. I do struggle with anxiety but thought I had it under control. Walking helps, yoga helps. They prescribed me Flecanide. I calms my heart, I like it. My cardiologist told me I needed to get the Ablation procedure done. He said the Flecanide is not a cure but only a temporary solution. I understand that but what happens if I don’t do the ablation? Is this procedure safe? Has he ever done this procedure and how many??? He said he does the procedure every week for the last 10years. I am scheduled for a heart ultrasound and two different monitors over the next few weeks. I have a scheduled procedure for the ablation in early February. Has anyone had this procedure done and can you provide me any feedback on how you feel now?

Hello @sajoe,

Facing any new diagnosis and treatment can be a challenge both mentally and physically. It can also feel isolating, but by reaching out on Connect you have found a community of others who have walked a similar path. I'd like to add my welcome to those from @harveywj, @cedarbog, @deniseheart and @gloaming who shared their experiences and some resources. I'd also like to welcome @rbnay2023 to this discussion as well.

If you you'd like to seek a second opinion, you can request an appointment with Mayo Clinic, http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63.

@sajoe, you bring up some very good questions and you mentioned there are no more tests to be done, just a referral. Are you able to discuss some of the questions about further testing to rule out or single out the causes of your tachycardia? It sounds like your current provider is open to referral, have you started this process?

Hello I’m 67 and diagnosed with SVT around 1 year ago! I’m very active and was out hiking with my husband in New Hampshire. We were 3 miles up on a mountain when all of a sudden my heart rate jumped to 200 bpm! It finally came down after about 40 minutes! Thank goodness we were able to get down off the mountain! Then a couple of days later we tried a not so strenuous hike but the same thing happened! I went and saw the cardiologist when we got back from our trip! He then referred me to the electrophysiologist! I wore a heart monitor for 2 weeks and had no episodes! I then had a stress test but had no episodes! My doctor showed me how to record episodes from my Apple Watch! I was working out one day and had an episode! I was able to record it and send it to him! He then put me on metoprolol 25 mg a day! It worked ok but I still had episodes when working out - they just didn’t last as long (1-5 minutes). The only medicine I take is a sinus pill daily and I really wanted to get the problem fixed. We decided to go the ablation route! I was able to immediately stop the metoprolol. I only had the ablation 8 days ago and have not had any episodes but I haven’t worked out yet!! I have felt great and no issues! I’m excited to start working out and see how it goes! He said mine was an easy fix and I should have no problems! We shall see.

My tests so far were an in office EKG and 48 hour Holter monitor and neither showed anything. In desperation I bought a KardiaMobile to provide a strip of my tachycardia. My PA's response was a prescription for Metoprolol. My referral now is to an EP for the beginning of May 2025. Can you get a second opinion from Mayo Clinic about testing of possible physical causes BEFORE appearing in person for an appointment? I'm 131 miles from Jacksonville. My current Cardiac PA is no longer in my local medical group so I'm in limbo but my insurance does not require referrals.

What is an EP? Thank you

Hello I’m 67 and diagnosed with SVT around 1 year ago! I’m very active and was out hiking with my husband in New Hampshire. We were 3 miles up on a mountain when all of a sudden my heart rate jumped to 200 bpm! It finally came down after about 40 minutes! Thank goodness we were able to get down off the mountain! Then a couple of days later we tried a not so strenuous hike but the same thing happened! I went and saw the cardiologist when we got back from our trip! He then referred me to the electrophysiologist! I wore a heart monitor for 2 weeks and had no episodes! I then had a stress test but had no episodes! My doctor showed me how to record episodes from my Apple Watch! I was working out one day and had an episode! I was able to record it and send it to him! He then put me on metoprolol 25 mg a day! It worked ok but I still had episodes when working out - they just didn’t last as long (1-5 minutes). The only medicine I take is a sinus pill daily and I really wanted to get the problem fixed. We decided to go the ablation route! I was able to immediately stop the metoprolol. I only had the ablation 8 days ago and have not had any episodes but I haven’t worked out yet!! I have felt great and no issues! I’m excited to start working out and see how it goes! He said mine was an easy fix and I should have no problems! We shall see.

I was diagnosed at 66 years old 6 months ago on my last day wearing a heart monitor with svt bpm at 240, started about ten years ago but progressively got worse. I walk 12 miles a day and weight lift 5 days per week. After being prescribed metroprolol my blood pressure dropped to 87/58. I decided to have an ablation because of the adverse effects of the meds. SVT ablations are 90 to 95% effective. Since having that done I've never felt better and in my case I was born with an extra electrical pathway which was eliminated, life is good.