1. < Heart Rhythm Conditions

Ventricular Tachycardia

Posted by spittman4962 @spittman4962, Apr 16 5:05pm

I had an episode of Ventricular Tachycardia about two weeks ago…I passed completely out…paramedics said I was at 250 BPM they shocked me on the ambulance. This is only episode I have ever had…Doctors immediately wanted to implant an ICD should I have waited to get other details first such as cause of my episode…I let them do the implant now I’m living in fear everyday…thinking about having the defibrillator function turned off….I need help…

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Phoenix | @kudzu | Apr 17 1:28pm

Wow, that dr sounds very unfeeling. If he thought you didn’t have a choice, he should at least explain why. He might be a medical expert but it’s your life and your body.
You said you’ve had a pacemaker since 2018? Is that for the AFIB?
Can you go to a different medical center and see a different dr? From my personal experience, a heart can be good and strong but still have electrical issues.
This may take awhile to sort out.
Meanwhile, I agree that anti anxiety medication might be helpful. I take Xanax myself as needed and it’s been a game changer.

REPLY
1 reply
spittman4962 | @spittman4962 | Apr 17 2:11pm
In reply to @kudzu "Wow, that dr sounds very unfeeling. If he thought you didn’t have a choice, he should..." + (show)
@kudzu

Wow, that dr sounds very unfeeling. If he thought you didn’t have a choice, he should at least explain why. He might be a medical expert but it’s your life and your body.
You said you’ve had a pacemaker since 2018? Is that for the AFIB?
Can you go to a different medical center and see a different dr? From my personal experience, a heart can be good and strong but still have electrical issues.
This may take awhile to sort out.
Meanwhile, I agree that anti anxiety medication might be helpful. I take Xanax myself as needed and it’s been a game changer.

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Yes the pacemaker I’ve had was for the Afib…since I came home from the hospital I have just felt since this event was the first and only one I’ve had ever had…some options should have been presented to try and see if they work and if they didn’t then talk about the implant…when I said I guess I don’t have a choice their response was well you always have a choice but…….then anything else I might choose was bad and dangerous….I just wish I had been sent home with time to process all that had happened before making the decision…instead the awful event happened on Sunday..took to ER by ambulance and shocked in ambulance while still conscious…then on Monday they were in telling I needed to have the device and could work me in to their schedule on Tuesday….it was quick with no thinking or processing time….thank you for your input…

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1 reply
jc76 | @jc76 | Apr 17 5:08pm
In reply to @kudzu "Hi; I feel for you; I was having episodes of vt, mostly nonsustained, but not all..." + (show)
@kudzu

Hi; I feel for you; I was having episodes of vt, mostly nonsustained, but not all following mitral valve replacement surgery and I too was terrified. As I am a backpacker and gym rat, my stakes were pretty high. I told my drs I saw no reason to live if I couldn’t do the things I love, which may have motivated them somewhat. (dark humor)
My situation was not exactly like yours in that I never passed out or wound up in an ambulance, but nonetheless it was very serious and I endured a long period of all kinds of testing and also lived in fear, plus depression and anger.
I was first put on medication, first a beta blocker which helped, then flecainide. Later I was on amiodarone, which worked, but started to affect my lungs and thyroid so it was stopped. I have been able to maintain on metoprolol since 2022 somehow. Why did they not try that first with you?
I had two ablations; the first was unsuccessful, the second partially successful. Has any dr done an ep study to see where the errant impulses are originating and whether ablation is an option?
If you think back, what were you doing when the episode started? Had anything in your life or health changed recently?
Were there any warnings, like a lot of PVCs or short runs? Is there any family history of scd?Has anyone mentioned genetic testing? Certain types of vt can be inherited.
My thinking is that there are a lot of unanswered questions here. I would definitely get a second opinion. It seems like you might have other options.
Yes, icds save lives but I’ve read that inappropriate shocks are an issue.
Please pursue this; I wish you the best. This is no way to live.

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@kudzu
Good advice.
There are so many reasons for tachycardia. Many can be treated with medications and or ablations.

I was on Amiodarone for less than a year and read about the toxicity and asked to be weaned off, which they did. I am not on a medication Mexiletine (spell) which really has helped. But is specific to me and I don't want to infer it would be appropriate to others. But it did cut my PVCs in half and have only had one episode of tachycardia in 2 years.

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1 reply
Phoenix | @kudzu | Apr 17 7:04pm
In reply to @jc76 "@kudzu Good advice. There are so many reasons for tachycardia. Many can be treated with medications..." + (show)
@jc76

@kudzu
Good advice.
There are so many reasons for tachycardia. Many can be treated with medications and or ablations.

I was on Amiodarone for less than a year and read about the toxicity and asked to be weaned off, which they did. I am not on a medication Mexiletine (spell) which really has helped. But is specific to me and I don't want to infer it would be appropriate to others. But it did cut my PVCs in half and have only had one episode of tachycardia in 2 years.

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Thanks; I try to use my experience to help others.
Glad you found something that worked for you.

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alphastarz | @alphastarz | 1 hour ago
In reply to @spittman4962 "Yes I did have COVID before the event they did echocardiogram on my heart while in..." + (show)
@spittman4962

Yes I did have COVID before the event they did echocardiogram on my heart while in the hospital said my heart looked good and strong….yes when I got to ER on Sunday…on Monday the Dr that specializes in the electrical problems of the heart came in he was called in by my regular cardiologist…he immediately went to implanting the device..no discussion of other options or checking to see what caused my VT or anything just you need this device…I’m having a problem with and wish I had not had the device implanted…pace maker I understand I’ve had one of those since 2018 with no problems….

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I am sorry you went through this, but you are not alone. I too had sustained VT with syncope. The crash cart experience is… traumatic, it takes awhile to process the whole ER experience.
My echocardiogram was normal, and we did a cardio angio and found no blockages. The hospital cardiologist suggested a ICD, but the EP said as likely idiopathic VT is was amenable to ablation. I was released from the hospital on 800mg of amiodarone to protect me while I got more tests. I also had covid-19 about a month before the event, which was a first and doctors said possibly related… so did a cardiac MRI with contrast to check for swelling around my heart just in case and to rule that out - the MRI was normal. Then I agreed to a EP study and potential ablation. They were able to re-induce VT with epinephrine in the EP lab, and found a focal VT in the right ventricle outflow tract (RVOT). I later learned this type of focal vt in RVOT is really a common spot amongst people with idiopathic VT (no structural reason or damage causing it). They think the ablation was successful, i was weaned off amio, had a month long event monitor to determine if needed implanted loop and then get to go live my life normal with just a checkup in 6 months.
I have no idea what is “normal” but hopefully sharing what my tests and doctors thinking pattern and explanations were like helps you ask your own doctor more questions.
And by the way, I 100% got a second opinion (and ended up staying under care of 2nd opinion provider vs initial EP). If the doctors explainations are hard for you to understand, you feel pressured or rushed, I think these are strong tells that a second opinion could help you feel more confident in navigating your own way forward.

REPLY
alphastarz | @alphastarz | 1 hour ago
In reply to @spittman4962 "Yes the pacemaker I’ve had was for the Afib…since I came home from the hospital I..." + (show)
@spittman4962

Yes the pacemaker I’ve had was for the Afib…since I came home from the hospital I have just felt since this event was the first and only one I’ve had ever had…some options should have been presented to try and see if they work and if they didn’t then talk about the implant…when I said I guess I don’t have a choice their response was well you always have a choice but…….then anything else I might choose was bad and dangerous….I just wish I had been sent home with time to process all that had happened before making the decision…instead the awful event happened on Sunday..took to ER by ambulance and shocked in ambulance while still conscious…then on Monday they were in telling I needed to have the device and could work me in to their schedule on Tuesday….it was quick with no thinking or processing time….thank you for your input…

Jump to this post

Going through cardioversion from paddles while conscious sucks. I get the fear of ever having to experience it again. Did your doctor explain that since your implanted icd has wires right next to heart that the amount of shock is likely materially less than what the EMT had to use to your chest in the ambulance? Verify with your EP and medical notes from critical care, but looking at your devices technical stats may help you put this into perspective or help know, IF it ever has to shock you to save your life - even so, it may not be quite the same thing as what you previously went through.

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