r/SVTHeart

Hello, sincerely want some help from those that have lived through it. I’ll be as short but through as I can

So, basically for the last maybe 12-16 years if I’m recalling correctly I’ve felt flutters it used to be for a couple of seconds etc being young I would just punch myself in the chest when it happened,didn’t think much of it. August of last year 2025 now at 32 I started getting this weird feeling in my chest like a pressure on my heart and palpitations was like that for a miserable 2 weeks or so. I drive a lot and at one point I had to call an ambulance and pull over they said It was just tachycardia went to MD after that they said acid reflux gave me omeprazole. My garmin gave me like 2 high heart rate notices I was like wtf but I didn’t feel the need to go to the ER December of 2025 just walking up stairs on the phone heart rate goes to like 140 per my watch rush to hospital thinking I’m having a heart attack I feel faint and light headed cold hands. They gave me I believe Diltiazem twice didn’t get me to normal until they gave me metoprolol. First they said it was afib but after discharge electro said it was SVT I was there overnight with an ecg monitor, had an echo they said everything was normal otherwise. Had a couple of palpitations since then here and there some scarier than others. Using a Kardia I’ve mostly caught a bunch of other stuff like supraventricular ectopy , premature ventricular contractions, wide QRS and only 1 reading of AFIB in hindsight those palpitations I felt 10-16 years ago feel more like the wide qrs readings I’ve had. I go weeks where I feel normal I can work out and feel awesome heart rate sits at 50-65 resting and weeks where my heart rate is higher resting Hr will be 75-85 and when doing basic things like walking gets me to 100-110 where as on my good weeks I would run 10 miles sometimes and my heart rate sits at 130-140. When I run on my bad weeks sometimes I hit 180s. Heart rate also goes up after meals some times. My concern is, could this be anxiety ( I don’t feel overly anxious except now with my health) some sort of hiatal hernia stimulating my vagus never. Or since I have been officially diagnosed with SVT should I just get the ablation i haven’t gone for a second opinion also. Just want to see if someone can relate. I have an appointment 6 months from now and I don’t know if I should just get this done.

Sorry for the hideous layout and punctuation. I’m on my cellphone. I appreciate your time if you’ve read this and hope you’re doing well.

***forgot to add have not been to the ER since and have had no other attacks since

I’ve been on the waitlist for my ablation since February of 2025, and I finally have a procedure date for June 5th! I’ve never had any type of surgery before; just wondering some tips for recovery! I’m 19 and I work an office job for the summer.:)

Just wanted to share my experience with Adenosine because I was scared shitless about getting it and just had it last night for the first time after trying to break it for 3 hours at ER while 31 weeks pregnant.

I am an anxious person and asked the doctor and nurses like 5000 questions and they were awesome at talking me through it leading up to it. I asked the one nurse who was working with me to use a more firm and calm tone. overly sappy “good job” scare me more.

They pushed it super quick, I didn’t feel anything for like 10-20 seconds and was like slay and then it was like a breath hiccup for a sec went to normal for a second and then I had about 2-5 seconds of more intense breathing trouble with chest tightness. The doctor verbally told me to breathe and someone blew air in my face and then I was able to breathe again. And I had instant relief and kind of a euphoria/adrenaline feeling. I had kicked my feet during the 2-5 seconds of the more intense chest tightness. It was so quick and the relief after was so worth it. I would totally choose that over waiting 3 hours in the future.

I just wanted to share because I came across so many scary stories of it. I wanted to present that sometimes it’s still uncomfy but 100% manageable.

Totally valid too if you’re reading this and did not have the same experience.

Used my Kardia 6L and it caught this - is this SVT?

https://preview.redd.it/zw9xq099nb0h1.png?width=1346&format=png&auto=webp&s=ce64f499fa3d58574fe6fc71efc78fe1a926b65f

So this past August, I started getting a lot of symptoms of SVT and my most recent monitor showed three beats of atrial tachycardia and then I think a short run of SVT on a beta blocker. I continue to have these SVT like symptoms and now I don’t have a monitor my doctor said it’s pointless to do EP study I push for an ep study because there’s a part of me that thinks if I have SVT I’d rather just get an ablation and not have to worry and live in fear all the time of when it’s gonna happen I’m also not working out or having caffeine or going out and that’s really affecting my life a lot.

I was curious like I guess the only way to find out if you have a pathway to get EP study right? Someone has one SVT episode does that automatically mean they have a pathway?

As the title suggests, i wonder what triggers your svt episodes. For me it is almost always explosive movements during sports, like a sudden sprint or jump. It has happened when i slipped once aswell.

I’m looking for some advice. I’m currently off my parents insurance but part of me thinks I need to get a third opinion. Essentially I started having pot symptoms. Two years ago was diagnosed with POTS in 2024 and then shortly around that time I started developing SVT symptoms, where my heart rate would get really high at rest fast forward I’ve had a lot of monitors. They’ve all come back fine. I recently got my monitor results and it showed SPE like a short run and then three beats of atrial tachycardia now the issue is in the part that keeps on looping in my head. Is that the medication stunted it from being longer because when I was on a low-dose of a beta blocker I definitely had a longer run with a higher heart rate. My doctor concluded that EP study would be pointless even though I’m pretty sure I’ve asked multiple times if they could just do EP study without the ablation, which I thought that was an option She also said no to a loop reader because she was like you can just use your Apple Watch so if you were me, would you just get a third opinion would you be wanting a another doctor to review your results like I don’t know what to do because right now I’m on 75 mg of a beta blocker. I also have POTS. I likely have IST because my resting heart rate on my meds is not even low for being on such a high dose they want me to come off of it and take ivabronde. Which I’m hesitant because the doctor even mentioned like if you have SVT it could happen taking this medication right now I’m on atenolol. I had an ultrasound this past October that just said I had mitral valve and tricuspid valve regurgitation and they said that’s normal even at 26. I do know that I have a history of high LPA. I can’t keep living in fear I currently don’t workout or go for walks things I used to love doing.

I’m just at like a complete loss. I don’t know what to do.

If anyone has POTS in IST, I’m hoping this post can reach you and you’re able to give insight, especially if you also have SVT.

https://preview.redd.it/05ssraxnb70h1.jpg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1b2ee35b8d93cda1028d146355faa402dcda9e7b

Hi. I’m a new grad nurse about to start my job in a couple months. I need to have an ablation done but will still be within my 90 day probationary period at work. I’m trying to hear more about the recovery time, and how long do I really need to recover before returning back to work. Considering I’ll still be within my probationary period and won’t qualify for FMLA I’m nervous even telling my job I’ll need time at the risk of being fired.

I've been having what I'm sure are SVT attacks for several years now. It's always out of nowhere, with an ice cold chill and thump that goes through the body, and suddenly my heart rate above 200 (I've measured it), I get tunnel vision, I sweat like crazy, and feel like fainting. Then it just stops and I feel exhausted. Once it happened while I was waiting at a small doctor's studio, and they had to lift my legs and slap my face until I came back from it because I had lost all my color in my face.

Every time I end up in the hospital the episode has already passed, my blood pressure is still elavated (around 180 over 100) and my heart rate is around 130, but my resting ECG always comes out "fine enough". So every time they've just sent me home without any further investigation.

When I go to my family doctor that I've changed several times now, nobody knows what it was, and I have just gotten some useless advice and the attacks just kept coming. Every time it has been some simple blood samples and an ECG, which of course shows nother because I'm not having an attack. A while ago ralked to some relatives who are doctors, and they told me straight away that this sounds like SVT and that I should get it checked ASAP. However, I feel that they're not really taking me seriously every time I try to get help for it here. My medical history shows that I've been to the ER several times, always with high blood pressure and heart rate, but with an ECG that doesn't look to alarming. So nothing is really done because it doesn't look to serious when I'm not having an attack.

What can I do to get taken seriously? The attacks are getting more frequent and they drain me so much that I can barely function the coming days.

I have had symptoms for a year. Started with insomnia for about 2 mos. Then I woke up to go to the bathroom and my HR went to 170.

I am on 12.5 mg of atenolol. Tried the others which made it worse, hard to breath, exercise intolerance. I cannot take in the morning ir it makes my BP too low. I take 1/2 packet of liquid IV in the morning.

Used to be perfect rhythm. Now PVCs, PACs, questionable afib on a Kardia monitor; not picked up on medical home monitor though.

Home monitor was diagnosed as PSVT & SVT with sinus and atrial tachycardia.

It used to happen every time I woke up to use the bathroom or just reading in bed.

I was well controlled 3 mos and wham it is back and unpredictable. It happens more during the day: up and downstairs, laughing, treadmill.

Anyone been through this? Would an ablation help?

Hi,

I have been having SVT symptoms for the past year and a half. Landed me in the ER twice . Doctors could't find anything wrong after stress test and assumed what I was experiencing were panic attacks. The bouts have become longer and more frequent, and occur when I am not stressed. For example, in bed reading. I finally got a heart monitor and they were able to catch the episodes and they diagnosed SVT yesterday. My PCP prescribed me Metoprolol to take daily (25mg) and referred me to a cardiologist. I am a bit nervous to start the Metoprolol, because I don't have SVT episodes every day and am worried about the side effects of Metoprolol, especially since I haven't been to see an actual cardiologist yet.

My question is how frequent were your SVT episodes before you started taking a beta blocker? Did you have them once a day, multiple times a day, etc? For me, mine are usually once a week (if that). Usually two or so a month. When I do have them, they are 30 to 40 mins, and on the heart monitor my BPM got up to 261. So it's quite scary when it happens. I wasn't sure if I should be trying other things before going on a beta blocker and before seeing an actual cardiologist and wanted to get your experience.

I’m curious about anyone’s experience having WPW and taking beta blockers when you took beta blockers were you still having SVT episodes frequently and what your delta wave showing up or does the medication stunt that from happening?

29m, pretty fit and active, good diet/sleep take magnesium and eat bananas every day. I was climbing the other day and was very pumped but climbed through, my heart rate was pretty normal. A couple minutes after I finished my heart jumped to what I think was 300+ bpm for about 15-20 seconds the stopped. I was faint or dizzy and no pain associated. From my research it seems clear it was svt. I already have health anxiety around heart palpitations but iv got that fear mostly under control, but this was another beast and I can’t stop feeling my chest and thinking im going to die any minute lol.

Just needed to vent my experiences I guess.

Hi all.

My mother was hospitalised from a reason related to SVT when she was 40. She underwent SVT Ablation back in 2000, but unfortunately the condition relapsed somehow and she suffered an attack in 2021 and again this year 2026. Her latest heart rate spiked to 150 and her oral medication didn't have an effect despite her taking it an hour or two before the attack, needing doctors to administer stronger doses to her via IV.

She was instructed to only take the medicine when she felt uncomfortable, so she's not on a consistent dose. Doctors have advised her to now take the medicine regularly, or until she decides to do SVT Ablation once again.

As she's now 66 she's a little hesitant to undergo the surgery yet again, worrying about the 1% risk of death/stroke. But she also expressed strong worry about our upcoming trip to Japan, which I'm bringing her along for her first time there in Oct later this year - as it will be roughly 6 hours in the air for us and we are both concern of the odds of the attack on the plane, and again when we are in Japan. (The first doctor who I spoke to stressed that even if she's healthy it could still happened out of the blue). I am not particularly keen if there's any risk involve in her flying with her condition as the earliest date of the Ablation will be in November - and I'm willing to eat the cost of cancelling the trip and postponing it even if she protest against it.

May I ask for those who are older or who have relatives/friends around the same age:

1. Have you ever encountered difficulties when you were flying? Was it consistent when you were in the air?
2. What advice would you give to a fellow elderly SVT patient? Should they cancel the trip if it involves a flight? The doctors have advised us saying that SVT is not life-threatening, but I'm not sure given that I was scared enough to call an ambulance as her recent attack had chest pains. (Doctors have claim its possible enzyme leakage from the heart beating too fast, so a CT scan is scheduled early next month.)
3. Have you underwent ablation when you were >60 years old? Did anyone do ablation again twice in their life?

Sorry if these are basic questions. Hoping for some viewpoints I could consider from a wider audience who have the same condition in addition to the medical advice I was given.

I've had Afib for years and had a second ablation August 2025. I began having episodes again over the past few months and wore a monitor, and during that wearing period also went to the ER for increased heart rate and dizziness.

Cardiologist said during this time I wasn't in Afib though was in SVT. He made it sound like this was some kind of improvement over Afib, and I'm having a hard time believing this. I feel so much worse during these episodes than I did when I was in Afib, though he said while it's uncomfortable it doesn't carry the same risks as Afib.

Anyone in a similar situation?

Crossposted

Doctor gave me a 14 day monitor because I was feeling some PVCs. I’ve also had this issue going back 20+ years where it feels like my heart starts flip flopping for a few seconds. I’d always cough to get it to stop. Didn’t really think about it too much. I think I felt that about 2 times while wearing the monitor.

Get the monitor results back and it says PSVT. 35 episodes over the 2 week period. The longest was 15 seconds at 129 bpm and the fastest was 200 bpm for 5 seconds.

Results say do echo and beta or calcium channel blocker of symptoms continue. I didn’t realize that I was having episodes this frequently. But they seems to be super short and the only symptom is the flip flopping feeling.

Just curious what you all would consider doing in this scenario?

I (21M) keep having these extreme panic attacks about the effects of my SVT. I was diagnosed two years ago with episodes occurring every 2 months ish.

The panic attacks are very recent and it mostly surrounds the thought of my heart randomly stopping because of SCA (sudden cardiac arrest) or dying in my sleep because of my heart.

The panic attacks are persistent and getting more common. It’s debilitating and horrifying. Has anyone else dealt with this? Are there any tips or maybe some info that could calm my nerves? Anything could help.