Svt Or Panic Attack?

[sasuva]

I have been diagnosed with SVT, supraventricular tachycardia. A congenital condition of the cycle of electrical impulses in the heart that repeat at random times sending a resting heartbeat of 60-100 beats skyrocketing to over 200.(A panic attack will get the heart pumping about 160 bpms for comparison). I have had this condition my entire life.

After getting on medication to control panic attacks(again), my blood pressure elevated to well beyond safe measures, I once had a reading of 193/114 recently. I was put on lisinopril and told to take a treadmill stress test to make sure I did not damage my heart. While I was on the treadmill, almost immediately my heart rate spiked. The doctor administering the test asked me how I was feeling and I told him about my frequent panic attacks. He told me what he was seeing on the results was not panic, but an electrical problem.
I went to another doctor who told me about SVT, the electrical cycle problem. He looked at me and asked what would I think if I could be CURED of these panic attacks. I almost broke down in his office. He told me he could cure me. I was put on metoprolol and the next day I had the symptoms of a panic attack. My heart pounded six times, yes six, then the pounding stopped. I still had the pressure and the discomfort in my left side from the middle shoulders down my arm and up my neck to my chin, but the symptoms and discomfort went away after about two hours. The next attack had the pressure but no pounding heart. Since those two, I have had two subdued heart racing incidents, in two weeks, but very tolerable, although the symptoms do take a couple hours to dissipate.

I had an angiogram two days ago and that cleared me to have an ablation to cure the SVT. I am very excited. What you may think is a panic attack may not be, but instead a curable heart tachycardia. If your attacks take your bp and heart rate over 180, please go to a heart doctor.

 

[Friday]

Yep. It's like bashing your head against a brick wall if you're trying to sort out a physical problem psychologically (or a psychological problem physically).

People do have both; physical & psych problems that set each other off (my son has both asthma & anxiety, for example, that can snowball... Asthma triggering the anxiety, or anxiety triggering his asthma).

In either case, though, one wants to sort out the physical problem first if at all possible.

I know my problems are PTSD related. In no small part, because part of the diagnostic procedure is ruling out physiological causes (I have no effing clue why so many people skip this step! Especially because it's pounded into students from psych101 onward!). But also because every few years I go and get a cardiology, pulmonary, & blood work up done. LOL. At one point, I did in fact have walking pneumonia that *poof* cured a lot of my recently worsened breathing & fatigue problems. And every once in awhile, especially when I'm running symptom heavy I completely miss a particularly nasty cold, just because I felt like crap before, it wasn't until everyone else in the house was also flat out like a lizard drinking, hating life, that it dawned on me. Oh. I'm probably sick. ;). It's very very easy to assume if I have these problems with my heart, breathing, fatigue, etc.... That all my problems with my heart, breathing, fatigue, etc. are related. Nope! Totally worth a trip to the doctor to rule out physiological causes whenever something new or more severe waltzes in, and every few years regardless, just to be safe.

That's good news on getting your CV issues sorted! Cheers.

 

[sasuva]

Thank you, this has been wonderful to find, not necessarily wonderful to experience. I feel for you and your son FridayJones, in the throws of illness that we do not even know when we are triggered or sick from a bacteria or allergy, been there. Psychosomatic response, yes that is exactly right. I have worked through headaches, migraines, muscle cramps and partially debilitating handicap because of emotional symptoms presenting as physical. Our perspective is askew, we need the objective diagnosis of a doctor. I will be getting regular testing done, there is no better feeling than relief of symptoms except maybe the knowledge that there IS relief available. My best to you and your son FJ, thank you for replying.

 

[Cristyrn22]

Hi. I'm new to this, but I really need to seek out support. Here is my story.
In 2014 I had my very first SVT. My heart rate went up to 220bpm. It took about four hours to bring it back to normal rate. I was fine after that until July 2015. Thats when I was in and out of the ED with tachycardias or SVT. I had my first ablation in September 2015 and I was hopeful it would resolve my issue, however unfortunately I had another SVT January 2016. I had a second ablation three days later.
Since then I have become paranoid about having another one. I have become a anxious person and had to start taking clonazepam.
Has anyone else experienced this. Anxiety after SVT?

 

[joeylittle]

Honestly, if I had the experience you describe, I'd probably have the same anxiety.

Do you have PTSD?

 

[sasuva]

Cristyrn22, SVT surgery can be successful and it cannot be successful. I have encountered many panic and anxiety attacks after the ablation, but the severity and frequency have abated. I was taking metoprolol before the surgery for about 6 weeks and my body was getting used to it. When I went in for surgery, i had to stop taking the metoprolol, it was terrible! I had multiple SVT's within a weekend! After the surgery, the attacks decreased.
If you are still experiencing SVT symptoms, I strongly encourage you to speak to your electrocardio physician about these incidents. If they have not dissipated, then there is something else physically wrong, not emotionally. Please continue your search for relief.