Hi, im a active normally healthy 17 year old female. I eat well, at a good weight, have no eating disorders etc.
On the 9th of december last year, i started having chest pain and tachycardia. I was admitted to hospital and was told i have a potassium level of 2.7, my heart was going at 170bpm and had a bag of potassium fluids and 3 doses of a drug to slow my heart rate down.
A similair incident then occured on the 29th of december, potassium at 2.7 and required the drug to again slow my heart.
Now on the 26th of this month it happened again, but my potassium had dropped to 2.2 and i required 2 bags of fluids and 2 oral medicanol drinks before i was dicharged.
i have had numerous blood tests but no abnormal results, the doctors are still baffled on whats happening.
When it happens, i feel the palpitations start and i get a sharp shooting pain up and down my chest. Since the first incident i am constantly tired and feel really sick, i keep suffering with bad headaches and joint pains. Due to my hospital being down 1 doctor, my treatment appears to keep getting delayed. When im in A&E after being admitted i am normally in there around 16+ hours before my heart rate begins to slow, i then have to finish my fluids from the iv administraation before going home.
It feels as though we are getting no where with the hospital as they cannot find whats wrong with me.
Last night (29th Jan) i got mild chest pain and tachycardia. i was able to control it at home and slow it down myself after most the night by using the valsalvic maneovor, my heart was going around 130bpm.
I have a blood test coming up on monday however my results always return normal. Has anyone got any feedback/input thats relevant and may help?
ive also been suffering with severe dizziness to the point i cant stand for a few moments
I think the low potassium is unrelated, or at most only a trigger. If you have an svt, the best treatment is ablation. In the meantime, continue vagal maneuvers to abort the svt such as breath holding, bearing down, drinking cold water, coughing, or pushing on your carotid pulse
Hi welshgirl,
Do the doctors have any idea of why you have those drops in potassium? If you eat well as you say, there must be another cause to that. If your body is not balanced, it's normal that you have symptoms in the body. Low potassium does cause symptoms in the heart, as you can confirm by googling it. It doesn't necessarily mean you have a heart problem!
Before I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, I went through several tests to my heart because of my high heart rate, which was the main symptom. This was proved to be because my body was unbalanced!
I hope it helps. Question your doctors and ask to see a specialist!
All the best!
Hiya! Yes weve been through all the tests they could think of! Medically my body is perfect and healthy minus these random lapses with the heart and potassium, however they are all so sudden and spontanious so we are still unaware of the triggers etc. After being admitted to hospital by the time the fluids have been administered and blood tests donwe the only issues showing up are the svt and potassium levels. We have even done the 48 hour urine tests to check for sudden drops of any other body levels but everythings coming back fine
Speak to Arrhythmia Alliance. They are really helpful. You don't say when you have had the attacks but they told me bending over can cause it and sleeping on your left side can.
The phone number is on their website.
Low potassium does not cause svt. It causes dangerous ventricular arrhythmias
Anyone who tells you sleeping on your left side causes arrhythmias is someone not worth talking to, honestly
In my case 95% of the time its when I turn over from my right to my left and always asleep in bed. My doctor told me to check Arrhythmia Alliance website. Past few times I have been awake and felt it.
That's interesting....the only time I hear that as an electrophysiologist is for triggering atrial fibrillation or an atrial tach from the pulmonary veins. I figured someone would spot afib a mile away, so there'd be no mystery.
Usually I get an attack of rapid heart rate only when im trying to go to sleep.. Its weird. I feel nervous and a weird sensation and i start getting hot, and my heart rate starts to pick up and go into some kind of mode where its flying.. I do have bad anxiety problems, so I am not sure if it is an anxiety attack or svt etc.. when you said pulmonary veins..It made me think.. because my lungs don't always feel that great.. I wore a monitor and had the attack.. I didn't get the results back.. Its been a week they haven't called me, and im too scared to call and find out.
What welshgirl describes doesn't seem to be a typical SVT to me, but I'm not a doctor, so I might be wrong. 
However, if there is anything else going wrong in the body, she needs to make sure of the reasons for that, before going through any ablation or cardiac procedure. The source of the problems is most probably the same, and not in the heart. I hope the doctors discover this soon and I wish you the best of luck, welshgirl!!
Also, what triggers SVT is not the same for everyone. Unfortunately I already had to go several times to the A&E to have cardioversion with adenosine due to sleeping on my left side. I now sleep with a bunch of pilows to make sure I'll not rotate to the wrong side. Leaning down, doing exercise and sometimes even laughing and yawning trigger my SVT. I'm now going through a 2nd ablation.
Its reassuring to know that you are following our discussions,zzappd. I recently found out that the doctor I saw was only a GP with a special interest in heart conditions so I asked my doctor to refer me to an Electrophysiologist who is mentioned on the Arrhythmia Alliance website. I am a carer to my husband(he has Parkinsons Disease) so its not good for me to be having these attacks. I have gone as long as six months without one so I don't want to take regular medication. I just want something that will slow my heart back down when I have one. Something I am noticing though is that the day before an attack my stomach plays up and I don't think its coincidence. I had one in November and the day before I had been to the doctor over my stomach and I was given an h-pylori test. I woke with an attack at five in the morning and nothing would stop it and after four hours I had to go to A&E.
There can be a number of triggers for people but usually if it's an svt it's random. The best and safest treatment is an ablation. In the meantime, try some of the maneuvers I mentioned earlier. I don't know without seeing the EKG, but if this is an svt, it poses absolutely no danger to you. But I'd need to see the monitor results to know for sure
You are correct, it doesn't sound exactly typical.
My first question is to inquire whether your magnisium level is within normal limits. If your magnisium is too low, you will not be able to raise your potassium. The second question is whether your physicians checked your aldosterone level and renin activity level, which is a simple blood test and 24 hour urine. Hyperaldosteronism will cause severe hypokalemia that will not be relieved until the excess aldosterone is eliminated. Just some suggestions.
Can you explain what I do about thse potassium levels? I have had two SVT's within a month and four in three months.
There can be several causes of SVT and hypokalemia is one. My first recommendation is that you see a cardiologist to determine if the cause of SVT. If your problem is just SVT and not hypokalemia, than a cardiologist is definitely recommended. The usual course of determining the cause of SVT, in addition to a detailed lifestyle assesment (caffeine consumption, etc), would be to have you wear a halter monitor for several weeks to a month. This will allow the cardiologist to monitor what type of arrhythmias you are having, how often, how long, etc. It you have hypokalemia than the cause of your SVT may be potassium related.
Severe hypokalemia (potassium levels below 2.5), cannot be left untreated. In addition to cardiac abnormalities, your kidneys are very sensitive to changes in potassium and do no respond well to prolonged hypokalemia. While a general practitioner can discover low potassium, you should be referred to a specialist if the hypokalemia cannot be corrected with a potassium supplement. This usually means there is an underlying cause for your low potassium that must be addressed that could be multifaceted.
I would not recommend you try and treat this on your own. In addition to a cardiologist, you may wish to seek the help of an endocrinologist as your probem may be endocrine in nature.
Hope this helps.
Thank you. I have arranged to see my GP next week for a potassium test.
I only saw a consultant at the end of March despite having SVT's for 5 years. He suggested an Ablation but I have never had ant tests. I have had to go to hospital five times over this period and never once has potassium levels been mentioned.
Thanks for your kind advice.
Good luck!
While an ablation is certainly one way to fix isolated tachycardias, You first need to know the cause. This is an invasive procedure that is not without risks.
I certainly hope you can get your problem fixed! I know this must be worrisome to you and having the answers will go a long way in relieving your concerns.