SVT anxiety

Heart health and blood vessels
1

I started having ectopic beats 2 years ago, which resulted in me developing major anxiety.

Over the course of these two years, I went into SVT a few times but it was only for a minute each time. The only problem I had was the ectopic beats, which would give me a panic attack every single time I felt any blip in my heart beat.

Over time I became completely desensitised to these ectopic beats. I would have about 10 big ectopic beats every week but I would no longer have any reaction to them.

This all changed when I went into SVT for an hour, which had me calling an ambulance, but it stopped before they came. Then a month after I went into SVT for 10 minutes. It stopped then restarted and I had to go to the emergency room, and just before they were about to give me the adenosine, it reverted back. The thought of having to get the adenosine at some point in my future gives me so much anxiety. I’ve never had it but I’m so scared of it after reading about others experience with it.

I have developed an anxiety disorder because of all of this and I just can’t seem to get out of this anxiety loop. I accept the anxious feelings, which helps me a lot, but the thought of having another SVT attack just keeps the anxious feelings burning away.

I’m usually an optimistic person, but I can’t see the way forward. I think about going on holiday - what if I have an attack mid-flight or in a country I don’t speak the language, or if they don’t have good medical services? I snowboard - what if I have an attack on the slopes? Not only would I need to get myself down but there’s no hospital for hours.

My attacks have my bpm 200+, highest was 260. I can’t have an attack and have my heart rate that high for so long so I feel the need to be near hospitals constantly, it’s ruining my life.

I don’t take medications as the side effects are just as bad. I should probably look into getting an ablation, but the risks of the surgery scare me.

How can I change my mentality to stop being so anxious about this condition because its absolutely debilitating.

Thanks. :slight_smile:

2

I am wondering if anyone can help me or has experienced this.

Right now I am going through a really hard time with stress and anxiety. I keep having panic attacks and my resting heart rate has been high (115) and (145) when I’m up and about doing stuff, even something as simple as getting a drink from the fridge. It’s been like this for years and I’m terrified I’m either going to die of a heart attack suddenly or I’m going to die of heart failure at a young age. I’m only 26 and I feel like I’ve lost my life already. When I wake up in the morning my HR is sky high and it freaks me out. I never wanna do anything apart from sit or lay down because I’m scared of dying young from all of this.

I had a panic attack, my HR was 172 and I ended up in a&e because it wasn’t coming down, they did ecgs and said it was sinus tachycardia which I have now been diagnosed with inappropriate sinus tachycardia.

Can anyone help me as I’m so so scared sad I have had reassurance.

I want to exercise but what if doing regular exercise doesn’t reduce my resting heart rate and then I’m just putting my heart under more stress for no reason.

3

The biggest problem for you, like me, is anxiety. I still have major anxiety but it’s not as bad as it used to be, I’m still trying to work at reducing my anxiety more still.

I have the exact same problem as you so I feel like I can give you some decent advice.

When I started having ectopic beats, I started to become so overly aware of my heartbeat, so every single time I would stand up I would feel my heart beat which would then make me very anxious and cause my heart to beat faster and faster. Literally every single time I stood up I would have a panic attack for weeks, it was crazy. I couldn’t stop it, its like I had conditioned my body to panic every time I stood upright.

I would then start waking up in the middle of the night and instantly my heart would start pounding. I would literally wake up every 2 hours and I would have a major panic attack. Once it stopped, I would have to use the bathroom, and again when I stood up I would have another panic attack. How exhausting…

This all started for me when I started having ectopic beats, which gave me anxiety, which made me scared that this constant anxiety and increased heart rate was going to lead to an early death, which then gave me EVEN MORE anxiety… and the cycle continued.

You say you have inappropriate sinus tachycardia but I believe 99% of your problem is anxiety.

The way I reduced my anxiety a lot is by just accepting it. It got to the point that I was sick of thinking about anxiety all day and I was basically like “if it kills me, it kills me”. Once I stopped caring, it stopped. I also started doing 30 minutes intense cardio each day.

You say you don’t want to exercise but if you do, it’ll burn off excess adrenaline and reduce your anxiety a lot. It’ll also decrease overall cortisol levels in the longer term which is good for your heart.

You’re 26, you wont have a heart attack, dont worry. You just need to stop caring so much about your heart rate, you’ve become obsessed. You’re like “oh no my heart rate is too high its causing extra strain on my heart, i better try to slow it down or i’ll die soon”… this just causes anxiety and makes it beat even faster and you get into this cycle.

Start doing exercise right away, trust me. Do cardio every single day, it will help immensely. This isn’t putting strain on your heart, it’s making it stronger! 30 minutes intense work out each day, that’s all. I guarantee you’ll feel calmer afterwards and your heart rate will start to decrease in time.

The day you stop obsessing about your heart is the day the anxiety will begin to decline. You won’t stop the anxiety instantly, it will go away gradually, so don’t be discouraged if you still feel anxiety. Time will heal you, just start living and stop obsessing over your heart rate! :wink:

4

Hey, I was 36 when I first started having runs of svt and it’s annoying!! Unfortunately I get short of breath when I have my episodes so it’s super disruptive (I have 2 little ones to chase after). I was a RN, but left the bedside after my second to stay at home. I’m telling you this background info so you can understand my reasoning. I like knowing facts ( I think that’s the nurse in me), so I chose to have the ablation because I wanted my active life back. I wanted to know exactly where the accessory pathway was and know for sure that it had been neutralized!! The procedure went fine however, my EP was not able to ablate anything because I had more than one pathway so my only option was to start medications. I’ve been on Coreg for the past 1 1/2 years and now I’m having breakthrough runs again so I will have to follow up with my cardiologist to try another med.
You’re young and need to do everything possible to take care your heart. Don’t let fear of “what if” stop you from getting treatment because it’s holding you back from living. Yes every procedure has a risk but when weighed against not doing it and living how you are currently living (stricken with anxiety), it’s worth the risk. I’m not telling you to get the ablation but rather to be open to any and all treatments that can get you back to living your best life!!!
I also focused on all the tough situations that God has previously brought me through and reminded myself that if He got me through that, than He can certainly handle my little heart. Hope this helps.

5

Hi Jack,
i hope you know that anyone reading this forum pretty much knows exactly what you are going through and the unbelievable anxiety that SVT causes. Rather than talking about my anxiety, which you are all too familiar with, let me just tell you what i would recommend. I highly recommend seeing a specialist in cardiac electrophysiology/arrythmias if you haven’t already received a definitive diagnosis of SVT. The only way to get that diagnosis is through an EKG during an episode. The EKG’s will likely be normal in between episodes. Maybe they recorded that in the ER? If not, you need to where a monitor to catch these arrythmias. They’re pretty easy to wear. kind of uncomfortable for two weeks but, worth the trouble for a proper diagnosis. From what I’ve read and been told by my cardiologist, medications don’t do much for most types of SVT. Ablation seems to be the best treatment option but, again, you need a proper diagnosis before even considering it. I’m sure that there are plenty of horror stories about ablation out there but, the fact is, it can be 98% effective in treating most types of SVT. The complication rate is 1%, which sounds really high when you are the patient considering ablation but, the most common complications have to do with the entry point (where the catheter enters in your groin/upper leg) like infections etc. I’ve had SVT (AVNRT) and the anxiety that goes with it my whole life and in the last year it got really bad and was effecting my daily life so i decided to go ahead with ablation. I had ablation surgery just a week ago and, to be honest, it was terrifying but, actually pretty easy . i was only in the hospital for 6 hours! I still have a lot of anxiety but, that’s just what I’m used to feeling, I’ve had it my whole life. I’m certain that will decrease with time. Another thing to remember, if you do have SVT it is not considered life threatening. It’s certainly debilitating and a huge anxiety producing pain in the ass but, it won’t kill you. Weird to say but, true. Get a proper diagnosis if you haven’t and see if ablation is an option for you. Then consider your quality of life with SVT compared to the relatively low complication risk of ablation. I wish you the best and hope you feel better soon!

6

you sound so much like me im 27 and have been diagnosed with inappropriate sinus tachycardia and atrial tachycardia and i keep thinking im going to die my anxiety is so bad and its constantly causing me to have panick attacks i went from being an active positive person to now not wanting to do anything because im scared my heart rate is going to go so high and im going to end up having a heart attack or that the high heart rate is going to cause heart failure. its physically draining and its interfering with my day to day life to the point where i dont even make plans with anyone anymore because im scared if im out something bad might happen. i found this forum last night and im hoping that talking to people that are expriencing the same thing as me is going to help me and not make me feel like im going crazy all the time!

7

iv litrally just read my self except the snow boarding part im the same heart rate 240 longest its been is 2 hours 45 mins then its normally between 7-20 mins i feel for you iv stopped doing everything i dont leave the house, i live on my nerves just waiting for another svt

8

hi im going through the exact same thing as you, today i came out of the hospital after having a svt attack and couldnt get my heart rate back but after 2 hours it corrected its self its a scary horrible condition

9

I have had SVT my whole life (literally since the day I was born) and have also become somewhat “desensitized” to it. I’ve been reassured over and over that the condition is benign and non-life threatening. While the episodes can be annoying or inconvenient at times, the condition itself should not be ruining your life! I do not take medication for it and have been able to travel, hike, exercise, etc., as I know the condition is harmless and I have learned to deal with the episodes as they come.