Discussions

Hi, thank you so much for this post. I definitely feel for you and I completely understand the whole “letting SVTs rule your life” comments. They are terrifying and I too suffer from them although I have never been diagnosed specifically with them. Every time I am given a monitor to wear I don’t seem to have them- they are so random. You can garuntee though that a few days later after not having the monitor, I have an episode. I am so frustrated because of this. The drs I have seen all agree that it certainly sounds like an SVT episode. I too usually get them when I bend down and then stand up quickly, if I eat too much of certain types of food. I feel like I’m not living atm. Can’t eat this, can’t exercise too much, can’t have a drink! Just incase it triggers an episode. I am 31 and am very healthy and exercise- or have done very regularly. I have 3 children and my newest addition is 1 year old. I had these same episodes after having my last two children 10 years ago. This is when they all began. They then went away randomly after my 8 year old was about 2 years old. I have just started having them again and they are back with a bite! A couple of months ago I had my first one in a long time that scared the hell out of me. More worried as my little girl was home with me and I was scared something may happen and shes be left alone.They came to me along with my menstrual cycle again as I had been breastfeeding. Then this morning I had an episode that only lasted a few seconds while cuddling my little one this morning. They are horrible and I really feel for anyone who suffers or has suffered from them. I am now pregnant again and wanting to enjoy my last pregnancy but I live in fear everyday that I will have an episode. I have found the only thing to work for me is sipping icy water when I have these, it has worked successfully 9/10 for me.
Again thanks for sharing and I will be looking into what I can do for my heart,mind and body to eliminate these horrible things. God bless you all and good luck x

This is very helpful. I knew that sugar was a trigger for me and my doctor swore to me up and down that sugar was not a trigger. I went over board on the sugar last night and so far I have had 3 SVT attacks! Thank you for sharing.

I agree that sticking to a diet is so important! Also, I would love to know if anyone has used acupuncture to help prevent SVT from occurring?
Thanks.

Points well made! The mind is a major factor in controlling SVT’s. Keep focusing on peaceful thoughts and less what the Media has to offer. Listen to inspirational songs such as this survivor’s song(in this case SVT’s) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw5pk5wuANY God bless all!

Thanks for sharing your story. I too went over a year without an attack and did end up in the hospital (via ambulance) with an attack. GUILTY……I had given into my sugar cravings prior to the attack. I did maintain no alcohol, artifical sweetner, chocolate and low on the gluten….I do however have an issue with unresolved anger and the weather does get to me…. I just started a heart rehab program as a prevention solution..,.not easy to get into. Thanks for the reminder regarding water….

So glad I found this! I am 36 and just started having episodes last Fall. I had a big one on January 1st and another smaller one two days ago. I just saw an accupuncturist today as I really want to change things to help it. I feel my old fear gripping me again. I used to suffer from panic attacks in my early 20’s and it is making me so sad to feel that again. I look forward to exploring this blog.

I’m a retired optometrist who’s had an interest in nutritional and holistic healing since 1976. I’ve learned to think in terms of “What is the body trying to accomplish and am I going to help it or interfere with its internal wisdom?” by doing this or that.
With respect to heart arrhythmias the heart must have the proper balance of minerals to beat regularly. Two of the more important and neglected are magnesium and copper. A blood test is not an accurate indicator of your body’s stores of minerals. Blood tests are but a snapshot in time and can vary from hour to hour. Trace mineral analysis through tissue sampling (hair, for instance) is a “videotape” of what’s going on in your body over the last 4-6 weeks.
By balancing your minerals you’re giving your body the building blocks it needs for repair. (Those of you with an arrhythmia shoudn’t run out and buy copper and magnesium and start experimenting for you can easily worsen your condition. The key word is balance. This is best done with the help and advice of a holistic practitioner, such as a naturopath/chiropractor/M.D./D.O. who can do an evaluation with the help of a hair analysis.)
Most M.D.’s are not schooled in balancing minerals and will treat these problems with drugs and surgery. Proceed with caution. Seek out practioners who know how to cooperate with your body rather than start a war within it. It’s a safer and gentler approach and the only one that offers a true cure. Remember the old adage “Nature cures and the doctor pockets the fee”. G.B.

I’m a retired optometrist who’s had an interest in nutritional and holistic healing since 1976. I’ve learned to think in terms of “What is the body trying to accomplish and am I going to help it or interfere with its internal wisdom?” by doing this or that.
With respect to heart arrhythmias the heart must have the proper balance of minerals to beat regularly. Two of the more important and neglected are magnesium and copper. A blood test is not an accurate indicator of your body’s stores of minerals. Blood tests are but a snapshot in time and can vary from hour to hour. Trace mineral analysis through tissue sampling (hair, for instance) is a “videotape” of what’s going on in your body over the last 4-6 weeks.
By balancing your minerals you’re giving your body the building blocks it needs for repair. (Those of you with an arrhythmia shoudn’t run out and buy copper and magnesium and start experimenting for you can easily worsen your condition. The key word is balance. This is best done with the help and advice of a holistic practitioner, such as a naturopath/chiropractor/M.D./D.O. who can do an evaluation with the help of a hair analysis.)
Most M.D.’s are not schooled in balancing minerals and will treat these problems with drugs and surgery. Proceed with caution. Seek out practioners who know how to cooperate with your body rather than start a war within it. It’s a safer and gentler approach and the only one that offers a true cure. Remember the old adage “Nature cures and the doctor pockets the fee”. G.B.

So happy to see that there are other people out there that want to fix this SVT monster naturally! I was diagnosed with SVT in 2011, I was 18. I turn 21 in three days and just had an attack that admitted me to the hospital yesterday. I am discharged now, and have to follow up with my cardiologist but I don’t want to give in to being medicated or have an ablation done. I’m a nursing student and I work as a tech in a hospital, so I was lucky I had my attack where I did, but a hr of 170 for a long period of time is no fun, especially when it starts when you are driving to work.

I know that my everyday stresses and diet play a huge role on how my ticker is acting, but it took this last scare to get my butt in action. Thinking about going gluten free and doing anything I can to make this better! Any successful tips are appreciated! 🙂

Hello, I creid when I found your site. I have just been diagnosed with SVT after having an episode after a shift at the hospital. I am a midwifery student and I have been freaking out that I will have to drop out as the pressure and stress are so high in my degree course. Having read your blogs, I now feel there is hope for me to control my symptoms naturally. I was gluten free for ten years, and had started eating it again as I wasn’t having any gut problems from it, but I guess I’ll go back to gluten free, and am happy to clean up my diet if means I can keep being a midwifery student. Unfortunately my teenage son is a drug addict and the stress that is causing in my life is unbelievable! Sadly there is not much I can do about his choices, so my challenge is to self-care instead of trying to fix him.
Thanks so much for your blog, and giving me the nudge I need to clean up my life, and get healthy again.
I’m a bit scared to exercise at the moment as I’m scared everytime my heart does something weird. Does gentle exercise help as well? I presume being fit has to be a good thing…

I also am a survivor of both a Panic Disorder and SVT’s. I have fought this combination for the past 40 years and am now myself symptom free by a Holistic approach. I am a composer who wrote a Survivor song, “Look At Me” and put it to video for use by cancer organizations for their cancer survivors. Please enjoy and share the following inspirational cancer survivor video/song: “Look At Me” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw5pk5wuANY

I just want to say that I have been diagnosed with Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome and they were unable to ablate, so here I am still taking drugs that make me feel terrible. After 8 years, I’m ready to call it quits with these drugs, and start trying to make a life change, like food for example, to try to lessen my tachycardia. Day two and I have been eating fruits and veggies, no msg, and drinking these supplement drinks that are one hundred percent organic. I’m so excited to hear from others because I’m thriving to look for advice and support on finding out what is causing SVT. I want to beat this without constantly taking meds everyday.

I was diagnosed with svt last year. I had an ablation that was unsuccessful. I currently take metoprolol everyday to keep me from having attacks. My heart goes crazy after eating still but it will calm down after I drink a lot of water. I got pregnant with my son 4 months after being diagnosed and thankfully I was able to take the metoprolol my entire pregnancy. My cardiologist told me that it could randomly go away on its own the same way it randomly came on. I don’t know what would be worse, to have svt attacks at random or basically to always have them but they are controlled by medication. I wish my heart would go back to normal. I hate being dependent on medication.

I think I had one of these two days ago. Lasted about 30 minutes. Went to the nearest urgent care facility. The doctor did get his stethoscope on my chest and heard the rhythm. But it literally went away seconds before she hit the EKG button. I’ve had panic attacks before, but this was way different. EKG read perfect. Doctor felt it was an svt. He recommended a cardiologist and ablation as a means to fix. I have been under tremendous stress related to work. I’ve been reading this blog ever since. Can svt’s be caused by stress? I’m 48 and have been in pretty good shape. I have definitley been pushing it at work and my sleep habits are probably not what they should be. I guess I am asking where I go from here. I really am not a medicine taker. And the thought of any invasive procedure petrifies me. Especially the heart. Also is it common to be extremely tired after and the next day? Thanks Mark

Hello,

I just found this site through a Google search that included the word “tachycardia.” I was searching because I had an episode of SVT this morning at 3:33 a.m. EST. I know the exact time because I looked at my clock radio when my heart started racing. Thankfully, it was a short episode and relatively mild compared to past episodes. My pulse came down on its own. I think what triggered the episode was that I had eaten a lot of white rice before going to bed.

Your story is quite similar to mine. I’m 37 now. My first episode of SVT occurred in August 2010 when I was 35. I was mowing the lawn on a hot summer day. My pulse was already high because I was really exerting myself. I stopped the lawnmower and went into the garage to get a rake. I bent over to pick something up from the garage floor, and, when I came up, I felt my pulse go even higher. So I stopped to rest, hoping that my pulse would come down. It didn’t. I didn’t know what was happening as I had never experienced this before. Was it a heart attack? So I went to the emergency room of the local hospital. The ER physician diagnosed me with SVT.

Since that first episode, I have had quite a few more episodes. One of them was really bad, and I thought I was going to die. I was mowing the lawn, but with that episode, my heart started convulsing. After that episode, my health went down hill. I got to the point where I wasn’t able to do any type of physical activity without my heart racing. Then I developed chest pain that felt like a heart attack.

I educated myself about SVT. I determined which foods would trigger an episode of SVT, and eliminated those foods from my diet. Peanut butter, for example, will trigger an episode every time I eat it. I must have developed an allergy to it because I didn’t always have that problem with peanut butter. I started taking certain supplements, the most important of which are Ubiquinol and Magnesium. I had several chiropractic treatments. The chiropractor determined that I had a hiatal hernia, which may have aggravated my condition. I have been feeling great for a while now, like my old self. I’m no longer in pain. I had developed terrible anxiety and was unable to engage in any type of physical activity for fear of having an episode of SVT. But I’m now able to exercise again without any problem.

Thanks for your site.

Tim
Greenville, SC

Reblogged this on Nourish My Spirit and commented:

This is a repost from my other blog, HealSVTnaturally.

I have just read your article and I will try everything you suggest.I am a 56 year old mother who has always had a form of SVT.
My Svt episodes are getting more frequent and always end with a trip to the casualty department.It has completely taken over my life to the point where I am scared to do anything so I will try what you suggest and pray it works

I do not get ‘Hot” I get very very cold and shake like crazy. any one else have that?

Nice to hear from you again, Laura. So much has happened to us since I wrote you last. My husband went with me to my follow-up appointment on 10/18/12 to the cardiologist and he mentioned to the doctor he was having chest pains. The doctor ordered an CTA antiography on him and he ended up with one blocked artery at 99% and another 100% being supported by collateral vessels. Talk about ramping up the stress in my already stressful life. It was then I realized that no matter what I had to take care of myself. The cardiologist told me that he was confident that my SVT was caused by my post surgery exhaustion. He said the heart has to pump faster when we are out of energy. You know, he’s right. All three of my SVT’s were after days of no good sleep.

I made a very concerted effort while my husband has gone through two heart surgeries in the last 8 weeks to make sure I followed your guildelines, water, sleep, etc. And I did something I never do, I accepted help.

Amazingly, I had one very small SVT, drank 40 oz. of water and it resolved immediately. I haven’t had anymore problems, except an occassional PVC since then.

I will be flying to California in February and I’m nervous about having and SVT on the plane, but keep telling myself the doctor said it won’t kill me. He also gave me Metatoprolol to take on an as needed bases.

I was able to get the EKG strips from the paramedics and the cardiologist read them and told me my SVT’s are not the dangerous kind. It really helps a lot to have him on my team, and to have the opportunity to call him whenever I get worried.

I’ve started my own blog that chronicles the journey that both my husband and I are going with both of our heart issues at http://www.coronarychronicle.blogspot.com.

By the way, your recipes look wonderful. I am now following a low-fat plant based diet and am feeling sooo much better and both hubby and I are losing weight. Where we were both obese, he and I are both just 10 pounds overweight now.

Sometimes we have to go through really hard things for things to get much better. I am a much happier and much stronger person now than I was three months ago. Thanks for your blog and your advice and I’m glad you are doing better too.

Nice to hear from you again, Laura. So much has happened to us since I wrote you last. My husband went with me to my follow-up appointment on 10/18/12 to the cardiologist and he mentioned to the doctor he was having chest pains. The doctor ordered an CTA antiography on him and he ended up with one blocked artery at 99% and another 100% being supported by collateral vessels. Talk about ramping up the stress in my already stressful life. It was then I realized that no matter what I had to take care of myself. The cardiologist told me that he was confident that my SVT was caused by my post surgery exhaustion. He said the heart has to pump faster when we are out of energy. You know, he’s right. All three of my SVT’s were after days of no good sleep.

I made a very concerted effort while my husband has gone through two heart surgeries in the last 8 weeks to make sure I followed your guildelines, water, sleep, etc. And I did something I never do, I accepted help.

Amazingly, I had one very small SVT, drank 40 oz. of water and it resolved immediately. I haven’t had anymore problems, except an occassional PVC since then.

I will be flying to California in February and I’m nervous about having and SVT on the plane, but keep telling myself the doctor said it won’t kill me. He also gave me Metatoprolol to take on an as needed bases.

I was able to get the EKG strips from the paramedics and the cardiologist read them and told me my SVT’s are not the dangerous kind. It really helps a lot to have him on my team, and to have the opportunity to call him whenever I get worried.

I’ve started my own blog that chronicles the journey that both my husband and I are going with both of our heart issues at http://www.coronarychronicle.blogspot.com.

By the way, your recipes look wonderful. I am now following a low-fat plant based diet and am feeling sooo much better and both hubby and I are losing weight. Where we were both obese, he and I are both just 10 pounds overweight now.

Sometimes we have to go through really hard things for things to get much better. I am a much happier and much stronger person now than I was three months ago. Thanks for your blog and your advice and I’m glad you are doing better too.

Thanks for the information and your concern. There is no doubt that being on a gluten free diet has helped to diminish the amount of SVT’s I experience. It is truly a holistic approach which is necessary and keeping control of one’s anger is also a big part of the process.

Thank you for your reply Laura and your kind and encouraging words. I have always been an overachiever. I have 7 kids, six of which are boys and a high powered husband who likes to keep going, and going, and going.

I don’t know if I told you I have celiac’s disease, confirmed by a gastro doctor and endoscopy. I found right off the bat that the dead gluten free junk foods are no good for blood sugar, so I shop on the outer side of the grocery store.

My gallbladder issues was definitely a result of a larger problem. I had four tremendously large stones made out of bilirubin which points to a low level of bleeding in the small intestine caused years ago by the celiac’s disease that was not diagnosed until two years ago. The stones probably formed when I was at my sickest several years ago, and I believe as I got healthier, my body, knowing it wasn’t functioning was trying to reject it.

Shortly after the celiac’s diagnosis, I had an allergy test done (skin prick not blood which I need to get) on foods and found I was allergic to about 15 different foods. So, I really need to get the enterolab testing done through blood testing to make sure. I am on an elimination diet now, and I think the sorbet failed, :). I added back quinoa last Thursday and it was sooo good!

I recently met a lady who had the enterolab testing done and she lost 40 pounds after she eliminated the allergen foods, felt like a million bucks, and she looked fabulous in her 50’s, beautiful skin, hair, and muscular.

It’s interesting to hear you say I need a six month rest, because that’s what I feel like I need. My family is taking me more seriously now, but it’s a whole different mindset for all of us.

I’ve got to add “no” to my vocabulary.

After reading your story, I realize you have had a lot of experience with SVT’s over the years, and this is quite new to me, so I am really interested in your journey and how the changes you put in place work for you. It appears that they are working.

Thanks again for caring, and starting up a community on the web for those who want to find other answers than the ones currently being offered.

Have a great day!

Debbie

Thank you for your reply Laura and your kind and encouraging words. I have always been an overachiever. I have 7 kids, six of which are boys and a high powered husband who likes to keep going, and going, and going.

I don’t know if I told you I have celiac’s disease, confirmed by a gastro doctor and endoscopy. I found right off the bat that the dead gluten free junk foods are no good for blood sugar, so I shop on the outer side of the grocery store.

My gallbladder issues was definitely a result of a larger problem. I had four tremendously large stones made out of bilirubin which points to a low level of bleeding in the small intestine caused years ago by the celiac’s disease that was not diagnosed until two years ago. The stones probably formed when I was at my sickest several years ago, and I believe as I got healthier, my body, knowing it wasn’t functioning was trying to reject it.

Shortly after the celiac’s diagnosis, I had an allergy test done (skin prick not blood which I need to get) on foods and found I was allergic to about 15 different foods. So, I really need to get the enterolab testing done through blood testing to make sure. I am on an elimination diet now, and I think the sorbet failed, :). I added back quinoa last Thursday and it was sooo good!

I recently met a lady who had the enterolab testing done and she lost 40 pounds after she eliminated the allergen foods, felt like a million bucks, and she looked fabulous in her 50’s, beautiful skin, hair, and muscular.

It’s interesting to hear you say I need a six month rest, because that’s what I feel like I need. My family is taking me more seriously now, but it’s a whole different mindset for all of us.

I’ve got to add “no” to my vocabulary.

After reading your story, I realize you have had a lot of experience with SVT’s over the years, and this is quite new to me, so I am really interested in your journey and how the changes you put in place work for you. It appears that they are working.

Thanks again for caring, and starting up a community on the web for those who want to find other answers than the ones currently being offered.

Have a great day!

Debbie

Laura, I just had my third SVT in 18 months this past Saturday and had to have adenosine. It was terrifying. I have been a gluten free low-fat vegan since January, but I cheated on my diet the night before my SVT and had some sorbet. I never eat sugar, but maybe this triggered my feeling off the next day and the SVT. Thank you for your blog. It’s nice to know that someone else is looking into a holistic approach to avoid these awful experiences. My last two SVT’s came the day after having diarrhea. the first one after having norovirus, the second one the day after a gallbladder attack. I also had my gallbladder removed three weeks ago, and I attribute being worn out from this and getting in the swing of things too early as a cause of my last SVT. I had cleaned five bathrooms at our church building the morning of and had been not only worn out from the surgery but sleep deprived from taking care of my sick 4 year old.

I hope you keep posting your successes. Incidentally, the days I had my SVT’s were also the days I missed my magnesium. All of my blood work has been perfect, all three times, but reading from the the Magnesium Miracle by Carolyn Dean, M.D. our cells can be deficient even though our blood is not showing it.

Thanks again for caring enough to start your blog.

Debbie

Laura, I just had my third SVT in 18 months this past Saturday and had to have adenosine. It was terrifying. I have been a gluten free low-fat vegan since January, but I cheated on my diet the night before my SVT and had some sorbet. I never eat sugar, but maybe this triggered my feeling off the next day and the SVT. Thank you for your blog. It’s nice to know that someone else is looking into a holistic approach to avoid these awful experiences. My last two SVT’s came the day after having diarrhea. the first one after having norovirus, the second one the day after a gallbladder attack. I also had my gallbladder removed three weeks ago, and I attribute being worn out from this and getting in the swing of things too early as a cause of my last SVT. I had cleaned five bathrooms at our church building the morning of and had been not only worn out from the surgery but sleep deprived from taking care of my sick 4 year old.

I hope you keep posting your successes. Incidentally, the days I had my SVT’s were also the days I missed my magnesium. All of my blood work has been perfect, all three times, but reading from the the Magnesium Miracle by Carolyn Dean, M.D. our cells can be deficient even though our blood is not showing it.

Thanks again for caring enough to start your blog.

Debbie

Thank you! Just a typo!!!

Thank you for your comments. I strongly encourage you and everyone with SVT to really look into food allergies as a possible trigger. My SVT and overall symptoms have decreased drastically since I eliminated Wheat and dairy from my diet. I know its such a big change, but if you feel better and less stressted about having an SVT its worth it. Consider doing a stool sample with enterloab. you can read your own results. You may be shocked about what you are allergic to. I was…..There is so much to learn about digestive health and overall health. Its so deeply connected. Keep a food diary to draw connections to what you ate and your symptoms. Good Luck! Write anytime, I love to hear from you!

Symptoms is spelled wrong. Just letting you know! 🙂

Oh my goodness, thank you for this post. I thought I was imagining it but I saw a connection and began to look into it. I hate SVT it robs me of joy in my life. Thank you for this information.

Thanks. I’ve noticed that any stressors, like heat, aggravate the SVT’s.