r/SVTHeart

I’m a man in my early 60s, and I’ve been dealing with a very noticeable, forceful heartbeat for about six months. I’m already seeing a cardiologist, but I still don’t have a clear explanation for the ongoing sensation.
The main issue is pounding, rather than necessarily a fast heartbeat. It’s especially noticeable when I’m resting or lying in bed. Sometimes it feels strong enough to shake the bed, and it interferes with my sleep. I’ve also had occasional mild lightheadedness and a feeling of chest pressure or difficulty getting a comfortable breath.
I’ve had separate episodes of a suddenly racing heart described as SVT. Those are different from the persistent pounding I’m asking about.
So far:
I’ve worn two month-long heart monitors. I pressed the symptom button when I felt the pounding, but I was told the results didn’t explain it. No AFib was reported.
During a stress test, there were a few PVCs, with more during recovery.
I’m taking metoprolol succinate 50 mg daily. The racing episodes have improved, but the forceful heartbeat remains.
I’m frustrated because the sensation is very real and disruptive, yet I don’t understand what rhythm was recorded when I pressed the monitor button.
Has anyone experienced something similar? For those with medical knowledge, what would be useful to ask at my next cardiology appointment?
In particular:
Should I ask to review the exact rhythm strips from the times I marked symptoms?
If those showed a normal rhythm, what could explain such a forceful heartbeat?
Would an electrophysiologist consultation be useful given my history of SVT?
I’m open to discussing whether stress or anxiety contributes, but I’d also like to understand what the testing actually showed. I’m looking for experiences and useful questions to bring to my doctor.
Appreciate it!

If you have a small episode of afib/flutter 5 weeks after ablation, does it mean it failed. I am 5 weeks away from my second ablation, my doctor said it was mostly for flutter.
Yesterday I had a really stressful day with construction workers at home, I didn’t really hydrate for couple days before that, and I decided to smoke a bit of hash…..10 min later my mouth started feeling dry and my heart rate started beating….i looked at the Apple Watch ekg for a second, and it looked like it was flutter/afib. Rate was around 120 while sitting….it lasted about 5 min, but it took a lot out of me.
I am just scared that the quality of my life is going to keep getting worse and my flutter will eventually bring my LVEF down again and lead to death.

I’ve been curious about other peoples experiences regarding it, when i had my first(and hopefully only) SVT at 16ish, it supposedly started because of medicine reaction since i was already sick and took whatever my mom gave me, which is none of her fault. But basically i woke up in the middle of the night to vomit, i couldnt eat or drink anything or id vomit it right back, my heart was already pounding but i thought it was because of the vomiting.

My parents thought it was better if i went to the hospital, i had this horrible feeling of tiredness where i just wanted to sleep and lie my head down while i waited in line for my turn, makes sense since my heart was going 200+ bpm, i went to get checked a doctor thought it was anxiety induced, but i still wasn’t getting better, i dont recall it much, but somehow i ended up on a separate room, they did some maneuvers to try and get my heart rate down, it didn’t work at all, it was quite chilling to be able to see my bpm on the monitor i genuinely thought this was it, especially after seeing the doctor talk to my mom, i wasnt able to hear anything but she was crying so much, i genuinely thought i was gonna be dead dead.

I waited and waited to be given something, i would have took anything for my heart to stop beating so fast, i dont know how much time passed but it was torture, and finally finally the doctor came back and they administered the adenosine, and god did i feel relief, it felt like my heart stopped for a few seconds some say it feels like getting stomped, like a huge weight is over your chest and i guess it was similar, it was really strange but it wasn’t uncomfortable at all, i felt more at ease than ever, it was almost magical seeing my bpm go down after taking it, really, like a miracle drug, i really respect those who have to go through SVTs regularly cause they are not for the weak, in my situation the adenosine was a life saver and didn’t hurt at all, im forever thankful to the doctor.

All this wasnt done cus i had to be transferred to another hospital idk why, all i know is in the end i had pneumonia pains too, pretty cool combo ig. But regarding the scariest part aka the SVT the treatment was almost instantaneous and painless with adenosine, does the pain vary from case to case? What are yalls experiences with it?

I thought I’d share my experience! I’ll be 45 in a week or so and I believe my first SVT episode happened when I was 42. It could have been sooner but I didn’t notice. I thought it was anxiety or perimenopause for a long time until the SVT rhythm was caught on an ECG.

My SVT episodes were 165-180 bpm but prolonged (4-7 hours) and usually required an ER visit and adenosine.
I went on metoprolol 25 mg and had 2 breakthrough SVT episodes on that dosage, so I increased to 50 mg, which kept the episodes at bay.

I had an EP study and catheter ablation this past Tuesday (9/29/26) and my EP was able to induce SVT very quickly and post-ablation, could not induce it again. She said I had AVNRT.
She feels confident she got it all.

The recovery has been easy. I felt pretty much normal 2 hours after waking up from the procedure. I’ve been a little more tired than usual.
I have had very minor stinging in my groin incisions but nothing that has really bothered me. I have had maybe 3-4 brief fluttering sensations in my chest over the last few days. (Similar to, but much more mild, than the feeling I used to get through my chest immediately before an SVT episode started)

I am currently off metoprolol but my EP put in a prescription for 25 mg to use if needed (for palpitations or high blood pressure)
So far my bp and heart rate are staying well within normal range so I haven’t used the lower dose metoprolol yet.

I’m hoping SVT is behind me and won’t recur! But if it does, I’ll do a second ablation because it really was a breeze.

Hi everyone! I am scheduled for my ablation this week and have some questions.

A little backstory: I am a 49f who had their first episode 24 yrs ago when I was pregnant. I may have had it before then, but that feeling is what I thought was panic attacks. Turns out I was wrong. So for the past 24 years I'll have an episode once every 2 to 3 years. However I thought it was just panic attacks. 10 years ago I was officially diagnosed and almost like clockwork every 2 to 3 years one more episode , I'd have a full workup, they would catch nothing and then nothing for 18 months or so.

I never noticed a correlation anything or anything that caused it. About a year ago I started having more frequent episodes of SVT. The only difference is I could somewhat manage them with valsalva maneuvers. After a particularly bad episode I decided to go ahead and have this ablation done. My guy is supposed to be great and he explained everything in detail. He's unsure since they've never caught it on an EKG that where it is happening at. But I think he said he has done 14,000 of these procedures. So I fill like I am in good hands.

My issue is two things: I live alone and I have a dog. ( And I live on the 2nd floor).

It's hard enough to find someone to take me but I do not have the resources or anyone who can physically stay with me after this procedure.

How long did the actual surgical part take? I need to find somebody that can take a whole day off work and I want to let them know realistically how long they will be waiting at the hospital with me or can they go and go do stuff and then come back?

What about afterwards I know with the general anesthesia I'll be drowsy and stuff but I'm concerned about walking my dog. I don't have anyone that she trust as she's very skittish with people and hiring someone to just walk her would be very traumatic for both me and her. She does not like my neighbors and the only person that she really likes is my ex and he can't stay with me because he has his own dog at home.

I'm having the mapping and the procedure done at the same time. I was told I would they would go in through my chest and my groin. And I'm having General anesthesia.

I know they said all of these things before but I can't remember.

Any advice? I've been off of my metoprolol and I stopped taking my losartan for my blood pressure as well. No episodes but just mini episodes. They are gone in 10 sec or so.

I really don't know what to do about my dog situation. And my job was wanting me to come back to work in 2 days. My boss even said "you just sit at a desk" in the hopes of me returning ASAP. (She said her concern was my vacation and PTO. Whatever).

She already has me scheduled to come back to work on the Tuesday after my procedure (having it on Wed). I've let my doctor's office know how my workplace is being and the fact they're trying everything they can to get me to quit, I'm afraid if I end up not going to work on Tuesday even with a doctor's excuse and FMLA paperwork (I'm covering my ass), they would still find a reason to fire me.

Sorry this is so scattered but I am starting to freak out and actually cried when I read how they did the procedure earlier. Because I cannot stay overnight because I don't have anyone to watch my dog.

Happened a couple of nights ago. Did my normal nightly routine and just as I started to drift off I was jolted up by the most horrible anxiety and body sensations I have ever felt. I thought I was going to die and then I could feel my chest and my heart felt like it was trying to escape. My brother called an ambo and I went to the ED. The entire time I was feeling woozy and out of it and not in control of myself. The only other time I felt like that mentally was during this really bad acid trip I had a while ago.

And I figured once the heart issues stopped so would the mental stuff but it’s been two days (I think) and I still feel that feeling. But it’s like nobody gives a sh*t. Not the Paramedics, not the doctors, not my family, not my friends or partner either. I just feel so damn alone and everyone is so unbothered about it. Not to mention the soul crushing realisation that I might have a heart condition that will directly impact what I can and cannot do.

Anyways if u read all this way here’s a medal 🥇 and also how do I ask for support from my partner and family rn because I feel like I really need it but don’t want to look like I’m needy and overreacting. Also sorry if this is a ramble still not feeling great mentally still a bit of brain fog ok thanks bye

Hey all!

New to the group and just recently diagnosed.

I am a 24yr old female, and I’ve been experiencing these episodes in short bursts for the last 2 years, but my regular GP always told me it was anxiety and would never bring it any further.

I recently had an episode where I had a heart rate of 180-200 for 6 hours non stop. I had 6mg and 12mg of adenosine, which was absolutely terrifying to say the least.

I’ve been started on a low dosage of Bisoprolol to start for the next two months, as I undergo regular testing after my hospital stay. I’ve been referred to the local speciality hospital to discuss catheter ablation, which also terrifies me.

Just nice to be in a group of people who have experienced something similar, and could share light on the path ahead :)

So after my first visit with a very good EP in my city they want to do an EP study and do an ablation based off cardia mobile and Apple Watch catching these.

For 10 years I was told it was just panic attacks and for 10 years no one listened to me. One visit and this guy seems pretty confident what’s been going on. Is an EP study something to be scared of?

I’ve broken my femur and had some nasty surgeries in my day. But my mother is worried about having anything done to my heart at 30 years old.

If it could take away the episodes and never take medication I’d be very happy but worried about the risks of it