My SVT Story [5 Years Post-Ablation]

For previous posts, click the label "SVT" at the end of this post or at the bottom of my blog.

I haven't checked in about my SVT in 3 years. I'm now at my 5 year anniversary of my ablation. Safe to say, it has been effective :)

In my last update, I was talking about exercising and finding that still a little stressful because of elevated heart rate during exercise. However, I do not have that issue now. For a little while, I was having issues playing video games and having my heart race when it got intense, but that has gotten better too (by racing - it'd be like 105-110 max).

I can't see a reason to really update again in the future, but just wanted to put it out there that if you're on the fence about an ablation, if you're scared, etc., please consider it for your well-being and mental health. I was terrified of it. I put it off as an option until I absolutely had to. Don't let SVT get in the way of you living your best life! If you're stumbling upon this at any point in time and want to reach out to ask me questions, I'm available!

My SVT Story [2 Years Post-Ablation]

For previous posts, click the label "SVT" at the end of this post or at the bottom of my blog.

It's been 2 years. TWO YEARS!!

I'm kind of in shock. I think since my ablation in 2018, I've been waiting for the ball to drop. It's always been in the back of my mind that even though my ablation was successful, it's possible that my SVT could come back, that my burned node could possibly reform. As time passes, I get a little more comfortable that it won't. I think that's good for my mental health for sure.

My SVT Story [1 Year Post-Ablation]

For previous posts, click the label "SVT" at the end of this post or at the bottom of my blog. 

I thought I had a post prepped and ready to start writing up my one year post-ablation tale, but then I guess I meant to and got side tracked. But that is a-okay. Yesterday was the big day. I officially have hit 1 year. My last update was around the 7 month anniversary in August. Since then there have been a few changes. Nothing too significant.

I went back to the hematologist in October and had a repeat CT scan. I was given an all clear on the pulmonary embolism and taken off blood thinners. I now just take allergy medication and a vitamin. It's so weird and crazy. The pulmonary embolism is what really solidified in my mind that three kids was all I was going to have. When you're pregnant, you are more prone to blood clots and the thought of putting myself more at risk is terrifying. So my husband is going in for a permanent solution soon. I don't think the PE had any lasting damage on my lungs because we were able to catch it so quickly. I am happy that, for once, my paranoia led to me going to the doctor and getting a swift diagnosis for something I didn't even have symptoms of yet.


I have continued to do yoga. Although the end of January into February threw me off majorly and I'm just now starting to get back on track after having holidays, birthdays, and then a cold knock me off schedule. I am still doing Yoga with Adriene. I just really like her personality and she has so many great videos and I love that she does a monthly schedule. I haven't ventured to anything more vigorous than that. I just haven't really felt ready. I'm not as scared to be active though like I was before. I just am not hitting the gym and doing any HIIT or Crossfit or anything ;)

My anxiety has been worse lately, but it pretty much has been around December to February each year. Our life gets crazy busy through the holidays and I get mega anxious over it all. It starts to get a little better in March, so I think that coupled with officially hitting my 1 year post-ablation anniversary will definitely help me with my anxiety levels. From August until December, I was pretty stable, I would say. I didn't really check my heartrate a lot. I felt really good and normal. I definitely need to figure out a way for the holidays and the very end and beginning of the year to not stress me out so badly. I am really happy during those times, but also just super stressed. Definitely need to find a good balance there to help me out.

I'm really glad that I made the decision to get the ablation. I was really scared but I knew it was the best decision for me. I'm more optimistic now that I really am cured, but I don't think the fear of SVT will ever go away completely.

My SVT Story [6 Months Post-Ablation]

For previous posts, click the label "SVT" at the end of this post or at the bottom of my blog.

I hit my 6 month mark in July and am now past 7 months post-ablation. I absolutely meant to do an update and then life happened. It's been an incredibly busy past few months. We're now a month into the school year and soccer is underway. Oh and Mason is potty training. And I'm enrolled in college again! Yes, it's been busy to say the least.

I had my follow up appointment with my electrophysiologist  in April or May (I was a day late to the appointment so had to reschedule). It was supposed to be at 6 weeks, but due to the pulmonary embolism, I went back way earlier and that pushed my 6 weeks closer to 8. I ended up being closer to 9 or 10 weeks post-ablation after the reschedule. He said that if the SVT had not come back in 3 months, he felt confident it would not and that he didn't see the need to continue seeing me unless I felt I needed to come in. It was a crazy feeling because I thought I'd for sure be seeing him at least once a year for...well, the rest of my life.

I was really struggling once again with anxiety up until that point. I was having issues with high blood pressure (which always made me nervous to go to the doctor - although it was only high at the cardiologist's office...nowhere else), chest pains, dizziness, etc. After my follow up, I decided to start off with gentle yoga to get back into exercising. I've now been doing yoga for a few months and there is such a huge difference in how my body and mind behave on days I don't do yoga or if I take 3 days off in a row. I was clenching my shoulders up to my ears and it was resulting in some pretty nasty back and neck pain. Yoga has really helped me a lot. I am much less stressed and ache less on days where I do yoga. If you're interested, I highly recommend Yoga with Adriene on Youtube. She's wonderful, funny, and her 30-day programs are great! I'm on the tail end of doing her TRUE series.

I am still on blood thinners for the pulmonary embolism and I go back in October for a repeat CT scan and then hopefully, I will switch over to baby aspirin. My blood work came back negative for any type of disorder, so it most likely was my birth control (which I no longer take) combined with the procedure that did it.

It's weird to me that most days I feel normal now. I feel stronger and healthier. I don't check my heart rate very much at all. I still do every once in a while, but it isn't an all-day affair now. It's not a panicky situation. I have had fewer and fewer little hiccups and what nots in my chest from my heart as time passes. I know my doctor said he believes I am cured but I'm still very cautiously optimistic. I do think I am cured, but I'm not going all out and going skydiving and running marathons. I'm trying to take care of my heart and strengthen it up slowly but surely. :)

My SVT Story [1 Month Post-Ablation]

For previous posts, click the label "SVT" at the end of this post or at the bottom of my blog.

I'm officially one month out from my ablation. My heart has been doing pretty well, my mind...not so much. Last update, I spoke on some post-ablation complications. I believe that the pulmonary embolism is a result of the ablation, but I will be getting more information on Friday when I see my electrophysiologist for a follow-up appointment for the pulmonary embolism. Because I believe it's a result of the ablation, I do want to talk about how it's affecting me and my healing process. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has been here post-procedure.

I have gone to the ER three times in the last week. I went for upper back pain and was concerned that it was related to the embolism, but it's most likely due to the amount of stress I'm under. I have knots in my back and it's causing some pain in my back, shoulders, and neck. I went the day after that because I knocked my head on a windowsill and was told if I hit my head, to go to the ER because I am on a blood thinner (that doesn't have an antidote). It wasn't a hard hit and I didn't have any symptoms that would be cause for concern, so I was sent on my way. Then I went yesterday because I was having a little chest pain, again concerned it was related to the embolism. They ran bloodwork and watched vitals. Everything looks good - no heart attack, no damage to my heart, and the blood thinners are working to keep new clots from forming.

I really do feel like my anxiety is back to the levels it was like after I was diagnosed with SVT before I could really get enough information about the condition. I am hoping to be somewhat okay until Friday after hearing that everything looks good and that I continue to work on being less anxious. I am looking forward to my 6 week check-up (which is scheduled at 8 weeks) because I would like to start doing yoga again. I think it will really help me a lot. Especially with the muscle knots and soreness.

My SVT Story [Post-Ablation Complications]

For previous posts, click the label "SVT" at the end of this post or at the bottom of my blog.

Day 7 started off with me feeling horribly and I thought it was due to asthma and not using my inhaler the night prior. I tried to suck it up and use Tylenol, hot tea, and cough drops but nothing was soothing enough, so I went to my dr office at 4 and saw a nurse practitioner. She tested me for strep, listened to my chest, etc. and sent me home with a prescription for steroids. I was going to have to call my electrophysiologist in the morning to ensure I could take them safely.

I felt some chest tightness when I went to bed and felt uncomfortable. I decided to go to the ER because I knew I wasn't going to sleep anyways. I got there about 10:45pm. They did bloodwork, urinalysis, EKG, and flu swab. I came back with a positive flu test and then the dr (who was the same one from my last SVT episode) ordered a CT scan for pulmonary embolism due to just having the ablation.

I do have a small embolism but it is not putting any strain on the right side of my heart, which is good. I got a shot of blood thinner and then got prescriptions for a blood thinner, plus Tamiflu and Zofran. I then had to get an ultrasound done on my legs to check for deep vein thrombosis. I was clear there *phew*

I am hoping since I had just started having symptoms that the Tamiflu will help make it short and not as severe. It definitely worries me with my heart already trying to heal to be hit with not just the flu but a blood clot too. I haven't had much luck hearing good things or anything hopeful post-pulmonary embolism and that definitely freaks me out. From what I understand, it's called a "provoked embolism" because of the catheter ablation. Someone was telling another person who had had surgery that the likelihood of recurrence is not high with a provoked one and I really hope that's true because I really don't want to have another thing to worry about on top of everything else. I'm sure that I'll end up seeing a hematologist just to be on the safe side.

My SVT Story [Part 7, 1 Week Post-Ablation]

Previous posts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

Friday (3 days after) - I was supposed to be back to regular routine today, but I'm still taking it easy. Eating breakfast was okay this morning. I still haven't really felt hungry or full yet, but there wasn't as much nausea or discomfort and bloating post meal. Last night I had a few fluttery type deals. I don't know if they are PVCs or PACs or both. One is a skipped beat and one is when a beat happens too quickly. I think it's the latter, but they are fluttery rather than a jolt. I know it's normal and it's gonna happen while my heart heals, but I do NOT like it. It definitely makes me feel anxious. The good news is that it isn't kicking me into SVT like it would have before. I feel my baseline heartrate has come down since being in the hospital. The wounds at my groin and collarbone haven't bruised yet and I don't feel lumps, so they are healing up well.

Monday (6 days after) - I didn't experience any irregular/skipped heartbeats over the weekend and my appetite is slowly coming back. Although over the course of the past week, I have lost 4 lbs because of my lack of an appetite. I'm sure once normal eating resumes, I'll probably gain that back. I'm still more tired than normal and hoping that kind of goes away sooner rather than later. Today is my first day home alone. Nick was able to take two PDO and then worked from home for two days, but his boss's boss isn't really the biggest fan of people working remote (even though Nick, I think, probably works harder from home because he doesn't want anyone to think he is slacking). I was hoping he could stay home today and allow me to do all the things I normally would, but just be here as a safety net. Unfortunately, I'm just flying solo today.

Tuesday (7 days after) - I did pretty well solo yesterday. I did make dinner and had one little hiccup beat near the end, so I may bring a chair in with me tonight to sit down. I think my seasonal allergies are starting to act up and irritate my asthma and I was too scared to use my inhaler last night, even though it's on my medication to continue at home list. So now I have a sore throat from hacking all night -_- Overall though, I'm mostly just a little more tired than normal and I have been having anxiety at night more than during the day.

My SVT Story [Part 6, Post-Ablation News]

Previous posts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Hello, hello! I'm alive and well and here to talk about my experience with the ablation. I did as much mental preparing as possible but still cried quite a bit the night before and the morning of. We arrived at the hospital and did all the paperwork, paid for some of the procedure (OUCH), and proceeded to the heart catherization lab. I went back around 7:30 or so and had to give a urine sample. I got into my gown. They took vitals and started an iv - all the typical stuff. My husband got to come back and hang out with me until it was time to go back to the procedure room. He told me that the receptionist (who was this sweet little ole lady) told him that she had been working there 16 years and not once had a patient died. Nick helped get my earrings out (which are a pain in the butt because they are hoops that sit right up against my lobe and clasp shut on a hinge) and then around 8am they took me back to the procedure room.

The nurses were all very sweet and talked with me to distract me. Anesthesiologist came in and put a mask on me while another nurse administered meds to put me under. My husband got updates every so often while I was under. They were a little behind schedule because they needed some equipment that wasn't there, so they really didn't get started until about 9am. By 10:30, they had done one burn and were sitting and waiting. Pretty much that's how it's done. They burn, watch, and repeat, if needed. I ended up having a stubborn fiber that had to be burned three times. But I was done at 12:30 and Nick got to see me before they took me back to recovery. Apparently, I was awake, but they told him I probably wouldn't remember it.

I didn't really become conscious and aware until about 1:55pm. Even then, I struggled to try and stay awake to hear the news. I didn't know if they had got it or if they had punctured a lung, etc. Especially since it was a little later than I had expected to be awake. I finally was mostly awake around 2:30 and the doctor came in to tell me it was a success. Honestly, the biggest problems I had when I woke up were that my lower back was killing me and my throat felt super raw and also hurt quite a bit. The lower back can be explained from laying flat on the procedure bed for so long - my butt is big and doesn't allow my back to rest so it was arched for a while. I asked my nurse if there was a reason my throat might be sore and she said they intubated me - which is standard during one of those procedures (no one warned me of this ahead of time). They also had put a catheter in because of the length of my procedure which I was really glad for. I did ask the nurse prior to the procedure if they would because when I was put under when I was 4, I remember I had peed myself.

I got up to a hospital room around 3. I was taken off of bedrest at 5:30, although the anethesia still made me feel heavy and it was hard to move. It literally felt like when I had had an epidural. I tried to eat dinner but my throat was still a little too sore and I didn't really feel hungry.

As far as my heart goes, I had a few skipped beats that first day, which is to be expected. I would feel flutters when I tried to get up to go to the bathroom. I did kind of have a moment of panic because my heartbeat felt fast, but the nurse reassured me it was only 115 and that was just slightly higher than it had been since recovery (90 to 110). They gave me a dose of Ativan and some Tylenol and I was able to fall asleep a little after 8 pm.

I woke up at 5:30 am because they were drilling in the room below me and scared the bejesus out of me. I was able to eat all of my scrambled eggs and part of my biscuit with butter and jam on it for breakfast. They started my discharge papers about 9 am and I was outta there by 10:30.

At home, I still just felt a little sore. I didn't really have much discomfort in my puncture sites. It's really just my throat that's the worst part. I did have some more flutters in the early afternoon when I stood up and walked to the car. I didn't want to be left alone, so I rode with Nick to get the big kids from school, go to allergy shots, and get gas in the car. We pretty much stayed in the car, so I wasn't moving around much. When we got home, I didn't have any flutters getting out of the car and haven't had any since. I did have to take another dose of Ativan to be able to fall asleep last night - because I'm a crazy person and sometimes can't stop my mind from freaking myself out. The nurse at the hospital said usually the dr doesn't prescribe anxiety meds, but he did for me. She said to continue Ativan at home as needed.

I'm currently writing this on Thursday and again, not really in any pain. No discomfort. The very little walking I have done has been okay. The dr instructed sedentary activity for Wednesday and Thursday, back to normal on Friday (including being able to drive). I was instructed to limit lifting more than 10 pounds for a week or until my wounds heal. I am going to play it by ear. My wounds look really good. I haven't had any bleeding, oozing, etc. No lumps or bruises (yet). There is a little pain but it's only when they are physically touched. My collarbone wound isn't tender to the touch at all.

So far, the only thing I have noticed that is "off" is that I do get some discomfort in my stomach after eating. I'm still not really feeling hungry, but I have eaten and each time, my stomach feels bloated and slightly achy.

I will be back in a few weeks for more recovery news. As I've said, it's really not nearly as bad as I expected. I am tired for sure, but pain-wise, it's all low. I haven't had any Tylenol today. A little discomfort after eating. But that's about it :)

My SVT Story [Part 5, The Ablation]

Previous posts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Hello, everyone! We have come to the post that I'm probably the most emotional about: the ablation post. Last time, I explained my third episode of SVT and the visit to my electrophysiologist. I was pretty upset but knew that it was time to discuss an ablation. My doctor explained the procedure and he told me all the risks, which include needing a blood transfusion, puncturing my lung which would result in a scar from where they put a tube in the side of my torso, damage to the aortic valve and needing open heart surgery to place a stent in, damage to another pathway resulting in placement of a pacemaker, and death. My doctor has done over 1700 procedures and never lost a patient and only one (back in the 90s) needed a blood transfusion. The ablation has a 98-99% success rate and although it is invasive, the risks are generally low. So I know I'm in good hands. I really like him and appreciate his honesty and laying it all out there for me to know.

His nurse reassured me that people of all ages have come in and the ablation is a cure. I won't need medication and I won't be making trips to the ER to stop the SVT from happening because it won't. Now on occasion, people do need more than one ablation. The person in my husband's family had one done twice, but it has been 17 years since her second ablation and she hasn't had any issues since the second one. My hope is that my extra pathway is an easy one to zap and that will be that.

Tomorrow is the big day. The procedure will take 2 to 4 hours and I'll stay overnight at the hospital. I'm very nervous and scared, but I'm also really hopeful and I know that this is the right decision. I am a crazy person and wrote letters to Nick and the kids, my mom, and his mom that I have set aside just in case something goes wrong. Because you never know and I would hate for things to be left unsaid. Nick and the kids are obviously my whole world and I don't want to leave them, but I know that I need to have this ablation. I know I'm going to be an absolute mess in the morning and I probably won't sleep tonight at all. I really really hope everything goes well and I have a really awesome update post-ablation to give y'all with details of the process and recovery. Obviously if there isn't a blog post after today (other than a book review scheduled in May), something happened. But I don't foresee that happening. I really do think that it will be a successful procedure with a relatively easy recovery and I will be back to share the rest of my story and, of course, continue to blog about food (on my food blog), planner stuff, books, and everything else. I may start up doing occasional life posts. I do really miss sharing that stuff and I like looking back on old pictures and posts about different life stuff. It's a nice memory keeping type thing, right?!

This concludes the pre-ablation part of my SVT story. Stay tuned for post-ablation posts :)

My SVT Story [Part 4, The Electrophysiologist and Third Episode]

Previous posts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

This is SUCH a long story, but to be fair, it has happened over the course of 2 years. I'm now finally getting to a little more recent events. In summer 2017, I visited the electrophysiologist for the first time. He told me that if I was going to have any heart issue, this was the one to have. He explained it a lot better and told me basically I was born with an extra pathway in my heart. It's nothing that I caused, I was just born with it. He told me that I had two options. We could go ahead with the ablation or we could try medication, since both the episodes before were when I was not on medication. He said that a lot of people my age respond well to medication. So I went back on the blood pressure medication, that can help keep your heart rate lower as well.

My anxiety has gotten a lot better following that. I thought that I would respond to medication well and only every so often do I have a bad day and mild anxiety attacks. To be honest, I was not wanting any invasive procedures done unless I needed it. I wanted to put off the ablation if at all possible at least until I was in my 30s. Arbitrary really, but it made sense in my head.

A little past mid-January, I had an evening where I was feeling a bit off. My heart rate was kind of going a little fast and I couldn't sit still because it was making me nervous. An episode of SVT ended up kicking off around 11:15 and I took my flecanide and per my cardiologist's orders, I stayed home for 30 minutes to see if it would stop on its own. It wasn't stopping after vagal maneuvers (where you bear down - it can sometimes help) or an ice pack to the head (can sometimes shock your body out of it) or medication. So we called my mom-in-law and she came over so that Nick could drive me to the hospital and we didn't have to pay an ambulance bill.

I got to the hospital about an hour after the episode started. I wasn't freaking out at all. I was way more calm than I thought I would be. My heart rate was 160 when they took my vitals in triage. It was beating regularly, but of course, not in sinus rhythm. They got me back to a room after trying a modified vagal maneuver that didn't stop it. The ER doc was younger and he put the sticker pads for a defibrillator on me (which has never happened). He reassured me that he had never had to use them but it was a precaution. I had never had those put on me and that was definitely scary. They gave me a small dose of adenosine and it popped me into sinus rhythm and my heart rate went down. Nick has never been with me when they give me that and he said it was freaky to watch. It was a really busy night in the ER and we didn't leave until 4:30. Nick and I were both completely exhausted. Also I was nervous about getting the flu because the flu is really bad here this year. But overall, it was a very mild bout.

At this point, I knew that I would have to have an ablation if I wanted any semblance of a normal life. My SVT, so far, is not the kind that can be stopped by me. Vagal maneuvers don't work. So I will always have to go to the hospital and get adenosine. I personally do not want that for the rest of my life. I know the ablation will help my anxiety and it will stop these disruptions that we cannot plan for. Plus the bills that inevitably come from a trip to the ER. I am ready to start college in the fall (again) and once I finish and find a job, I don't know that I could hold one down if I have to duck out on a whim because my heart rate is through the roof with no warning.

I reached out on Facebook and found out three people I knew had had an ablation. My mom's cousin had SVT and had one 10 years ago, (this one is a doozy) my husband's mom's cousin's daughter had SVT and had an ablation at 16 and 18 and is now 35 and works out regularly, has kids, and is doing great, and a fellow blogger had one episode of SVT and had an ablation 7 years ago and is doing wonderfully. All of these stories definitely made me feel better. I have found that talking to others really helps calm me down.

I had an appointment coming up with the electrophysiologist about 3 weeks after my ER trip and the nurse there told me to just keep with that appointment. I went on February 12th with an ablation in mind. Honestly, I knew I would be upset, but I could not stop crying. It was like 3 hours of crying. My doctor reassured me that if I weren't crying, it would be so strange. The nurses were great too.

My next post will be all about the ablation. :)

My SVT Story [Part 3, The Second Episode]

Read Part 1 here, Part 2 here.

Last time, I had talked about switching to a new cardiologist who had given me the official diagnosis of having super ventricular tachycardia aka SVT. After my first visit with him, my level of anxiety went down a lot. I started watching my niece shortly after Halloween and then throughout the holiday season, I started feeling very stressed. The more stressed I felt, the more anxious I was. I ended up going to my regular physician in January to talk about trying medication for anxiety. I was hopeful that I had the answer to my problems and all would be good. I ended up having a really bad panic attack a few hours after I had taken the first dose of the medication. I thought I was going into cardiac arrest. It was truly terrifying. After a trip to the ER and some medication to make me rest overnight, I came home very frustrated.

I ended up having another panic attack in my car in the pickup line at school where my lips felt tingly and I was feeling stuffy in the car. I rolled down the window to let cold air come in and I couldn't really feel it. So my mind automatically went to that I was suffocating and my lips were tingly because I wasn't getting an oxygen. I called 911 and by then realized that I wasn't going to pass out or die and that I was in fact just fine and breathing normally. I ended up picking up the kids, driving home, and making an appointment to see a therapist because clearly the anxiety was spiraling out of control.

I had three appointments with a therapist and she basically just told me that I was rationalizing and talking myself out of situations, which was good, and it felt very draining to go and not really "fix" anything because I was already doing what I needed to be doing. I ended up feeling a lot better though mentally and started to come out of my funk, so to speak.

In April 2017, I had my second episode of SVT. I happened to be sitting at my desk and leaned over to wipe Mason's nose while I was talking to Nick, who was working from home (thankfully) that day. I immediately could tell this was the real deal and not a fake. I took my flecanide and called the ambulance. When they arrived, my heart rate was 190 but beating regularly. They gave me one dose of adenosine in the ambulance but it didn't kick me back into sinus rhythm. By the time we arrived to the hospital, it was 160 but still out of sinus rhythm. The ER doctor gave me two more doses of adenosine and finally, I was out of the episode. It was maybe 1 1/2 hrs total. This was by far the worst trip I had had to the ER with three doses of the medicine that stops your heart. The doctor in the ER wasn't my favorite. To be honest, he was kind of an asshole. I was freaking out and just wanted someone to tell me I was okay and that my heart rate was going down and that I didn't want to die. I was discharged about an hour later and the ER doc wanted me on a beta blocker, which I really hated. I ended up having to stop getting allergy shots and because it was about 6 weeks between the ER and visiting my cardiologist, I would have had to start all over with shots.

I had a follow up with my new cardiologist and he wanted to refer me to an electrophysiologist (who specializes in electrical issues of the heart) to discuss options for treatment, whether it be medication or a procedure. Following this episode, I honestly didn't have more anxiety. A lot of my anxiety was based on waiting for the other shoe to drop. I didn't know if I was going to have another episode and I was scared for when it would happen. I felt more capable now of dealing with it because I had gone through it again.

I did from time to time have what I refer to as misfires where it felt like a little jolt in my chest, like my body was trying to kick into SVT but didn't. Again, for me, I'm not sure what the triggers are exactly because usually it happens while I'm at rest and I'm not always super stressed when they happen. A lot of people find out they have SVT during athletic events, whether it be running a marathon or cheerleading or whatever. Some people are triggered by caffeine - I only drank one cup a day and the times when it did happen, I hadn't had any caffeine. The "no trigger" thing is another reason I wanted to put my story out there in the world. I couldn't really find any stories like mine and I know, for me, it's always been nice to connect with someone else. I need me a SVT support group!

Part 4 will be coming in a few days.

My SVT Story [Part 2, Switching Cardiologists]

Read Part 1 here.

I left off last time after my first appointment with the cardiologist in June 2016. I was scheduled to go back in September for another follow up. I was a bit miffed that in June I didn't come off the medication like he had told me I would in the ER and that my diagnosis changed all of a sudden from afib to SVT. I didn't get anything more than a piece of paper about it. I went prepared with many questions for my appointment in September.

I was trying to ask the cardiologist the questions I had brought with me and he seemed very flustered and kept telling me to wait and he'd answer my questions later. He got to a point where he said that we needed to schedule an ablation or I would be on medication for the rest of my life and left the room because he wanted to call down to surgery. I was 100% confused and terrified. 6 months prior when I had the first and only episode, he told me if I had had no more episodes that I would be off my medication in June. Here I am in September being told that I need an ablation - which he didn't even explain at all. I had to google it on my phone after he abruptly left the room. Google can be a blessing and a curse, but I'll tell you what...it's not a great way to find out that they want to burn and kill part of your heart in an invasive procedure. So I left my appointment with none of my questions answered and scared. I didn't schedule the ablation and I decided I would find a new cardiologist. I don't like being treated like I'm naive, stupid, etc. because I'm young. I'm fairly intelligent and I want to be treated like I am a human being.

One of the cashiers at Kroger that I talk to on a weekly basis recommended her cardiologist office to me and I visited them shortly thereafter. My new cardiologist was able to explain to me that I had SVT that had converted to afib because I had been in it for so long, but that SVT was my official diagnosis. He told me that he had SVT when he was younger and had a successful ablation and no issues since then. But he also agreed that it was fine to not go that route since we didn't know if it was a one-time episode or if it would happen again. He reassured me that even if it did happen again, SVT is rarely fatal and that I would be okay. He gave me the go-ahead to stop taking the meds but to keep them on hand in the event that I had an episode.

I left feeling a lot better. I was still a bit nervous and anxious, but overall I was a lot better. That's where I'll leave off today. I will share Part 3 soon :) This is a long story!

My SVT Story [Part 1, The First Episode]

I had to look through my old posts and see how much I have mentioned my heart, and it seems to be like slim to none. I mentioned briefly when I was in the hospital for the first incident, but that's it. So let me try and explain some things.

In late 2015, I ended up getting slammed with cold after cold, which is highly unusual for me. I ended up with the flu in the end of February - I hadn't had it since I was in 3rd grade. I took meds and a few days after I finished them, I woke up feeling off. I had some chest tightness and I felt my heart racing. I thought maybe I was having an asthma attack. It was really early in the morning, so my doctor's office was not yet open. I decided to drive down with 1 year old Mason to the emergency room and get checked out. It wasn't busy at all, so they took me right back to a room. The nurse got my pulse with the little finger clamp thing and immediately yelled "her heartrate is 226" and the medical staff poured in. Everything moved so quickly from there. They gave me flecanide (a medication used for arrhythmia) and when that didn't work, they gave me a dose of adenosine (a medication that stops your heart).

Obviously, all of this is terrifying and they let me call my husband to get down to the ER. The nurse who brought me back initially was helping keep Mason occupied. Once they got my heart rate to slow down, they said it was beating irregularly. The hospital's cardiologist came down and talked to me. They decided to admit me for observation. They ran a ton of tests and did an ultrasound on my heart to look for any structural issues. I had one nurse that I didn't care for who kept fretting over me and she really freaked me out because she told me that extreme temperature changes would shock my heart into afib again. So I needed someone to start my car and either cool it or heat it, so that I wouldn't go into afib.

I was discharged from the hospital the next day and was told that I had atrial fibrillation. I was to take blood pressure medication and the flecanide daily and we would reassess in 3 months. If I was episode-free, I would come off the meds and that would be that. The doctor seemed to think it was caused by the flu and it was a one-time deal.

However, I was terrified when I got home that I would get my heart rate up and it would kill me. The cardiologist didn't really reassure me of anything or give me any information. So basically I was a big walking, talking time bomb of anxiety. I went to the ER two or three more times in March because I thought I was having another episode. I was constantly checking my heart rate to see how fast it was going. I was literally scared to get up and walk around. It was definitely a really bad time.

I went for my 3 month follow up with the cardiologist and he wanted me to stay on the medication and come back in another 3 months. He spent maybe 10 minutes in the room and handed me an information page on SVT, super ventricular tachycardia, and I left the appointment incredibly confused. I was diagnosed with afib at the ER and now he was telling me I had something completely different. I spent the next three months still pretty anxious and panicky to move too much or overdo it. But I didn't go to the ER for a while and for the most part, I was doing better than before.

I'm going to leave off there. Part 2 will be up soon!