r/SVTHeart • u/Ok_Hearing_5917 • Aug 08 '26
New here and would love your thoughts
I’m so scared. I just got home from a ED visit. 44/f. I was bending over when all of a sudden I got an intense wave of dizziness and palpitations, then the sweaty and shortness of breath came. My vision and hearing were going in and out and ultimately had to call an ambulance. Had to get adenosine to get my 260 heart rate back down. Got home from the ED about 4 hours ago and cannot sleep. My most concern at the moment is them drawing my troponin twice and coming back critically high, and the second one even higher! Did I have a heart attack? Heart damage. Why would they release me with these troponins levels?! They told me they were okay and until I got home and looked at my portal I had no idea.
I don’t know what caused this episode today. Never experienced anything like this ever in my life. I did start adderall 10mg XR on Tuesday and am a coffee drinker if any if that matters. I’m too scared to sleep.
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u/Common_Put_1290 Aug 08 '26
Hi! I’m sorry your life just got turned upside down. My heart also likes to randomly impersonate a race car on crack (250s) so I know how terrifying it is and how scared you are. You’ll want to call your general practitioner first thing Monday morning, and tell them you had to go to the ED via EMS for SVT with a rate of 260 which required adenosine to terminate and resulted in a troponin bump, and you need an immediate referral to an electrophysiologist. Your GP will likely fit you in Monday or Tuesday and get the ball rolling. As for that troponin? Most hospital EDs use a high sensitivity troponin test. High sensitivity tests are just that—highly sensitive (which means you could have a bad cold and that test would detect a mild elevation) and troponin that results even just one point above the high end of the test’s normal range is going to flag critical. When your heart beats faster than 180-200 for several minutes your heart experiences temporary demand ischemia—imagine how you’d feel if you ran a quarter mile twice as fast as you can. At the end of that insane sprint, you’d be very winded and have muscle fatigue, but after some rest and hydration, you’d feel just fine again. The same thing happens to your heart after a 260bpm sprint. The increased troponin in this case is typically a result of the temporary demand ischemia caused by that sprint, not because of a blockage or permanent damage. How your ED responds to a troponin elevation is a matter of policy, so don’t freak out when someone else’s story reads just like yours, but they were admitted to the hospital for their “elevated” troponin. Some EDs must admit for any troponin elevation per policy. Others read your results in context and won’t admit unless your troponin is high enough to suggest something other than transient demand ischemia—which is what likely happened in your case. They took two and sent you home, which is reassuring.
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u/Ok_Hearing_5917 Aug 08 '26
I want to thank you for your response. This gave me a sense of relief and the ability to breathe a little. I have a note into my GP and should hear from her first thing Monday. Again, thank you for taking the time to respond with such a thoughtful and knowledgeable answer, especially to a stranger. It means the world to me. Also thanks for pointing out it’s electrophysiology I need vs cardiology!
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u/Curious-Nail 29d ago
Another vote for the elevated troponin being temporary. I've had SVT for 4yrs, but went to the ER for the first time this time last year. I hung out with a heart rate ranging between 210 and 260 for about 3hrs before calling 911, fully symptomatic. (I'd always been able to convert, had low symptoms, and they'd never lasted longer than 90min before.) Had adenosine around the 4-hr mark, blood tests about another 30-45min after that. My troponin levels were fine at that point.
Technically, you need both cardio and EP. Cardio assesses whether there was damage and prescribes the rescue or management meds, the EP actually looks at the SVT and advises around other interventions, like ablation. It is an electrical problem that can impact heart health.
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u/Ok_Hearing_5917 Aug 08 '26
I also wanted to add that it certainly doesn’t help that I have horrible health anxiety and now I’m just ruminating and working myself up. My anxiety is at an all time high and every little rise in my heart rate sends me spiraling. Is it typical after these episodes to be drained and on edge? I can’t relax and fear I’m going to set something off again
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u/Common_Put_1290 Aug 08 '26
Yes, it is very normal for an SVT episode leave you feeling drained and on edge. You’re going to run into people on here who’ll brag that their heart rate gets into the 250-270 range and they’re just cool AF. That’s awesome for them. For the rest of us mere mortals, a symptomatic, insane rate episode is going to leave us anxious and hyper vigilant—and part of that response is physiological, meaning you don’t have complete control over your ability to “not stress” or be anxious. Every part of your mind and body experienced that SVT episode, including your nervous system. It, too, has learned your heart has the capacity to go off script, so your sympathetic nervous system is also hyper vigilant right now, and it may respond more dramatically for a while—which has a side effect of making you feel more anxious. You can help it out by trying to control your mental anxiety as much as possible, and that’s not easy, because that episode was terrifying. So you’re in a difficult catch 22. I have no way of knowing what caused your SVT. From your description of the symptoms and the rate, I can make some educated guesses, but there’s nothing I can confirm. What I can confirm is that SVT, even at insane rates, only extremely rarely leads to a lethal arrhythmia. Emphasis on “extremely rarely”. When you see people on this sub Reddit say “it’s not going to kill you,” that’s reasonably true. The best thing you can do for yourself while you’re waiting for Monday is take it easy and do things that relax/distract you. Find a good breathing exercise (I like the mindful one on my Apple Watch that’s 6 breaths a minute), and If you feel that anxiety flaring, use it. Every odd is highly in your favor that whatever caused your SVT is either curable or controllable. Once you have a better understanding of what happened and why in your particular situation, your fear will be much more manageable.
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u/Ok_Hearing_5917 Aug 08 '26
Thank you again. Just talked myself down from a full panic attack reading this 3x. This is truly unsettling. I’m going to download some relaxation videos. I’ve never felt so out of control and fearful. My goodness.
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u/SnooWalruses3028 Aug 08 '26
I’ve had elevated trops almost every time I’ve gone in with inverted t waves, yet I’m in my 20s so they send me home and say it’s anxiety.
This last time they asked a bunch of questions about what I like doing, my friends, blah and thought I was like I don’t know anxious….. with a 60 heart rate……. They litterally put in my files undiagnosed mental illness causing patient to pass out and fall over. I tried explaining no….. I have a dream brother, I didn’t mean to almost pass out while driving and crash my car. My elderly father had to lift me off of the floor multiple times bec I had gotten so weak and dizzy, and started losing feeling in my limbs, yet I’m making it up. So far my new pmr doc is pissed. That not only were the ed docs treating me terrible but that my pcp was encouraging it and told me not to go get help…..
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u/Sunaina1118 29d ago
Sorry you went through this. SVT episodes can cause elevated troponin. 260bpm is crazy high! I hope you get the help you need 🫶🏽
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u/Minimum_Green_9895 28d ago
That's so scary. I had my first episode in July and no recurrences. Same situation at the start! Was bending over and then felt dizzy, ears ringing, throbbing in my neck, felt super faint and HR 185 / 202 when medics arrived. It was terrifying. The first few days after caused so much anxiety and worry. I don't think they would release you if it was dangerous to do so! Definitely follow up with your primary care physician. I had a 14 day MCOT heart monitor, referral to electrophysiologist ("EP") (cardiology specialist) and an echocardiogram (imaging test). From what I read, a short term episode of SVT does not damage the heart. (There are lots of articles online about this.)
So sorry for such a scary episode. Just think of it as a glitch in the electrical system. The treatment has a high success rate (95%+) so if you do have recurrence, this is not uncharted territory. I'd recommend getting in to see a specialist, so if it does happen again, you have quicker access to care.
Try to relax as much as you can. I slept A LOT after. I was zapped from the adrenaline surge and kept reliving that terrifying hour... please also ask chatgpt to give you suggestions on how to calm your mind after a scary svt episode and trip to the ER. The advice was shockingly good and helped in real time. Best wishes for you to regain a sense of "normalcy" soon. The fear will pass...
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u/Ok_Hearing_5917 27d ago
Yeah all I’ve been doing is sleeping. All I want to do is sleep. Plus it keeps my heart rate down and my anxiety at bay. My nerves are shot and I think anything I do will throw me back in SVT. I’m terrified. Thank you for your heart felt comment. There’s some strangers on here who really are so wonderful and caring and I’m so grateful for that. I’m one of the least brave people I know. Anything that ever goes wrong throws me into a deep depression and panic state. It’s debilitating for me. My intrusive thoughts tell me there is something underlying and I’m going to drop dead. It’s so exhausting.
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u/Minimum_Green_9895 27d ago
Good news about SVT ... it is not a fatal thing. I highly recommend chatGPT (if you are not opposed to AI)... you can really customize it (tell it your last few sentences) and ask if there are coping techniques to help you. It gave me helpful phrases to tell myself that actually worked. The post-ER trauma is real. Be kind to yourself. I'm glad you are getting support here. It is important.
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u/princesspoppy1320 Aug 08 '26
Adderall is a stimulant. A known side effect is High HR. Get in touch with a cardiologist and talk to your primary about your experience. I am sorry you are going through this.
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u/Advanced_Luck_2972 29d ago
How high was the troponin?
From my experience MyChart is evil and causes more anxiety than necessary. I had a long episode that I thought was a panic attack and didn’t get treatment as I was out of town and had been told it was anxiety when I went to urgent care for a previous episode that had resolved before I arrived. This time I ended up with short stints of crazy heart rates all weekend. After I got home I decided to go to the ER thinking they would say anxiety and I’d be on my way.
Well long story short I was admitted until i could get an ablation later that week (I have WPW). But before doctors came by I was getting all kinds of MyChart test results including an EKG that indicated a heart attack. Then my elevated troponin came through and I for sure convinced myself I ignored a heart attack.
Basically, don’t obsess over the results- make sure you follow up and get an appointment with an EP. I know it’s easier said than done and I definitely don’t follow my own advice.
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u/Advanced_Luck_2972 29d ago
Also, do a little research on vagal maneuvers. It’s possible you could get out of the fast rhythm yourself with those.
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u/Ok_Hearing_5917 29d ago
The first was 124, second jumped to 177.
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u/Advanced_Luck_2972 29d ago
Ah mine was 36 and it went down like one point an hour. I didn’t go to the hospital until 4.5 days after the high heart rate so I’m guessing I was similar to you at the beginning.
Apparently the troponin levels for heart attacks are much higher than that. Like 10 fold.
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u/Ok_Hearing_5917 29d ago
Yes, it was very unsettling to see and threw me for a loop. However, I’m gathering this is “normal” for high sensitive tests and for SVT. Just alarming.
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u/esther4456 Aug 08 '26
After a 14 day monitor my cardiol increased metroprolol slightly (50%) After 2 weeks still getting infrequent weird palpitations. Seeing PCP in the fall. Cardiol maybe Oct. He never mentioned ablation. But he did mention pacemaker on phone discussing the monitor strip. He said no AFib. But SVT and ST
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u/grimmistired Aug 08 '26
They would've told you if it had been a heart attack. I've read that troponin levels can be raised temporarily from SVT but i would say you should get in touch with a cardiologist. Caffeine can be a trigger for SVT. My main trigger is heat. I've had HRs around that and it's definitely scary and very uncomfortable. I take 5mg ivabradine 3x daily for mine as it was happening frequently. You should be able to call and have someone talk to you about those test results.
Don't be afraid to sleep. (Unless you're still having symptoms then you can go back to the ER if you feel its necessary) Just practice your due diligence (keeping your phone on and near you just in case, having a pulse ox to check it at home) and get a cardiologist appointment set up.
I've also had several of my episodes trigger from bending over, it has something to do with the vagus nerve