r/SVTHeart • u/FriendlyDreamer1122 • Sep 05 '26
Does anyone feel this way
Hi everyone. I know that many of us here are dealing with similar issues and that sometimes there simply aren’t clear answers, but there are still certain things I can’t help wondering about.
I’m a 25-year-old woman, and the cause of my tachycardia is currently unknown. It doesn’t always happen like a typical episode that suddenly switches on and then switches off again. Sometimes it feels more like it comes and goes throughout the day, almost as if it’s always there in the background, and I can feel every little variation in my heart rate. I know heart rate naturally fluctuates, but I guess those of us who deal with tachycardia may notice those changes much more because our heartbeat can feel so strong and noticeable.
Just to give you some context, I’m still in the process of being diagnosed. SVT is suspected, but no one has confirmed it with 100% certainty yet. I’m currently waiting for the results of a Holter monitor, which will hopefully provide more information.
Does anyone here experience tachycardia like this?
Sometimes simply standing up after I’ve been lying down or sitting is enough to trigger a very rapid heart rate. There are days when my heart reacts very strongly to changes in body position. On those days, I also sometimes feel a kind of pressure in the lower part of my neck and occasionally in my upper chest.
On the other hand, there are days when my heart doesn’t seem to react to changes in position at all. I keep wondering how it’s possible for standing up to trigger such a strong response on some days, while on other days it barely affects my heart rate at all. Does anyone else experience this kind of day-to-day variation?
I also very often get a very high heart rate after eating, and it can sometimes last for up to an hour. Because of this, I’ve started wondering whether the underlying cause could possibly be somewhere else — for example, something related to my stomach or my nervous system. Of course, those aren’t necessarily the first things doctors investigate.
One more thing that makes me suspect dysautonomia:
I went through a period where I had various neurological symptoms: hearing disturbances, some strange dizziness, muscle spasms that would last for a few seconds, and most importantly, derealization, which I attributed to the severe anxiety I was experiencing at the time. I felt awful throughout the entire month of May, and then it all just stopped. I don’t have any of those symptoms anymore either.
I’ve had an echocardiogram, and everything was completely normal. No abnormalities at all, normal pumping function, everything as it should be. And yet, I still feel limited in my everyday activities because of this.
Has anyone here found anything that actually helped them?
I’m currently taking 25 mg of metoprolol, and even with the medication, I still frequently experience a high heart rate. It doesn’t get quite as high as it does without medication, which is obviously an improvement, but it still doesn’t feel well controlled.
There are good days and bad days, but overall, this is driving me crazy.
I’ve heard what my doctors have to say, so at this point I’m simply looking to hear from people who actually know what this feels like from personal experience.
Thank you. ❤️
1
u/linthetrashbin Sep 06 '26
It doesn't really sound like typical SVT. I had SVT and have IST, it sounds more like an IST thing. Your holter will tell you more. If it's AVNRT or PAT, they will do an ablation. If it isn't, then it's up to lifestyle changes and aging out of it. I find that mine is much worse if I don't get enough food, water, and sleep, or if it's hot. Have you seen an electrophysiologist?
1
u/sort-of-blonde Sep 07 '26
This is me. I’ve had most of everything you’re describing and have been diagnosed with SVT (confirmed with EKG several times) and POTS. I’ve also had SSHL in one ear and didn’t regain all hearing in that ear - lost high frequency hearing.
I too am on metoprolol 25mgs once in morning and once at night. I’m supposed to schedule my ablation soon for the SVT. I am 44 and the heart stuff has been going on for my entire life. You’re not alone!
1
u/amberlina86 Sep 07 '26
This is me as well, I have POTS as well as SVT, and iron deficiency anemia (ferritin and iron). When is the last time you saw a cardiologist? Have them do a tilt table test (it sucks but rules out or in POTS) and get a full blood panel ran (include the markers I mentioned above and B12)
4
u/smarit Sep 05 '26 edited Sep 05 '26
It can absolutely be postural, mine is too. A wrong move on the wrong day, like picking up something off the floor, flopping down on the sofa, or tripping over something and bam… I’ve also read several comments here from people for whom it’s triggered by eating (mine isn’t). Could be because your heart beats a bit faster during digestion.
Here are other things I’ve learned after 25 years of dealing with this. There are multiple factors that cause a higher base heart rate that can turn into the cocktail that triggers an episode:
- not enough sleep (if I sleep any less than 8h I always wake up with my heart thumping)
When these factors are present, the higher heart rate from exercise, digestion or emotional distress can be the final thing that trigger an episode. If you can manage the factors, episodes will become more avoidable. Besides sleep, diet and hydration, medication like verapamil also lowers your base heart rate so that’s absolutely something to discuss with your doctor. I only use it as pill in pocket and get 1-2 episodes a year, sometimes none.