I have suffered from SVT (Supraventricular Tachycardia) for eight years. When I first started having trouble with it, I would go into SVT frequently enough that my cardiologist recommended I could see an cardiac interventionalist if I wanted to. Back then I was going into SVT every few weeks.
For the last four years, I have been going into SVT once per year, and I am able to convert into regular heart rhythm within minutes instead of tens of minutes.
Here is my theory....
Those of us who suffer from SVT have an errant extra electrical pathway, and sometimes something happens to make the heart forget which pathway to use. Usually for me it's a constellations of things, stomach upset, stress, and having a cold or something at the same time. Also, sometimes dehydration can be in that trigger mix.
My theory is that when my heart gets tickled by my hiatal hernia in the case of having a full stomach and doing something to push my stomach up to physically hitting my heart, the heart gets off it's rhythm through that physical tickling of the heart by the stomach and does some sort of hiccup or pause caused by that physical touch of the stomach. It would be similar to touching a butterfly when it's moving it's wings back and forth, when you touch them, the wings stop momentarily, and I believe in people with SVT, when the stomach touches the heart it also stops momentarily. And then when it tries to get back on rhythm, it sometimes finds the wrong extra pathway that is the pathway characteristic of SVT.
If I am stressed, my stomach is sick, or if I have a cold, I become more vulnerable to my heart not being able to recover from that physical tickling and goes into SVT much more easily.
When I go into SVT my heart is usually beating about 150 beats per minute (more if I am anxious or panicky).
My theory is that in order for my heart to find it's normal pathway I need to get it to slow down. If I can get my heart down to about 120 beats per minute, it seems to find it's normal pathway and converts. It's like there's this open door and my heart needs to find it, and it does if I can get the heart rate down close to that door by calming down.
When I first started having SVT, I used to panic, and I would urgently try every vasal vagal maneuver I could, and when that maneuver didn't work, I would panic more and my heart rate would go up even higher. The period of which I was in SVT would be prolonged to the point I would beg someone to take me to urgent care and while on the ride over, knowing I would soon be under medical care, I would start to relax, and my heart would convert on the way to Urgent Care.
Last night, I was at a neighbors house standing up in her front yard. I had just had dinner and quite a full stomach. While standing there talking to her, I was laughing and I crossed my arms over my fat stomach which put pressure on my bloated stomach, and immediately my heart went into a trigeminy rhythm, followed by SVT.
I explained to my neighbor that I was in SVT, and it alarmed her, but as I was telling her about how it all works, in my mind I was thinking, "just pretend you are okay, and calm down, and ride through this. You aren't going to die."
As I was explaining it to her and trying to keep my normal composure, I suddenly relaxed, and all of the sudden I converted. I was in SVT for less than a minute! It's crazy, but just ignoring the SVT as urgent as it felt was the action that stopped it. Those of us in SVT feel so urgent about stopping the SVT we cause more harm them good by trying to stop it when for some of us, just going about business as usual and trying not to think about it, can be the very thing to stop it.
In the past, I have always asked for a big glass of cold water to drink when I have SVT. I think the cold water triggers the vagus nerve to vibrate and helps my heart to get back on regular rhythm. Plus, the drinking usually distracts me from the panic, and I usually quickly convert.
I've had SVT's last up to 45 minutes, but lately, they have converted in less than ten, and most in less than a minute.
This time, last night, I didn't have water, I didn't have a place to lie down, which I usually seek for, and I didn't even have a place to sit. Yet, the technique of distracting my mind from panic helped my heart to ease it's pace to the point that it was able to find that door to regular rhythm, and I converted without feeling worn out or tired.
I realize that this might not work for all people, and it might not always be the case as I grow older, but I also realize that this information can be helpful to many SVT sufferers which is why I am sharing it.
I have only been having about one prolonged SVT per year. Prolonged for me means over a minute. I will go into SVTs that convert in ten seconds or less about five times a year now.
My rules for avoiding SVT or at least making them bearable are:
1. Manage stress (I had accompanied a choir on four pieces at the piano in front of an audience of 300 people yesterday making me susceptible to SVT)
2. Get enough rest
3. Don't get dehydrated
4. Control your allergies in whatever way you can, especially food allergies that upset the stomach, i.e. gluten.
5. If you are sick don't over do.
6. If you have a hiatal hernia, as I do, don't overstuff your stomach.
7. Stay off of rollercoaster rides that make you go upside down. I have gone into SVT twice on Rockin' Rollercoaster, but I usually convert on the second loop. LOL! The first upside down experience puts me in SVT, and the second takes me out. I have only tested this twice.
8. Don't raise your arms up above your head while your heart rate is already up. It pulls other internal organs up against your heart and moves your vagus nerve around. Last year I went into SVT walking through a parking lot. I was really chatty, and laughing and raising my arms up, and one got triggered. I felt so stupid.
9. Don't bend over to pick things up at the waist. Bend at the knees. Again, it pushes internal organs up against your heart.
10. Get checked for celiac disease. I'm a celiac, and I know of other celiac's that have SVT. If you are, stay away from gluten.
11. Don't eat sugar, fried foods, high fat foods, or any foods that you know cause damage to the stomach lining, like caffeinated drinks, or create discomfort for the stomach. The vagus nerve gets stimulated by a sore, sick, or inflamed stomach, and since it is connected to the heart also, when it is stimulated, it will stimulate the heart and trigger SVT.
Anyway, these are my impressions on SVT, learned from many years of SVT experience. I really hope this will help other SVT sufferers! Let's hope we all improve as we work to calm down our worried minds.
