To ask about SVT which is a non AIBU question?

[GissASquizz]

I know how annoying it is when someone uses AIBU for traffic purposes, but right now I don't give a fuck. DS (15) is being investigated for supra ventricular tachycardia. We're being seen by the paediatric cardiologist in a few weeks. Does anyone have experience of this? I'm fucking terrified.

I'm no expert but didn't want to leave your post unanswered. What has led up to him being investigated? Has he had some episodes of it and did they self resolve?

Yes and yes. Last about 3-4 minutes and then just stop. Been happening for the last few months.

Hi..i suffered on and off with svt for 20 years. At first it was quite frightening as i ended up in a and e thinking i was going to die! Had lots of tests and was eventually found to have a second heartbeat and would need a cardiac ablation. I always treated it as a bit of a nuisance as could go for months without having an episode and learnt lots of tricks to stop it my self. In the last 2 years though it got worse..more admissions and drugs to stop and start the rhythm so last summer i had the ablation to burn away the misfiring electrical pathway. I was awake during this and it wasnt very pleasant but it seems to have worked (fingers crossed). I hope your dd gets everything sorted soon and i know that some people respond well to drugs to control it.

Sorry that should be ds!

Try not to worry. SVTs are fairly common and almost always self-limiting. They can be investigated in a number of ways from 48hour tapes (sticky dot ECG carried around for a couple of days) and perhaps later electrophysiology studies which involves wires going through a tube in the groin to the heart.

Treatment can be tablets or just reducing caffeine, or sometimes ablation, which is usually done at the same time as EP studies.

I had an ablation age 22 after several years of increasing frequency SVTs. It was fine.

Some info here but ask whatever you want.

Also sometimes my episodes would go on for hours which would leave me feeling worn out for a couple of days afterwards.
SVT is very rarely a sign of a serious heart problem though as my cardiologist told me.

DS has had SVT from birth, not sure how to PM but can you PM me? I can reassure you that other than it feeling very uncomfortable for DS when it happens, it causes no issues for him. It is scary though but please try not to worry.

Yes, I get this. Have done for close to 10 years now. Irritating, but nothing more. Sometimes makes me a little short of breath. Worse if I don't look after myself. Nowadays get an episode very rarely.

Try not to worry.

In my early 20's I started having infrequent and short lasting palpitations and then when I was 29 I had an episode of SVT out of nowhere. I went to A&E and when they triaged me my heart rate was 180. They tried various techniques to stop it but when nothing worked they eventually took me into Resus to give me Adenosine which very fleeting stops the heart (so they said) in the hope that when it restarts the normal rhythm resumes. It didn't work after the first dose but after the 2nd one it did and the doctor said that if it hadn't have worked they would have had to shock me with the Defib.

The following week I had another very short, self resolving episode and was started on Beta Blockers and referred for an Ablation.

My ablation wasn't successful as ur transpired I had very strange cardiac rhythms (very, very long story) and so I continued with the Beta Blockers until I came off them for TTC purposes.

I ended up going back on my Beta Blockers when I was 20 weeks pregnant as my palpitations started up again and my pulse was very erratic but then I can't off them again once DS was born.

That was 2 years ago now. I was discharged from Cardiology as I told them I didn't want another attempt at ablation. I still have palpitations every now and then but I've never had another episode of SVT.

I hope everything turns out ok for your son

I think this is what I had - I used to suddenly go tachycardic (200bpm) then it would stop. It didn't really frighten me. I could stop it with balsam eye manoeuvre. I had a simple and successful ablation, which cured it. It really is quite common and not dangerous, don't worry. There is a very rare dangerous variation (fibrillation?) but he's unlikely to have that. Easily managed / treated.

Valsalva (sp) manoeuvre, not balsam eye.