My heart just stopped for a few seconds

[sammyjayneex]

So I am at a holiday park at the moment and went for a walk with hubby and kids. We were just playing some games and all of a sudden I got this palpation (I've had them all day) and then after the palpation my heart stopped for a few seconds and I went really faint and vision blurred and then my heart started pounding. I have been diagnosed with SVT. But I've had SVT symptoms since I was a child. It's just jay the past 2 years they have been made worse. I am convinced something is making these attacks worse but bloods always come back normal. I'm really scared. I've had numerous symptoms for 2 years and they are ruining my life I can't do anything any more. Could my heart really have stopped. Could I have nearly died? Doctors don't believe there is nothing wrong with me but I believe there is as these have been made worse recently. I have silent reflux as well but stopped taking the tabs now.

No your heart didn't stop, you had an ectopic beat, which is actually an early beat, but after which there is a pause before the normal beats pick up again.

Have you had an event monitor? It might be a good idea, as is keeping a diary to see if there is anything that triggers things.

I have had ECGs heart scan and 24hr and 14 day hoilter monitors. I was diagnosed with SVT but I had this since I was a kid just was never diagnosed but now things related to my heart have got worse since having my last baby
Doctors say nothing they can see in my bloods because they are normal
I suspected thyroid problem but my tests where 2.7 and then months after it was 1.54 so considered normal.

I wonder if it is something to do with your vagus nerve, which may very well have been affected by your pregnancy and birth. So it could be structural something pressing on it it might even have started with your own birth.

Have you considered cranial osteopathy or some kind of work on your structural system?

I have a similar thing, btw, and I was forceps delivered, and know my birth was traumatic.

Sassh is right. Ectopic beat. Its horrible and feels like your heart has stopped. BUT you felt faint, i think you should get checked out.

Have you had any medicine today? Coffee? That sort of thing

Hiya thank for your reply
I have suffered badly with reflux so maybe it's something related
Sorry i have never heard of changing my structure what do you mean?

No not taken any medication
I had a coffee today yes
Do you think my heart just beated again out of luck and I'm lucky to be alive? And that I could have died?

I had a real run of these. Thought i was going to drop dead. Turned out to be down to add one hayfever spray. Only realised when i stopped.

I had 24 ecg and the nurse joked that they often cured folk.

You sound very anxious and that could be contributing.

my dr told me that most people will experience these and just don't notice.

It may be the dizzy feeling was an adrenaline rush due to the ectopic beat worrying you.

The heart has several phases to a beat and one of the is where the heart relaxes back down. If you get an extra beat it uses up extra electrical charge and it takes it longer to recharge for the next beat. That is why you feel like its stopped. Its scary and horrible but isnot dangerous.

There is a mechanism that forces you to breathe and your heart to beat. This always kicks in (in fact it happens when people die and they take what is thought to be a termjnal breath) its total reflex your heart is NOT going to stop

Thanks all.

I just feel really scared That I could have died yesterday it was really scary! I can't get over it!

You really couldn't have died, honestly. Do please go to the dr, for some reassurance if anything else.

Sounds like a palpitation followed by a panic attack.

I'm just hoping it was nothing more than a panic attack. It was very scary. All I felt was this big this in my chest and then nothing, like it had stopped and then I went light headed and then my heart went into an SVT attack. Can't get over it and keep going over it in my head like what if it had not started again? What would have happened to me?

Big 'thud' I meant.

Its an ectopic - I go through phases of getting these, brought on by anxiety and then they make it ten times worse!

Please try not to panic, you really aren't going to die.

Thank you x
I guess I just have a lot of calming down to do!

It certainly sounds as though it was an ectopic beat, and your heart certainly didn't stop. But given your history of svt and the fact that you felt light headed afterwards I think you should see your GP when you get home just to get it checked.

Are you having any treatment for SVT? Have you ever been offered an ablation?

Actually I know someone who suffers with SVT and she had the same experience. She asked her consultant about it and he told her that, yes, per heart probably did stop temporarily but that it wasn't dangerous. This is completely different from an ectopic beat, which shouldn't make you feel faint etc. Ectopic beats CAN make you feel your heart as stopped temporarily, but as you suffer with SVT, there might be a bit more too it. But as I said, the cardiologist didn't seem too worried!