Svt 5 yrs after surgery

[coryp]

Hello All,

I hope you are well.

I wanted to ask your opinion on what to do with I guess what I call SVT and STRONG heart beats?

I am five years post surgery for Aneurysm and aortic valve replacement at cedars with Dr Raissi.

First off I feel just fine, a little more stress than usual but generally ok.

I am finding that my "strong heart beats" are becoming more and more apparent to me. In the evening I can feel them but I really have to be quiet and calm, they happen and are most apparent when I go to bed and lie down and either side, usually my back is the safest bet. I guess eating too much also causes the rapid and strong heart beats for me, I wonder if these would be considered PVC'S? They are not affecting my sleep just a little cumbersome as they seem to be getting stronger. My pulse is still fine and I do not seem to be experiencing any of the old RAPID tachycardia's since surgery and on the medication (100mg atenolol at night). Occasionally I get a weird feeling coming from inside almost like a HOLLOW feeling and then for 3-5 seconds its like a quake inside. I know its about to happen but again it is so short and so rare (maybe once every 6-8weeks) that I have not concerned myself. I feel like a shake from inside. I can now feel these strong beats in the daytime as well while sitting on the desk typing, again not uncomfortable or anything just there and I feel like they should not be. When I run or hike and push myself, when I stop if I have gone really hard my heart takes a while to relax and sometimes I feel like I am shaking, I am not sure if this makes sense to you guys?

Just before my surgery (6 months prior) I did an electro physiology study and at that time they diagnosed me with a PSEUDO WPW (WOLF PARKINSON WHITE). Dr Noel Boyle said he thought he could do ablation to rid me of the SVT but did not think it was clear enough what I actually had and did not want to chance it at the time. Well 6 months later I found an aneursym and the rest is history.

Now that that part is over and my heart is close to normal is this an option for me? Ablation? Just trying see if I can get back to somewhat normal.
Maybe do a halter study or a bunch of new tests to see where this is all coming from? Where do I start? I have read alot of you doing the ablation and would like more feedback on this experience as well.

I am 5.9- 160lbs medium frame
Do you get alot of that hear beats in your stomachs? I can see mine alot.

Does anyone feel like me?

thx cory.



Thank you

 

[Duffey]

Cory,
I had a roommate after replacement who also had pulsations in her abdomen. It turned out to be an abdominal aneurysm. I think you should have it checked out.
I still experience the strong pulsations in the base of my neck that began after AVR (feels like a metronome at times) and now I wonder if I've got a weak blood vessel there. I know; I should get it checked out too!

 

[kfay]

Cory, What you are experiencing could be PVC's or PAC's or other rhythm issues but you won't be able to know which is which unless you go and get your Dr. to put a Holter monitor on you. I would ask for a 48 hour one just so you have more data. Depending on what's going on, an ablation may be an option. Several of us (me included) on here have had recent ablations that were unsuccessful, but I wouldn't let that deter you if your Dr. thinks that it would help you and feels somewhat confident in his ability to track yours down. If it doesn't work, there are always other drug options.

So, I would start there if I were you. Good luck, and I hope you find some relief.

Kim

 

[debster913]

I agree with Kim. I was one of those unsuccessful ablation-ees recently. I had one ablation in December --three and a half years post-op-- and it was successful, yet I was still having issues that popped up last month. My EP doctor thought another ablation was in order, and I trust her, so it was no big thing. Yet, when all was said and done, my heart was throwing a few PVCs and some non-sustained (not dangerous) V-Tach. I ended up not needing an ablation after all, but having the assurance that my arrhythmia issues are not a problem anymore. As far as the ablation goes, it can take anywhere from 1-8 hours, and for a few days afterward, I felt as if my heart was on fire. Basically, they zap tiny areas of your heart that are producing the faulty rhythm. Check out this site for more info on ablations: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4682

Right now, I'm on 3.125 mg of Coreg twice daily, and have experienced very few PVCs since. When I'm stressed, as I often am, or if I drink too much caffeine, I notice them lots more.

Just a thought though--ablating PVCs isn't always successful (my EP doc was able to get rid of most of my PVCs). But if you have another arrhythmia, it's worth having it checked out with a Holter, event monitor (sometimes arrythmias "hide" when being monitored! ), and perhaps a consult with an EP in case you have some major problems that need to be addressed. I had no idea that I had (at the time) slow-sustained V-Tach until my ablation. All I thought I had were PVCs.

Best,

 

[debster913]

Cory,
I noticed that you had your surgery at Cedars-Sinai. There is a really excellent EP doctor there--he was present at my latest (non) ablation although mine was in Anaheim. His name is Dr. Xunzhang Wang, and he specializes in complex arrhythmias.