I Have SVT With Bradycardia

Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), also called paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, is an abnormally fast heartbeat. It’s a broad term that covers many kinds of heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias) that start above the heart’s lower chambers (the ventricles), in the upper chambers (atria) or the AV node.

Bradycardia is a slower-than-normal heart rate. An adult’s heart at rest usually beats 60 to 100 times a minute. If you have bradycardia, your heart beats fewer than 60 times a minute.

So what’s the big deal?

It turns out that having both makes treatment harder. Let me explain. If you only had SVT, you could take a beta blocker or a similar medication to slow your heart down when it races, and once it slows down, all is well again. But I have bradycardia too. So when the medicine slows my heart, it can drop dangerously low. How dangerous? Low enough that my brain doesn’t get the oxygen it needs.

What’s next?

I’m still figuring it out. I was prescribed Corlandor 5 mg for the SVT and a pacemaker for the bradycardia. I’m not currently taking the Corlandor, and I still get small SVT episodes. The pacemaker is making a difference with the bradycardia. I can finally take a full breath and get enough oxygen to my brain.

Time will tell. I’m in my mid-40s and can’t believe it’s already time for a pacemaker. Six months ago I felt healthy, and I’m not sure if I ever had bradycardia before this. The whole experience has been surreal. I can’t help thinking that the IBS-D episodes I’ve learned to cope with are somehow connected to the SVT episodes. I know gut health is super important, but is it important enough to fix this?

I’ll be sure to let you know! (Update: see how it went in Stop Drinking Soda: Cola Alternatives.)