Carol's Guestbook

Hi Carol! Adam forwarded me your journal because I am preparing to have my first surgical consult at Brigham and Womens this Thursday with Dr Byrne. I was hoping to pick your brain and experiences, other than what you described thru your journals, about B&W and your thoughts,experiences and interactions with Dr Byrne. It is between him and Dr Adams at my Sinai in NYC to try and repair my mitral valve if not replace it...

Dear Carol- First I am going to refer to you as Carol(Attleboro) as there are other Carol's! I am Terrie (from Calif) and came to your guest book to talk to you about your recent post about what appears to be recurring episodes with your "SVT". I realize this must be frustrating to say the least but would like to share a bit of my story with SVT's. My first episodes with SVT"s that took me to the ER happened while I was at the computer. I had been getting ready for my surgery for Aortic Stenosis and a valve repair and had had a few off and on again odd palpataions. I took them to be just the heart responding to the laps I had been swimming or my bike riding. The first times went almost unnoticed. On March 31st. I had a neighbor come and take me to the ER as I was having symptoms that frightened me as I had never had the heartbeats not back down on their own before. I was to spend a few hours there. At first they tried to give me meds thru I V's but they wouldn't slow it down. I am sure you know the feeling. At some point they added some Cardizem thru the drip lines and it finally returned in time to regular rhythm. I was sent home with instructions on what to do if it happened again and told that I had had an SVT episode according to the EKG's that had been taken while at the hospital. I was given a prescription for the pill form of Cardizem and told to see my cardiologist. I saw him the next day and was informed of what SVT is (which you know as well). I was assured that it had nothing to do with the heart valve problem. I was told that it might be "cured" by having an ablation. At the time they thought my heart could take the ablation prior to surgery for the valve. I made plans. I ended up with a phone call just before the scheduled ablation whereby the surgeion said we would have to address the SVT after the heart surgery as something came across on the EKG from the hospital which would put me at risk doing it prior to the valve replacement. I took the meds which were increased to 120 capsules once in the morning and once at night of the Cardizem Sr(also known as Diltiazem). From March until Sept. 13th of this year I had not one episode of the SVT. On Sept. 13th(close to my 13th. day out of surgery for my valve) I had been walking at the park across the street and the palpitations came back and wouldn't back off. My husband and I got in the car and headed for the ER. Because of the recent surgery we were afraid I was having a-fib which is common after surgeries. They hooked me up to an I.V. and ran an immediate EKG which began picking up a "new" episode as we sat there. So it was caught within minutes. (I will note that they hospital had taken me off of the Cardizem while having surgery and the cardiologist had taken me off of another blood pressure med and lowered the dose so I had no idea what was going on. It turns out that by 7:00 that night and another EKG or two a cardiologist agreed with the physician specialist at the hospital had said it looked like SVT to him. They agreed and put me back on the Cardizem and sent me home. I saw my regular cardiologist on the 19th for first post op visit and he had looked at results of tests at the hospital and said it was the SVT back. He increased my meds back to the dose I had been taking and I haven't had any palpitations since the hospital on the 13th. I also was placed on a "Heart Monitor" on the 15th. and have not shown one episode since putting it on so far. So for now I am going to have to continue the medicine and be aware that if it starts up to report or go to ER. We are already discussing a possible Ablation to see if it will stop these episodes after my heart has had time to mend properly. I do know that SVT's are common. I know that the choices we have is to ride through them or take medications. The only other thing is to have an ablation. I am writing to let you know of at least another person who has the same diagnosis. I realize the frustration and abruptness of changes it puts your life in at times. I know that the majority of episodes will stop on their own if I remain calm and sort of talk my way through them. What bothers me is I don't know if certain exercise levels will bring them on. I plan on going laps when my sternum is healed and the Dr. gives me the go ahead but that is awhile off. I also bike indoors and outdoors and want to be sure I wait until it is safe to proceed to more activity which is not tight now. For now I have to be happy adding more and more space to the daily walks. I just wanted to touch base with you in case you wanted someone to bounce things off of. So I hope you are able to move forward with good information and your health care professionals. Terrie