PSVT - Heart Disorders Message Board

southbamagirl · 10-05-2003, 06:06 PM

I am a 26 year old female and was diagnosed with psvt when i was 16. I have been on lanoxin for the last 10 years, I have also been a smoker for all of this time. I have not had a psvt episode in the past 7 years until last week, went to the ER and was told all was fine. I was also on a holter monitor and of course it did not happen while i was on it. Mine seem to happen when i wake up from sleeping..like i wake up with a high heart rate, of course i also have anxiety disorder which makes it worse. I am so scared of this ruining my heart...I am young and i want to live and there are so many things i want out of life. I guess some words of comfort that this is not going to kill me or cause heart failure. And i want to hear this from people who know what i am going through. I am quitting smoking but i know this will not resolve the problem. Thanks

khudsonwv · 10-05-2003, 09:19 PM

one good thing is that psvt is not life threatening - the symptoms of it however can be - i.e. passing out behind the wheel of a car etc. trust me i know how scary it is. i tried the meds and could not take them. so i had the surgery (ablation) twice. Unfortunately it backfired and now i am in heart block and will get a pacemaker this wed (i am only 34)... your dr may want to switch meds - there are lots out there or you may want to consider seeing an electrophysiologist for an ablation. Either way - hang in there - i know it is scary.. and though there is no link yet with the smoking and psvt - you might want to consider quitting... best of luck hope you feel better