Er Visit And Hours Of Tachy

[mom4cem]

How long have any of you stayed in a tachy episode? Find anything to help relieve it if the meds don't?

I thought I would never go, but last night I went to the er. I was out walking early in the evening with the kids. Pushing one in the stroller. It was warm but I was drinking my water and propel. We came back and then i did about 10 jump rope jumps then gave up.

I went in for dinner(hindsight probably should not have eaten right away) and as I was sitting at the table I could tell my heartrate was still high. It was about 93..'.it would not go down even after several minutes. I knew something was up. It should come down faster after exercising then that. Then it started to go up and up. I took a reading with the even monitor and sent them over. I ranged about 120. All of a sudden I felt it go even faster. I clocked it with my wrist monitor and it was 160.

.I freaked, naturally, started to feel lightheaded and told my hubby let's go. I could feel the adrenaline pouring. Got Grandma to watch the kids. By the time I go there the triage nurse clocked me at 135. They put back and I lay around for a while till I got an ekg. My rate hovered at 120-125..that is where it stayed from about 730 until 1030 even after they gave me a 1/4 of atenelol. No fluids though,,guessing since my b/p was not off the charts according to them. Of course they drew blood and told me my potassium was low and gave me potassium.

They called my dr and they went over my ekg and let me go. My rate by then was about 100-105. Finally it went to about 89 but needless to say I am waiting for it to go up again.

I am depressed that this has happened. They told me it was sinus tachycardia and they don't know why it happens. I guess it could be worse but I had not had it last that long so that concerned me. When my hubby spk with my dr. he was upset that I could not reach him. He would have wanted to see what the readings that I sent over were and he would tell me whether to go the er or not. I could not wait. He's good to me, he does not want me to go the er and be pumped full of drugs when they don't know my history and how I react to things..

My chest hurts from all the heart banging stuff and I am wiped from the adrenaline. I was surprised they did not tell me it was anxiety.

I asked in the er if low potassium could cause this and she said no. I somehow remember that low potassium can cause arrhythmias. I don't know whether the potassium is low prior to the episode or goes low during the episode. The chicken or the egg things.

Meanwhile, my hubby, god love him, sits there reading a book and says I know you are fine, he was not nervous one bit! He is soooo the opposite of me.

Sleeping was non-existent. Whenever I would finally fall asleep I would be jolted awake by my heart,,only from 70-80's or 90's but pesky nonetheless. I must have taken 50mg of beta blocker w/o much relief.

That nagging fear that things are getting worse as I get older is getting to me again. I thought I was doing well for a while. HR in the 70's lately and no higher than 120 and now..boom!

What a setback this is going to be. I'm afraid the fear of having another long standing bout of tachy will keep me from doing things. Even the simple things.

Saw my cardio and he verified that is was sinus tachy and could have been brought on by a number of factors, heat, dehydration,potassium, or just plain neurochemical. So he told me to keep up w/gatorade and water and up the beta's if and when I need it and stay out of the er until I speak to him first. I just can't imagine dealing with tachy for hours again at home.

Thanks for listening to the long, drawn out ER story. Now, finally I am back in the 70's I'm pooped and want to get some rest. Hoping the sandman finds me tonight.

Hoping you all are taking care in this heat

[dawn]

I have had tachycardia all my life. When I was working in a clinic about 10 years ago my heartrate was 170-180 all day long, I was soooooooooooooo tired. I would have all the doctors check it, they would hook me up and it was always sinus rhythm. I was finally so exhausted I went to the hospital where they suggested I walk more. In tears I begged for a beta blocker. I take Inderal 10mg 3-4 times a day, if I get an episode like you, I just take an extra one with a Xanax until it passes. I know it is uncomfortable but as long as it is a sinus rhythm you should be OK. We tend to become afraid and then it gets faster. I guess I am just used to it now. I have this startle reflex and if someone comes in the door unexpected or the dogs bark when I'm half asleep my heart goes crazy fast.

Best of luck

Dawn.

[Dizzy Dame]

My heartrate's always over 120 anytime I stand for more than a minute or two, and takes a minute or two to calm down once I sit. I rarely get resting tachycardia anymore, but if I get hot, I can have resting tachy for hours.

When I first got sick, my heartrate would be in the low 50's for hours, even days (laying down of course) then just randomly fire off to the 140's even though I was still laying down. It would stay there for days sometimes. When it got like that I'd have to go to the ER.

It sounds like you overdid it yesterday. You might want to pace yourself a bit more, especially while you're recovering from this past episode, and really listen to your body if it's telling you it's had enough. Hope you're feeling better now

Hugs,

Lauren

[Gena]

Sounds like your ER experience was a doozy. I have had tachycardia for hours on end, especially during the first few months I discovered I had POTS. I was really bad then. I puzzled the doctor even at Mayo b/c he said POTS patients should only have tachy initially upon standing and then should subside after sitting down (I guess he doesn't know everything!!). Well I've had episodes of tachy that last for hours no matter what position I'm in. Plus I'm susceptible to arrhythmias when my heart gets going fast, so that's even scarier. I do find that a small amount of Inderal during an epsiode really helps. I don't take it on a daily basis though. Just during a flare up.

I find our POTSY bodies do some very strange things that really don't fit any textbook definition of anything!!

Hugs,

Gena

[MightyMouse]

yep, although I don't do anything other than try to find a place to sit or lie down--a few years ago, my doc gave me a very low dose of xanax, which I only used when I was sustained at 120 and up for a while--usually half of one was good enough to get the job done.

Glad you were treated well in the hospital.

[DancingLight]

Just another person to chip in and say...it IS sooooo scary but yup, it's happened to me too.

I am like Gena...hours on end of tachy without needing to be upright.

I got Gatorade at the l'hopital for my episode 8 years ago! hahahahaha. So, thankfully your experience was a bit better!

Anyways, I have to be on a beta-blocker to control the tachy or I would be out of control! And, also, for extreme episodes the benzos, like xanax (like Nina said) work well for me. (I now take Klonopin daily though)...

Emily

[mom4cem]

Thanks all. It really does help to know I am not alone. Good thing is my Dr. says I am not a candidate for ablation since sinus tachy really can not be helped that way without potentially causing other problems.

The fear of another sustained attack is what is scaring me again. Guess I'll have to learn how to ride them out at home. That's what he wants me to do as long as he o.k.'s it.

Thanks again. I hate that others share in the misery, but it is nice to be understood.

[cmtaylor5]

I used to have absolutely identical instances of this. I haven't had an episode for 11 months, though, ever since I started to take a time released beta blocker daily. I hate that feeling you get when your heart rate is slowly moving up, and then suddenly it starts pounding away over 160. Mine was also always sinus tachycardia (which is a good thing, of course). I also took a beta blocker along with 1/2 tablet of Xanax and it would calm things down, but I noticed that every single time this happened, I got my period the next day. Is there any correlation with your cycle? My friend who is a doc told me to try taking the beta blocker a few days before I was expecting my period. It worked when I remembered to do it.

Hope you are feeling better. I know it's hard to shake that feeling that it will happen again.

Carolyn

[mom4cem]

Oh yes Carolyn. Many times it was the day before my period or, just like this last one, mid-cycle. I came home that night after the er and got a stabbing pain in my right ovary, checked the calendar and I was in mid-cycle,,about day 15,,my cycles can get kooky, short or long.

Been to the endocrinologist and supposedly outside of possibly being borderline PCOS even though I don't fit the bill exactly, everything else was normal.

Thought about surpressing the cycles for a good long while but that also comes along with a price especially with being, *gulp*, turning 40 this month!....

[nadine]

I understand that this is a normal experience for many here, but I am not sure I agree with your MD and cardio saying -don't go to ER. I understand they know your history and want to save you time and money, all good things, and if you feel you are able to wait for call back- but I know how alarming this can feel and you must know your prior experiences-so I see the ER as appropriate if in doubt and can't get quick call back from MD. Someitimes one has to wait for some time for that call back. Just my thoughts.

Hope your feeling better- did you say you are doing monitor? That will give a better picture over time.

[Guest Julia59]

I think the tachy is pretty common with the POTS stuff---although it can vary from person to person. But I think a lot of us can have resting tachycardia---especially when we become over stimulated, and unfortunately it doesn' take much for a potsy person to become over stimulated.

I still have a rather fast heart rate with spells of tachy even on my beta blockers. That is what scard me so much when I crashed. But now I know it happens to a lot of us. I am prescribed klonopin also, and if I feel jittery/over stimulated, I just take about 1/4 of a .50 with dinner, and maybe another in the evening-----so about half altogether. It's a seizure drug/benzodiazapine--(spelling?)----calms things down for me---let's me live again------------

I know you must have been pretty scared---I still get scared when that happens, and of course it makes it worse. Now I just don't take readings of my HR if I feel jittery---it just causes more anxiety. I just take another BB---or add a little klonopin until it calms down.

Try to pace yourself, but I know this is hard. Sometimes we get to the "point of no return"---and we just crash. We may not realize we have over done it until it's too late----so we have to pay the piper......

I hate the Tachy episodes------------I have called them "GEORGE" since the 80s. If my husband asks me what is wrong---I just tell him GEORGE is here for a visit.

I hope GEORGE stays away from you-----now I need to come up with a name for the arrhythmias----any ideas?

A BIG HUG

Julie :0)

[dizzygirl]

sorry dear taht you are dealing with the tachy monster.. it can be very scary sometimes b/c you wonder what in the world sets it off so fast.. just like that!

I often have tachy spells that come on suddenly and last for days at a time.. I am on a bb that helps a bit now.. and the really fast HR's come out a blue moon whenever it wants..

i hope that you are feeling better dear!!

hugs

dizz

[Guest CyberPixie]

Yes, I had it constantly for over 6mths last year, was horrendous!

[calypso]

Sorry to hear of your setback. I remember you just posting something about feeling better these days! But this is a very up-and-down illness, and it has its flareups. I have never had the sustained heart rate that high while sitting, but I have had it at about 100 for an hour or so, and I especially have a high heart rate for a much longer time than normal after exercise. But it makes sense that if our autonomic systems are out of whack, that that may happen, because that's what controls your rate post-exercise.

Anyway, hope it was a one-time freak thing. I also wonder about the low potassium connection and know that when mine's been low, I have a much higher heart rate in general.

Amy