Supraventricular Tachycardia...and me.

By definition: Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT) is an abnormal heart rhythm that causes the heart to beat very fast. This kind of fast heart beat originates in the upper chambers of the heart. An SVT can cause the heart to beat greater than 100 beats per minute. SVT can have a rapid burst of heartbeats. This can start and stop suddenly with out warning and is called non-sustained. SVT can also be sustained, in which the heart beats at a continuous fast rate.

For me... There was an occurrence about a year and a half ago.  I was on a work retreat, had just been blessed with a free spa treatment, a great dinner, and I was walking to my hotel room to get my keys and go to a movie. Slow paced, nothing exciting, but my heart started to pound in my chest. I was scared, but I was also the one 6 women were depending on driving them to a movie in Palm Springs... So, I took a pause in my hotel room, sat down and tried to take deep breaths, but it did not stop.  It wasn't until 1/2way through the movie when it finally went back to normal. I was scared, but I was more scared to find out what happened. Everyone said, "Oh, it was just an anxiety attack"... so, I never went to the Dr.

This past Saturday, Aaron was about 3 hours away from home on his way from Northern CA. I had just sat the boys down to eat their dinner and I was cleaning up the kitchen. It began. My heart rate was going so fast (over 250 beats a minute), I felt dizzy, short of breath and pressure in my chest. I got Aaron on the phone with the idea, "If I stop talking, call 911 and give them our address." I went upstairs and took 2 aspirin, thinking I may have been having a heart attack. I came into my office and put my blood pressure cuff on, it just kept giving me an error message. As I was sitting at my desk trying to get my body to calm, I sent my neighbor a text to see if they were home. Praise the Lord, both my neighbor and her daughter were able to rush to my help. Jessica stayed with my boys and Melody drove me to the hospital. I had called the hospital and they guessed it was SVT and told me to call the ambulance and get right in. But, I'm a cheapskate and my neighbor was right there ready... so we drove.

Aaron called his parents, they came to relieve Jessica and be with the boys. He called my parents, who then called me and said, "If I don't hear from you in an hour, we're on the road to get there!" ;) I'm so thankful for both of our parents who just wanted to jump in and be there for us!

We got to the hospital and Melody made sure I was all checked in and being taken care of before she had to leave... They did an EKG and had me on all sorts of monitors. The look on the nurses faces when they saw my heart rate was a bit unnerving... I should call them and let them know to get their game faces on for the next patients! ;)

It had been about an hour of the very fast heart rate when they finally brought in a medicine (I had only been at the hospital maybe 20 minutes, and they were doing the tests to just see what exactly my heart was doing before they brought it down... I guess)... So, they are standing there with the medicine and say, "Now, this might stop your heart for just a second and then it will start up with the right beat again." Ummmm, ok? lol Then, the Dr said, "You will feel a little funny." I said, "Dr, Funny is a very vague descriptive." He smiled and said, "Well, I've been told it's a very vague feeling." He was right.

The pushed the medicine... a few seconds later I felt very funny. After that really odd sensation, I got a tingle from my head to my toes. Almost like warmth and almost like electricity.  After the meds went in and my body did that reaction, all went back to normal. I was back to my typical 116/69 ish blood pressure.

(all the while, with an oxygen tube up my nose while having a cold... can I tell you THAT is not fun!?!)



Since being at the hospital on Saturday, I've been talking to God about my fears. They can't tell me why it happens or what I can do to stop it, or any signs of when it's coming again... That's a bit unnerving when I am home alone with my boys as often as I am. BUT, I still know God. ;) He set Jessica and Melody and Lynne and Gary up to be available, he allowed it when Aaron was 3 hours away instead of the start of his 2 week job out of town. It was not fun, but it was orchestrated perfectly for what it was. While at the hospital, I got to witness with a couple of nurses and I got comments about my joy in the midst of the feelings I had...I love that.

So... I've come to the conclusion on this one... Lord, your will be done. If SVT is my new "friend" in life, and I'll have the opportunity to witness to ER staff... then let it be.  If SVT was here for a short visit and He intends to heal me, then I can be a witness of his continual healing in my life.  There is one thing I asked of the Lord, though... If it happens again, that He be gracious in provision for my children as He was this time.  *I just got that tingle pain in my nose when tears are trying to come* I'm so thankful He meets us right where we are and makes a way.

Today, I am ok! It's a new mini-journey the Lord and I are walking through as to my feelings/fears on it...but just a bleep on the scale of my full journey and I'll be just fine!  I so appreciate every one's prayers and checking up on me! I feel very loved and I appreciate that from the deepest part of my heart!

The Lord is Good!!