44 THE QUEENS COURIER • HEALTH • JULY 4, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
health
Sudden Rapid Heartbeat
Revealing a lesser-known heart disorder and what to do about it
A feeling of dread washed over Donnette
Smith aft er she felt her chest jolt. “Please,
God. Not here, not now,” she thought. In
the middle of her church choir performance,
her heart started racing uncontrollably.
High off the ground, she fought
off feeling faint while perched in the middle
of the third row of bleachers. “Th ere’s
no way down,” she thought. “I can’t ask
the whole row to get off because there are
thousands of people out there listening.”
Maintaining her wits, she signaled for a
stagehand to grab a ladder so she could
crawl off the back as the lights dimmed.
Once on solid ground, her family rushed
her to the hospital.
Th is was just one of many rapid heartbeat
episodes Smith has experienced. She
has a lesser-known, but common, heart
disorder called paroxysmal supraventricular
tachycardia (PSVT). Nearly two
million Americans live with this alarming
arrhythmia that can spike heart rate unexpectantly
and suddenly from a normal
60-80 beats per minute (bpm) to more
than 250. In addition to the trademark
rapid pulse that can last from minutes to
hours, symptoms may include dizziness,
fainting, sweating, chest pain or pressure,
or being out of breath.
“For a time, it truly dominated my life,”
Smith said. “I lived in constant fear that I
would faint from having an episode while
driving my grandchildren. I put off travel
and stayed close to home. I didn’t want to
be in a strange city and go to a new hospital
and explain my condition. Some episodes
would happen at 2 a.m. and my husband,
my rock, would drive me to the hospital.
Of course, that throws off both our
next days, leaving us walking around like
sleep-deprived zombies.”
Th e suddenness of PSVT makes it diffi -
cult to diagnose. Doctors need to “catch”
an episode, or see the unusual heartbeat,
on an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
or Holter monitor before they can make
a defi nitive diagnosis. With PSVT episodes
being sporadic, occurring randomly
and sometimes mere minutes in length,
this can be hard. On average, diagnosis
can take three years or longer and may be
fraught with misdiagnoses.
For Smith, it was nearly 10 years before
she had answers. PSVT’s symptoms may
masquerade as anxiety or panic attacks.
Smith was fi rst prescribed an anti-anxiety
medication. While seeking out a diagnosis,
patients like her are oft en left thinking
it may be all in their heads and wondering
if they’re going crazy. Th ey understandably
struggle with how to convey
this seemingly invisible illness to friends,
family, coworkers and their doctors.
“Th e uncertainty of living with PSVT
is equally challenging, if not more so,
than the physical symptoms,” said Dr.
Kathryn Wood, associate professor at Nell
Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
Emory University, who has published
research on the emotional toll of PSVT,
on women in particular, in the “European
Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing.” “It
looms over you, aff ecting self-esteem and
causing you to avoid daily activities such
as driving, work and time with family and
friends.”
Th anks to lessons from her own journey,
Smith has devoted her life to empowering
those living with PSVT, and those
living with other heart conditions, to live
fully and unafraid. She serves as the president
of Mended Hearts, a national nonprofi
t organization that provides peer-topeer
support for heart disease patients,
their families and caregivers. Smith’s
advice for outsmarting PSVT hinges on
three key actions.
1. Educate Yourself. If you have or suspect
you have PSVT, OutsmartPSVT.com
is the only online educational website
designed to help actively manage the condition.
It debunks myths, addresses frequently
asked questions and provides useful
tips.
2. Speak Up for Yourself. Track your
symptoms to inform talks with your doctor.
Th e PSVTPlace.com website is an
online patient registry that can help.
Increasingly, wearable watches and technology
are entering the market that may
be able to capture an abnormal heart
rhythm to show your doctor. Persist in
getting an accurate diagnosis. It may be
that you need to seek out a hospital or cardiac
treatment center with cardiologists
on staff who have experience treating people
with PSVT. Be vocal in seeking referrals
or second opinions.
3. Call on Your Support System.
Whether it be an advocacy group, support
group or friends and family, rely on those
close to you. Communicate openly about
your condition, including what signs to be
on the lookout for and how they can best
help you. On multiple occasions, Smith’s
coworkers were there for her when she
had episodes at work. Th ey were armed
with her medication history and current
treatment plan to have conversations with
doctors on her behalf.
Source: Milestone Pharmaceuticals
“Th e diff erence is night and day when
you resolve to take control of your health,”
Smith said.
What Smith has learned about PSVT
has also helped her family members.
Her daughter, Dana, began experiencing
symptoms of PSVT at age 16. Having
overcome PSVT fi rst-hand, Smith was
able to off er advice to her daughter, who
was accurately and quickly diagnosed -
a rarity for those living with PSVT. Dana
underwent an ablation at 19 years old, a
surgical procedure that works by scarring
or destroying tissue in your heart that
triggers an abnormal heart rhythm. Dana
has not had an episode since. Smith’s
treatment path was less direct - her fi rst
ablation was unsuccessful, but watching
her daughter no longer dread the next
episode aft er having a successful procedure
gave her courage to undergo a second
ablation, which worked.
Th ere is currently no at-home treatment
for PSVT, although there is a growing collection
of resources, basic techniques and
support groups that can help people manage
the condition.
“If the resources we have now were
around when I was fi rst experiencing
symptoms, I could have saved years of living
in uncertainty,” Smith said. “I hope to
motivate others to never give up in seeking
the support they need to get a swift ,
accurate diagnosis. Having PSVT doesn’t
need to defi ne you. Th ere’s hope.”
Courtesy Family Features
/WWW.QNS.COM
/OutsmartPSVT.com
/PSVTPlace.com
