Minor setback

Well, today I'm home from work. I got sent home yesterday (Friday) after having an episode of "SVT." Supraventricular tachycardia is a condition when the heart beat gets >150 beats a minute. This is purely an "electrical problem" in the heart. It is can be caused by drugs/caffeine, exercise, dehydration, genetics, or simply a freak episode of the heart misfiring. It's hard to explain when you are not familiar with how the heart functions. Basically, your heart beats according to electrical impulses. My electrical impulses somehow got "off" and the misfiring told my heart to beat way too fast.

This happened when I was sitting at a computer, 1 hour into work. I have not had caffeine the entire pregnancy, I drink 2-3 liters of water a day, and didn't even have any patients I was caring for yet. I simply felt a "shaky feeling" in my chest and started sweating. I went into a room and put myself on the heart monitor, to find my heart beat was 186 beats/minute - almost 3 times my regular rate. I got up to go tell someone, but didn't make it to the nurses station because I was so light-headed. A nurse saw me and came into the room I was in to ask if I was ok. I said, "I think I'm in SVT. Can you go get Fred?" (Fred is aka Dr. Watkins). Dr. Fred came in, took one look at me, took my pulse in my carotid (on my neck..you couldn't even feel a pulse anywhere else it was so thready) and said, "_ _ _ _ .....you are really in SVT!"

Long story short - it took about 20 minutes to get my heart to stop beating so fast. You basically have to "reset" the electrical impulse. This is easily done with a medicine called Adenosine. I refused this medicine. My OB was not aware of what was happening, no baby monitor was hooked up - I was not about ready to let them put medicine to restart my heart in my body that might affect the baby. So....Fred did a "carotid massage", poured ice on my head, made me bear down, reposition....all kinds of tricks. Eventually, it worked. I was so grateful.....for my wonderful coworkers who helped/panicked!, Fred for taking care of me and not leaving my side, and everyone else. I think I really freaked out some people I work with....this never happens to anyone my age.

Dr. Fred then called my OB to let him know what happened. He said I needed to go home and rest, and if it happened again, I was going to be admitted. I'm going to have to see a cardiologist for followup, as well as my OB this week. Who knows if it's the pregnancy that caused this to happen, genetics, or a freak thing. They'll probably get me on a Holter Monitor I'll have to wear to monitor my heart. I'm praying this was purely a 1-time incident. However, the OB says if it happens once, it's probably going to happen again - usually during or after labor. There are ways to correct this - ablation surgery or daily medicine, but hopefully this will never happen again so I won't have to even think about it!

Don't be alarmed or anything....I'M OK! The BABY IS OK! This had no effect on baby - since I was only in this heart rhythm for about 20-25 minutes. It can cause problems if you are in it for too long - because it causes the blood to leave the placenta and go to the brain. Let's just hope to goodness it doesn't happen again and I don't have to be admitted! This baby needs to keep cooking for a while longer still!

I'll update you Monday on this situation. On a lighter, happier note....I have the neighborhood shower tomorrow! I am so excited! This will be the last baby shower I have:( We have been so blessed with so much support!