High Heart Rate - 226 BPM ???

[Gypsy'sDog]

Just been reading the thread and thought I'd share my recent cardio experience...
I have suffered SVT’s pretty much all my adult life. They come on only during hard physical exercise and once they happen I have to stop/slow down to recover as I struggle to breathe properly and my legs turn to lead.
This used to happen in the 80’s when I was a young soldier, but at the time I thought I was just not as fit than normal.
Last year |I was in the running form of my life having trained for the London Marathon, but once I’d completed it, the SVT’s started to happen more regularly and this seriously hampered my ability and my confidence to push myself hard.
Even the tame hills such as those on the Harrock Hill race brought them on.
I captured an episode on the heart monitor on my Garmin, when my heart rate shot to 240bpm during a race and refused to come down until a good while after the finish. I went with the printout of that run to my Doctor who referred me to the Cardio ward at Hope Hospital.
I’ve continued to train and compete regardless, as I was told that it would probably be down to a strand of tissue in my heart causing a short circuit and that the condition was not life threatening.
I was given a small monitor to carry with me that I put in my bumbag during races and eventually on the first hill of the Half Tour this year I got it captured.
Many tests later I was given the option of having a Cardio Catheter Ablation, which is the operation conducted under local anaesthetic were a catheter enters the heart via the femoral artery, and they induce an arrhythmia so that they can find the root of the problem then it can be got rid of using a radio frequency waves.
Meanwhile I continued to train hard and in August managed to successfully complete the Bob Graham, despite having an SVT toward the end of leg 2.
I went for the Catheter Ablation operation at Wythenshawe Hospital in September where they successfully removed the strand that was causing the short circuit.
Recovery is quick from the operation, as I just had to allow the wound to heal in the groin. I was still able to compete in the Rab MM 8 days later without any problems.
Only time will tell if the operation was a complete success or not, but I wish I’d had it done years ago.
I know that not every episode of sudden palputations requires this sort of medical attention, but don't be shy getting it checked out as my experience with the hospital has been very positive.

[IanDarkpeak]

I was told that it would probably be down to a strand of tissue in my heart causing a short circuit and that the condition was not life threatening.

Good to hear you've got it sorted Gypsysdog, Sounds like you had classic WPW syndrome as described to be, The cure of zapping it was offered to me 15? years ago but was told if it wasn't bothering me live with it.

might have to go down that route though now, I'll make the appointment for after Tanky's then I can rest up for a few weeks...

[Gypsy'sDog]

Thanks Ian,
Alot of people said to me 'why don't you just live with it?' but it's always in the back of your mind when the going gets tough.
Good luck with it mate.

[Alexandra]

Just been reading the thread and thought I'd share my recent cardio experience...

Thanks, I found this very interesting and encouraging.

[Alexandra]

I'll Pm you on Sunday

oops forgot about this, will do it soon.

If not now, when???

[IanDarkpeak]

I'll Pm you on Sunday



If not now, when???

NOW NOW NOW, I've done it now.
Sorry Alex I've sent you a PM:w00t:

[Alexandra]

NOW NOW NOW, I've done it now.
Sorry Alex I've sent you a PM:w00t:

Thanks v much. I still prefer the tip to take valium, but without much real hope. I'm glad to say I still haven't had the chance to experiment.

[The_Saint]

I get really high heart rate readings, often into the 240s and no they aren't spikes (I've said this phrase a million times now and people always say "But they're spikes" and they aren't)

I put the Garmin HRM on at least 30 minutes before the race with dampening, there is nothing wrong with me, I discuss it every year with the doc (an elite runner himself) who does my Paris marathon medical who says "Given what you do, you'd be dead already if it was a problem for you".

What people forget is that the formulae for calculating max HR are empirical, there is actually no underlying law of nature determining them.

Oh and just to summarise, the readings aren't spikes or interference or instrument error as I'm on my fourth Garmin HRM and I've had the readings with all of them, and with my Polar.

[IanDarkpeak]

I get really high heart rate readings, often into the 240s and no they aren't spikes (I've said this phrase a million times now and people always say "But they're spikes" and they aren't)

I put the Garmin HRM on at least 30 minutes before the race with dampening, there is nothing wrong with me, I discuss it every year with the doc (an elite runner himself) who does my Paris marathon medical who says "Given what you do, you'd be dead already if it was a problem for you".

What people forget is that the formulae for calculating max HR are empirical, there is actually no underlying law of nature determining them.

Oh and just to summarise, the readings aren't spikes or interference or instrument error as I'm on my fourth Garmin HRM and I've had the readings with all of them, and with my Polar.

What did the Doc say it was? Mines been measured that high but has never gone that high racing, my Max is 193 (Properly tested)

Sound more like a palpatation attack? WPW? If it leaped from say 150 to 240 for 30 seconds(for eg) and then dropped back it doesn't sound excerise related.

[martin]

I have had odd experiences this year with heart rate monitors. Last year I had several episodes of SVT. I ended up in hospital for a week with the last bout of SVT which needed cardioversion to stop it (it was running at 220- 228 for 6 hours which was not fun!). I had a heart valve replaced early this year (mechanical valve) and when I was well enough I started to do some exercise using my Garmin 305 HR monitor. What I found was that when I started to jog (very slowly) the heart rate would start to ramp up to quite high levels. It did not feel like the heart was beating fast. I tried a polar HR monitor and this gave a totally different result. It seemed to give erratic readings with misbeats and extra beats. Sometimes it would go to the maximum. I knew something was amiss as I can now hear my mechanical valve clearly and this did not coincide with the HR monitor output. As I had just had major surgery on my heart I was not sure if this was some artifact caused by the surgery. I eventually found out what the problem was. It was static from my clothes (Helly Hanson Lifa etc). I noticed that sometimes the misbeats coincided with my foot hitting the ground. Also whilst standing still I could get the HR monitor to go berserk by shaking/rubbing the helly near the chest strap. I tend not to use my HR monitor now and just go off how I feel (well sometimes!).

To me it shows that the algorithms in the heart rate monitors differ. Garmin seem to do an average where as the Polar does average the readings but over a shorter period of time.