IST

Most of my bloggy friends know I ‘v got a new fun illness to deal with.
“inappropriate sinus tachycardia” ( Heather thinks the “inappropriate” part is funny LOL) my case is mild, thank you Father God! It’s on my mind a bit these days as I try to adjust to the beta blockers, I though I would enlighten all who care to read :)

Inappropriate sinus tachycardia is:
An uncommon type of cardiac arrhythmia (an abnormal heart rhythm) in which a person's resting heart rate is usually greater than 90 - 100 beats per minute (or rapidly accelerates to greater than 90 - 100bpm very frequently), the heart rate increases dramatically with small amounts of exercise, emotional or physical stress.

What causes IST? Nobody knows
Patients with IST are hypersensitive to adrenaline, such that a little bit of adrenaline (like a little bit of exertion) causes a marked rise in heart rate

Symptoms
• Frequent Palpitations ( hate this one)
• Dyspnea (Shortness of Breath) and Palpitations on exertion
• Pre-Syncope (feeling as if about to faint)
• Fatigue (physical)
• Dizziness
• Exercise intolerance
• Occasional Paresthesia and cramping
• Symptoms associated with Autonomic nervous system disturbance, including GI disturbance

I don’t have fainting or paresthesia (sensation of tingling, pricking, or numbness of a person's skin) but I got all the other symptoms.

Is it weird that I am blogging this?

We all like learning new things right? :)

The good news : IST itself is not dangerous. Whilst it can produce many unpleasant and disabling symptoms, it is not life-threatening.

Can IST be cured?
The 'Sinus Node Modification' / Ablation procedure, potentially offers a cure, the success rates for this procedure are lower than for most other types of arrhythmia. If the SA node Modification / Ablation is initially succesful (i.e. cures the IST), unfotunately the IST sometimes returns within a few months.

Can IST be treated?
IST can be treated with medications - some tried by cardiologists and other doctors include: Beta-blockers, Calcium channel Blockers, Anti-arrhythmics, Serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (e.g. Prozac), Florinef and Midodrine.

And you know, sometime it can spontaneously get better

For me the fatigue before treatment was just killer, I’d go to Costco on a Friday night and could barely push the cart I was so worn out. At church I’d stand up - and I’d get anxiety producing Palpitations. I’m so thankful for every service I can sit through now. The worst was the Saturday I had tachy and Palpitations the entire day. Grrrrr awful feeling. I did not know what it was back then, now I know, I know it won’t kill me that anxiety is gone. I have a few tingling worries in the back of my mind, like will it get worse? Will the drugs not work? Will I be disabled? Will I ever feel normal again? Will my friends think I am weird? Wait they already do……

But I know my life is not my own, and I trust my Father God. So I don’t let my worry take over