Supraventricula....what?

If someone would have asked me what SVT was a couple years ago, I would have no idea what to tell them. The definition of a word, or acronym in this case, changes from person to person. To me, SVT was a type of car, a Ford SVT to be more exact, that one of my friends drove in high school. However in late December 2009, I learned the appropriate definition of this acronym.

One Friday morning sitting in my overly crowded dorm room, my heart rate began to race. Sitting on the floor, eating cereal, and doing no activity whatsoever (it was Friday morning) I didn't think anything of it. But when my roommate saw my face go pale and my whole body began to shake we knew something was wrong. Rushing to the Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, it was my first time in an ambulance (Not as glorious as it looks on shows like ER). Overwhelmed by wires, tubes, straps, and frantic looking EMTs, nothing helped to get my heart rate down. At this time, it was a whopping 260 beats per minute. One of the EMTs told me I had SVT, supraventricular tachycardia, and having no clue what that was, I thought I was dying. Freaking out was probably the kindest way to describe my emotions at that time.

Once at the hospital (and after 6 hours of exercises and drugs to break the heart rate) my heart was beating at a steady 100 beats per minute. The cardiologist came in and... oddly released me on the spot. I looked at him like he was nuts... certifiably nuts.  But apparently I had a common heart condition that was caused by being born with an extra circuit in my heart. It was common in mostly babies, but also people whose hearts had just matured. With me just turning 18 that year, it all made sense. Although a scary experience and something I never want to relive, I realized later that if I had just paid attention in Biology class senior year, I could have saved myself the freak out. A short hour long surgery later, I was cured. And to say the least, I'll always remember the meaning of SVT. It is not a car, but rather a mild heart condition that is more scary than harmful. Now the C minus I got in Bio is all making sense now.