UPDATE in comments: WPW

MichaelaMTP · September 2014

A few weeks ago I started experiencing heart palpations, which apparently is very normal with pregnancy. While in the ER, the doctors discovered I was born with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. I haven't taken to googling it yet, but from what I understand from the doctor, it is a heart arrhythmia. My cardiologist wants to do a procedure to correct it after the baby is born. (I'm getting a second opinion on this.) From what I've heard, thousands of people live with this condition and never even know it. Maybe I'm naive, but if it's not broken, let's not fix it, especially after I have my first child.

My a/s is next week and we're also having a consultation with a perinatal cardiologist. I'm very nervous for this appointment. The doctors have said that my condition will not affect the baby, but I'm still concerned.

Does anyone else have WPW syndrome or had a visit with the perinatal cardiologist? Any advice to calm my nerves?

Thanks in advance.

krysmill · October 2014

I don't have any experience in this but I just wanted to say good luck and I'm sure everything will be just fine. I'd get the second opinion an go from there! T&P!

srcr2011 · October 2014

I have a student with this condition. He seems fine and was recently diagnosed. He had an Event Recorder to monitor his arrhythmia. So far nothings has come of. Other than that, no experience. Sorry, not very helpful. Good luck to you!

MichaelaMTP · October 2014

That has pretty much been my experience as well. I had to wear a heart monitor for a little while.

mishka29 · October 2014

Fx everything is okay!

umbcpt · October 2014

I was born with WPW. From what my mother has told me, I was diagnosed very soon after birth, as I was in the NICU with a HR of over 300 bpm.

Periodically, throughout my childhood, I would have palpitations and a racing heart. In 2011, I started running, as it was a something I wanted to see if I could do. When my husband's partner was killed in the line of duty, we created a team in his honor at the National Police Week 5k. I trained, never had a problem until race day. My heart began racing uncontrollably at mile 3, and I had to walk in. I went back to the cardiologist, and went through many tests, but the arrhythmia couldn't be reproduced, and he said he couldn't treat it until he knew exactly what it was. So I signed up for several more 5k races, attributing this to a fluke, and again, was never affected in training. But come race day, I would go into the arrhythmia. So by the third race (6/24/11), I had a monitor on to capture the arrhythmia and once it was captured, I went to the hospital.

I was shocked that they admitted me. Apparently, my HR was in the 230s that day. They had it captured and were able to treat it. They found me a doctor (an electrophysiolgist) that could operate on me the next day. That was the only part that really scared me, was how fast they wanted to move. But I had the ablation via cardiac catheterization.

Was I scared? In a word, yes. But I can tell you I was home within 12 hours after surgery, and recovered within 3 days, and it has changed my life. The few weeks after the procedure, I had some palpitations, but after several weeks, that ended completely. I was followed by the electrophysiologist every six months until January 2013, and was discharged completely then. I have never had a recurrence.

I never have to worry that I am going to have an episode that I go 40+ minutes of a racing heart, with shortness of breath, and panic. If you have further questions, I am happy to answer them. I can tell you I was terrified of the ablation/surgery, but I would have done it sooner if I knew then what I know now. It is priceless.

(Also, I had my first two children before the ablation and never had an issue during labor. Vaginal the first time, c-section the second).

Best wishes to you @MichaelaMTP

HailsMom · October 2014

I don't have WPW, but I know of it thanks to my EMS training. @umbcpt explained things in pretty good detail. The procedure to fix it isn't invasive, and honestly, I would rather go through the ablation than think about what could happen if you had a serious episode. The danger with WPW is that it can throw your heart into a rhythm that it can't get out of. Or even if you just get tachycardic, when your heart beats that quickly, it doesn't have time to fill with blood between beats, so you aren't getting oxygenated blood to your body/brain. I'm not trying to frighten you, but the thought of anyone living with that hanging over their head would scare me.

MichaelaMTP · October 2014

I'm sorry to just be responding now. It's easier to respond on my computer and I usually don't use The Bump on my computer.

Anyway, we met with the perinatologist and she really calmed our fears and worries. The baby is perfectly healthy - so grateful. However, I could pass WPW onto the baby because it is hereditary. As of right now, everything looks great. She wants me to follow up with a 30 week u/s and also meet with her again just to check the baby's heart again. The baby was very stubborn during my 20 week a/s.

She also put me at ease with my own health. There are multiple steps she wants me to try prior to even mentioning I have the surgery. This really made me feel a lot better.

I just wanted to take the time to update everyone and thank you all for your advice and input. I really do appreciate it. It definitely made me feel less alone in this situation.

Thank you again!

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