and my husband, my rock, would drive me to the hospital. I didn’t want to be in a strange city and go to a new hospital and explain my condition. I put off travel and stayed close to home. “I lived in constant fear that I would faint from having an episode while driving my grandchildren. “For a time, it truly dominated my life,” Smith said. In addition to the trademark rapid pulse that can last from minutes to hours, symptoms may include dizziness, fainting, sweating, chest pain or pressure, or being out of breath. Nearly two million Americans live with this alarming arrhythmia that can spike heart rate unexpectantly and suddenly from a normal 60-80 beats per minute (bpm) to more than 250. She has a lesser-known, but common, heart disorder called paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT). This was just one of many sudden rapid heart beat episodes Smith has experienced. Once on solid ground, her family rushed her to the hospital. “I can’t ask the whole row to get off because there are thousands of people out there listening.” Maintaining her wits, she signaled for a stagehand to grab a ladder so she could crawl off the back as the lights dimmed. High off the ground, she fought off feeling faint while perched in the middle of the third row of bleachers. In the middle of her church choir performance, her heart started racing uncontrollably.
Revealing a lesser-known heart disorder and what to do about itĪ feeling of dread washed over Donnette Smith after she felt her chest jolt with a sudden rapid heart beat.