Did AF affect your holiday?

[AFAssociation1]

We have been contacted by a journalist who is looking to speak to people who struggled on holiday because of their health condition.

If you live in the UK and have experienced problems related to AF when you were abroad, contact me if you would like to help raise awareness of AF and feature in a magazine. Maybe you found it difficult to monitor your INR level or you had an AF episode that was not understood or recognised by healthcare professional in whichever country you were in.

Please email me with brief details about your experience, your age and where you are from, to [e-mail]

Thanks for your help!

Raj

[gardenome]

I would be too nervous to leave the country for a holiday at the present time because of AF but would be extremely interested in hearing other people's experiences so I do hope people will get a good response to this

[Caro3]

Am really lucky as have AF mildly (if that is the right word!) brought on by a bout of pericarditis.

But my problem is slightly different anyhow, as I am currently getting having to wait for 8 weeks clearance following the Pericardis infection before I can get covered for travel insurance. So, no foreign travel for me till after June at the earliest - thank goodness we were not booked anywhere! Think will try for later on in the year but will have to see what the travel companies say first!

[meadfoot]

I have been very fortunate and not had an episode while abroad. However it would be soooo useful to get a feel for hospital care abroad and where to go and where not to risk going and different experiences people have had who needed AF support while abroad.

Us older ones love our foreign trips and have got into a position where we have the time free to go after a lifetime of hard work then good old AF kicks in just when we are claiming our later life rewards ! !

Thanks.

[pattiannj]

I have been on a 6 month world trip while having paroxysmal AF & I just treated it as I would at home so never needed to go to hospital. At home I always experienced AF in the night used to take an extre sotalol, try to relax, do yoga breathing & wait for it to stop which it did eventually. It always left me feeling zapped out for 12 hours or so & as we were travelling alone I could rest up until back to normal. That would be difficult I guess if travelling in a group with things organised each day. While I was away I had an attack every month - now I have changed meds & at this moment am free of AF - long may it continue.

[coopo]

I go abroad frequently (Europe) and can never find a place to have my blood readings. I thought it was an intenational set up . Also I have been told they charge you quite a lot for a reading . Weare fortunate to get free readings in UK

[Haystacks37]

I certainly would not stop going on holiday because of AF> I have had paroxsymal AF for 15 years now and have certainly had some fairly severe bouts whilst abroad but never had to go to hospital and they eventually corrected themselves. Although I have both a blood pressure and heart rate monitor I never take them with me, because after a while you can tell whats happening without using them.

[mumknowsbest Volunteer]

Hi

I went to NEw Zealand and had to continue INR checks which fortunately were free over there. I didn't have any problems arranging them as my son lives there, otherwise I might not have known where to go. I now self test which means it is no longer a problem