hi AFers . should we have any symptoms if we are not having an attack ???

[moggdog]

saw my gp yesterday and he seems to think not ? cause i told him i was breathless aching legs. feeling run down . and thats without the anxiety and the panic . or is it all in my head ?

[Japaholic]

I get some sensations like I am going to have an episode but when I check my pulse it's normal. I also get occasional dizziness but that's nothing compared to the AF episodes I had a couple of months ago.

I get tired some days, other days I'm fine. I think that's the nature of the beast with the condition and the drugs I take (Sotalol /Rivaxoban ).

[moggdog]

hi jap .im only taking 1.25 bisop . but im trying to give it up .and want to try pip. but dont know if im brave enuf

[jeanjeannie50]

Hi Moggdog - Yes, I think the tiredness and feeling drained is all part of having AF - even if your attacks are paroxysmal. Aching legs, yes I had that too usually when I sat down or was in bed. When I can walk at the pace I want to I'm fine, but when I'm with my other half he races along and that makes me breathless. So I would say no, the way you feel is not just in your head.

[SRMGrandma Volunteer]

Moggdog, It all depends on what other disease process an individual may have. Someone who is in perfect health except for paroxysmal AF tends to feel perfectly fine, unless they are actually in AF. Of course, sometimes medication side effects can make you feel less than terrific too. Aching legs can be a symptom of anxiety or depression or other underlying heart disease. Shortness of breath or dizziness can also have other causes if that is what you are experiencing when you are in NSR and should definitely be checked out. Whatever your symptoms I would make sure that your health provider does not just brush them off. If you have been given the ok to do some aerobic exercise that can go a long way toward making you feel better all over! Be Well.

[Maitha]

Same question was in my head

I'm having episodes from time to time but not AF other called VT had been recorded few times in the monitor still praying it will disappear soon , but even when my BP and pulse are normal I still have short breath , tight chess , light head , some times migraine with aura

But I used to have those also before the ablation ! Where I was linking them with AF

I'm on sotalol and warfarin only , and I don't have any other health problems , and I'm 48 years old

For sure I can add anxiety as a standard case due to the above

Actually I had a strong discussion with ER doctor last time since I was admitted with chess tightness and feeling about to faint every few minutes where suddenly I got pale as others asking me what's wrong ( so it is not only in my mind ) , he found nothing and said all my tests , pulse and BP normal so it look like you should treat your anxiety !

I was treating anxiety for a year then they discovered AF , how long it will take them to treat the my mind again to discover the actual case !

They are confirming that I'm having VT but sotalol is dealing with it currently and I shouldn't have those complains if no episodes

I'm on holter monitor for three days now and I'm sure the reason is already recorded

What heart me a lot when doctors failed to diagnose the case they refer it

to our sick minds easily , they never think out of the box

I agree anxiety play a role but most of the time it isn't the cause it is the outcome

[barnes12 in reply to Maitha]

Hi maitha how long since you were diagnosed with af and were you told what cause it

[Hidden]

Hello Japaholic, yes I have had shortness of breath, feeling out of sorts, and sometimes tiredness. Sotalol was to blame for me I was on Metropolol then Sotalol and am now on amiodarone. Its perhaps not the best of drugs to be on as I have to get checked out now for other damage etc., but I have no physical side effects like Sotalol, maybe its not the right medication for you, you need to record what effects you do have and how often then give them to your doc.

Regards Ultramarine

[mumknowsbest Volunteer]

I agree, soltalol was also the cause for me. Now get breathless and tired but they are trying to find out why

Eileen

[xfrack]

I have mentioned this before but it is worth saying again. My cardiologist said sotalol for me was lenthening the p q interval on the ECG. I did not ask if this was unusual. It might be worth trying a different drug.

It might also be helpful to test for food intolerances. Cheese gave me migraine and since I cut it out the AF episodes are infrequent.

[CDreamer]

I am not on any daily drug at the moment and some days I can hardly stand up, my eyes feel as though they need matchsticks to stay open, they go red and sore, I could sleep most of the day, I get breathless going upstairs, light-headed and feel 'spacy'. When I check my stats BP & pulse are within a reasonable range & my ECG doesn't show much out of the ordinary. Sometimes I think it is in my head and than I remind myself that others, like you guys also say things similar.

I know when I don't feel right, even if the machines don't or can't pick something up. Listen to your body, it will give your the best feedback of your state of health, or illness. It is the best expert on you, the medics can only monitor and treat from a position of the data given by the machine & they are not always flawless! I know of one ECG machine that had to be re-calibrated that was not picking up stuff it should in my GP surgery.

Sure anxiety will not help, so why not give us some practical help on strategies to combat the anxiety?

Other days I can do a full day's physical activiity & be absolutely fine and completely symptom free, just wish they were all like that.

CDreamer

[bonnie54]

Hi, I found sotalol gave me a raft of side effects, including everything drying up, so me eyes were sore every afternoon and evening (try eyedrops) and sleeping terribly, plus emotional volatility which settled into depression. So it has been wonderful for me to be drug free since my ablation!

But I also found that I have fructose intolerance which was making my AF worse and affecting general health, I stop coughing in the morning if I am strict about avoiding fructose rich foods for example. So I would definitely agree that looking for a food intolerance factor is worthwhile..

[Bikerboy]

My first AF episode was identified when I went to the doctors feeling unwell, an irregular heartbeat was noticed, hospital followed, drugs brought me back into NSR, an X ray revealed a pneumonia shadow, an overnight in cardio wired up showed another AF episode, I was discharged with Bisoprolol stable but feeling generally weak. An angiogram and a 24hr monitor came back clear, I felt fully recovered, and was given the "all clear" and advised to stop the Bisoprolol. Within 2 weeks I had tightness in my chest and low energy levels, and occasional AFs, during which, funnily enough, I didn't feel any worse. This lasted a couple of months. A visit to the doctors later, and after he said to restart the Bisoprolol, 2-3 weeks later I felt well again and have done since mid-June. Saw the Cardiologist end of July, but as I felt and was fine, there wasn't much he could do, other than to arrange a Perfusion scan prior to my trying Flecainide instead of Bisoprolol, as I feel the cold so much more with the slowed circulation betablockers induce, and with winter on the way...

I suppose my point is that I felt unwell - people would say to me "you're not right ! " - even when I wasn't in AF, when not taking the Bisoprolol - I think an AF episode wears you out in ways you don't realise, for longer than you think. I think also it's possible to be in AF and not notice the irregular heartbeat, so you feel unwell but don't realise why. Hopefully Flecainide , either regularly or as a PIP will be ok for me going forward.

I hope you can find a med which keeps you feeling well, in and out of AF. Regards, Bill

[barnes12]

Hi moggdog I know what you mean I have found it very hard to cope with this af I really don't want it the anxiety and panic I have with it is awful I was told 18mths ago that I have paf and I just can't get my head around it there have been times when im with the gp telling him my heart is racing and I make him take my pulse and its fine 68bpm but I swear its not this website and the people on it are amazing so helpful you can just ask anything in layman's terms and I find it so supportive