How would you describe your AF symptoms - Atrial Fibrillati...

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How would you describe your AF symptoms

kazzyr profile image
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kazzyr profile image
kazzyr
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17 Replies

My heart jumping, or a knocking feeling. When bad, a rabbit or little kangaroo trying to get out by jumping and hitting his head inside my chest. Also, a little tickling/twitching under my left armpit which turned out to be be AF. All high up and well over to the left.

Now I get wobbles/shaking instead, but don't think it's AF, lower down, bigger and not so much to the left.

Koll

when I first fell ill,nausia, heavy in chest,lower part of my throat felt tight and really heavy hard heart beats,not as able to do things as easily,ie walk or lift heavy things

HCMj profile image
HCMj

Difficulty breathing, sweaty, dizzy, heavy/hard to move. It lasted about 45 minutes, I was clueless then what was happening. Now that I know, I won't be quite as afraid.

kazzyr profile image
kazzyr

When i was first diagnosed with PAF i did not have any symptoms at first apart from the odd palpitations I only had an ECG as kept blacking out, My recent ECG's have not shown AF even when i thought that was what i was getting, but i do keep having episodes of dizzy spells sweaty shaky and a fast like fluttering in my chest with the odd hard thump? my ecg always show t.wave inversion on all leads which apparently is just normal for me ( what ever that means)

jennydog profile image
jennydog

I can feel hot and bothered - just awful and I have to sit down. I can feel my heart fluttering. I am not aware of any eptopic beats or palpitations. I apparently have classic AF. I get very, very cross when it's described as "palpitations." It's demeaning and suggests that it's nothing to be making a fuss about but the reality is that it's dreadful and it limits what I can plan to do.

Buffafly profile image
Buffafly

Hi kazzyr,When it is bad I feel as though I have a mad rabbit in my chest trying to get out, also feel breathless, sick, dizzy and sometimes have an upset stomach. If it continues I get a pain and heavy feeling high up in my chest and in my neck. When it is not so bad I feel unwell with the odd thump and if I take my pulse I can feel that my heart is beating randomly.

Hi Kazzyr, I can feel my heart going crazy - sometimes it's beating far too fast and hard, like someone knocking a nail into my chest, and sometimes it just goes far too quiet, kind of mushy, which is also not nice. My chest feels quite constricted while it's going on, though I can still move around okay...

Lucybod profile image
Lucybod

It's like a battle going on in your chest, I keep going to the loo and drinking a lot. No symptoms apart from that. I have it at the moment. Probably go for a walk soon and walk up a hill to speed my heart up. It works most times. Hope it does this time.

Have downloaded the Arrythmia alliance app that shows a tracing so you can compare it with normal, fast, slow and irregular heart beat. Very good app.

David21 profile image
David21 in reply toLucybod

Hi Lucybod (lovely name) what is the app to which you refer ?

Lucybod profile image
Lucybod in reply toDavid21

If you go to the arrhythmia alliance web site there is a link to the app.

heartrhythmcharity.org.uk/w...

David21 profile image
David21 in reply toLucybod

Thanks Lucybob - Looks like no Android yet but I am sure that will materialise sometime. Best wishes to you

R1100S1 profile image
R1100S1

Well for me it's in the background all the time banging away in its own strange rhythm !

However if I overdo things or feel unwell I get anxious, jittery, exhausted hot and bothered.

I usually go to sleep listening to the noise my pulse is making if I lay on my left side !!!!!!!!!

MammaCass profile image
MammaCass

Its like a fish flopping around in my chest. The bumping isn't to the left or cental but all over, under my armpits, under my shoulder blades, up in my throat and then I get light headed and clammy and often faint. It leaves me feeling exhausted and emotionally wobbly. It doesn't happen too often now with the new medication I'm on, thank goodness

Musetta profile image
Musetta in reply toMammaCass

Hi MammaCass, What is your new medication? Presently I'm on Diltiazem 180mg (Cardizem) for my AF. I'm interested in any meds that will lessen the symptoms of AF! Cheers, Musetta from Australia

MammaCass profile image
MammaCass in reply toMusetta

Hi Musetta, I was on 5mg Bisoprolol originally but it nearly crippled me, breathless, constant exhaustion, very low emotionally. The EP reduced it to 1.25mg and added flecainide at 50mg twice a day, but I started passing out again so it was upped to 2x50mg in the morning and 1x50 in the evening. That worked for about 3weeks and then the fainting returned so now I'm on 100mg twice a day. The doctor tells me I can go up to 400mg a day but I don't want to go that far, when it's working it's wonderful but

this condition seems to be moving the goal posts. I'm just hoping my appointment for the ablation comes through soon

G'day kazzyr,

Well firstly, I'm one of those who can be in paroxysmal AF and not even know it ! So when I do know it I feel generally crap. like er ! gotta a flu virus. However physically I can have palpitations, a kick in the chest over the heart. It can be like a mob of octopuses wriggling away trying to escape from my chest, or several squadrons of butterflies fluttering around, or simply my heart trying to climb out of my chest. All this maybe preceeded by digestive issues, such as, bloating with intense pain, burping, intestinal gurgling, flatulence and/or diahorrea. On the other hand it can simply be a very heavy chest. I often think of it like - if my chest is light/weightless I'm normal. If I'm in AF then I experience a very heavy chest whereby even the act of breathing is almost too hard.

Cheers

Aussie John

Musetta profile image
Musetta

Hello Kazzyr, I'm female & 68yrs - I was diagnosed with AF 2 years ago.When the AF is severe my pulse is racing & irregular (over 100 - 150 bpm) My resting pulse is mostly 60 - 68 bpm. There's vague epigastric discomfort and feelings of anxiety. My heart is thumping in my chest like a frog in a sock. Overall a most unpleasant experience. If the Af episode lasts more than an hour and my pulse rate remains fast and irregular I've been told to go to casualty. Since my diagnosis I have been to casualty twice - other times the AF episodes are manageable and my pulse reverts spontaneously to sinus (normal) rhythm. I hope this info is helpful to you. If you would like to swap any other ideas/question etc regarding AF - I'm more than happy to enter into private correspondence via e-mail. Cheers, Musetta

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