help im new here.36 was told i have heart flutter...after suspected heart attack...had cardio ultra sound now waiting till 7th may results

[wizbit7]

prob is last 4 days been getting bad heart palpuations off n on....still month too go till get my results from heart ultra sound...do i ignor palpuations or do i need too go bk too hospital

[Beancounter Volunteer]

Hi wizbit

Welcome to the forum, and if we can help we shall, I assume that you were hospitalised with your suspected heart attack, did they do an ECG on you and did they tell you the results of that?.

A Fib itself is usually diagnosed by an ECG but also all forms of flutter and there are several different ones.

So you've had an echocardiogram, and why wait a month for the results? that seems a long time, is this to see a cardiologist?

Right now the decision to go to hospital or not really depends on how you feel, many of us here will be having palpitations, and just get on and ignore them, but that's easier said than done until you get to know your own body and especially heart better.

May I suggest go to your GP tomorrow morning, tell him/her what's been going on and ask for a referral to the "Urgent Chest Pain Clinic" most areas have one (If you're in west or North London it's Harefield and excellent) and they usually see you in less than a week, and there you will get much more expert advice probably from people who have seen it all before.

Also the anxiety makes things worse, again I know that's easy to say, but you really do need to try and remain calm and analyse things, chances are having been hospitalised and had an echogram, it's not a serious or immediate heart condition, and although I know it doesn't feel like it right now, arrythmias such as we have are seldom fatal (they just feel that way at the time)

Lastly we are here, ask away all those questions, there are no silly ones, and no obvious ones, to someone newly diagnosed we understand that everything seems a long way away. And do read the Arrythmia Alliance website, there is loads of information on there and they are really really helpful, so do some bedtime reading.

Be well, and welcome again

Ian

[wizbit7 in reply to Beancounter]

thanks for reply yes i had a ecg which showed up the flutter...i then had to wait a month for cardio ultra sound...and wait over a month for heart specilist too review the scan but tht not till 7th may so be all in all 3 months since i had first prob before i get told wht happening..

[mswillow]

Hi wizbit7, sorry to hear your not well at the moment but also hello you have come to the right place, this is a great forum, there are lots of people on hear that will be able to empathize with you, chat and reassure you and offer all sorts of opinions! but seriously, its good you have has tests done, but in my opinion if you feel your condition has got worse or your worried i would not hesitate in picking up the phone, either to nhs direct who can offer advice, or go straight to your gp as soon as you can and maybe they can speed things up with your consultant, its worth a try and may help to put your mind at ease a little... but if you are taking a turn for the worse i would certainly go straight to a&e especially after a suspected heart attack.

but just to say, we are nearly the same age, I have avrnt, atrial flutter and atrial fibrilation so we have some common ground! lol I joined this forum a couple of months back, the other guys and the volunteers are great and do a wonderful job at answering posts and sharing experiences.

I shall keep an eye out to see how your doing, hope you get your results soon and also that you feel better, and remember there's always someone here to chat too. best wishes

[wizbit7 in reply to mswillow]

hi thanks for ur reply...i thought i was the odd one having this prob at my age lol...im so glad i found the group im goin docs tmra too push for smething too be done...ive really looked after my body last couple a months but feel worse for it...and bot last 4 days hvin these palpuations...yet dnt feel stressed or owt...bad head aches too which i never normally ever get...hope ur doin ok and thanks so much for ur reply..oh n do u think asprin a day is a good idea till i get sorted?

[mswillow in reply to wizbit7]

I'm glad your taking a trip to the doctor hopefully by the time you leave you may ha e a plan, I'm certainly in no position to start talking about taking aspirin! but have that chat with your gp tomorrow, you may have lots of question running around your mind so write them down if you can and fire them off at the doc, it's sometimes good to bring someone close along if you can or comfortable with that just for a second pair of ears... hope all goes well

[Maitha]

I had been diagnosed with atrial flutter a couple of years ago when I was 46 years old but I think I'm having it since long time back on and off ,that is what made it hard to catch it on EKG

From my experience I'm sure the hospital will not discharge you till your heart rhythm is ok, you should not leave hospital till your heart rythem is normal.

That is maybe why your appointment is not soon since no urgency , in case you are not feeling well you should pass by ER and have EKG which will show clearly if you are having a flutter ( not always with hight pulse or blood brews sure )

Just a recommendation to schedule appointment with EP doctor not only cardiologist who is specialist in this field.

In my case I had two cardiversions to stop the flutter attack , and an ablation six month back which stopped the flutter till date and hope forever , don't forget to discuss will your doctor about taking a blood thinner to protect your heart .

Regards and welcome to our forum

Maitha

[wizbit7 in reply to Maitha]

hi thanjs for your reply...whats an ablation?

[Maitha in reply to wizbit7]

In my simple la lang. A procedure where the doctor find the electrical pathway which is causing your heart to flutter after EP study then stop it by radio frequency ablation or others type.

Try google or AF website to know more about it .

Most welcome

[CDreamer]

Hi and welcome to the land of heart rythm chaos!

We have all been were you are now and you will find people of all ages here, people in their late teens to 80+. When we joined we also knew nothing, however, I would advise you to read as much as you can to understand your condition the Arrythmia Alliance and the AFA Sites have lots of information.

Knowledge is power and it really helps to know what questions to ask your consultant before you go see them such as What are my treatment options? What are the long term risks with this condition? Could I make lifestyle changes which might help? Etc....

I would ask your GP before taking any meds, especially aspirin, taken daily it can cause stomach bleeds. If your GP suggests aspirin or another antiplatelet, it will be a very low dose, usually 75mg - do not take a higher dose! The only reason you may be prescribed it is to prevent clots forming which might cause a stroke and then aspirin is not always the most effective drug for heart arrythmias, most people on this site will be on an anticoagulant such as Wafarin or one of the new drugs such as Dabigatron.

You can check your CHADS2 score on line, there are links I think on the AFA site. This will assess your risk of stroke, your GP should do this for you. Anyone who scores more than 2 is normally on an anticoagulant, or should be, and many of us with AFib / AFl. (Atrial fibrillation, Atrial Flutter) are prescribed anticoagulants as a matter of course, even with a score of 0.

There are lots of threads on this site discussing the pros & cons, it's worth doing a keyword search and reading a few, you will pick up a lot of info.

Keep well and let us know how you get on....

[Hidden]

Hi and welcome, you are in the right place, we all have hearts that go galumphing all over the place, and quite a few people here aren't terribly old (I'm 56). I'd just like to agree with CDreamer, don't start on aspirin unless and until told, it's not particularly good if you have AF in any case though one of the volunteers will tell you more about that. It seems you have had to wait a horribly long time for your results, I can't believe the wait you've had. I am glad you're going to see your doctor, really they seem to have no idea how difficult it is to be in complete limbo wondering what's going on with you. Good luck with that and let us know how you get on...

Lis

[wizbit7]

hi all and thankyou so much for your replies ive been docs had ecg...as usual nothing came up...but wasnt hving palpuations at time....have had blood took too check thyroid gland ! and otger stuff like liver function....bot a week for blood results too come back...frustrated as the ecg has been done a few times and only once caught the flutter...still feel in limbo till see heart specilist on 7th may...jst reading as muvh as i can about it on net...hpe u are all doing ok today...does anyone else hve flutter ect frm thyroid problem?....think doc might be stabbing inbthe dark so too say

[mswillow]

Hi wizbit, I understand how frustrating it can be when your symptoms never seem to show up when you want them too! its good to get blood work done as it can rule in and out other stuff, but my stance still remains the same if you feel really unwell suddenly, I would keep going back.

As for your up and coming appt, if your getting really infrequent bouts of these flutters? they may suggest a 24 hour recording tape, if they don't then maybe you can suggest it, it just monitors what your heart is doing while your carry on with your daily activities..... you have a sheet of paper to jot down any symptoms and at what time and what you were doing... ect... I had various ones fitted with no avail, I had a reveal device implanted in the end, it just sits under the skin on your chest and is no bigger than a packet of gum done under local, it was fine, but that's what really caught all the problems I was having, I then got an appropriate care plan, medication and treatment I so needed, I wish they would fit these sooner into people who suffer palpitations or funny beats, im sure the cost in the long run would be cheaper than exhausting all the other tests they do first... lol just saying!

A weeks not to long to wait for blood work to come back and at least you will know what it isn't or is! keep us posted! and remember don't just sit and suffer, I have learnt the hard way, I gain as much knowledge as I can about what it is I need or trying to say and then that way I feel more empowered and in control, the afa website is a good source of info, take some time out and navigate round it, best wishes.

[wizbit7 in reply to mswillow]

thanks : )

[Hidden]

i recently downloaded the AFA app and when i feel off i record what my heart rate is doing. I thought my EP would laugh me out of the door but he was pleased as it showed him mexactly what was happening at that time. Nice to have such a forward thinking consultant . Keep asking questions and pushing all will improve eventually

[wizbit7 in reply to Hidden]

thanks : )

[wizbit7 in reply to Hidden]

whts afa app

[Maitha]

I agree with the above recommendation to have holter monitor you maybe lucky to catch the episoids on EKG

If you got it even once so you are diagnosed already as paraxosmal atrial flutter patient, if your EKG now is normal nothing to be done more than being on blood thinner and maybe beta blocker depends on your cardiac tests

Try to avoid thing which may trigger the flutter which differ from one to other , like heavy meals , sleeping directly after meal, sleeping on your right side , stress which is hard to avoid , dehydration , get flue , some medication like flu medication , others you may discover it day by day

The most important thing is to be on blood thinner to be in the safe side

Regards

[wizbit7 in reply to Maitha]

hi i asked about blood thinner as a safe guard till my appointment...was told no and dnt need asprin either...confussed

[Hidden]

Apps are for my I phone sorry for using abbreviations AFA is Atrial Fibrillation Association

[wizbit7 in reply to Hidden]

oh lol i wa on google play on my gaxlaxy s4 looking for the app lol : )