Feeling AF

[BetsyM]

Would someone please tell me how it feels to you when you go into a fibrillation. The only way I knew something was wrong was when I checked my blood pressure and my pulse showed as twice as high as it usually was also was short of breath on walking up hill and rubbery legs would appreciate any info you can share.

[BobD Volunteer]

AF is an irregular irregular heart beat and as such can easily be felt on the pulse. Blood pressure machines are usually unable to cope with AF and give wildly inaccurate readings.

Some people are asymptomatic i e they have no symptoms and only find out during other medical examination or when they have a stroke but these people usually have persistent or permanent AF. Those with paroxysmal AF where it comes and goes have varying degrees of symptoms from mild palpitations to chest pain, dizziness or even collapse.

If you have not already seen a specialist then you need to so that you can be properly diagnosed and your stroke risk assessed and anticoagulated if required.

AF Association have a wide range of fact sheets avaliable from the main website.

[BetsyM in reply to BobD]

Thanks Bob for replying I have been to a specialist one time after I was diagnosed in EM. Have received so much info from this site that I really appreciate and hopefully will get more answers at my nest appt.

[Kodaska]

I've described it as feeling like there's a gyroscope in my chest that's slightly off balance.

[CDreamer]

Your heart doing a disco dance when it has absolutely no rythm so is out of time with the music. If you want a laugh about it go to YouTube and search arrythmia disco.

[Kodaska in reply to CDreamer]

Is this what you had in mind? I'm still laughing ....

youtube.com/watch?v=deigcmt...(Not working as expected?)

[CDreamer in reply to Kodaska]

Hadn't seen that one, obviously one of the early ones try this one:-

youtu.be/w1NvQgFitmE(Not working as expected?)

[stargazer61 in reply to Kodaska]

Brilliant!! There are a couple on youtube with soundtracks. I had to laugh when I realised that before my onset of SVT, i'd been listening to that Moby track 'why does my heart feel so bad?' and in A & E the track playing was Led Zeppelin's 'Whole Lotta Love'...

[Hidden]

Mine felt like a rabbit in my chest trying to escape and hitting his head on the roof in his efforts. Feeling faint, tired, unable to stand without feeling giddy, having to sit or even lie down when it was really bad. What I describe there is when it had gone way to far as at the time, I avoided doctors like the plague.

I didn't get much of the racing heart, more just irregular and occasionally thumping quite hard. Although that could have been a reaction to having an irregular beat?

At the other end of the spectrum, when my AF came back a little, years after a successful ablation, it felt like a little muscle twitch under my left arm pit but a bit more forward and lower. None AF-ers would have ignored it as it was so tiny a feeling.

Koll

[Finvola]

Hello BetsyM and welcome to the forum.

I became very breathless and could 'either breathe or talk', had what felt like a bag of ferrets in my chest because of the irregular heartbeat, my blood pressure fell and I usually had to lie down to cope with a high pulse rate and general weakness. During episodes I had to pass more water than I could believe and usually had diarrhea too.

These were 'full blown' AF episodes but there were short bursts of AF too showing up on monitors causing slight breathlessness and rubbery legs - good description.

Best wishes with your appointment - ask plenty of questions and get a good treatment plan in place.

[Noidea63 in reply to Finvola]

That is the first time I've head anyone else mentioning the diarrhoea, so glad it's not just me. Also exact description of AF, lying down now waiting for it to pass. Thanks

[sann in reply to Noidea63]

Hi yes I too have to lie down, I know it sounds stupid, but normally I get a hot water bottle, take two para eta oils and cuddle up un bed and sleep, and hopefully wait until I go into NSR. sann

[Noidea63 in reply to sann]

Spooky but I get hot water bottle too, comforting I think.

[sann in reply to Noidea63]

Glad to know that I am not the only to have a "hottie" take care and keep well. Sann

[Noidea63 in reply to sann]

Thanks you too, never alone with this site.

[Offcut]

Very often when you have a BP machine or finger monitor they misread the heart rate by getting between beats, what they think is an average between beat gaps not the amount of beats it gets. If that makes sense?

Be Well

[ILowe]

Because I also have an artificial heart valve, I can actually hear my pulse when it is quiet. When it is a little noisier I can feel the beating resonating in the chest. When in known AF I once went for a full 12 lead ECG, I actually first predicted my heart rate at less than 70, and was surprised find it was around 110-120. I think it was the ventricles pumping nicely and steadily, and the Atria confusing matters.

Since my Cardioversion, I am off all medicines except Warfarin. I do not even take anything against mild hypertension, since I believe this is wrong. Cardiologist wanted to keep me on bisoprolol (beta blocker) but I stopped it. I prefer to leave the heart to sort itself out. But, for me, whenever the pulse stays in exercise mode without calming down, and the heart feels like a car in high gear protesting at going uphill, I care little if it is AF or something else. When it happens I try to adjust my schedule to relax, maybe take a late siesta, and if that fails within 30-60 minutes I take the pill in the pocket. Whether it was AF, or a precursor to AF, I know not. My boss knows: I can cancel class for an hour or two whenever I need to, and relax in the staffroom.

Interesting question though. Quite important. We need to learn to recognise what we feel and have plans of action.

[Lindabob]

Finvola has the same as me. I can't climb the stairs, can't really do anything productive. Very exhausting and sometimes gets scary. Bashing and banging away, that sometimes lasts up to four days... Good luck😊

[yanbart]

It's a horrible feeling. An uncontrollable, uncomfortable, scary feeling like your heart is out of control and trying to burst out of your chest at random intervals. You tune into it and it starts to make you feel anxious also. With it comes a lack of energy (a bit like having a hangover I guess). Once when I had a really bad episode, my BP monitor could not read me and kept giving me an ERROR message. That was quite scary too!

[BetsyM in reply to yanbart]

I have experienced same symptoms and also reading with BP monitor PA PUT me on propane none today pray it works if not I will probably get the paddles

[yanbart in reply to BetsyM]

Propane?

[BetsyM in reply to BetsyM]

The medication is propafenone

[Carol70]

Having read all the replies to your question, I think everyone was so specific in their description of AF. We all feel different things when a episode occurs, especially if the episode is a minor one or a much bigger one. Please be positive and get as much info as you can. Good luck.

Carol

[NooNoo14]

Mine usually start in the early hours of the morning. I wake up feeling like I am suffocating. My throat is really dry and I have to go to the lol - lots of urine. By the time I get back to bed, my heart is thumping, I feel slightly dizzy, slightly nauseous, shaky, tight chest (unable to take a deep breath) and have a slight headache in my right temple. Every 15 minutes or so (3-4 times) I return to the loo - lots more urine. I measured the output one night and I passed 2.7 litres.

Eventually The palpitations settle down enough for me to fall into a very fitful sleep. When I wake up, I still have the dizziness etc., and my heart flutters and moves. If I stand for two long I feel like I am going to pass out. These symptoms occur for about the next 8-9 hours after waking.

I have been having these episodes occasionally for the last 4 years but was only diagnosed in June this year. I am still unmedicated - hopefully this will be sorted next week.

Take care

NooNoo

[BetsyM]

Thanks everyone for your reply so . Got onto my cardioversion PA today prescribed new mesdicine will recheck me next week

[PeterWh]

Look at the WatchBPHome A is a cuff monitor which is specifically for those with AFib although the HB part is not as accurate as an AliveCor.

[BetsyM]

Is anyone out there on propafenone

[Fenderman]

Hi betsy

I first got symptoms of af 3 years ago after an operation.as I was stressed out at being in hospital I never gave it a thought that stress could have triggered the attack.the doctors blamed the anaesthetic but they really had no clue.

Over the years I only had attacks every 6 months and they did not last long. The longest being 6 hours. These attacks are now more frequent generally 2 or 3 a month but most only last 10/15 mins.

I know it is coming as I get chest pain as if it's in my lungs as I do get breathless and then the fast erratic pulse. Do you other guys get similar symptoms?

My cardiologist recently said if it gets really troublesome he would consider ablation.

I felt very alone with this but coming on this forum tells me I'm not alone so thanks to all who contribute

Regards. Richard