Oh noooo it's back worse than ever....

[booboo73]

HI

I don’t believe it, in AF again. Just laid down and thud thud my Alivecor says 174pm – the worst ever and I feel awful.

I just took a Flec 100mg as a pill in pocket and took my 1.25 daily Bisop at 4pm. So the A&E doctor the other day told me to increase to 2.5 daily, but I didn’t as I thought I would just hang on to see the AF nurse on Wednesday.

When is it safe please to take more Bisopropol – Flec didn’t work for 8 hours the other day and when I went in A&E they gave me 2.5 Bispo and it worked within an hour.

Can someone please help?? xxxxxxxxx

[PeterWh]

Gosh you are really so unlucky. Keep your chin up!!!

I am not medically qualified so I can't advise but will give some observations for you to decide.

Well as doctor said to increase to 2.5mg per day then you could take another 1.25 anyway because that would only take you to the 2.5. As for taking a further 1.25 that would be up to you.

You could always phone your GP out of hours service or did you have her number?

I know that you don't like it but another trip to A&E would not only be beneficial now but more importantly in the future because everything will be documented and recorded and I suspect that this will move you well up the list very quickly

Peter

[booboo73]

Thanks Peter... I am so fed up now they are getting worse and more frequent and I am sick of being positive as when I am it happens again...Sorry dont mean to moan but just had enough now. Do you think this means I am heading for perm AF or is there many more tablets to try? also I am gonna take .2.5 at 8pm that isn't dangerous is it ... I gave estrn and I am a big build x x thanks x

[PeterWh in reply to booboo73]

The next classification is persistent AF. That is what I have though technically I now have long term persistent AF as I have been in permanent since at least least September. I either didn't go through the paroxsymal phase that you are in or I was largely asymptomatic.

From what I have read / learnt on here one of the advantages of being in persistent AF is that most do not get the large swings that you get between being in NSR and having AF attacks like you are now. Yes I get my good days and my not so good (ie bad days) but at least I can work around those.

Permanent AF is when they can't cardiovert you to get back into sinus rthythm.

[Hidden]

You should be able to take 1.25 now. I would even say 2.5 but I am not medically trained so can't advise on that. Can you get advice from AE or 11

Sandra1?

[Hidden]

For what it's worth I take 5 mg as a pill in pocket when I go into fast AF and follow that with a further 2.5 in next 4 hours ,then another 2.5 usually in AE which normally does very little so after a lot of faffing about I end up with DC cardioversion!

Sandra

[booboo73 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks sandra yes I will try 2.5 of Bisop at 8 thats 4 hours since my 1.25 bisop and one hour after my 100 flec...does that sound ok then if no joy A&e at 1am.

Wont ring 111 will just go down ...bloomin taxi is £20.

x x x

[PeterWh in reply to booboo73]

Just dial 999 and get an ambulance.

[booboo73 in reply to PeterWh]

will do this time Peter...just taken .2.5 bisop so hope it works or doesn't knock me out!!! give myself a cut off point for 1am for A&e ...thats just what the a&e consultant said last week...6 hours x x thanks again all x

[PeterWh in reply to booboo73]

Well some dial 999 for really minor things. Make sure you tell them what A&E consultant said and also the number of times you have had AF attacks.

[PeterWh in reply to PeterWh]

My gut feeling would be to call at 12:00 if still going on. It is a good time (I had mine at around 11:30pm) because ambulance and A&E aren't so busy. Good luck and keep us all posted.

[booboo73 in reply to PeterWh]

Thanks Peter you are a Godsend. Yep that was my thinking too I have a feeling they may cardiovert me this time. Think stress may be a big part ...my other half is having his tumour removed on Friday and worried sick...cant be anything else im living the life of a nun!!

St.Sara x x x

[PeterWh in reply to booboo73]

Whether they cardiovert or not doesn't really matter. The key thing that is already known is that you can be in AF and can go back to NSR. I have been in NSR for less than 4 days in at least the last 15 months and almost certainly for longer than that but don't know how much longer.

Being a little philosophical now - hope this helps. Stress is one of contributing factors as is adrenaline. However if you didn't have underlying "electrical and conduction issues" you wouldn't get AF. As AF is progressive you would have got it anyway - just a bit sooner. So don't worry on that aspect!!!!!

[PeterWh in reply to booboo73]

Also meant to say the instructions for bisoprolol are to take it in the morning so that it is at its most effective during the day because that is when we are up. However a few people on here find it better in an evening and some may have been told to take at different times.

[RichMert in reply to PeterWh]

I must admit, whilst you do not want to cause a fuss, an Ambulance visit will result in obtaining an ECG during an instance of AF. It also results in them taking the issue more seriously, it should not be that way.

[buddje]

sounds like stress to me. Do you have an electrophysiologist?

[booboo73]

hi x no not yet Im seeing Matt Faye in Jan who is a gp but has huge interest in AF. Cant afford to go private already in debt for £500 as paid to see cardiologist and had echocardiogram. so fed up and doing my best not to swear on here!!!! x x x

[PeterWh in reply to booboo73]

BTW get the consultant to send both the report and the echocardiogram (ie electronic recording) to Matt Fay.

[Hidden]

Sara, have you ever had an electrical cardioversion ?

[booboo73]

No not yet I have always gone to Nsr when its mentioned in a&e. I was scared to death of it but now after this last month I would happily let them do it x x x

[Alil]

BRI have a brand new day ward where they do procedures like cardioversions. Highly recommended!

[AnticoagulateNow]

Bisoprolol won't stop the AF booboo but it will certainly reduce your heart rate. If the doctor says take 2.5 then take it and if it doesn't make any substantial difference then go back to him with a view to increasing to 5mg. Higher doses of bisoprolol may bring issues around tiredness and lethargy but, one thing at a time, do what your doctor suggests and get the fast heartbeat down.

[mikeymike7]

Hi booboo (again!) Your attacks sound very familiar to me! I did all the drug combinations and they definitely worked for a few years but gradually got less effective, however since my cryoablation in January, apart from anxiety issues, I have had two small AF episodes shortly after the procedure, ectopic runs from time to time and the odd "racing heart". Apart from that - ZIP! Gone from AF attacks lasting up to 12 days for at least 21 out of every 28 days to virtually nothing. Transformed my life!

[RichMert]

Not sure whether anybody else picked up on it but, you mentioned taking extra Bisoprolol and this resulted in NSR 2 hours later. When I was suffering from PAF, I generally returned to NSR after 2 hours anyway regardless to what drugs I may or may not have taken.

[01maxdog]

I have persistent AF and I'm on 5 mg of bisoprolol or was until my heart flipped back into AF 5 weeks after my ablation . They put me on flecainide 50 mg twice a day and upped the bisoprolol to 7.5 . This brought my heart rate down from 150 to around 100 , I split the 7.5 in half , 1 in the morning , 1 in the evening , fine with my consultant . Off the flecainide now but back on digoxin . It works for me . We're all different , it's just a matter of tweaking . I'll be in for my second cardio version in January, last one worked for 6 months so fingers crossed . Every single professional I talk too says , stress is your worse enemy . I'm still working on that one !!!!

Good luck