Question for the ladies

[SVTSophie]

Hi ladies, just wondering if your arrhythmias are worse when it comes to that time of the month? It's always been a a 'trigger' for me and have recently been put back 6 tablets a day but it doesn't touch the arrhythmia at all when the time occurs....

[wendicarro]

Hi Sophie,

It made no difference to me, my AF occurred any time regardless, but I can see why you ask the question.

Good luck in your AF journey

Wendi x

[SVTSophie in reply to wendicarro]

Hi Wendi, It still occurs any time as well, but I've noticed it's always that one week that I know I'll be stuck in irregular rythm for the whole week regardless. Just wondered if it was the same for any other ladies. Thank you though, all the best to you too x

[Dee1989]

Yes mine was always around my menstural cycle, I pointed this out to my consultant and he said my hormones may be a trigger but not necessarily the cause. He actually wanted to plan my ablation around this so he could see me at my worst. X

[SVTSophie in reply to Dee1989]

It's become such a struggle again since I collapsed in November. Sat in work at the moment really trying my best to even sit up straight let alone concerntrate and I can't keep having a week off work every month it's ridiculous! x

[Dee1989]

I know how you feel. That's how I was. I'm at work today only doing two days a week and that is more then enough. People are not understanding and make you feel like your milking it when we're not. My GP said only I can say when I'm ready to go back full time. Hopefully when you see your EP you will get some answers x

[PeterWh in reply to Dee1989]

So true that many people are not only not understanding but have no intent of trying to find out!!!!

I get really irratated (but don't say so) when they say something like it is only a very minor irritation!!! Alternatively they say I knew someone with AF who had it for 60 years and never was affected. Turned out it was occasionally when they had an anxiety flutter!!!! Wish it was that simple!!!

One thing I did say to someone over the Christmas period was "so all cancers are the same then??"!!!

[SVTSophie in reply to PeterWh]

Couldn't agree more! Seeing a post on here from a repat offender has been getting me really frustrated on how simple he/she's thoughts/solutions are on the whole thing!!

[PeterWh in reply to SVTSophie]

If it were that simple he would make a fortune and would put many medics out of a job!!! Saying that does not mean that I think it is total rubbish and parts could apply to one small segment but as I pointed out in a response to one of the posts just of the top of my head there are loads of variables. I have no medical training but logic was my forte from when I was at school and I have a very analytical mind and can think laterally and have had to use those techniques and skills in my work in new areas.

[Hidden]

Hi Sophle,

I had same problems when I was first diagnosed with AF at 48, realising that my hospital admissions were always around the same time in my monthly cycle. I mentioned this to the doc and she said that it would just be because I was likely to be more vulnerable at that time. No other reason.

Sandra

[wendy6]

Hi Wendi

I'm menopausal, and get hot flushes during the night badly. These flushes do sometimes trigger AF. I find that I wake up in a sweat with heart racing, which can then trigger AF. As for your comments re peoples attitudes as you probably know from my recent post re cancelled ablation, which is now going ahead on Tuesday goodness. I have had Paraxysmal AF for 10 years, before Spring 2015 I was having just AF lasting 1half to 2 hours max only once every 2 - 3 months, so it didn't really affect my life. Then this year I developed Atrial Flutter as well and my AF increased to every other day and then a couple of times a day from November onwards. I have always been open about it to people I work with. Their attitudes vary so much, despite me explaining in detail to those who want to hear I don't have heart disease, I hate the perception that I'm at risk of having a heart attack at any moment, so they are over cautious asking me if I'm alright all the time., doesn't help when I'm being strong and trying to get on with work and life. Then there are others who say 'oh its quite common now isn't it and make light of the ablation procedure'.

I wish now, if course in hindsight that I had had the Ablation procedure offered to me years ago, but my local cardiologist put me off my saying the risks out weighed the benefits because my episodes were not very frequent - he was against it.

[Devine75]

For me yes was definitely worse one to two weeks leading up to x

[andria67]

Hi, I'm almost 49 and have had AF for 10 years now, and AF Flutter for 3. I have had 2 ablations and several cardioversions. Tried various medications to get me 'stable' and now I'm on Sotalol. I have mentioned to my Consultant before about feeling worse 1-2 weeks leading up to a period and even now the day I come on I feel more settled, so I do feel the hormonal link is how it affects me. Trouble is, I've just been told I'm in the change, great! What we have to go through huh!! Anyhoo, when I feel really hot I take a couple of paracetamol to help bring my body temperature down. Drink loads of water through the day, & especially before a bath. Try and not get stressed , ( I know sometimes easier said than done) & listen to your body. I've had people say to me 'But you look so well!' On the one day I've put a bit of makeup on and I say if only you knew. Thing is you wouldn't wish it on anyone, but it doesn't matter what others think - you take care of you, that's what matters x

[stargazer61]

I'm a bit new to SVT, have been on medication for almost two months since a bad attack. One thing I am keeping an eye out for is the menstrual cycle as each of the 2 periods I've had were extremely heavy and very short-lived and also around then I had really black days with hours of weeping. With hindsight I'm wondering if this was hormonally linked, I'd passed this off as a combination of shock and possible side-effects of the tablets. Obviously pmt isn't going to help, it's hard to study and research when overwhelmed with emotions, but all knowlege is good, collecting your own data feels pro-active. There is a system called the heart-brain system, the heart gets messages from the body and relays them to the old part of our brain (survival), which relays that info to the new part of our brain (logic, reasoning). When the old brain is overwhelmed, communication to with the new brain is limited - hence you can't think and reason your way out of survival mechanistic states like a panic attack. Anyway, I didn't mean to get into that, but I was trying to say, hormones are part of the whole thing and sometimes you can't think your way out of things, I'm trying all sorts of things as well as gathering factual information like listening to heart meditations on youtube, doing hand mudras and so on, it really all links in with the breath, as simple as that sounds, so along with watching the health issues of diet and so on, anything that calms the breath automatically calms the heart. Both are connected through the vagus nerve, the conduit from the heart to the old brain. I'd suggest building up a reserve of calming methods, music and so on for those stressful times. Did not mean to go on so much, and am no expert on any of this, other than trying out everything on earth to help get off meds and prevent ablation or further attacks. Hope something in here is of use to you!