New Year's good wishes - and a plea for help.

Hello all, and a very happy, healthy New Year to everyone!

I'd be grateful for advice/opinions on a problem I'm having. I've been diagnosed with AF for a year, and am on Warfarin and Atenolol. I'm due to see an EP in mid-January.

I now have a cold and chesty cough, which I picked up from family members encountered at our lovely Christmas dinner. (I live on my own). I already have asthma. I'm now getting half-hourly dizzy spells, with a feeling I'm going to faint and/or be sick. I was already sent for an MRI by my GP as I was staggering, (no! not from 'celebrating'!), so it might be linked, but has anyone any suggestions, please? Fortunately, I have a dear friend staying, who is keeping an eye on me.

[Nannie-C]

Did GP suggest it could be coming from your ears? Quite often with a cold the tubes from back of nose to ear get bunged up and can cause similar symptoms. Just a thought

[BobD Volunteer]

If these dizzy spells get any more frequent I would strongly advise that you call NHS direct and discuss with them if your doctor is not available. Are you taking anything for your cough as many off the shelf remedies can adversely affect AF ? If your heart rate is slow this could be the cause but always best to be checked out and you know how I hate telling people to use emergency service merely for AF.

[Hidden]

My wife and I both have a flu/cold bug at the moment. She doesn't have AF but keeps losing her balance and actually fell over once. Must have affected here ears. I have felt similar as well, but not to the point of falling over. Hope you feel better soon.

[dedeottie]

There is a difference between feeli g dizzy as in lightheaded and dizzy as in a feeling that the room is spinning. A bit like when you get off a fairground ride. If it is the latter it could well be to do with your ears. Either way it would be a good idea to ring NHS direct and see what they think. X

[Hidden in reply to dedeottie]

Thanks, Deddeottie. Your kind response came as I replied to the first three repIies. I think I will contact NHS Direct as it's not improving.

Pat x

[Hidden]

Thank you so much for your replies, Nanny-C, BobD and Koll. I saw my GP about the staggering before the cold started, but this new feeling is a weird mixture of nausea, faintness and hot and cold. Haven't tried the GP for this yet, as it only started yesterday. No, Bob, I'm not taking any cold remedy, just lemon and honey in hot water, and the occasional paracetemol. I think I'll take your advice and contact NHS Direct.

Thanks again for your kind replies. It's so reassuring to know I can contact people who know what I'm talking about.

Pat.

[Buffafly]

Please let us know how you get on, that sounds really unpleasant.

[Hidden in reply to Buffafly]

Thank you, Buffafly - I will. I took Bob's advice and rang 111 and the helpful person who responded said she'd get an out-of-hours doctor to ring me. One did in a very short time and he advised me to wait a couple of days and if no improvement, contact my doctor, so clearly he wasn't worried! Will keep you posted.

Love from Pat

[LindaDaisy]

I had that following a cold and cough. Couldn't lift my head from the pillow without feeling I was spinning. It turned out to be benign positional vertigo. I had been convinced it was my blood pressure going too low. On the other hand my brother had a similar experience and it was too high a dose of one of his meds. So best to consult the experts.

Hope you feel better soon.

[Hidden in reply to LindaDaisy]

Thanks, LindaDaisy. I have had Benign Positional Vertigo (most unpleasant!) and was shown some simple moves of the head whilst lying down, which cured it. Hope you were taught this simple trick.

The current dizziness is accompanied by other odd sensations, same each time, such as a hot and cold feeling in the legs, often accompanied by mild pins and needles.

I'm going to do steam inhalation later, to see if it clears the tubes. Thinking of putting a couple of drops of tea-tree oil in it - anyone know of any contra-indications with AF?

Pat xx

[Polski in reply to Hidden]

Did you tel 111 and the doctor about the pins and needles and feelings in legs?