Palpitations and slow pulse

Hi i was diagnosed Af 3 months ago was put on Apixaban and 1.25 bisoprolol my pulses is normally about 60bpm but seem to be getting palpitations asked GP if I could see EP , she had never heard of it and put me on 2.5 bisoprolol I am 74 year old male quite fit other than AF , any thoughts on next step? Thanks

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Hi Reg, sadly not surprising. Although some GP's are quite clued up on matters AF, many are not. The important thing is you are on anticoagulants which is good! Generally, the only medication GP's can prescribe directly, is bisoprolol which can be very effective in reducing heart rate, but if you know what an EP is, you probably already know that. You should consider asking your GP for a referral, but do some research in your area to see if there is an EP who is a cardiologist specialising in arrythmias and ask your GP to contact him/her. You may need to be a bit "forceful", but you are entitled to see a consultant of your choice. Alternatively, you could see an EP privately which may cost around £250 plus the cost of any tests, but it will be very much quicker. A lot depends on your symptoms as there are literally thousands of AF patients who are quite happy to remain on medication. Hope this helps, John

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Thanks very much for your quick reply its all a lot to take in at first but I'm reading up on it so I can get as much info as I can,once again thanks

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You are welcome Reg, one additional thing I meant to mention is the benefit of having an echocardiagram which will provide the consultant with detailed information about the overall condition of your heart. AF is very much a mongrel condition and no two people are affected in the same way and as a result, the various functions of the heart can differ considerably which can impact on establishing the most suitable treatment plan for you. If you see a NHS consultant it's something you should raise as it is not always carried out as a matter of course. If you have a private appointment it could be expensive.

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Regwill

Did you get to see an EP?

The cost of a private referral can be reduced considerably. I paid £150 for a 45 minute appointment. The EP did an ECG and a mini echo just looking at the relevant bits and they were included in the price.

Where it all went pear shaped was the 7 day Holter monitor which I was charged £500 for by Spire which is imo outrageous for a basic heart rhythm recording strip. The EP charged extra for reporting it which is fair enough.

The key thing is to make sure that the only private bit is the appointment then back in to the NHS for tests and follow up.

Hope that comes in time to be helpful. Might be worth starting a new thread if you have more questions, I think your first OP got lost in the huge pile that inevitably happens on such a busy forum. It's never a personal thing.

Your situation highlighted a big problem as Flapjack said and it would be good to know it got sorted

Oyster