What does an AF attack feel like to you?

[Mejulie69]

I have been in NSR for a few weeks now, having previously spent 3 weeks in constant AF. During the time I have been in NSR, I have had 2 AF attacks whilst sat at my computer.

The first attack was really bizarre and scary. I was looking at my computer screen feeling completely normal, then out of nowhere, I went extremely light headed. Within a few seconds, I noticed my HR went really high, and I had a strong feeling of anxiety / adrenaline (fight or flight - type feeling). I can't remember whether the anxiety / adrenaline happened before or after I felt the HR go up. Within a few minutes, I was back down and feeling normal again, although was left extremely anxious, and my chest hurt.

The second AF attack, the anxiety definitely hit first (I could feel it in my hands particularly, like a high frequency tingling), then the HR went up. Again, within a few minutes, I was back down again, but the anxiety remained for the rest of the day, as did the chest pain.

I suppose the reason I am asking is that I am optimistically wondering if what I experienced could have been light-headedness from a big ectopic run, at which point my adrenaline kicked in, and so the heart went crazy, and perhaps, just perhaps, these weren't AF attacks (clutching at straws!)

Interested to hear other people's experience of AF attacks (and / or your opinion on mine), to see whether mine fit into mould.

Thank you again.

[Steven12]

Well, its not completely the same as mine, but my AF is slow (which I'm finding is a bit unusual). When in AF my heartrate is not much higher than normal but in a full off attack its competely all over the place. My resting HR is normaly very low (<50), so even in AF I cant be above 60). Sometimes leading up to it I get warning signs when its steady then goes out for a few beats and returns.

I get a fluttering, light feeling in my chest. And I feel low on energy, down, worried, get feelings of general foreboding etc (which I think are actually physical symptoms, rather than about my mental state).

The first few times this was accompanied by feelings of panic (once I noticed the heartrate), I had the fluttering and low energy a few times before I realised the heart was the cause.

Now, I just try not to let the negative emotional state get to me and carry on with life as best I can.