I’m new to this site and I’m just looking for some answers really.
I have just come out of hospital after been blue light to hospital.
I have palpitations and I normally get some kind of trigger warning but nope not this time., it just came out of nowhere.
Straight away in AF which peaked to 220 BPm for 16hrs.
My blood pressure dropped to 80/55
And the lowest my heart went to was135 BPM
Luckily after another dose of Bisropol it calmed to 77 BPM
Once it was at that level I just wanted to go home as I felt exhausted and still do today . Question is, is this normal as someone said it’s like running a marathon???
Also inbetween my bust feels very tender??
Thank you for reading
Gona G
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GinaG73
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Yes I'm afraid what you experienced can be quite normal for some of us - well it used to be for me! After three ablations and now on Flecainide I haven't had an attack like that for several years. They're horrible aren't they, I remember feeling sick, faint and struggling to keep conscious. You will probably feel tired now for a few days.
Have you been told what to do if it happens again (what dosage of pills to take) and are you under the care of an Electrophysiologist (EP) who specialises in heart rhythms?
I am already under a cardiologist, due to a rare condition I have called SMAD 3 also known as aneurysm osteoarthritis syndrome.
The only issue I have is every time the give me a 24 hr ecg to take away, nothing happens ...
I’ve been getting more episodes like the one I had the other day more often and it is rather frightening at times.
They have upded my sotolol from. 40mg x 2 a day to 80 mg x 2 aday , which tbh is only going to drop my blood pressure more I think ?
I take a lot of pain relief due to my osteo and obviously that doesn’t help I know but at times I feel that they just don’t have a clue on what to do with me x
My last reply to you a few minutes ago disappeared Gina. So I'm just trying to think what I had written. Sotolol is no longer recommended in the UK for AF, though I think for certain AF conditions (flutter) it can be. I've taken it several times and it did nothing for my AF. What has really helped is the drug Flecainide, taken along with a small dose of beta blocker, other members on this forum have experienced good results with this too.
Now there's a cardiologist who deals with heart problems in general and then there are Electrophysiologists (EP) who specialise in AF and the faulty electrics of the heart. If you are not under the care of an EP then it may be an idea to see one.
It's horrible as I know only too well. Everything your mention rings true with me, take it steady your heart has undertaken a pounding,. Hope you have an EP looking after you and a good treatment plan, if not ask your GP if you are in the uk to refer you to one. You need a good plan. Be well. X
I’ve called my GP today and have arranged an appointment to get this organised
Thank you don’t feel to bad now though , so hopefully tomorrow will be even better x
Hello I'm new here and I had a similar episode last Tuesday. That was my 2nd in 4 months. I have many other heart problems and I don't feel I'm being looked after very well. It is so frightening and leaves me exhausted for days. They have increased my bisoprolol to 3.75. Hope you get some answers.
It is very unfortunate that because in the grander scheme of things arrythmias with no underlying cause are often considered none life threatening or urgent - we don’t always get good enough attention or treatment. As all treatment is considered for QOL unless you are seen at a centre of excellence you may find you often fall through the cracks.
AF is very frightening and one of the first things to address is the anxiety as it will only make things a lot, lot worse. Many ways to help yourself - I posted in January notes of a talk I gave as a patient suffered to an AF group presentation offered to all newly diagnosed people.
I was talking to my EP earlier this week and he was saying that whilst 10 years ago the treatment for AF was all about interventions, which although work well for some, leave many no better, there is now a slow but growing momementum toward chronic management. We have pushed for psychological support and there is now a very tiny glimmer that this may just be possible. Unfortunately, in the main, chronic can often translate to “just get on with it” without the necessary information or support of how?
That's very tough. I have a not as rare condition called Myasthenia which also complicates treatments and symptoms. It is very hard finding someone who can advise on both - I am relatively lucky as both my neurologist and my EP have offices in the corridor, in the same hospital and occasionally they do confer.
I have found Mindfulness very helpful for the anxiety and coping generally.
I’m sorry to hear you also are having a bad time; Although I think hearing other people’s experiences makes you feel less Aileen doesn’t it x
It. Is so frightening when it happens and alsorts run through your head don’t they?
Hopefully you will get some support too x
Hi Gina. I'm a guy, so don't really know about these things first hand so to speak, but breast tenderness sounds to me to be hormonal? Could some hormone imbalance be triggering your af? Just a thought.
Clarification is always good, we all misread or fire off sometimes but it sort of came over as 'all woman's problems' ......which maybe I'm a bit sensitive to from previous experience.
Hi Gina, and welcome to the forum. I've had three goes with this AF thing, spaced well apart, and I am already on a waiting list for ablation. Lucky me? Anyway, in answer to your initial question, "is this normal?", well my first one was, somewhat. After that event, I was very scared. I found this forum, and other information online, and did a lot of reading. I learned a great deal (and am still learning). The next day I ordered a Kardia Mobile, so that I could see what my heart is doing at any time. I read the reassurance that "AF won't kill you", and then learned that the company it keeps can do, and obviously I wouldn't want to be one finger and one toe hold on a cliff face when it comes.
My two further attacks did not frighten me so much, to the extent that I did not even request any medical assistance. My understanding now is that the A&E department have very little expertise in this field, and can offer nothing but keeping observations that no further complications arise, and life is not threatened. In all instances I have reverted to normal rhythm at some time during the night. What I can say with certainty is that both subsequent attacks were milder, with lower maximum heart rates. The first event peaked at 238 bpm on the recordings, although it was actually higher than that when the ambulance first arrived. On my Kardia, I have no record of anything higher than 164 bpm. It's my opinion that anxiety - no downright fear! - raises your heartbeat during the first time, and that with knowledge comes power, and some acceptance of what is happening to you. Take heart - pun intended - this is not as bad as you now think it is.
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