I was diagnosed with PAF nearly 4 years ago when I was 49. I saw a private consultant called Dr Chin at the Spires Hospital in Leicester. He has recently emigrated and my circumstances have changed and I no longer have private insurance.
I am pretty certain my symptoms are initiated through stress and anxiety. Then the anxiety snowballs and the episodes become more frequent and for longer.
I was initially prescibed Rivaroxaban and then Apixaban and suffered indescribably severe headaches. Due to a slow resting heartrate (in the forties) Beta-blockers didn't work for me either. I eventually changed my lifestyle, gave up smoking and alcohol and diet which enabled me to cope without drugs. For a few years I have been fine with only occasional irregular heartrate normally lasting just minutes. (Incidentally I found that drinking a pint of ice cold water as quickly as possible and/or doing as many press-ups or sit ups as I could would revert my heart back to normal).
About a month ago my anxiety symptoms started again. A permanent tension headache, tingling and numbness in my face, head pulse on the pillow, sharp pains in different parts of the body, weird dreams and uncontrollable over-thinking. Afib episodes have become more frequent and for longer with one lasting for 4 days (my longest ever). I'm currently on a run of ectopic beats every 5 or 10 minutes in clusters.
My question is twofold. What is the best way to proceed regarding seeing a consultant and any recommendations? Also would medication for my anxiety be the way forward in the hope it would reduce my Afib?
Thanks in advance,
Stu.
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stuk
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I guess there are only 2 ways to get to see a consultant, privately and through the NHS. It would be better if you saw an Electrophysiologist (EP) as they are cardiologists who specialise in arrhythmias. Without insurance, an appointment would cost around £250 but any tests ie ECG and/or echocardiogram would add significantly to the cost. As I’m sure you know, your GP would need to refer you for an appointment on the NHS and that could take a while, depending on location. I’m not familiar with East Midland, but I’m sure others here will come up with suggestions.
Anxiety is always a major issue, and again I am sure many folk here will offer advice, but it might be worth typing “anxiety” into the search box top right of this page. From my experience, anxieties begin to ease once a treatment plan is established which enables you to see a way forward.
Most people find the forum very helpful because although AF is a very diverse condition, there is a lot of knowledge and experience shared by members.....hope this helps to start the ball rolling.
Unfortunatley I'm not in a financial position to pay for private treatment so I guess i will have to roll the NHS dice. The anxiety has been and issue for me on and off for many years and long before AFib. I haven't taken medication for over ten years but it worked well when I was at my most desperate which is pretty much how I feel now.
My technique for getting private advice with limited funds is to go to a private GP to find out who is best in the field locally and then pay for a first consultation with him/her. At the consultation I say that I do not have insurance and could I go on their NHS list. They say yes and you have contact with their private secretary and jump the various NHS queues.
I’m not going to get into a debate about this, but there are safeguards in place to prevent this type of abuse of the NHS. NHS waiting lists are controlled independently and private secretaries have little or no influence and rightly so in my view.....
Have taken rivaroxaban for 5 years without any problems or issues apart from the the little cuts or shaving nicks one gets now and again which does eventually stop I usually put a bit of ground black pepper under neath a dressing and this soon sorts it out
Hi Stuk. Long story short, but I had total success with my AF induced anxiety with an SSRI called Paroxetine. I was cured and weened off it within 1 month! Haven’t had a single incidence of anxiety since (that was 5 months ago-ish).
In terms of who to see... I saw Dr Peter Stafford an EP. He did my ablation at Glenfield and he was great. Very nice man.
I’ve had PAF created anxiety before as it is obviously very stressful to get PAF episodes. I saw my GP and got referred to the mental health team where I eventually saw a counsellor but it does take a while. I didn’t take medication apart from herbal stuff but I’m not sure exactly how much it helped. I took up yoga and the controlled yoga breathing definitely helped me...
My anxiety preceded my PAF. In fact it sounds weird but going into AF though horrid was a relief after all the weird physical symptoms I had from anxiety.
I found breathing exercises in for 7 out for 11 helps also have a look at Dr Mark Williams on you tube. Several meditation options. Also maybe look at human givens approach, Joe Griffin Ivan Tyrell How to master anxiety. Very sensible book.
Anxiety is what a lot of us have been through but you can cut it down.
I try to avoid any medication so the following helped me, suggest you try them all and then after a month or so settle on the ones best for you: keeping a diary of any pills take, how you feel each day & how you slept, look at your gut/diet if its bad that causes anxiety via the Vagus Nerve to the brain, take up a new hobby, more exposure to Nature (it has its own pulse!), sleep may be improved by a Nasal strip, reduce work and personal stress points, more research on this Forum as feeling in the dark can itself trigger anxiety, take Mg /CoQ10 supplements (with professional advice first from a reputable Naturopath), get you teeth & gums in tip top condition (infection here goes to the heart and the brain is tipped off via the Vagus Nerve again), Mindfulness, Yoga, Qigong and regular deep breathing a couple of times a day when outside.
Long list I know but one or more worked for me, good luck.
This maybe a 'wild card' Stu, but the anxiety symptoms you are describing and the uncontrollable obsessive thinking sound exactly like low B12 and/or thyroid. Have you had these checked along with iron, folate and vitamin D. If these are low especially B12 and thyroid in comes anxiety and my heart plays up more. A good magnesium supplement would not go amiss too.
Sorry to hear you're having such a bad time. I'm a couple of years younger than you and have had persistent AF for 4 years now - had a couple of cardioversions and tried all the usual meds, but nothing has really sorted it out - temporary (a couple of weeks) fix and then it's back again.
My initial reaction to your post is: go and see a GP ASAP - persistent headache, tingling and numbness ... I'm sure it is anxiety, but really worth just getting checked out.
I have a history of anxiety, and there definitely seems to be a horrible vicious circle of AF and anxiety, hard to pin down which is the trigger. I know exactly what you're going through - the nights are definitely the worst! I find that listening to the radio can be a useful middle of the night distraction, to help calm the anxiety a little (talk radio seems to work best!). Before AF I used running as anxiety relief, but that's out of the question now. I've found that having an activity that I can lose myself in, that doesn't trigger the AF has helped massively - for me it's art. Personally I don't want to take any further anxiety meds - I've tried most of the SSRIs in the past, and they've come with such a range of unpleasant side effects that I think that's outweighed any good they've done. I see that others have found relief from breathing exercises - bizarrely I've found any attempt to focus on/control my breathing has made the AF worse, but if it works for you it's definitely worth a try. Someone mentioned magnesium - I've found the magnesium spray from Holland and Barrett does seem to help - it's another middle of the night fix!
In my experience, being in my mid-40's when I was diagnosed with AF, also bought a whole range of additional pressures with it - I had to leave my well paid career, I moved to a cheaper area of the UK (from London), and became pretty much housebound for a long time. Life is unrecognisable from what it once was, and the anxiety of not working, having little money, and little social contact with others has been immense. Not sure if this is affecting you too - I've found it very hard to find any kind of work I can do with the symptoms I have. However, on the plus side, having the art to focus on has been a life saver. What I'm saying is that trying to sort out your circumstances is also important, as there's nothing more anxiety-provoking than worrying about keeping a roof over your head and paying the bills! Hopefully that's not such an issue for you - but I just wondered given your age.
Anyway, I wish you well - hope you find a way forward.
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