Atrial Flutter and Shingles

[Kaz747]

Two years ago, after ankle reconstruction surgery, I was diagnosed with SVT. After two unsuccessful ablations (and Verapamil and Flecainide) my specialist said that I have Multifocal Atrial Tachycardia (MAT) and put me on Sotalol (40mg twice a day). That mostly kept things under control and if I had a tachycardia episode I took an 80mg tablet which settled things down in a few hours.

Three weeks ago my tachycardia didn't settle down so I ended up in hospital for a chemical cardioversion (unsuccessful) and a successful electric cardioversion following a trans-oesophageal echocardiogram. I was then diagnosed with Atrial Flutter which the doctors said is in addition to my MAT.

A few days later I was diagnosed with Shingles. I'm wondering if the Shingles virus perhaps brought on the Atrial Flutter. Has anyone else had similar issues?

I'm now on 80mg of Sotalol twice a day. I feel totally exhausted. I have chest and upper back pain as well as a lot of headaches. I'm not sure if it's the Shingles (I was on antiviral drugs and the rash has now gone), the heart or the medication.

I'm supposed to be going back to work next week but I'm not sure how I'll cope with that. Just to complicate matters, I recently started a new job. It's a senior management role with long hours and a reasonable amount of stress. I'm wondering if I now need to rethink my career. I'm only 53 and until the accident that caused my ankle injury was fit and healthy. I've always been a supreme optimist but I'm now feeling very uncertain about the future.

[BobD Volunteer]

Sorry to read of your problems Kaz. There is no doubt that any virus can affect all sorts of thongs in one's body and many people find that such infection can be the start of their arrhythmias. In some cases it can go away and may never come back but that is not guaranteed. Shingles is a notably difficult virus as it can live silently in the body waiting for an opportunity to break out again.

Life style is one way in which people can change things and yes. life /work balance is important. I walked away from my banking career at age 52 to save my sanity but it had always been a toss up if banking or motor sport had been my hobby. Turned out it was banking LOL . Still building race engines now at age 73 and above all enjoying life but I was able to take an index linked pension so my income was little affected once I factored out things like mortgage (which was cleared from retirement settlement) and clothing (no more expensive suits or season tickets to buy). This was important since I had two young sons back then who still live at home and now have expensive motorsport activities!

Above all live every day as if it were your last. One day you will be right.

[Kaz747 in reply to BobD]

Love your last line - very true. Will see how things go when I get back to work but don't worry, if it gets too much, I'll be following your example

[Jeremyp in reply to Kaz747]

Sotalol bound to be making you feel exhausted and weighty. Hopefully some sort of ablation would enable you to come off drugs and feel normal again. Presume that option wasn’t available for the multi focal tachycardia ?

[Jeremyp]

Apologies I didn’t see you had already had 2 ablations. Maybe you can’t have more. Maybe you can ?

[Kaz747 in reply to Jeremyp]

The doctor at the hospital said if I have further flutter problems another ablation may be needed to fix that but the MAT is a separate matter. I guess time will tell what happens next. I just have to stay healthy, eat well, exercise and try not to get stressed

[Aprilbday in reply to Kaz747]

I retired early due to my health issues. I miss not working but don’t miss the fatigue and guilt you feel when you have to take off just to rest.

[Kaz747 in reply to Aprilbday]

I had planned to work until I was 60ish then 'retire early'. Will see what happens I guess.

[Vanna-C]

Mine was the opposite way round, after being hospitalised for the first time with AF, 4 weeks later I was diagnosed with shingles, still not sure if the two things were linked!

[Kaz747 in reply to Vanna-C]

My cardiologist said because the two problems occurred so close to each other he thinks there was a connection but it's a chicken and egg situation. Was the virus in my system which triggered AF or did being in AF for a few days trigger Shingles. Either way stress can play a big part in the onset of both conditions and I had been under a lot of stress.

[Vanna-C]

I agree with the stress causing AF, I have been hospitalised twice for it so far, both times while under a great deal of stress, it seems that if I’m not stressed, AF can revert by itself, but add stress to the equation, and I end up with acute heart failure, and everything that comes with it!

[Kaz747 in reply to Vanna-C]

Stress causes a lot of problems with our bodies