AF

[colingee]

Good morning last night I developed a very rapid pulse erratic thumping and then developed chest pains which which were relieved a bit by by nitro spray I took some paracetamol aspirin as I thought I was having a heart attack eventually I phoned 999 The paramedics arrived did an ECG but the intervening couple of hours before they arrived things return to normal less pain et cetera I didn’t a heart attack but probably another atrial fibrillation event being naive I had a similar event some 12 months ago and ended up in hospital again it was not a heart attack I didn’t realise atrial fib relation can give you such chest pain I would be grateful if you could comment on this regarding and how it should be dealt with in the future

[sarniacherie]

Hope you are feeling more settled this morning. My first two AF attacks landed me in A&E. I had suffered palpitations for several years but never a full blown AF episode and, let's not beat around the bush, they are scary. My cardiologist tells me that I can manage these episodes at home but if I have chest pain with them I should go to A&E as a precaution. I would have a chat with your GP about this and hopefully he can give you some good advice on how to handle these episodes and when you should go to A&E. Look after yourself.

[colingee in reply to sarniacherie]

Thanks I’ve just posted a reply to Bobd I’m going to call gp on Monday

[BobD Volunteer]

ANY chest pain MUST be investigated. It is quite rare for AF events to cause such pain but not unknown and there are members here who do have to be hospitalised. The fact that you HAVE a GTN spray suggests that you already have some cardiac issues so all the more reason.

[colingee in reply to BobD]

Yes I had a heart attack 5years ago and a stent put in plus since then I get some angina very infrequently it happens when I face cold winds or very steep hills

Generally I am very fit 75 year old go swimming 3 times a week do about 50 lengths front crawl take regular walks

My biggest stress issue is I’m caring for my wife who has very advanced dementia

I take sotalol 80mg twice a day lisinapril 10 mgs daily clopidigrel 75mgs daily rivaroxaban 20 mgs daily and Crestor 5 mgs daily

Thanks again for your interest

[Hidden]

So sorry to hear about your difficult experience colingee, I have been fortunate and have not experienced an AF attack anywhere near that severe but it seems to me that you did exactly the right thing. Any chest pain must be quickly investigated and calling 999 or being taken to A&E must be a priority. Now that things have settled, it might be a good idea to plan for the future. Obviously, I don’t know your history so if you haven’t already, see your GP and ask for a referral, preferably to see an Electrophysiologist (EP) who is a cardiologist who specialises in arrhythmia. It would be a very good idea to have an echocardiogram to check out the overall condition of your heart because then your EP could discuss with you best treatment plan most suitable for your condition.

In the meantime, many here would say that they would try and stay calm and wait for the episode to pass, but if chest pains develop, there is only one thing to do.....hope you are feeling better now.

[colingee in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your support I’ve posted a response to BobD about my situation and circumstances

[Hidden in reply to colingee]

Hope you get the help and support you need Colin

[CDreamer]

Hi Collingee - you are dealing with a lot, caring for your wife and trying to manage your AF so I would imagine your stress would be quite high.

Staying calm is most important, get some boundaries from your doctor as to when to call for help and have an action plan and back up in place. I always find that helps as I think we panic when we don’t have a plan of action for those emergency moments.

I find practising Minfulness daily really helps me stay calm - I can now reduce my HR when in fast AF most of the time and I find that really helps.

[colingee in reply to CDreamer]

Thanks for your support

[Vanna-C]

I’ve been told by both my GP and cardiologist that if I get chest pain during an AF episode, to go to A&E straight away. Last time was just over a month ago, and ended up in hospital for 6 days with heart failure!

Definitely stress related, as we were moving house that week!

Don’t try and ‘wait out’ an episode with chest pain, it really isn’t worth it.

[colingee in reply to Vanna-C]

Thanks again for your support pulse rate back to normal 57 blood pressure ok 125/70 chest feeling a bit shaken up but hopefully this will sort itself out don’t know what really triggered it as I had a similar episode 12 months ago when I ended up in A and E will see gp tomorrow and phone my cardiologist hopefully will get back to swimming tomorrow morning

[Luisa1987 in reply to Vanna-C]

my specialist told me exactly the same.

[seasider18]

Two hours is too long to wait if you report chest pain.

[colingee in reply to seasider18]

You are correct I have contacted my gp and cardiologist as they have always told me to phone 999 when I get these issues

[seasider18]

I find incidents mostly happen at times when A&E and the ambulance service is at its busiest. I once had to go to A&E on Halloween when it was full of drunks in costume. My wife had an accident this year on New Years day and that is a definite day to avoid.

[Vidlufc]

Dear colingee, I found gluten gave me af and high bp. I am about 6 weeks gluten free now and normal bp, no more af incidents to date, my hay fever has disappeared as have a couple of allergy rashes

[colingee in reply to Vidlufc]

Thanks I’ll try to be gluten free

[sdalen]

I found this when on the keto diet. Carbs really bug my heart....the simple ones that is....bread, wheat, corn etc.

[sdalen in reply to sdalen]

If I even have a small bit before bed, I wake up with racing heart even if it is a normal rhythm.