Do any other Fibbers get headaches during or after episodes?

[Buffafly]

During and after my recent episodes I have been getting thumping headaches as well as discomfort in my neck, and this seems to be getting worse, after the last one the effect lasted for nearly 24 hours, feeling rotten. I have gone into anxiety mode and worrying about TIAs and other nasty possibilities 😰...... I wondered if this might have something to do with raised BP so next time I shall measure my BP to scare myself more!

[Vonnieruth]

We can be scared together and compare notes x

[Buffafly in reply to Vonnieruth]

XX

[jeanjeannie50]

Hi Buffafly -Could dehydration be the cause?

Jean

[Buffafly in reply to jeanjeannie50]

I doubt it because it is something I am aware of and drink regularly whether I feel thirsty or not - we have a family understanding that I never refuse an offer of tea! Just no-one can understand how weak I like it.....

[doodle68]

Hi Buffafly I have sometimes had a headache to accompany bad episodes of AF and with so much going on in my body I wasn't surprised. I thought it might be something to do with my blood pressure which can be very erratic during AF episodes soaring to 110/210 before dropping dramatically .

[Polski]

Even weak tea can have some diuretic effect, and the AF will cause you to lose liquid even if you are not aware of it. I have a glass of water or water-with-a-little-juice-for-flavour or similar between each cup of tea at such times.

This doesn't explain the neck though. Maybe it is time for a visit to an osteopath (or chiropractor) to see if the neck is out of alignment in some way, which is only showing up at such times.

[Buffafly in reply to Polski]

Maybe that as well as my whole spine is out of alignment, but this pain is angina. I shall try to drink more water 😊

[Polski in reply to Buffafly]

Did you mean 'angina' or is that predictive text?

[Buffafly in reply to Polski]

Yes I did, first time was in hospital with AF they kept asking me if I had chest pain, answer no, but since discovered pain can be in neck, jaw, arm, etc so it should have been yes! The pain is caused by artery spasm not clogged artery. Also my HR goes higher than my heart can cope with.

[Polski in reply to Buffafly]

Doesn't that mean you need a tablet or spray at such times (nitroglycerin)? And a PIP to bring the heart rate down - or have you discovered such medications don't work for you? (Sorry to ask questions - no need to reply!)

[Buffafly in reply to Polski]

I did have a spray at one time but no-one has suggested it since, good question to ask, thank you. I used to take Propafenone (for rhythm) and Diltiazem (for rate) but my cardiologist suspected tachybrady syndrome which would have necessitated a pacemaker so I was offered an ablation and taken off all meds immediately after. Now the AF has come back with a vengeance but my cardiologist wouldn't prescribe any medication until he had sorted out the tachybrady question. Nightmare! Since Thursday I've been on Diltiazem again, only 120 ER because I can't tolerate higher, so we'll see how that goes. And in case you were going to ask, no I'm not up for a repeat of the ablation 😀

[EngMac]

Yep, you can get pain if your neck and spine are out of alignment. 97% of headaches are caused by neck issues. So AF and headaches point to the neck and spine. 90% of nerves in the neck and spine do not have feeling so you can have an issue and not have pain to let you know.

Why people don't go to chiropractors just to check if their neck and spine are ok is now beyond my comprehension.

All during our lives we bang ourselves up, sit, stand and move in ways that impact our neck and spine and for some reason we think we are fine, probably because the nerves in the neck and spine are not shouting at our brains like other nerve hurts do. This now seems preposterous to me since every nerve in our body communicates to the brain through the neck and spine. Why not make sure that this nerve highway is functioning ok; or at least as the best it can.

[Buffafly in reply to EngMac]

OK, but don't forget Bob's mantra about carpet salesmen! To be fair, a good practitioner will tell you if the problem is elsewhere.

[EngMac]

From what I have learned, many chiropractors concentrate on the complaint made by the patient. About 10%, evaluate your entire spine and concentrate on making it work and you as healthy as possible. Of course there are lots of other body parts for which they are trained to fix as well. These other issues are the ones the patient knows about and complains about. The 10% chiropractor is the one you want to visit. These might be the ones who look at their work differently and may not be the "car salesperson type"; although, since we are so sceptical about chiropractors, many people will think they are. To really find out, you will need to have some faith and give them a chance. You may find your faith has been worth it.

I referred one lady who got an assessment. She is the skeptical type. Her husband did not support her. Her faith was not strong enough and even though she is likely the best candidate to benefit, she will continue to take lots of drugs and this usually results in a long term bad result. Three migraines a week, very bad kidneys, extremely bad posture, stressful job, etc would indicate to me that I should try other health options over and above what I am trying.