Hi I am new to the group and AF . Was diagnosed with permanent AF and flutter in March this year after chest infection .
My Twin sister was diagnosed five yes ago..i asked my cardiologist if I could fly .he said yes . We booked a holiday to Cyprus . I took out health insurance with staysure insurance company. Three days ago my heart rate went to 150 which is high for me . After a few hours we called paramedics. Who took us to the general hospital in limassol.. if anyone goes to Cyprus please avoid this hospital .I won't go into everything that happened. Only to say they did nothing for me . My sister and I left in a taxi .Only to be taken by ambulance to a private hospital in paphos .with hr 250 and blood pressure sky high . The hospital observed me then decided to hydrate through drip and give a drug through drip to shock the heart . After being there all day nothing changed because my vains had shut down and no drugs were going in .felt so I'll. My sister told cardiologist to give me my own meds that I had taken in with me . So I had three blood pressure tablets and 120mg verapamil .by the morning I was back to 67bpm thank God as the limited knowledge and treatment made me feel so vunerable. discharged .. Now resting and hoping I make the flight back without problem . I wish I hadn't gone on holiday .. I hope to get ablation in the near future . But why did the cardiologist say it was ok to go ?
So sorry you had such a dreadful experience. Nothing worse than being ill and away from home too. I do hope all remains calm and you can fly home without issue. Try to rest and keep hydrated the rest of your holiday and stay as peaceful as you can albeit difficult after a nasty experience. Best wishes.
Hi Anitatwin - so sorry you had that unfortunate experience.
The EP said it was ok to fly - because it WAS ok to fly. AF can strike anywhere or at anytime and the most difficult thing to do is to learn how to cope with that uncertainty and still live your life to the full.
I have taken Long haul flights very regularly and had one AF episode in the air - which I kept quiet about. I’ve had AF in planes and boats and trains - and cars - and on skis - and on a small boat in the middle of the ocean and the most bizarre - in a very small boat watching hump backed whales breach nearby in a fjord in Iceland last year. I have also been blue lighted to hospital in the UK and when arrived not been monitored or treated and been absolutely OK. Tired, feeling weak for a while, but ok.
Af takes quite a while to come to terms with and learn how to cope with so at the beginning it can feel very very scary. However, if we allow fear of something happening to paralyze us from doing anything - which is easy to do - then we stop living and once we do that - we start dying, in one way or another.
I may AF but AF doesn’t have me is my mantra,
It sounds as though you became very anxious about being in AF and I would imagine that experiencing bad stuff in the first hospital didn’t help. I have been taken to several hospitals in UK and nothing done - not even put on a heart monitor. AF is very common and is not an emergency - although it can certainly feel like it sometimes. What I have found, having had AF for more than 10 years now, diagnosed in 2007, is that if I stay very calm, do some deep breathing and distract my mind from worrying, then I can rest, ensure I am well hydrated and wait for the AF to convert back into NSR - which to date - it has always done within 72 hours. Of course I am also aware that there may come a day when it won’t convert and I may stay in AF permanently as having had 2 ablations I still have AF.
When first diagnosed my GP gave me clear instructions as to when to call for help - if AF continues for more than 24 hours, if there is sharp chest pain, if I felt ill, if my HR exceeded 200 - which yours obviously did - if I had syncope (fainting) - which I did have sometimes because of low BP.
AF is often for life and some people are very lucky and ablation can help but many others have to think of AF as a chronic condition which requires management and therefor an need to adapt and to have coping strategies for anxiety. Personally I think one of the first things that should happen when you see an EP is a referral for anxiety management! And I know an EP who is attempting to provide just that.
I do hope that once you have recovered, talked to your doctors you will be able to gradually put this aside and to be able to travel again. Anxiety is your worst enemy finding ways to ease your fears is a priority,
What a brilliant response.....gave me a great deal of comfort to see how you just accepted an AF attack wherever you were. Made me aware of criteria for need to seek medical help and above all helped me realise....you just have to get on with it! THANKS.
Reading your reply was refreshing thank you! I deal with Paroxysmal AF and its evil twin anxiety daily never knowing when or if an attack will try and spoil my day. You have a great attitude 👍
Anita, you were very unlucky for AF to strike you like this. AF is very unpredictable. We cannot put our lives on hold. As CDreamer says, it WAS ok to fly when you spoke to your EP.
I have had AF for 25 years ( not continuously!!) and there are very few things I have avoided doing. In the beginning though it is very frightening not knowing how your attack will progress.
For your own peace of mind, when travelling abroad, look in advance at the medical facilities available in the area you will be staying in.
Best wishes
Sandra
Thankyou all for your advice comments and support.
I am now back to 'Normal and fingers crossed for the flight back next week.
I survived stage three kidney cancer ten years ago and have always lived life to the full .you have all remi fed me to carry on doing that . Thankyou once again . Much appreciated
Hi Seasider ..The first hospital was the general hospital that cost 10euro
The next one was a private hospital which was 15hundread plus 250 for ambulance. The insurance Should pay ! But considering they didn't do much and used my meds it's to much !!
Neighbour on Warfarin who had a stomach bleed in Spain paid 4000 Euros for two nights in a private hospital. That included 2 litres of blood. He had not taken out insurance and was going to rely on his E111 but was glad to be taken anywhere with the blood he was brining up.
Sorry to hear of your experience. A friend of mine with AF went to Cyprus on holiday a couple of years ago at Christmas and had to be admitted to hospital there and had a better experience than you. Eventually - I think after 4 days had medical evacuation to Bristol Hospital where she stayed for a few days before returning home to Cornwall. I have to say she has been on quite a few holidays where she has had to come home before the end of her holiday because of her AF. A couple of holidays she never actually left these shores but had to be taken off the air craft or ship in one instance.
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