I’ve been a little concerned recently regarding heart flutters, irregular beats and blood pressuresure. I fractured my spine at the end of April damaging T2, T8, T9 and L1. Following this injury my blood pressure went down to 97-107/74. I bought an Apple Watch which informs me if there are any irregularities as it has been doing recently stating heart rate is over 120 whilst inactive. The trace on the heart rhythm is fluctuating from as low as 30/32 with the average resting heart rate as being 87/9. I recently wore a holter monitor and received a letter today from my HP asking me to make an appointment to discuss the report which in itself has caused me concern. I have PAF. I have also had 3 episodes of extreme dizziness this week making it difficult to stand and ending up on my knees on the floor. Heart constantly erratic this evening very nervous about what might be going on. Has anyone else experienced this and do I need to stop worrying.
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Doddsey-UK
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Hi Doddsey, I appreciate that you are seeking opinions based on experience but we are not medically trained which makes it difficult for us to respond, particularly with the added spinal issue. That said, your heart rate is clearly fluctuating significantly and this is probably contributing to your dizziness. If I were you, I would be seriously considering going to A&E which I know is not what you want to hear, but your anxiety is unlikely to improve if your condition is not stabilised. I hope your situation soon improves....good luck.
Hi FlapJack thanks for your reply I suppose I can’t quite get my head around the AF and never quite sure if all these symptoms are related. I appreciate your comments thank you.
I’m sorry you are going through this. Hard not to worry, but worry doesn’t help. Try to just stay in the present. Read Eckart Tolle. Will help with understanding that. Hope you feel much better soon. 🌸
I had a neck injury 30 years ago and had some strains on the ligaments on C2-4 and T3-4. There are some chiropractors who firmly believe this can be a cause of AF and certainly I have had adjustments which have immediately stopped the AF and then when not in AF - put me into AF - I hasten to add the chiro I see immediately re-adjusted to stop it! I also have had very, very low BP readings - my lowest recorded in hospital was 60/40 and frequently had - not nearly as much nowadays - syncope. And HR varies from low 40’s to 180+ so although although these arei quite extreme symptoms, not unique.
I am pretty sure that trauma - both physical and emotional played a part in me developing AF. I have had AF (diagnosed) for 11 years now and I am still here. I don’t take any medications other than anticoagulants and have a healthy lifestyle and I live pretty well. I just want to reassure you that because it’s something wrong with your heart (AF is an electrical problem) and can make you feel terrible - it’s not immediately life threatening and is normally treated as an outpatient, unless there is cause for concern in which case of course you should ring for advice or go to A&E,
Ensure you get a referral to an EP (Electrophysiologist is a specialized cardiologist) as they are the specialists in this area. May I suggest you go to the AFA website and then resources and read as much as you can so when you see someone you can ask informed questions. Believe me that can make a huge difference! There is a list of questions to ask on the AFA website - go to resources and download information.
The trouble with AF that it is such an mongrel condition with so many causes - there are absolutely no definitive causes or answers but there are treatments to improve quality of life - many and varied and each works for some and not for others. Be wary of taking medications - all have side effects and some very serious so please do your research and ask your doctors what each med does, why it is suggested etc and make informed choices.
You will learn a huge amount from this forum by just reading posts and do ask any questions which worry you, this is an incredibly supportive and informative group of people with vast information, experience and knowledge.
Thank you so much for your information. I have struggled with issues around my spine for some years from Cauda Equina Syndrome in 2000 resulting in a decompression, a fusion in 2005 to a further fusion at L3,4 & 5 as a result of stenosis in 2016 and have suffered several fractures to my thoracic spine as a result of falls and due to osteoporosis which I am still recovering from due to fractures to T2, T7 & 8 and L1 which I suffered at the end of April 2018 due to a fall currently still wearing a brace from hip to chin.
I believe I may have been suffering from PAF for some years but only diagnosed following a severe collapse in November 2016.
I had a bad experience during the ablation and was told I would need to be seen sooner rather than later following the ablation. That appointment was then postponed and when I finally went back 3 months post ablation I saw a nurse and then told to stop my medications and discharged.
I’m going on now, better stop. Thank you so much for your recommendations I will certainly follow them up.
Thank heavens for this forum and the reassurance offered its greatly appreciated 😀
Morning Doddsey, hope you are feeling better today.
If your heart rate is going down as low as 30/32 then I think that could easily make you feel dizzy. The wild fluctuations in your heart rate could also be draining your energy. I know when that happens to me it does. I would try to see your GP tomorrow to discuss your holter monitor results and see what he suggests.
Try not to become too focused on checking what your heart is doing as that will make you anxious and anxiety seems to feed an abnormal rate. I've had AF for around 13 years and I know that up until a few years ago I constantly checked my pulse and BP and they were the worst years of my AF. Now, despite still being in AF, I hardly ever check when I feel my heart doing odd things. I go purely on how I feel and most of the time I feel ok.
I would say see your GP ASAP. Ask for a referral to a good EP not a general cardiologist. Go private for an initial consultation if you can afford it and then back to NHS.
Everyone is thrown by this when they first suspect they have AF but once you get a handle on it you will manage it.
You are at the start of a journey, it could be worse so stay positive.
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