Ive been scouring the internet to try and search for places where i can ask questions/seek clarification and I’m hoping Ive now found one,
Two weeks ago i was working from home and felt my heart fluttering, I didn’t think too much about it and thought it may have been the coffee i had in the morning, i then went on to get on my new bike and ride 25 miles.. for which, i know was a bad idea but i thought it may clear it up. Anyhow, got back from the ride, ran up the stairs to see my daughter and was so light headed i had to sit down, obviously i knew that this wasn’t right so called my sister in law who’s a air ambulance paramedic, she told me to get up the hospital to get checked out. I went up to my local hospital in Frome, they stuck me on the ECG machine and there were issues (lets just say). Ultimately it gave me a free ticket into Bath RUH where i was in major strapped up to everything. Bearing in mind the original fluttering started at 2pm, this was now 8pm where i arrived in Bath. It was around 10.30PM and i got up to go for a chest x-ray for which it tripped back into normal mode.. which was great! The doctor diagnosed me with AF and released me around 2.30AM. He also gave me blood thinners to stop any clotting and booked me an apt with the Cardiologist
Went to see the cardiologist last Monday who basically said i shouldn’t be getting this as 34, to try and stop binge drinking and to take beta blockers if this occurs again
Forward to Saturday night just gone, i was lying in bed around 10:50PM, got up to fill my water bottle up and it kicked started it again, called 111 to seek advice as I hadn’t been supplied any beta blockers, they then said i should get to Bath.. Couldn’t get anyone to take me in so they called an ambulance who put me on the ECG to monitor me. There was definitely AF happening but my heart rate wasn’t raised so they told me to go to sleep and visit the doctor on Sunday morning who then prescribed me with beta blockers,
The AF stopped yesterday about 4PM but this morning its since started again, Being 34, I’m extremely worried and have a wife and two young girls at home, I really do need to push this though with NHS if and where possible,
A couple of questions for you... The Cardiologist said he was going to get a hear monitor for 7 days to monitor me, but also arrange a heart scan to see if they can find issues. He also mentioned that as its only happened once, it probably isn’t an issue. Well now it’s happened three times, i believe there could be an issue - so just want to be fixed. My question is - how long should i be waiting for this heart monitor to be installed/heart scan?
In terms of life insurance/travel insurance.. should i be informing them? Ive got a potential business trip to Dubai before the end of the year and we (as a family) are going to Mexico in December
Last one - My company now offer private medical insurance, if NHS are going to take a while - should i take this up to see if it can be done quicker?
Thanks all - Look forward to hearing what you have to say (and the support) more importantly!
Mark
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Mbevan
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Just a quick welcome to our world - plenty of information and support here.
AF is a tedious thing to have, be it now and then or all the time but it may not be as bad as it seems at first. It is a condition, not an illness and it tends to goad us into healthy living which is no bad thing.
You are not alone - although many of us are oldies, we do have a number of forum members in their thirties. And some of us are now old but weren't when we first started down this path.
Hello Mark and welcome! You have come to the right place...lots of support, experience and knowledge.
Firstly I would certainly recommend thst you go the private route for treat ment if you can. It will be much quicker.
You really must inform your insurance company of these cardiac events. No question .
Yes you are young but there are several members on this forum a similar age. Many cyclists as well ! Maybe you are overdoing the exercise? Also of course binge drinking is I'm afraid a frequent trigger. An awful thought at 34 to have to cut right down on alcohol but that's the way it is.
I'm sure you will get lots of replies and advice.
Let us know how you get on. It looks like you have caught this early which is good.
Ok yep so agree with drinking, for which I’ve stopped now.. need to cut that back!
Exercise.. maybe i over did it, but I’ve also done a lot worse as i used to play Squash as a teenager at a good standard.. that compared with the gym/cycling is a lot worse
Just need to push the doc now for dates, or if i can actually do it privately then i will
First, this is a site where you can get answers. It saved my sanity! Learn all you can from the information available here. Knowledge is power!
In your position, with access to private facilities, it would be sensible to seek a consultation with an Electrophysiologist ( an expert in the heart's electrics ) People who live near to you will be able to recommend a good EP,with his location, on this site.
You state that you have been given blood thinners. If it did thin the blood it would kill you. You have been given an anticoagulant.
You ask how long you will have to wait to have a 7 day monitor fitted. These things are in short supply so we cannot speculate. When you get it, keep a diary so that you can see if you are having episodes which you cannot identify ( eg in your sleep )
Yes, you do need to tell your travel insurance company.
AF is very common. It's no fun, it's debilitating and it's inconvenient. It increases your stroke risk 5 fold but AF itself won't kill you.
Ask any questions you like and we'll try to help.
Very best wishes.
PS. A 25 miles ride on your new bike is a rotten idea.
Totally get the bike ride bit.. was probably silly of me but I really didn’t know what was going on at the time and thought it may clear out the system,
Cardiologist said to me on Monday i can continue doing what I was doing (high intensity gym for 4-5 times a week) so ill just monitor it all
Will keep everything in the diary so they can review, you know what its like, they will probably put the monitor on and it wont happen at all..
Mark, interestingly some people do come out of an AF episode by exercising - on a treadmill for example. I think it can work by the heart rate increasing naturally (to an AF level)with being worked up, then it also coming down naturally once the exercise stops, which can take the AF with it too.
Look into valsalva manoeuvres to stop an episode. Jumping, coughing hard repeatedly, breathing slowly out, splashing the face with cold water etc.
I forgot to mention the Kardia device but someone else has. Buying one of those to put on your phone will tell you what’s going on. Mine has been invaluable.
Hello Mark and welcome to a world that you probably don't want to be in.
Heart rhythm disturbances are unpleasant and worrying but usually we are told there is nothing else wrong with our 'plumbing'. Two factors in your post jumped out at me - binge drinking which can cause AF and exertion, especially if extreme, will encourage it.
Depending on where you live, the NHS can be slow - some of us have used a combination of private and NHS care, especially at the diagnosis stage. In my case I saw my EP (heart rhythm specialist) privately for initial treatment and then transferred to his NHS waiting list for follow ups. You could ring your cardiologist's secretary and get some idea of the waiting times involved, allowing you to plan and make decisions.
Life insurance and definitely travel insurance is safer with full disclosure - perhaps you need to wait with that until all diagnostic tests are complete.
Regarding your firm's private insurance - if it is free go for it, but your AF may count as a pre-existing condition.
I'm sure you are confused and very anxious - we all were at diagnosis - it's such a kick in the teeth and you are young in comparison with many of us here. Having said that, AF is no respecter of age!
Any questions, please ask - someone will be able to help.
OK so yep agree with the binge drinking, Ive stopped drinking at the moment and being honest, if this is going to kick it off for the rest of my life - ill see if i can hold it off.. trouble is, my job is very social but that’s no excuse!
Private insurance isn’t free, will come off my p11D but if I’m honest, i just want to be seen sooner/fixed sooner.. there are a lot of worried people around me and its passing down to me
Just to add to the above. please go to AF Association website and read till you drop as knowledge is power. You will find that there is no "cure" for AF at present only treatment and that is only ever for quality of life (QOL).
Life style changes have been shown to be almost as effective as treatment so cut out alcohol. caffeine , over exercise,(keep gentle exercise like walking ) stress, stay well hydrated at ALL times and if you are even a little over weight aim for a BMI of less than 25.
Less reliance on meat and processed food and a change to a more plant based diet have also been shown to be beneficial.
34 of not young for AF these days to be honest. Yes it was always considered an older persons condition but modern life and diet seems to have changed all that. Athletes, and fast jet pilots (not usually old people) are prime candidates due to the extra work they ask of their hearts so you are in good company.
Regarding insurance yes you must advise them and also DVLA in UK although that should be a formality unless you have fainting episodes. Failure to do so is an offence.
Electrophysiologists are the specialists so they are who you need to see and a private consultation shouldn't cost you more than £250 after which you could switch back to NHS.
You have found a good busy site here to ask your questions on. Responses are usually quick too, which is important when you’re worried or frightened.
Holiday insurance first: you do need to declare paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. You’ll be asked how many times you’ve been ‘hospitalised’, are you awaiting the result of tests? And questions about breathing and swollen ankles. My declared one PAF incident with ‘Holidaysafe’ cost another £50 with excess increased to £250.
Private v NHS: many of us here consulted privately at first, I did. I was 6 weeks off from a Maldives holiday when my PAF occurred. I researched the hospital I’d like to go to and looked up the EPs there (‘electrophysisists’ —electrics branch of cardiology). I rang that hospital and booked the private appointment myself as I’m not covered by insurance. I was seen and had tests within a week. Find an EP who is NHS and private(most if not all are) as I did, then your follow up appointments can be on the NHS.
I suspect your tests will be fine as mine were.
Your reference to cycling is key too, many AFers are keen cyclists/endurance athletes(not me).
There lots to research and it’s so worrying at first but don’t be unduly worried or should I say, try not to be.
Look up taking magnesium supplements too.
There are many people who’ve had AF for 30-50 years.
So I’ve already been in a&e, they’ve taken bloods and I’ve had a chest X-ray, I’m yet to have a heart scan though and I haven’t been told when my monitor would be installed. I think that’s the next best step really and something ill be pushing with the Cardiologist
We AFibbers all go through that initial panic when first we realise that our hearts are not functioning as they should so you are not alone . Once you have got used to the idea that you have an arrhythmia of some kind possibly P-AF (intermittent episodes of AF ) and that life goes on it isn't so bad.
One thing you might want to consider is getting a Karda to monitor what is going on with your heart yourself..
Welcome Mark. Lots of helpful and well-informed people here - as you are already finding out. I'm much older than you but don't live far away from Frome and have had excellent care at RUH both in A&E and on the Coronary Care Unit (CCU). Perhaps I was just lucky but I had all the tests (including a heart scan) whilst in A&E on my first admission there. Subsequently I had an implantable loop recorder inserted before being discharged from the CCU. You might ask about this when you see the cardiologist there. They are expensive (to the NHS) but should catch any/every episode of AF whereas a 7 day heart monitor may not - the nature of paroxysmal AF being what it is (ie randomly occurring).
I don't think there is an electrophysiologist (EP) at RUH so if you decide to go the private route for a consultation then I think it means going into Bristol. I know there are people here who have experience of consulting EPs in Bristol so you could ask a separate question about that.
I don't know which Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Frome comes under, but my GP (in Midsomer Norton) told me that they will only refer to an EP if drug treatments have been tried and failed and an ablation is being considered.
Prior to a treatment plan (and thereafter!) do take serious note of the lifestyle advice given by various people above. You can do quite a bit to help yourself that way - to reduce the AF burden. Failing that ….. "everything in moderation" as my Gran always advised! She also said, "a little bit of what you fancy does you good"
You have been given outstanding advice on here. 34 is not so uncommon in our A-Fib world. Many have had ablations (sometimes more than one) and some say they are now A-Fib free for a long while. Best if done early-on. Go through private, get an EP quickly, and get the ablation if it’s recommended. Read about the recovery from it so you won’t be too surprised 5 weeks out when you are still recovering-but eventually they heal and move on. The anti-coagulants will probably always be with you, however.
I was just reading about Mexico being a popular retirement place as I understand pensions go much further down there.... but was reading more out of curiosity than an actual plan. I hope you enjoy Dubai and Mexico and leave A-Fib details to your EP. 🙂
You've probably read it already, but it can take 3-6 months, or even longer, to know whether an ablation has worked. Recovery is a long process and they reckon that you should take it easy for at least 2 weeks afterwards. I can attest to the fact that it is very easy to do too much if you're used to being active; you need to take it REALLY easy. I'd say definitely no work in that time and only consider limited hours in the following few weeks (assuming a desk-based job). Difficult, I know, but you can't rush recovery of your heart. Although most people find an ablation to be a pain-Free procedure, the heart undergoes significant trauma.
I can’t really add to the above, only echo what has been said about full disclosure regarding health and travel insurance and don’t overdo the exercise and drinking. Perhaps this will make you think more in general about your other lifestyle choices too.
I decided to take the Private route in March after having spent over 6 moths in NHS diagnosis without any treatment; I don’t know what the situation is like in your neck of the woods. If you want to seek out a good EP, either NHS or Private (you have a right to select where you are treated on the NHS) then check the Good Doctors Guide that was published in the Daily Mail in June: pressreader.com/uk/daily-ma...
Assuming you don't do steroids or other performance enhancing stuff you may find that throttling back a bit might make all the difference. If you entertain a lot at work try some of the new alcohol free beers/ wines. If you drink regularly at the same place see if they can get low alcohol drinks for you. Bear in mind the optimum age for peak fitness is 19.
You have had a wake up call to make changes and you must make them. The advice given to you has been hard earned by the messengers you have heard from so far. Do some research on the activities on the vagus nerve. There is a book written by a Cycling Doctor, whose name escapes me, which has been acclaimed on this site. Hopefully another contributor will come up with it. Take care of yourself.
I’m 33 and got diagnosed 9 months ago. I’m on two different medications. One which controls the rate and one that controls the rhythm. Breakthroughs happen regardless of meds and ablation are always an option.
Seriously - you’ve just had an early warning and it needn’t necessarily be a big deal. Just be more aware of your body and how to look after it.
Heart conditions can affect anybody at any age. Amateur athletes seem to have a particular problem in accepting the need for change but perhaps that’s not surprising.
I think it’s different for everyone to be honest. Look up professional athletes who have it. Mardy Fish was a pro tennis player that had to quit because of Afib. Kenley Jansen is a pro baseball player that has Afib and is still in the big leagues.
Afib bothers me mentally more than anything. I’m not in any pain but I’m really aware of my heart now so the slightest hiccup bothers me. I’ll be walking around at work and my heart will skip a beat and distract me, but like I said no pain or anything.
I work out three days a week, 30 min on treadmill and weight lifting. I’ve never biked 25 miles tho. I’d ask your doctor about that.
this is just me , to you , so take note or not x x Poor you, but as regards getting things sorted , no time like the present, get your private cover if you can , we all love and desperately need the NHS , but if you have to have any thing with them at this moment in time , there is usually quite a long waiting list , and that won't help you with the anxiety that will cause with your AF , a vicious circle it is called. In my experience you would prob see the same cardiologist privately as you do for NHS as most , work for both.The heart monitor , in my experience will be one that will be attached to your body , which is the size of a small flat box , about 4 x 6 approx and you can go about your daily business with no problem , even have a shower if you detach it from your body for short period , but log it. Contact your Travel insurance def , if going abroad ?, as we have a different service to most countries , if it is travelling within UK not quite so important . thats about all I can help you with , this group is great I have belonged for about 4 days and have had more support and gained knowledge, and understanding , than the 3 years that I have been diagnosed with AF x good luck x
Go for private appointment option as nhs wait for initial consultation can b e 12 weeks.Find an Electro Physiologist ,specialist in the electrics of the heart.
You are not that unusually rare to have this at a relatively young age.It is manageable .Glad to see you are anticoagulated,as this reduces our higher stroke risk.Sorry for short reply,in a rush,will try and come back later on!
I’m really sorry you are going through this. I’m in the states so can’t answer your local healthcare questions. I too am young and am about to get my 2nd touch up ablation. The new mode here seems to be get the ablation while young early on in the process- if you choose to go that route. But make sure you have an EP do it who has loads of them under their belt and a high success rate- it matters. Cut the booze and caffeine- which sucks I know. Also be very careful about the sun in Mexico- I just spent much of my beach vacation in the hospital and it was how I realized afib returned. Make sure to drink loads of water, stay in ac and under the umbrella. Even if you aren’t sweating per se the sun heats up your body temp and your rate increases which can be a disaster for us.
You will get through this and live a great life. It won’t kill you and is manageable once you get a handle on it. Best wishes for some answers and help from your medical team soon.
Oh poor you, I started in May on holiday in Spain, and I know the panic and sheer shock of being diagnosed, it all seems so scary and it feels as if your life is coming to an end ....but this forum and everyone so responsive and supportive helped me get things into perspective whereas visiting my doc and the cardio has been confusing as I’m in France and it’s all in French.....but as everyone says, it’s not life threatening as such and certainly go private get ball rolling....I saw the cardio within days and you need that support that someone’s looking into you as the waiting is awful.
As for alcohol the nil alcohol beers now do taste like the real thing which helps.
Were your thyroid tests ok? Overactive thyroid is a rare cause of AF.
All, thanks for your input on this, its been of great help. Ive enrolled myself on to a AF support group based in my home town and look forward to attending this. I have also bought a Kardia machine so looking forward to using this and monitoring my heart.
Long and short of it, im on Beta Blockers full time now (even though my heart rate doesnt rise about 80) - this seems to calm the fluttering but there is an abnormal heart rate and its evident when i feel my pulse.
Either way - will keep you updated - Just wanted to say thanks to you all for your support/advice!
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