Hiya everyone, I returned to work in November last year, working at an infant school. I still have Afib and flutter and think I have occasional SVTs since the ablation last June but my heart has not been a major problem except for the tiredness from taking the drugs. I had my flu vaccine last year but four week ago I went down with the flu and was in bed for ten days which only involved one week off work as am now working three days but found it hard going back not really well and working outside in this weather and this weekend I have started with tonsillitis. Is my body telling me this is all too much or just a freak thing. When I was off had unpleasant comments because I was off work for eight months last year with my heart which does not help as I feel under pressure to go to work even if I do not feel well. Has anyone else found themselves more susceptible to viruses and bacterial infections with this heart condition?
Constant Infections: Hiya everyone, I... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Constant Infections
Any chronic condition can increase the likelyhood of infections but do remember the nature of virus infections. We all get some natural imunity to a virus which usually lasts about 18 months i understand. This is why you may find that one winter you are never without a cold and the next you have very few and so on. I wonder if this is just your year?
Working with children is a great way to be exposed to every and all possible bugs. I know that when our boys were young. my wife would collect one form school say Tuesday with a cold and by Saturday she had it! I aslo know that once I retired and stopped commuting my cold ratio dropped dramatically.
I can't offer any advice about your work situation other than speak to HR about your concerns.
Thank you. I have just never been so ill. I will keep on going but if things do not improve I will have to think of quitting. I was nearly admitted at the beginning of the flu and it is just having to go work with a temperature and feeling ill. I do not feel I can take any more time off. HR would not be sympathetic they would take me straight back to a level two disciplinary.
Check whether they accept that AF is a dissability?
Hi Flutterbird. I am going through the exact same thing. I had an ablation 14 months ago and have been af free for 13 months. I have not been well since late December, viruses, shingles, am Just getting over the Flu which the Dr confirmed had put me back in AF. Luckily and for the first time I have reverted back to NSR. Like you because of my recent history of work absence I feel the pressure to not be of work. This only compounds the problem of returning whilst not fully recovered. I am having a blood test to see if there is an underlying condition. My Dr said he thinks it’s just bad luck but wanted to check. As Bob said it is probably your and my year. However Flu and Af in combination is pretty grim and anything that risks putting me back in AF is something to be avoided. If a few more days of sick stop me going back to hospital with AF and treatment this is better for my employer in the long run. Just try to remember you will get better.
Hi, I am a teacher. I seem to get everything going, which is a right pain in a a*se. I think management think I'm skiving! Well I know they do! Lol. I told them, try having a heart condition, anxiety and hiatal hernia and then we can talk! At my school your sick days get tracked and you get hauled in for discussions lol. The best question is " do you see your condition affecting your role in the future" my response - I dont have a crystal ball. So sorry in response, yes I get lots of infections 😊
Try taking vitamin C am and pm (500mg is good) until you are thoroughly well, and also a good multi-vitamin-and-mineral from a health food shop for three months. These will see you through the winter and improve your general health and immune system.
If you get an infection (flu/cold/virus/tonsilitis etc) then you can increase the amount of Vit C to 1000mg every two hours (ie when you think of it!) for up to two days, and then continue with that amount three times a day, for the duration of the illness. If you take the vitamin C at the first sign of an infection your body may well 'throw it off', and you'll just forget you were concerned about the possibility of a cold etc!
Already take 1000 mg a day and a multivitamin etc as I have systemic osteoarthritis and take them for that reason and I have always felt it has helped until this year. I also take echinacea which in the past has warded off viruses.
Right about the vitamin C. It is completely safe except for rare hospital cases. It is an anti-viral. Your need for it goes up when you have an infection. But you need to persevere with it, for weeks and months if needed. Everyone has their own body tolerance. Mine is typical, around 10g per day, increasing to over 20 when ill. The major inconvenience is that you have to take it regularly, in 4-6 equal amounts during the day.
1. Your Employer has a duty of care. If they have pressurised you into returning to work when you unfit they are liable. I spent may years working in FE at all levels and remember one lady who was a regional union rep doing a hatchet job on one particularly bombastic management team. I was a newly promoted member of that team and I learned a lot. It was a bit like watching an expert cook peeling an onion.
2. If they demand a disciplinary interview they must give you reasonable warning and you are entitled to written notification. An Email will do nicely. You would be well advised to take a Union representative in with you and to write down everything that is said. Do not be afraid to ask for an adjournment.
3. If you are not in a Union join immediately, it levels up the playing field, e.g. HR v Union rep, stops them from ganging up on you and gives you time to think while they are pressurising you for answers. It doesn't mean to say you will win but they, if they have any sense, will be a lot more careful about how they proceed in future. Discrimination cases can be very expensive
I had lots of disciplinary meetings last year while I was off for nine months with my heart. I found my union rep useless. I did go and see someone from SOHAS who was much more helpful. I basically went back last November because if I hadnt they would have dismissed me and my union rep said there was nothing he could do to stop that. It was all very stressful. I had one week off with the flu and started getting comments and as this illness lasted three weeks that wasnt enough time off and I now have the tonsillitis and am on penicillin. I was fine going in to work this morning but was shattered this afternoon and my temperature has gone back up and am in AF.
I was told I had a low white blood cell count last year after a blood test.I was told by my Gp that anticoagulants change the nature of our blood somewhat,reducing the efficiency at which viruses and the like are dealt with. I had had sepsis through a small cut in my finger,then cold after cold,which promoted the blood test!
He suggested a daiky dose of Vit d high strength and Vit C throughout the year.
Now, as to the work situation.Been there,done that.
As a community teacher based from a local authority primary school,I had similar noises made by some management,not my colleagues with one notable exception.Many people dont rea!ise the debilitating effect of Af episodes,they arent outwardly dramatic .Lots of people said to me Oh I get palpitations if i drink too much coffee....it goes off if you dont think about it!!
I did talk about it once at a team meeting,with advance permission.I showed the excellent clip on the BHF website on mylaptop,which actually was well recieved and I felt they understood more afterwards.
Are you in a local authority school? In which case there are robust proceedures they have to adhere to. Dont be afraid of HR or Occ Health,they were actually helpful and took the view of offering 'reasonable adjustments' to allow me to continue working. Eventually I did d4cide to take early retirement,and achieved this on health grounds purely because of the AF and Flutter.
At any meeting,take a representative with you,union if possible. Take good notes and also ask for a resume of the meeting via email,If not forthcoming,resume the meeting yiursekf and email it to them,saying This is my understanding of the main points of our meeting please check and acknowledge. .........For your future possible reference.
There are other options too,Citizens Advice are excellent at giving great guidance on employment law,as well as Employment Lawyers,,usually first meeting is free.
Im sure it wont come to that though.
Its so annoying isnt it,when we are trying to carry on? Jedi on here has had lots of issues with work,might be an idea to look up his posts.
Wishing youluck xxx
I went to SOHAS as they have access to employment lawyers but it didnt come to that because I went back to work. I did not find my union rep helpful at all. Interesting about the changed blood picture, going to see my consultant soon and they will take more bloods then.
Flutterbird, try taking zinc tablets, (pills over the counter). The ones that do not contain other vitamins or minerals. Just Zinc. If you start to get sick with something, take 3 pills the first day, same second, then 2 next day and day after, then back down to one pill a day. Zinc cures infections. I know this because many years ago, I would have lung infections once a year. I would end up in the Emergency Room. They would give me breathing treatments. The last time I had a lung infection and went to ER, the doctor would not give me any treatment or meds and told me to stop at the grocery store on the way home and get a bottle of zinc and take as suggested above. I thought he was nuts. I was angry. BUT! I did what he told me to do. The infection was better after 3 days, totally gone after 5-7 days. To this day, I have never endured a cold, lung infection or the flu. If I start to have any of these symptoms, I start with the zinc again. Powering up the first 3 to 4 days.
I am not a doctor, or medical person. All I know is what I've experienced in the past and am grateful to that doctor. Also, all of my children and grandchildren use this method and they, too, no longer have these illnesses.
Take care, and hope this works for you too.
Sadie
Thank you. Will give it a try. I have now had a productive cough for five weeks and a sore throat for the last two. I am seeing the consultant on friday and am going to ask for him to check my white count just in case.
Wishing you the best! It is terrible to always be dealing with these issues and AFib too!!
Do you know what dosage you use of zinc? I have also sent for a better multivitamin and antioxidant.
Hi Flutterbird,
Honestly, When I bought my first bottle of zinc, I did not even check the strength of the tablets. I had had the lung infection for more than a month and I was too sick to care then. And still angry that the ER doctor wouldn't prescribe me antibiotics or give me any meds at all!!
So I just started taking them, while not believing that they would work. After getting well so quickly I became a believer. Like I said previously, I am so grateful to that ER doctor and have never had another lung infection, colds, flu, etc, since - that was way back in 1975!! I'm 76 now. Long time for no colds, lung problems, etc.
Now, I just buy a bottle from any supermarket or sometimes a vitamin store, when I need them. I still do not purchase a certain strength. I just get the most common one and they always work. The dosage I and my family used was: 3 tablets for 2 days, 2 tablets for the next 2 days, then one a day after that until well. Usually a week, depending on how far your illness had gotten before you started taking the zinc. If you have a tough case of something, I wouldn't hesitate to keep up the 3 tabs a day for more days. I have friends that didn't start taking zinc until they were almost bedridden with something. (they didn't believe they would work) When they did try the zinc tabs, they FINALLY got well.
Sometimes, like after an airplane trip, you can get really sick, really fast. If that happens, you might try take the bigger starting dose for a day or two longer.
The key is to not take large doses every single day, forever. Not good.
For maintenance, we all just take one a day (adults) 3 to 4 times a week. More, of course, if you feel something weird coming on.
I don't know this for sure, but in the past, I've read that they were experimenting with zinc for use in Aids patients.
Bottom line is, do not be afraid of the zinc. We all need it in our diets anyway. Using more when sick is reasonable, and using it as a daily or intermittent supplement is also reasonable.
Best Wishes for you!!
Sadie
Thank you. They seem to vary from 10 mg to 50 mg. I already take 12.5 mg a day in my multivitamin and bone mineral support tablets. I also have a really sensitive stomach so being a bit careful but I think it is reasonable to take another 10 mg a day while I have a virus. Also I do not think I eat many foods containing zinc. Anyway thank you again for bringing this up as I had forgotten about zinc and infections. I think AF makes you very forgetful. I have been feeling better since taking the extra zinc and will carry on until it has completely gone.
Flutterbird, So sorry, I forgot to tell you to be sure to take the zinc with food. It can upset an empty or semi-empty stomach.
Taking zinc must be in a tablet by itself. I doesn't seem to work when it is simply included with a multivitamin. This has been proven with some of my family members and some friends that tried to use the mixed version of zinc. They didn't get well with that method. Only when using the zinc only.
The Doctor that prescribed the zinc to me, told me to use the "zinc only" tablets. Also, he said it is very important to take the higher doses in the beginning to "Hit the illness heavily at first" Especially since I had the lung infection for at least a month before getting help.
I do hope this works for you. Again, I'm not a doctor or a medical person. So, if you feel uncomfortable about this method of treatment, do not feel badly if you choose not to use it. It has not negatively affected my Afib. That seems to be whatever it wants to be. Cutting out MSG and ANY kind of artificial sweeteners seems to be the best control for me. I no longer eat any manufactured foods either. So many products have ingredients that the manufacturer is not required to display on the packaging.
Best to you!
Sharon
I know what you mean about processed food. We make all our own food, mainly organic. I have been taking it with a main meal so no worries. I have gone up to 30 mg and it does seem to be helping now, will go down to 10 when I am completely better. My AF has been bad this week so I do wonder whether it is the zinc but probably not, AF is just so unpredictable and have had an emotionally trying week.
Thank you for the update, Flutterbird. I'm hoping that you will feel confident enough to keep taking it until you are completely over the illness. It's good to know that you are cautious about the foods you eat. I know that stopping the artificial sweeteners and anything with MSG has had a major effect for me on the A-Fib. Before that, I was in the Emergency Room many times a month!
And, like you, when a stressful situation comes up, I automatically get a low level bout of A-Fib. I can control it IF I do some actual exercise as often as I am able to.. I have a Pilates machine that I bought on QVC probably 20 years ago. Even though I didn't use it very often, but when I did (before A-Fib) it had a quick results. Pilates exercises all of the small muscles as well as the big ones. I use it more now because I've moved and have more room for the machine. But even if I use it just a small amount, it does seem to help me.
When I'm not stressed or under pressure. when I get an occasional bit of exercise, and eat right, the A-Fib is much better. For me, I think stress is the main trigger. Taking zinc doesn't seem to have a negative affect or create an episode of the Evil, darned, hateful, A-Fib!!! I'm hoping it turns out to be the same for you.
Let me know if it works for you or not.
Wishing you a great outcome and constant good health!!
Sadie.
Thank you.
Hi again, Flutterbird.
A p.s. I've NEVER had a flu or pneumonia shot!! Oregon is a wet, cold, sloppy winters, kind of region. Short summers too. There are always flu and cold seasons here.
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