Mind games

[pottypete1]

For the first time in about 5 months at around 15:30 today my heart started an episode of AF.

After about 10 minutes I knew the AF wasn’t going to terminate quickly so I took 200Mg of Flecainide and 1.25Mg of Bisoprilol.

For four hours I had all the ‘will it won’t it stop’ feelings and thoughts. As a result my blood pressure rose to 170/120 and all the mind games started up again.

My subconscious is definitely stronger than my conscious mind I have decided.

I layed down and did some deep breathing plus I did my best to relax although that was rather difficult.

Around 19:30 I realised I had slipped back into NSR. The feeling was not quite like a cardioversion but the euphoria is significant.

Not quite the relaxing Sunday evening I had hoped for.

Pete

[Kellyjelly]

Hi pete, im so sorry to hear what has happened to you today. as you know I’m really new here so don’t know your full story but I’ve briefly looked through your posts and it would appear you have had a very long journey with this awful condition. I hope you are ok, it sounds like you used coping techniques to get through it and followed a plan even if you felt in a bit of a mess. I feel woefully inexperienced to offer much more than my best wishes and my sincere hope that you don’t have anymore episodes. Take care of yourself.

[doodle68]

Oh dear Pete its awful when you think you are doing well and AF strikes.

I had 2 whole months with no AF then back it came for 8 hours with a chest infection last Saturday. I think coughing might have been a trigger.

It is such a relief when you go back into NSR isn't it.

Hope you are feeling ok now...

[Bagrat]

Oh poop! I think sometimes when you've had a longish break it's 10 times harder. Pleased things have settled after your prompt action with pills and potions. Just wish it was as easy to settle the emotional stress,

[Buffafly]

So sorry Pete, it is such a horrible feeling when it comes back. I hope it was a one off, glad the meds seem to have worked.

[Finvola]

Pete - that’s a pain and the ‘hindbrain’ takes more controlling than the heart problem. But, you got it stopped and felt good about it.

I’m glad Flecainide is still a friend for you. Hope you enjoyed the rest of Sunday.

[meadfoot]

So sorry you had a bad episode what a hassle and yes the emotional toll it takes is equally dreadful. Pleased it's settled but it unnerves us non the less. Best wishes.

[djbgatekeeper]

Keep your chin up Pete 👍

[jeanjeannie50]

Oh no, Pete! How disappointing after all you've been through to get rid of the dratted AF. What were you doing when your heart kicked off and had you eaten anything unusual? Is there anything that you can recall that may have triggered it? Like you, my mind is very good at causing blood pressure to rise dramatically.

How are you feeling now?

Jean

[pottypete1 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thanks Jean

I was putting a couple of small bowls on a shelf in the garage very strenuous. I was not eating or drinking anything either. I can’t think of any trigger whatsoever.

It is now morning. I had a bit of a restless night and I am now feeling the aftermath from the extra Flecainide I took, with acute nausea this is what normally happens to me.

The best now is that normal service has resumed.

I have to be grateful now that all the ablations I have seem to have resulted in significantly less frequent episodes of AF, each one is also much shorter in duration and seems to respond quite well to PIP.

Pete

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to pottypete1]

I do sometimes wonder whether while concentrating on doing something, we forget to breathe properly.

[pottypete1 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Yes I find that this does happen to me particularly when I am dropping off to sleep.

In the past 2 months I have been through the most stressful situations with my 86 year old mother in law having been diagnosed with cervical cancer and her being 75 miles away and she is being so difficult in refusing to go appointments and having any help in due to the first stages of dementia kicking in.

Then last week a delivery van driver sent me a text message at 05:30 stating he had made the previous delivery and would soon be with me. I ran into the bathroom first looking for the phone I was so disorientated.

All these things and many more I cannot list should have given me a heart attack let alone AF but no nothing happened. Yesterday I was doing virtually nothing and bang.

We shall never know what really happens will we but we ponder.

Pete

[secondtry]

Well done. I think the mind especially for Vagal AFers is under-utilised and I have just started practising using it for other issues and hope I can develop the habit strong enough in due course to deal with most negatives including AF.

[jedimasterlincoln]

The feeling of slipping back into NSR is in the third three best feeling in the world after going to the toilet following a period of being fit to burst.... and something else!

[pottypete1 in reply to jedimasterlincoln]

Just puts a big smile on your face doesn't it.

[jedimasterlincoln in reply to pottypete1]

I'm sure I've said many a mental and open mouthed "phew" when it happens! Particularly as my episodes are/were so debilitating its feels like you could take on the world when it stops.

[Hidden in reply to jedimasterlincoln]

Yep, the feeling of euphoria when going back in to NSR is better than a lot of things!

For me it is always like a jolt going through my body, like an internal cardioversion, and then quiet, like all the madness has stopped. amazing

[pottypete1 in reply to Hidden]

For me I sometimes don't realise it has happened and then when I do the feeling both mentally and physically is really good.

I think one of the main causes of the eurphoria is the fact that after maybe a few hours, days or weeks of not having blood pumped properly around the body and particulary to the brain there is a sudden rush of blood throughout the body.

I know that my face looks a warm pink colour after return to NSR whereas during the AF my wife says I look very Grey.

The only negative feeling is the nausea caused by the overdose of Flecainide/Bisoprolol if PIP has been used to right the rhythm.

Pete

[pottypete1]

Omron M7 Intelli IT.

It doesn’t seem to have any issues recording my BP and has a quivering Heart Icon if the heart is not beating regularly.

Pete

[irene75359]

So pleased to hear you are back in NSR and l do hope it was a one-off.