Read a few posts on here and decided to join with my story....
I'm a 25 year old Male who was recently diagnosed with "Holiday heart syndrome" and multiple pulmonary embolisms after drinking way too much beer and fireball (this happened roughly two weeks before Christmas). The first sign came the morning after when I woke up dehydrated and hungover... I felt a spasm/fluttering feeling in my chest which I had assumed was a muscle spasm as I would get those in my arms, back, neck and legs from time to time. After feeling the flutter continue for a while, I noticed it felt like my heart was skipping beats so I checked my pulse, and sure enough, I was in an irregular rhythm.
I knew nothing about afib or the associated risk of clotting at the time and was too tough and stubborn, so instead of getting it checked out, I googled irregular heartbeat after drinking and "holiday heart syndrome"/afib came up. After reading some articles, my take away was that it's benign and usually goes away on its own within a week or two. Plus my mother's boyfriend actually had this happen to him and it subsided after he hydrated himself and rested for a few days. So I decided to do the same, hoping it would go away.
Fast forward two weeks and my symptoms of fatigue and shortness of breath had only gotten worse... Enough was enough, it wasn't going to go away on its own, I had to go to the ER to get checked out. I went in thinking they'd just find I was in afib on the ECG, prescribe whatever drugs or treatment they felt I'd need and send me on my way.... Boy was I wrong! First thing they found was that I was in SVT (220bpm)!!!
After they got my HR down to about 160, they could detect the afib and immediately sent me for a chest xray and CT scan with contrast. They found multiple pulmonary embolisms and sent me to the ICU to be put on a drip for the clots and to try to convert me into a normal rhythm. The next morning, they ended up cardioverting me as the drip didn't work. The cardioversion worked and I felt instant relief.
The next day, they put me on Xarelto 15mg 2x daily, Carvedilol 12.5 mg 2x daily and captopril 12.5 mg 2x daily. They kept me till the next morning to see how I reacted to the meds then discharged me.
Since then, I've had no true episodes of afib that I'm aware of, just a skipped beat or two every once in a blue moon and some lingering chest discomfort. I've also been taken off the captopril as it was lowering my blood pressure too much and switched from the carvedilol to Metoprolol 25mg 1x daily.
Anyway... Are there any of you here in your teens, twenties or thirties who have dealt with afib? (Particularly with an alcohol induced onset) If so, what are your stories?
Also, some questions I have for you..
Do any of you notice that you still have palpitations after being switched to a normal rhythm? I'm talking about a general awareness of your heartbeat... Feeling it in your chest. Not the fluttering or rapid heartbeats people normally think of with palpitations. Seems I mostly notice this while laying down in bed. It tends to be less noticeable when I'm preoccupied with TV, reading etc. so I think this could be anxiety related maybe?
Heartburn? I see this as a common beta blocker and blood thinner side effect, so I'm assuming a lot of you experience this?
Do the beta blockers tend to lose their effectiveness for any of you? The Carvedilol seems to have stopped lowering my heart rate like it originally would. It used to hit the lower 50s, sometimes even 40s while resting and relaxed. Now it's more upper 50s to 70s depending on how relaxed I am. It also seems like my hr fluctuates more.
Did any of you here have PEs from being in afib? If so, did pe symptoms continue for a while after the clots dissolved? Light chest tightness that comes and goes, shortness of breath etc.
I apologize for the lengthy post and all the questions... This has just been such a hellish couple of months, and my doctor and cardiologist just don't seem to have the answers I'm after. They seem to be of the mindset that throwing more prescriptions at problems like this will fix them.
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Ragnarok450
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Hi & welcome. What a story. I do hope you get some replies. I am way past my 20’s and alcohol is mostly a distant memory but I may be able to help with a few of your queries.
Most people with Arrythmia seem to be ultra aware of their heart, whatever their age.
Many people have acid reflux, it is sometimes exacerbated by some drugs but unlikely to be the drugs you are taking. Sometimes PPI are prescribed - trouble is that they cause as many problems as they help so do beware. There are lots of simple things you can do to ease it - sip cup of warm/hot water is the simplest. Digestive problems are very common, even without the drugs and are often the cause rather than the symptom of irregular hearts - check out vagal AF.
The drugs do not lose their efficacy but you may start to react differently to them as everyone is individual. An average HR would range 60-120 - unless you are an athelete anything in the 40’s would be unusual and it would be wise to consult your doctor. Our HR dips when at rest anyway.
Please do check out this link - I am assuming you are American because of the terminology you used. Please know that this forum is predominantly UK based although there are people from all over the world who post here and quite a few Americans - but our terminology, names of drugs etc is often different.
Thanks, this was quite helpful actually! That's EXACTLY how I feel with the palpitations... I can tell I'm in NSR, but I feel virtually every beat when I'm laying down. I wonder what it is with af that causes this to happen, even after we've been converted to NSR...
I have never been sure whether stress, genetics, drinking too much or being sick started mine but I did have 2 attacks of AF after really heavy drinking sessions about a year before I went into AF permanently. I’m not as young as you by a long stretch but I feel your pain. It’s scary and a real thud to the earth isn’t it? I gave up alcohol when diagnosed but slipped back at Xmas and had a few drinks. Now I’ve had a CV and am back in rhythm I don’t dare.... I don’t want it coming back!
Easily the scariest thing i've ever had happen to me. I remember thinking I was having a heart attack or something when I first went into afib! Crazy how so many people make it seem like it's this benign thing that only affects older people.
I'm almost sure alcohol was my trigger, but I was also very stressed out over some family drama that was going on at the time so that could certainly have played a role as well.
As for alcohol, it seems like I have no interest in hard liquor anymore, but I do find myself craving a beer now and then. It's weird, sometimes I hate the idea of not being able to party like I recently would and sometimes I realize it's the best thing for me at the moment to not indulge. I think once I get in better shape physically and mentally, and hopefully, rid myself of any chance of future af attacks, I'll be comfortable with drinking occasionally. Time will tell I guess!
Very true! This has definitely been a very humbling and life altering experience... I just gotta focus on all the positives that will come from a healthier lifestyle.
Try not to torture yourself mentally with what causes your Afib. After time you will probably find a multitude of triggers. I believe, massive amounts of stress and fear, too much alcohol and a rubbish diet, probably contributed to me getting Afib. I only need to sip wine and as soon as it enters my bloodstream (seconds) I am in AF. But I can just as easily go into AF with foodstuffs, e.g. I had Branston Pickle on a sandwich and immediately went into AF after a mouthful. I gave up smoking and alcohol 6 years ago and wouldn't dream of drinking or smoking again, I'm afraid the symptoms of AF are so bad its just not worth it. What I do know is that mentally I am now in a better place, I do more activities and enjoy the little things. I am still aware that the AF will come back, I had ablation a year ago and thought it had worked till I came off the Atenolol and boom, back in AF. Its a long journey but I think you have learned a huge amount and are doing all the right things. Good luck
What a really scary time you have had. I’m 46 now but I started with SVT when I was 17 so know what it’s like to have it at an unusually young age. I wouldn’t say mine was necessarily alcohol induced but could be provoked by alcohol, definitely. When I was younger If I went out and had a heavy night I would have awful palpitations for the whole of the next day and feel really ill heart wise and could easily have short constant runs of SVT and AFIB.
I don’t go out and party like that anymore but still have to be very careful and I try not to overindulge.
I get lots of odd beats and strange flutters when I lie down at night and if I lie too long in bed in the morning too. If I move position it can sometimes stop that. I think it’s really common.
My advice to you would be to try and get this resolved as quickly as possible. If I developed arrhythmias now at your age I would try and get control of it. That could be through lifestyle changes, medication or ablation. It might help to see an EP, they deal with heart rhythm problems and could go through your options with you.
I found this forum a really good lifeline when I was trying to figure it all out.
I hope you feel better soon after such a difficult few months. Take care 😊
Thanks! I remember the SVT being the scariest part of my ER visit. Mainly because I didn't even feel it happening when it showed up on my first ECG! I had been checking my pulse regularly that day before heading to the hospital and it was relatively normal (in terms of heartrate at least). So hearing I was in SVT was quite the surprise! It seems almost like the anxiety of being in the hospital brought it on. I actually went to the hospital the other day due to side effects from some medication changes and I started to panic while sitting in the waiting room. Sure enough, my heartrate was 150 (no afib or flutter, just fast) when they first saw me and took an hour or so to dip below 90. Definitely seems like anxiety is a problem with af.
I'm also very wary when it comes to drinking. I vowed never to drink fireball, ever again after my episode and have managed to steer clear of any liquor since. I really think I've been scared straight from all this. I was at my brother's house with some friends the other week and ended up having a beer. I took about three sips then dumped the rest down the sink... It wasn't even that I felt like it was about to trigger an attack or anything, It was like I just couldn't physically or mentally bring myself to drink it. Weird. I'm hoping that I'll eventually get to where I can comfortably have a beer or two on occasion, but that will probably have to wait until I can rid myself of the af monster for good.
Great advice on taking action as quickly as possible! I'm going to wait until my repeat echocardiogram and cardiologist visit this spring, and if there are any signs or concerns of af whatsoever, I'll probably be asking to have an ablation done.
Wow, thanks everyone! Very helpful replies! Good to know the palpitations while resting are somewhat normal for those of us with af. I noticed it a lot more when I was actively in af and thus assumed the felt heartbeats should have stopped after being converted to a NSR.
Acid reflux does make sense now that you mention it. I do notice a lot more stomach "gurgling" while laying down on top of the heartburn.
Regarding the low resting heartrate, I did consult my physician and cardiologist. Both seem to think that anything in the 40s is a bit too low, but anything over 55 and less than 90 should be okay for me while resting. It seems the switch from carvedilol to metoprolol this past week has helped keep me over 60 bpm.
What are some of your opinions/experiences with ablations? My cardiologist seems to think that the course of meds I'm on will completely rid me of any chance of future af episodes, but I think because I'm still feeling my heartbeat (palpitations) at rest that maybe an ablation wouldn't be a bad idea.
I had 2 ablations in 2013 & then 2014. It’s not unusual to require more than 1. 2nd gave me 3 years AF free. In UK the thoughts are if you are under 45 & recently in AF it is likely to be more effective however it is advisable to put lifestyle changes in place first - if nothing else if you are fit & otherwise healthy - you will recover much quicker.
Moderate exercise - healthy diet - good sleep & manage stress will give you the best possible chance of staying in NSR.
Thanks! I couldn't agree more regarding diet/exercise and managing anxiety. That is my first line of defense and it seems to be doing the trick so far... I do need to work on managing my anxiety a bit better though.
Hoping the changes in lifestyle will do the trick, but I'm definitely open to having an ablation if it's called for. My Gp and cardiologist both seem to think I won't need one and expect me to make a swift recovery, so we'll see.
Stress and chronic anxiety are causes that many people put at the top of their list.
If you think there are significant changes you could make to your lifestyle, it might be worth waiting to achieve those, before going down the ablation route.
Congratulations on your change of lifestyle. When you are young you can make many mistakes like smoking, drinking. eating junk food, lots of lovely sugar, and spending most of your time sitting down, and recover from them . The trick is to stop before it all gets a bit silly. Oyster's advice regarding looking at the ncbi website is worth looking at.
If you can't stand around drinking any more take up dancing; salsa, tango, Le roc, keeps you busy, or join a choir. If you really miss your beer there are some good low/non alcohol beers about. On reflection I am not sure about the choir - singing makes you thirsty....
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