Hi all having a full blown attack. I am at work and it is about 174 at the moment. I don’t have any other medication than bisopolol. Sorry needed to talk to you all to try and not panic. I just hate this feeling.
Trying not to panic: Hi all having a... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Trying not to panic
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Deb1838
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Hello there! I know it is difficult but are you in AFIB or it is tachycardia?
Hi, first of all try to breathe steadily, long breath in, pause, long breath out, pause, repeat. Second, if you feel chest pain or pressure, faintness and breathlessness you should tell someone you are not well and if you have chest discomfort they should call an ambulance. I don't know where you work but they should have a designated first aider. Maybe you would rather not tell your employer about your heart problem but at this point your safety is more important.
Best wishes, hope you feel better soon 💜
Hi Buffafly thank you for your advice. I have told a colleague who is talking to me, trying to take my mind off it.
I am trying to do breathing exercise as we speak.
I don’t have any chest pain. Do feel very wobbly but my problem is I suffer from anxiety and so this makes my heart worse.
I am fortunate that the company has its own occupational health surgery and we have first aiders scattered around the site.
We also have dfibs on site!!
Hi Deb, I'm sure you must feel wretched, especially if you're at work and needing to cope. Are you able to get in touch with your GP surgery and ask for an urgent appointment so they can do an ECG and then take things from there? I'm guessing your work knows you have AF and will be considerate about you taking time off, it's not the best place to be having an ongoing episode. I hope this passes soon and you're back in NSR before too long, but sending a virtual hug and best wishes in the meantime. Kate
Hi Deb, not sure what kind of work you do, is there a staff room where you can go
If so go there and drink some very cold water then start slow breathing excercise counting them in a pattern like 5in 6 out.
If it continues can you pssibly tell someone you are feeling nauseous and get home?
I agree with Buffafly,if you have chest pain or feel faint call an ambulance.
Now is not the time to discuss your condition with those at work if yo have not already done so,
Try to stay calm and get well soon...
Hi Deb
I agree with all the advice so far.
I don't know what dose of Bisoprolol you're on but my cardiology nurse told me I could take extra if I was having an episode. I'm on 5mg a day and take an extra half tablet if I need to, maximum dose is 10mg a day.
I do hope things are calming down now, I can imagine how awful you're feeling x
Whenever it happened to me when I used to work I used to get somebody to drop me home.
I would then go and lay on my bed and do very slow deep breathing exercises if you can get near six a minute it is often very helpful. Even if it doesn’t stop the AF it will help you cope with it more and maybe find some meditation music on YouTube to relax by.
When you are at home it may be a good idea to call your GP surgery and ask for advice.
To calm down in this situation you need to be in a quiet place and being at work is not going to be helpful.
As I said if you have any chest pain or discomfort in your chest or your arm you must call for an ambulance.
Pete
Thank you Pete, if I can get through the morning then I will take the afternoon off and try and rest. I will contact gp as I have been discharged from cardiologist.
Sorry but I don’t think you are helping yourself by staying at work this morning I think you should go home now and relax.
Pete
I agree Pete I suppose I was trying to do it in my own time
What is your heart rate now Deb? Has it calmed? Are you feeling very hot or faint? As Pete has said, calling your GP's surgery and asking for their advice is the best step.
Jean
Hi Jean currently at 111 but still jumping about a lot. I will call the doctors when I get home. Drinking lots of water to make sure I am not dehydrated. Felt terrible earlier but now it has slowed down a bit I don’t feel so bad. I don’t know whether to take a rivoroxiban as they took me off anticoagulant but I am worried about having a stroke
Deb, you really must call your doctor for advice. I would want to be back on anticoagulants too, but we really can't advise on medication. I think it's vital that you call your doctor asap, they are the only person who can say what's right for you to do.
Pleased to hear that your rate has dropped, it's quite often that the heart calms soon after a mad start.
Let us know how you get on please.
Jean
Thank you Jean, I will give them a call. Will keep you informed.
Hi Debs you say...''My work are really good and do know about my afib.''
Go home please , can you get someone to take you, you would be better at home x .
Hi Deb, how are you now? So sorry you are going through this. Take everyone's advice. Please.
I will do Gillybean. It is still 111 but it seems less erratic. Going home now and going to get some rest. Will try and contact surgery once they reopen.
When you are home, you will feel better, just calm down do the breathing exercises they will help. X get on your bed and relax. X
Thank you Gilly I am home and being looked after by my husband.
Well Done. That's what Hubbies are for? Xx
glad to hear you are home. At least you can relax now and feel safe.Still going at 125 but seems to be in rhythm. Just wish it would slow down 😡
I am still here folks 😁 in sinus but in a fast rate 127. Feel ok, so will ride it out a bit longer.
It sounds like you may be in atrial flutter Deb.
Is that the same treatment, I feel ok apart from heart racing. How long should I give it before I have to go somewhere. Is it something my go could deal with, as I am not under any specialist now.
Apologies for lots of questions
Or Atrial Tachycardia
How far away is your nearest A&E from where you live? If after all this time it's not going below 127, I would say pop there. Others may say wait until morning, but not me! I believe you said you weren't on any anti-coagulation now.
Jean
It is fairly local but extremely busy, might try Medoc see what they advise
So sorry to read through your earlier postings - like you my af/HR can take hours & hours to slow down & often when I think its calmer it seems to start up again which makes me anxious and so it goes on until utter exhaustion takes over. The thought of going to go etc makes me feel worse but, I am under cardiologist and have a reveal device fitted which I know is recording HR 24x7 so next time I see him he will have a full print out of heart activity last 3 months. I'm on slow release Diltiazam which I think is suiting me better than Bisoporol. Do hope you will be feeling better by now
Our A&E has a doctors surgery there too. Perhaps yours does?
Hi
So sorry you are going through this. Are you able to leave work to go get checked out? How long have you had A-Fib? No anti-coagulation? That’s seriously important. Head on in to er and get checked out at least. 💕
Hello Deb, do you feel better? Are you now able to tell if you experienced AFIB attack or tachycardia?
Good Morning Deb, how are you doing, have you seen anyone yet? Has it calmed down? I agree with others, I sat the last two out but I am a seasoned AF sufferer and been taking blood thinners for years but lot older than you. I think you should be on one anyway. I went four days last week but I only topped 101 but it knocked me about, sounds like you are stuck in that reading for a bit. It will come down. It's just horrible while you are up,there. Xxxx
Hope you felling better Gillybean and AF settled now
Sorry you are having a difficult time. Hope you feel better and take advice from longstanding AF fellows
Please let us know how you are feeling, hope lots better from here on out!
I’m so glad things are calming for you Deb, I ve been in your position many times, and it’s so wonderful to have the loyal support and friendship of these friends to help “talk you down” through a bad episode, they have eased me through bad times and saved a visit to A&E when my only symptom has really been anxiety caused by the high rate AF. Good luck, rest well today,Dee x
hi,am a day late with this info, but it May help in future AF, there are 2 technics I know off suck ice cube, sometimes works the other is massage the sides of neck where the vagus nerve run, both advice from cardiac nurses
Ooh might give this a go later. Feel in need of a light nap now 💤
Sorry to hear about your day, been there so many times I've been in the same place. Panic was a lot of it but later found it was flutter and like some of the other members here have said you shoukd get it checked even just for peafe of mind. Hope your felling better today and settling a bit. Ian. X
Sorry for lack of update. I am still in afib in hospital. This is such a major hospital i am in its like a war zone. Waiting for bloods to come back for them to decide plan of action. ECG confirmed afib. Thank you all for your help. Hopefully they will sort this soon x
Hi Deb. It is the best place. Even though annoying. They will get your meds sorted out then you can go home. They will probably make you wait until it has come down a bit though. We have all been there.Me numerous times you get to know the routine. You will get to know your body and how it reacts to certain things, chat with the rest of the patients. Your hubby will be in to see you. Xx
Couldn’t talk to the other patients they had me in the major ward next to resus. However everyone was so kind to me and they covered everything making sure I was ok. I did have slightly raised trop but they said they weren’t at all concerned as I had been running a marathon for a while.
Take the tablet you have got,I was given this as a pill in the pocket.It May take a while to work but it does eventually.well at least it did for me. Good luck.....
Hi Deb - looks like you ended up taking yourself to A&E so expect the AF didn't calm down as you had hoped? At least you will have peace of mind after the various tests etc & maybe a change of medication will mean you will be feeling a lot better. Do keep us updated when you can (take it you are in uk)
Well I have just got home, still in afib but they got it under 100. They did loads of tests, don’t think I have any blood left. I have a letter to take to the dr tomorrow and for them to anti coagulate me again. Bit disappointed that they didn’t get me back into normal sinus rhythm but they said they were happy with the bloods to feel nothing bad should happen. I just got to get used to being in afib. I will insist the drs refer me back to cardiologist, I don’t think there is an EP in my area.
Really thank you all for your support this is so scary. Off for a lay down on the bed might even have a nice cup of tea. I have not eaten since yesterday morning where I have been so scared.
Many thanks to you all. Will keep you informed with where we go next xx
Hi Deb,
Hope you’re feeling better very soon. It is indeed very scary to be in that state of tachycardia.
You must really be exhausted, like they say, feeling like you have run a marathon.
Take plenty of rest!
Bloods done were glucose, veneous blood gas,blood culture, d-diner, troponin, thyroid, lfts, cardiac enzymes, c reactive protein, biochemistry u & Es, plus ecg
A lady came in with extremely rapid heartbeat like yours on one of those TV shows that take you right into the Emergency room. the first thing they did with her is putting both of her arms into big trays of ice water. After a few minutes, she was just fine. I've seen other shows where they dunk your face in ice water. These can be done anywhere and are worth a try -- they somehow shock the body and help restore normal heartbeat.
Hi Deb, last Thursday I ran a cold bath at. 12.00 midnight. Got in and dunked my head in. I was in hysterics. Dunked my head again. Got out I thought the shock would put me back in sinus rhythm. It didn't but it did lift my spirits a bit. This is what they mean by shocking your system. You can try getting your vagus nerve to work. There are loads of things you can try. One may work. I was in A and E once and I was put in a room on my own as after a couple of days I had awful diarrhoea. They thought I was infectious. I had been in AF for 5 days. They decided to put me on an intravenous drip thinking I was getting dehydrated. They couldn't get the needle in my hand so they put an extra large one in. My heart went straight back to normal and I was home within two hours. You need to get something to eat and get a good sleep. You might just wake and it may be back to normal. Xx
Oh how funny, I wonder about the power of the brain on our heart beat as I can sometimes bring on ectopic beats by thinking about them.
ALSO -- if this starts to happen regularly, you can talk to your cardiologist about putting in a pacemaker/ICD. The ICD is a mini defibrillator, and will give you a mini-cardioversion if your heart rate ever goes above a certain level. You should have an oximeter handy and check your status regularly. Many times there are NO symptoms when your heart goes crazy, you wouldn't even know. But the ICD would notice it, and take care of it for you. Mine is set to go off if I go above 180 bpm, but I have never even gone over 100. My problem is my heart beating too slowly, and that is where the pacemaker kicks in.
You should have a pacemaker. It monitors your heart beat and gives a little assist when your heart can't handle the load. I had 4 cardiac arrests, where my heart stopped completely -- the pacemaker they put in saved me. I haven't had any problems since then. Pacemaker keeps me at 52-62 almost all the time (well, except when in the middle of a rare afib attack). I did fall to 48 occasionally last month, so my Dr halved my Bisoprolol, from 2.5 to 1.25 -- and then it never went below 50 again. I actually feel better now too, a little less weak, on less Bis.
Ah! good to hear you are home now bet that cup of tea was v welcome! - af is never easy. It is v exhausting as someone else has mentioned. That is a lot of blood tests you had done but, you did the right thing to get yourself looked at. Did they give you any medication to try bring HR down when you were in hospital? Hope you are feeling lot better. Good to have the update - been a long 24hours+ for you
Hi Gower, yes that tea was nectar I was so thirsty. They only gave me another 5 if bisopolol plus a drip. Had to laugh they asked me what medication worked for me last time it was two years ago I was out of it.
Again thank you for your help and support. I am going to take it easy for the rest of the week. Not going to go to work.
Only problem is that I can’t get an appointment with gp till 3 Sep. Fortunately I have a backlog of rivoroxiban so I have already started taking it again.
Can't believe you have to wait til sept to see gp. When I was diagnosed with af the gp put red flag on my file so I could be seen asap. After trip to A& E I was called in next day. I'm on Rivaroxaban, do hope you will be feeling more yourself after resting next few days.
Good to hear that you're feeling so much better Debs.
Yes thank you jean thank you for your help and advice
Glad things are settling gradually. Hope you get a quick referral. So concerning while as one A and E sister said to me" well you're still batting away aren't you"
Pleased your rate has come down. Easier said than done but a night's sleep will help.
Please research magnesium deficiency and symptoms of magnesium deficiency also research vitamins d3 k2mk7
I will do that tomorrow when I am at home resting. Thank you for the advice
Your welcome and good luck
Well I had the best sleep last night, think I am going to snooze quite a bit today 😴
Well day 3 still in Afib however down to 60 to 80, so it is much more comfortable today.
Sorry if I am boring you all now it’s just I feel you are the only ones who know how I am feeling.
Can’t believe how exhausted I feel.
Thank you for listening to my ramblings xx
I think you need to experience AF to even begin to know how it affects someone & everyone is different. It can be scary even after years of living through many episodes. The feeling that the HR seems to increase despite trying your best to remain calm & the exhaustion for days after is not easy. Glad you able to have a few days resting & recovering & hopefully get the gp appointment brought forward. Do ask gp if they will put a marker on your file so you can if needed get seen asap. None of us mind reading about another persons experience as I think it actually helps us learn how we can get through it & all the "tips" have certainly helped me. That's what so good about the forum its like a worldwide family reaching out across miles & oceans
Thank you Gowers still feeling on edge today but that’s me anyway. I am going to go and queue at the drs tomorrow at 8 am as they do a triage service. Unfortunately you get which ever dr they assign you and a lot of them are newly qualified on work experience for 6 months. I actually have had better treatment from these drs at times as they are up to date with modern treatments.
I am a little nervous about going back to work next week but I am going to take each day as it comes.
I love this forum there is a lot of experience and warmth.
Well got to see gp sent me back to a & e getting a bit scared now
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