hi, does anyone have a really heavy tight chest when in AF

[tillyrose]

i

[wilsond]

It's not unknown fir me to occasionally have a tight chesty feeling,leading me to loosen clothing

But not a heavy feeling

Do you always feel like this in afib? Do you experience it at other times ?perhaps write down a event diary and get it checked out? Does it go off after AFib ends?Best wishes xx

[tillyrose in reply to wilsond]

hi, no I have never had it before, and its really worrying me , I am afraid to go to bed because its worse when I lay down .

[Londonlass]

Yes I get chest discomfort and in my neck and jaw when in fast AF and it is worse lying down and when walking about.

I find that once my heart slows down after taking additional bisoprolol the discomfort eases. My EP said it is a symptom that is not uncommon when in AF.

[DevonHubby1]

Hi, my wife experiences the same as you. When in AF she experiences the tightness and the tightness of chest is worse when in in bed. She was recently in AF for 12 days and ended up via A&E on the cardio ward for a week. Whilst there one doctors suggestion made on the tightness at night was that when the heart is not working correctly you get water retention which when lying down can add pressure round the lungs. Another doctor dismissed this as my wife was showing no external signs of fluid retention. By external sign he presses his finger onto your shin near the ankle. If when he removes the finger the indent remains then that might indicate fluid retention.

Ultimately they upped her Bisoprolol, added Digoxin, and a few days later she reverted back to sinus rhythm. At points before reversion the tightness in chest became a pain, not a heart attack, so she also has GTN spray should that happen again at home.

The advise we were told was that if you experience pain with tightness when in AF then go to A&E. They may send you back home but better safe than sorry.

[iris1205]

When you lie down see if lying on your right side helps OR

when you lie on your back, prop yourself up so your head and shoulders are higher than your heart. I lie on quite a few pillows which create a gradual incline so it isn't too extreme for the neck or back. Hope this helps

[jeanjeannie50]

In all my 15 years I've never had pain or tightness in my chest when having an AF attack. If I did I'd be straight over to A&E or ringing the NHS 111 number, might even call an ambulance if it was bad.

However, we are all different and when my AF starts now I can feel sick, dizzy and faint. I can ignore that, but for others they may not find that acceptable. I didn't at first, but am used to it now.

[Goldfish7]

Yes, when experiencing a PAF attack I experience neck, jaw, chest pain and a heavy tight feeling in my chest - I think its rated to the very high heart rate and violent fibrillation. I think its pretty common if your heart is struggling to get enough oxygen around your body and itself.