I returned to work with a happy and optimistic attitude. I started at 4 hours a day and did fine for 3 days this week (2 days last week, too). Today I got ready for work, happy as usual. I walked out the door, began to walk shakily, but just kept walking. I live across the street from where I work. Nearly at the office, I was almost falling down, walking a little like a drunk (I NEVER touch alcohol). By the time I got in to the office, I could barely talk and felt like an earthquake was going through my body. I was sent home. I called my nurse and he said it was high blood pressure.
Is that how high blood pressure affects a person? My blood pressure has been steadily high since my AFIB started, but I didn't know it would affect me like this. I made an appointment with my primary care physician tomorrow morning.
I sure would love to return to work and be reliable doing so. Just so frustrating!
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Don't want to scare you and I know nothing about high blood pressure, or what effects it can have on people, but if I had experienced what you have described I would be wondering if I'd had a TIA (minor stroke). In fact I would ask that question directly to someone medical .
I see you wrote this 7 hours ago and I’m hoping you’re feeling better by now. But I’m glad you’ve got an appointment later today - please do explain exactly how bad it was. And if you’re not feeling ok now, personally I’d get checked out ASAP.
I know that for me, high blood pressure (before it was treated) has given me a ‘swimmy’ head and a back of head headache. But I was also told that high blood pressure often has no symptoms. I’m absolutely no medic, but the extreme kind of symptoms you’re describing sound like more than just blood pressure to me.
(Eg As jeanjeanie says, there’s significant things like a TIA that should be ruled out.)
When I’ve had symptoms very similar to this but also a little left sided tingling (this was pre AF diagnosis ) I was taken to hospital and it was decided it had a neurological root- probably a kind of non painful migraine, brought on by long term stress. I don’t know if they were right!
Especially after your last experience of hospitals I can see why you’d be reluctant to let anyone loose on investigations etc. But i really would make sure the person you see today hears exactly what happened.
I really sympathise with the frustration and guttingness of not being able to get back to work and normal life - and how a happy start to the day can all turn to ashes when disabling symptoms crash in 😕
Thank you for the replies. I will be seeing my doctor in 2 hours. Thanks for mentioning TIA. I hadn't thought about that but it sounds like what I'm experiencing. I'll mention that to my doctor today.
Good luck DD. (If you’re still feeling those symptoms, I’d say go right away. And don’t drive, though I don’t imagine you would be.) Please do let us know xx
I saw my doctor today. He modified some of my meds. Increased one and decreased another. I feel better today, but of course it's a little early.
One thing he said was to go to work early, sit down for a while before I clock in, and I don't have to be sent home if I get symptoms. I just need to take it a little easy and I should be able to work just fine.
My work is not stressful. It's an office job, greeting people on the phone and in person - which is very pleasant. Also, I do some computer work and a little filing. Nothing stressful. I just get forgetful once in a while when I get symptoms, and that scares me. Doctor said just relax and go a little slower and I should be fine.
I can't wait to go full-time again!
Before this heart episode, I was working 6 days a week and loving it. It was a breeze. Now, 4 hours a day takes a toll.
We'll see if the med changes help.
And, yes, Lanc2. I am making sure to be hydrated. I carry bottles of water with me to work. My sweater pockets each have a bottle of water in them, LOL.
Oh, and one more thing: wouldn't ya just know that my blood pressure was normal at the doctor's office! Just like when you have car problems and the car acts fine when you bring it in to the shop!!
fact of the matter is, when you have a health condition it can often mess up your job and the rest of your life as well. many people cannot manage to keep their jobs with chronic health conditions, and sometimes that's no thanks to employers who aren't always flexible, or understanding.
It was like when I worked checkouts at a supermarket, and started to get bullied because I often needed the toilet during my checkout shifts, which made them angry even though I had told them I had bowel issues (I have bowel disease). I had also asked them for later shifts rather than early shifts, as my bowels play up in the mornings then settle more later, and what did they do? I got a load of morning shifts. Just one example of how employers can be when you have a health issue. rather than be understanding and kind, they can behave in a bullish, punitive manner. Every time I needed the toilet during a checkout shift, they would first take forever to get someone to relieve me, so I would nearly s**t myself, then they would shorten my break time down by like fifteen minutes even though I didn't take fifteen minutes for my toilet break, more like five or six minutes. I would be paged on the supermarket intercom while I was on my dinner break to come back to the checkouts, again, fifteen minutes early.
I also quit a job because of my heart palpitation issues before I started with the beta blockers. They got so bad sometimes at work that I couldn't focus and I would make silly mistakes because of it when I am normally very accurate. So some of the managers and staff concluded that I was just too stupid to do the job, and treated me more and more as if I was stupid, I saw a few e mails that had been sent around by managers which weren't very kind (one of them said "what the f*ck is she doing"), and I had enough and quit. They had also subjected me to a "random" drugs test which wasn't very random as it was my first week there and didn't feel random at all, and that is probably because I seemed a bit unsteady as I sometimes get lightheaded or I can look really tired with red eyes due to poor sleep or inflammation issues, so they concluded I must be a junkie. Lovely, right? For the record, I've never abused drugs. And when they realised they wasted £25 on the drugs test as of course I passed, and the man who did the test seemed quite annoyed by this, I couldn't help but laugh a bit in contempt.
It is very frustrating when you want to work but you simply can't. And people judge you for not working full time. I've had that as well. Little digs made in judgement. But it's not your fault. Remember, we aren't robots. Yes, we are conditioned to think we should be in work all the time, that is why we spend years going to school 9am to 3pm, but again, not all of us can manage regular work if our health issues are too severe or restrictive.
I mean my God, even if you're in generally good health but you miss work due to a bad cold or flu, you get "interviewed" upon return to work. Sorry but that is just another form of bullying. I hate how workplaces are sometimes. The employee who comes to work highly infectious with a bug who infects other colleagues gets rewarded for perfect attendance when they should, imo, be slapped for infecting other people lol.
People should also remember that their own health can go any day, but of course nobody thinks of this until it happens. Hope you're ok. x
Here here ! Couldn't agree more and I worked full-time for a local Authority for over 20 years with a great sickness record until AF. Their mission statement includes a lot on 'supporting and developing our staff'....(?!! )
Very different to reality. I was manouvered out...
I find myself wondering how much you had eaten? Were your sugar levels dropping too low? It might be worth getting your fasting blood glucose level checked.
The appointment went well. Doctor adjusted my meds and it seems to be making a difference. I also saw my pain management doctor today - 3 days after my visit to my primary care doctor. Pain management doctor also checked my heart. He's pretty smart. In addition to pain management, he's an anesthesiologist, so that means he sees lots of different conditions and needs to carefully monitor them while they are in surgery. I love that he's so acutely sensitive to vitals. He's pretty happy with my overall conditions, but he did detect I'm still in afib, even after my meds were adjusted.
Interesting that you should ask. I usually have something that keeps me on my toes mentally. However, I've been thinking lately about how I really have nothing to worry about. My bills are paid, my kids are grown and doing well, the company I work for is taking wonderful care of me, my neighbors are terrific, and so on. I'm really at peace with the world these days - except for the Afib. I do worry about when I'll be able to get back to working full time, but that worry is on me, not the company.
And, I must say this: you people here have done wonders for me when you've responded to my posts. Before I discovered this website, I was telling my daughters what song I wanted them to play at my memorial, LOL. Now, thanks to all of you, I'm no longer thinking that way. I now have hope for a long - and fruitful - life to look forward to.
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