3years ago I was diagnosed with AF, Flutter and Atria tachycardia. I have had 2 ablation and just been told as I'm still symptomatic it looks like a 3rd one is on the cards. I can't take beta blockers because of Asthma and allergies.
My query is I work on front line in a very busy nhs role which I find escalate my symptoms and cardiologist has agreed with me. But does anyone else struggle keeping down a stressful job with this illness?
Your comments would be much appreciated.
Thank you
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Bowcat
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30 Replies
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Not sure how helpful this is going to be Bowcat, but given your career in the NHS, the knowledge you must have about AF, Asthma and other stress related conditions just what would YOU say to you in answer to your question? If you were honest (which of course, you are) this is not a compatible combination of circumstances and with great respect, given you age.....is it going to get better over the next few years.
For most people, health comes first, then other priorities follow, which is Oh so easy for me to say, but can be hellishly difficult to practise in the real world. The sad truth is, none of you health issues are likely to improve all the time you are working in such a highly stressed environment. There are no magic wands, neither are there any magic cures, unless something changes, your health is unlikely to improve so something has to give. I suspect you are very much aware of everything I have said but please understand, I am not medically trained, I am only expressing my personal opinion, so please do not be upset with me!
We all know about the pressures the NHS are currently under and there are likely to be very many in similar situations but if I were you, I would be considering alternative ways in the NHS of using your skill sets which are more compatible with your health. Are there not ways you could explore such alternatives within the NHS?
Thanks for your reply. My boss is suggesting that I look for a less stressful job. I even considered early retirement on Ill health but I was told I'm not sick enough and too young. Lol
Well at least you haven’t given me a black eye. Just tell your boss to pull his finger out and help you to find that dream job in training! It’s interesting, many here say that the NHS does not take AF seriously enough, maybe they’re right!!.....good luck.
I think there is. Light exercise like walking. Mineral supplements. There may be some foods or chemicals that are triggers. You may want to look into them too.
I had three ablations. And have been taking mineral supplements. Afib free since April 2019. Every day is a gift without Afib especially when my ejection fraction was in the low 30's. Now in normal range again.
Years ago I was in a stressful job but noticed, too, at the time, that when sodas switched from real sugar to corn syrup, my heart rate raced for hours. Corn syrup to this day is bad news because, as I found out, it is a high glycemic food - aka, a fast, metabolizing carbohydrate, which my kidneys would go into hyper drive to get rid of the poison. That in turn sparked a really bad Afib episode. You should do your best to avoid trigger foods.
I was a senior executive. I had a lot of health dramas with 11 hospitalisations in 13 months. I ended up having a year off work and returned in June to a different role which my employer created for me (I’m lucky to have an amazing boss - it’s a privately owned company, not a large government bureaucracy). I’m now working three days per week - two in the office and one from home. I’m feeling pretty good but I know I can’t overdo it. I miss the full time money but all the money in the world is no good to you if you’re not healthy enough to enjoy it. If you’re able to get a redeployment to a less stressful role you may be able to cope better with your health challenges.
Thank you for your reply. I have asked my boss exactly that. But I was told if they can't find me anything suitable, then I'm out of a job. Fingers crossed it's not the latter 🤔
Hi bowcat, I’ve suffered with AF for years had ablation in 2005 it took away the Atrial flutter but not the fibrillation,,,, in the last 6 months I’ve had 2stents fitted for angina , I have Asthma too ,I was a night shift HGV driver ,,, my work terminated my employment through I’ll health and not being able to do job anymore , any stressful job will bring on symptoms of AF , and having asthma doesn’t help , my meds changed too because of that ,,, if you can find a less stressful job within nhs go for it ,,,, I’m 59 and prob will never work again ,,, at present I’m waiting on tests as my AF isn’t controlled anymore ,, possibly pacemaker ,,,your boss should be more supportive of your needs though ,,I’d go see union rep about your issues ,
Thank you Trucker Clark. I think you're right. I have seen occupational health today and they suggested the same thing. So I will contact the union. As they said she's doing things that she shouldn't. So fingers crossed 🤔🤞
I’m now on universal credit & getting some pip ,,, depends on how it affects you ,,, best idea Is go make appointment at money matters or citizens advice bureau,,, I did that they helped a lot ,,, it takes time to get it all done so the sooner you make app the better ,,, if you need my email to help ,I’ll gladly do that ,,,,it’s not easy and lots to go through but I can say it’s worth it , I could not work anymore & feel better overall not doing ,,, you do adapt ,,,
No problem I’ve just went through all that and not finished yet ,,,, my email is truckingclark@gmail.com First thing is see union they will get you all the help you need or should do , but go see cab,or money matters too ,, financial support is there depends on circumstances ,,,,how much
Your right this and it’s other sites are great and very helpful ,,,docs and consultants don’t seem to have the time these days rushed off their feet , so invaluable knowledge here from other sufferers
I went through nearly 2 years of feeling terrible and still working ,,, maybe part time would suit you or different job ,,, but only you will know what you can do & cant , your doc should help you too
What do you take if you dont take beta blockers? Are you on calcium xhannel. Blockers?Also I thought there was an asthma friendly beta blocker?? Can anyone advise?
No I'm allergic to a lot of meds. So I'm only taking ranatidine, fostair and rivaroxaban.
Sometimes people with stress eat more, or more goodies. If you take in more sugars when stressed, that might be your problem. Here is the data I have accumulated over the years on sugars in the diet:
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After 9 years of trying different foods and logging EVERYTHING I ate, I found sugar (and to a lesser degree, salt – i.e. dehydration) was triggering my Afib. Doctors don't want to hear this - there is no money in telling patients to eat less sugar. Each person has a different sugar threshold - and it changes as you get older, so you need to count every gram of sugar you eat every day (including natural sugars in fruits, etc.). My tolerance level was 190 grams of sugar per day 8 years ago, 85 grams a year and a half ago, and 60 grams today, so AFIB episodes are more frequent and last longer (this is why all doctors agree that afib gets worse as you get older). If you keep your intake of sugar below your threshold level your AFIB will not happen again (easier said than done of course). It's not the food - it's the sugar (or salt - see below) IN the food that's causing your problems. Try it and you will see - should only take you 1 or 2 months of trial-and-error to find your threshold level. And for the record - ALL sugars are treated the same (honey, refined, agave, natural sugars in fruits, etc.). I successfully triggered AFIB by eating a bunch of plums and peaches one day just to test it out. In addition, I have noticed that moderate (afternoon) exercise (7-mile bike ride or 5-mile hike in the park) often puts my Afib heart back in to normal rhythm a couple hours later. Don’t know why – perhaps you burn off the excess sugars in your blood/muscles or sweat out excess salt?? I also found that strenuous exercise does no good – perhaps you make yourself dehydrated??
I'm pretty sure that Afib is caused by a gland(s) - like the Pancreas, Thyroid (sends signals to the heart to increase speed or strength of beat), Adrenal Gland (sends signals to increase heart rate), Sympathetic Nerve (increases heart rate) or Vagus Nerve (decreases heart rate), Hypothalamus Gland or others - or an organ that, in our old age, is not working well anymore and excess sugar or dehydration is causing them to send mixed signals to the heart - for example telling the heart to beat fast and slow at the same time - which causes it to skip beats, etc. I can't prove that (and neither can my doctors), but I have a very strong suspicion that that is the root cause of our Afib problems. I am working on this with a Nutritionist and hope to get some definitive proof in a few months.
Also, in addition to sugar, if you are dehydrated - this will trigger AFIB as well. It seems (but I have no proof of this) that a little uptick of salt in your blood is being treated the same as an uptick of sugar - both cause AFIB episodes. (I’m not a doctor – it may be the sugar in your muscles/organs and not in your blood, don’t know). In any case you have to keep hydrated, and not eat too much salt. The root problem is that our bodies are not processing sugar/salt properly and no doctor knows why, but the AFIB seems to be a symptom of this and not the primary problem, but medicine is not advanced enough to know the core reason that causes AFIB at this time. You can have a healthy heart and still have Afib – something inside us is triggering it when we eat too much sugar or get (even a little) dehydrated. Find out the core reason for this and you will be a millionaire and make the cover of Time Magazine! Good luck! - Rick Hyer
PS – there is a study backing up this data you can view at:
How much sugar do you need to stop your afib? The answer is about 1/2 of what your daily sugar limit (threshold) is. My sugar threshold is about 80 grams a day right now. So if I go over that (and it's sooooo easy to do) my heart will start to afib. Then if I cut back to about 40-45 grams of sugar for one or two days, then the heart goes back to normal rhythm and stays there until I exceed my daily threshold of sugar again. (moderate exercise will shorten that time frame). I have gone 30 days under my sugar threshold with no afib once just to prove it is the sugar. And I have consumed my daily limit of sugar every day after going into afib and it stayed in afib for a week - just to prove that worked. So - as long as you know what your sugar threshold is you can control it, but that takes several weeks of experimenting to figure out. I use the following WEB site to know how much sugar is in different foods:
Thanks but I'm the opposite. When I'm stressed I don't overeat and I don't have a sweet tooth. Can't have salt as I have ckd. Also I constantly drink water. Eat a healthy diet too.
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