Cause and effect

[P0rtnahapp1e]

Five times in the past five years I have had a horrible experience, the first of which led to my eventual diagnosis of AF, then HF and eventually DCM.

I’m on the top dose of Entresto, 12.5 mg bisoprolol plus digoxin, atorvastatin, Apixaban, and furosemide.

Two weeks ago I flew to Edinburgh for a Burns supper and had quite a busy day getting “tarted up” for the event. Hadn’t time to eat much but was consoling myself with the thought of haggis, heaps and tattles.

I rarely drink alcohol nowadays, but a glass of Prosecco was pressed into my hand on arrival and I sipped it idly, but didn’t finish it before soup was served.

Immediately after the first course I had sparkles in front of my eyes and the room went dark. A gentleman sitting nearby was a cardiologist, he instructed 999 to be called, paramedics arrived, and I was wheeled out in a wheelchair to be examined. By this time I was feeling slightly better and was able to converse with them. Apparently my ecg was “peculiar”.

I’ve been ruminating ever since. My physical state is never caught in these instances. Could it have been alcohol on an empty stomach? (Although there was no alcohol involved in previous instances?)

Went to my gp on arrival home but of course by then I had no unusual symptoms. It’s such a feeling of impending doom that I would like to pre empt it in future. Im told that I was moaning that I was dying while lying with my head in the empty soup bowl. Drama queen or what!!

[Buffafly]

That sounds very much like my migraine aura 😨 but not suggesting it is that. My mother once gave us a terrible fright - she was having a meal with us at a pub and when we had finished our main meal I asked if she would like a pudding, then realised she was sitting with her eyes closed. We were unable to rouse her so laid her on the floor and the kerfuffle attracted the attention of a group of trainee medics who surrounded her while an ambulance was called. They pointed out that she had very little circulation in her legs (later confirmed as peripheral artery disease) whereupon she opened her eyes and said 'No thank you'! This happened several times while she was out but my mother refused to be housebound.

I'm sorry about your drama but glad that you are still embracing life and experiences - as someone recently commented it is good to hear the good news stories and although it didn't turn out that way for you it was still a good example to fearful newbies.

I hope someone is able to shed light from their experience, best wishes 💜

[Jalia]

Hi ! Seems ages since we heard from you ! What a frightening experience for you....good to hear you're ok now. I don't expect that alcohol on an empty stomach exactly helped.

Reminds me of my mother in law who passed out at Mass ( prob empty stomach) and the priest administered Last Rites......she lived several more years!

[Tomred]

hi portnahapp1e my gp put me on 5mg of bisop which completely wiped me out i could have slept for ireland so stopped taking it but was put on it again at 1.25 mg after exercise stress test showed definatively that i had indeed a-fib i seem to be tolerating it ok on a couple of occassions though ive felt particularly unwell and having dizzy spells i was putting it down to bisop but cant be sure i rarely drink nowadays myself as it took me a while to discover it triggered my afib its easy to get gloomy and doomy with this but i try to limit that until i have a bout and then i try to sleep it off so ive got it into my head that when im well im well and when im not im not and when i am well i just try to live as normal as possible