Hi everyone, iv been having atrial fibrillation for about a year still waiting to see the cardiologist which is obviously going to be longer now , my episodes became more regular last September so my GP prescribed me a beta blocker low dose to only take at onset of an episode and up until now iv managed them without having to take one . Until today. I was literally sat down and this horrendous pain shot from my neck to my middle back shoulder blades area I felt nauseous and dizzy and my heart was literally pounding in my head , the pain in my back is completely new to me so obviously I freaked out which didn't help and thought I was having a heart attack. I rang 999 and could barely get my sentence out when the pain struck again it almost made me collapse, this literally lasted about 5 mins if that the ambulance took 6 mins I took a beta blocker at 10.12 my heart monitor registered 127 at its height and within 3 mins was down to 91 . That has to be the scariest episode yet as iv never thought of pain in back being a symptom of atrial fibrillation. I need reassurance that this does happen and worry if you all say it's not normal was this a tiny heart attack ? I take bisoprolol 1.25mg if I feel I cant control the episode.. any help or advice much appreciated thanks
Atrial fibrillation : Hi everyone, iv... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Atrial fibrillation
Sounds very scarey. I've never had a reaction quite like that. What did the paramedics do / say?
They said it probably wasn't a heart attack but to call them back if it lasted 15 mins or more , now I'm wondering if it was from your reaction do you think it could have been ?
So I am a little confused, did you Doc tell you to take the beta blocker or not? If you are in AF, you are having an episode, so don't get why you waited till, YOU REALLY HAD AN EPISODE. I think you should be taking the beta blocker because what ti does is control your heart rate. The reason I'm stating any of this is because if I take less than what I'm supposed to (right now 75 mg of metropolol-a beta blocker), my heart starts to run hard. I can only imagine if I took 5 mg or none, I might have what you experienced. Read the instructions on the bottle for your bisoprolol especially given the circumstances with COVID.
I'm not allowed to take them daily they are PIP sorry I didn't explain that properly I'm still feeling a bit shaken to be honest, the GP prescribed them to be taken when an episode starts and I did exactly what she said . But the back pain isnt usual iv never experienced that before I was trying to find out if anyone else had
I think you should call her asap. You might have to be on a beta blocker all the time. You shouldn't wait.
Really ? I only get about 4 episodes a year and they never last more than 8 mins
Until now! We are not medically trained so please do as suggested. Although most people do not experience pain some do and need hospital treatment for it. Presumably the paramedics did not think you had any real problem or they would have taken some other action but best to get some professional advice.
I used to be completely "anti" taking any pills, but A-fib changed that. I am convinced that my beta-blocker, helps me live a normal life, without being breathless. While some have side effects, I amongst the 80% who have no ill effects.
Your scaring me now why asap ?
You wrote this - I didn't: " I was literally sat down and this horrendous pain shot from my neck to my middle back shoulder blades area I felt nauseous and dizzy and my heart was literally pounding in my head , the pain in my back is completely new to me so obviously I freaked out which didn't help and thought I was having a heart attack."
We're not doctors. I'm saying you should call her to appease your anxiety.
Sorry to be ignorant. But. What’s the danger/benefit with Bisoprolol and Covid?
No idea.
This person just wrote this: you should talk to her.
Hi to all you lovely people
sotolol•
2 hours ago•3 Replies
Thank you to all of you and your support and advice. I thank you from the bottom and top of my heart 💓
My cardiologist rang back had a chat dictating a letter to GP for bisoprolol. She said it may not help but if it puts your rate back it’s worth a try.
Also she said this hospital is full of covid so I don’t want you in A+E.
Also I remember someone saying drink a glass of cold water. I did in one go and it’s brought my pulse down already or am I just nuts ??. But it really has.
I can breathe better at least. Bless you all.
First off I'm not a doctor Jodie - I have don't have any medicial training at all.
The HR of 127 is not unusual if suddenly afib kicks in. It's good news that the rate lowered in a few minutes. It's very easy to panic when afib suddenly sets in. It's likely your rate will be higher for a while after the episode - mine always is - often for a few days.
My post here won't really help - all I can say is try and relax and stay claim. The high rate seems to have lowered it's self. Between 60 - 100 beats a minute is the norm. I've gone much higher when in afib as we all do.
If you are in doubt you must seek medicial attention. The doctors might 'up' your dose of bisoprolol for use as a PIP - it's at the lower range of the doseage so something to discuss with them.
You wrote
"They said it probably wasn't a heart attack but to call them back if it lasted 15 mins or more"
Your first post was two hours ago. I guess by now you'll know if the pain is still there (I'm posting about 15-35 pm UK time). I think you should follow their advise but stay claim too. I'll follow the thread to see how you get on. Anxiety and afib go hand in hand. Often it's not as bad as we think - however if you have any doubts contact the emergency services again.
Good luck.
Paul
Hi Paul. The afib lasted longer than the pain , the pain I assumed was related to the afib but iv never experienced it before , it was not in my chest just my back and didnt last long at all . The paramedic said if any pain in between the shoulder blades lasts longer than 15 mins you must go to hospital, because my readings were all fine by the time she got to me she said she doubted it was a heart attack but some people have minor heart attacks and don't even realise it , that's when I began to feel worried. Unfortunately my own GP is currently in critical care in hospital with the virus so il have to take advice over the phone tomorrow thanks for your reassurance
Did they do an EKG and draw blood tests? The only reliable way to diagnose a heart attack is thru EKG and labs. Often the ekg and labs are normal but labs need to be repeated periodically for several hours and sometimes its 12-24 hours later they show a heart attack has occurred.
Iv never had bloods taken by a paramedic they always take me to hospital and draw them there but obviously I'm reluctant to go for them at the moment I just wanted to know has any one else suffered from back pain whilst in afib but I'm realising it's not the norm . Although I did check old posts and someone else said they had back pain when in afib . Oh and she did an ECG but said that was perfectly normal
A small proportion of people experience pain during AF episodes & the usual recommendations are that you don’t need to go to A&E with AF unless you are faint, feeling very unwell, AF lasts more than 24 hours & you aren’t on anti-coagulants OR if you experience pain, especially sharp pain.
Your specialist may not want you in hospital & you now seem to be out of it but that sort of pain isn’t usual so best try & get a virtual consult with a cardiologist in my opinion, if only for your reassurance.
Keep an AF journal & if you have any ways of monitoring HR & BP & Sats record that information as it can be useful & reassuring.
If you have a Kardia to monitor an ECG even better as you can email them to your doctor.
Hope you feel better soon.
Thanks , I'm on the waiting list to be referred to the cardiologist it's a 12 month waiting list i was put on it in September 2019 so still waiting, I'm not usually concerned with my afib episodes to be honest but this was different but the pain literally lasted a few mins , I looked through the search here and found a post 2 years old that said she had exactly the same thing pain shooting down between her shoulder blades but the cardiologist thought it may be inflammation and non related to afib .
She who shouts loudest.......I do think you should at least talk to your GP about YOUR experience - if they think it requires further investigation they will refer to a cardiologist, even if you don’t get to physically see them.
Best wishes
It CAN be a referred pain - that's what I was told last time I was in A and E. But I agree with the posts here urging you to take action. This is a change in your condition - any change should be reported to your GP. Ask for a phone consultation with your GP say you had to call the paramedics, talk them through it and ask for advice. Good luck. Don't suffer in silence!
I have had pain when my heart was running very fast - much faster than 127 - but not the sort you describe. I would make a fuss.
I totally agree with CDreamer when it was written " She who shouts loudest......." One must never assume even before Covid19 that once on a waiting list you won't get forgotten, it happened to me also my wife's consultant andour hospital is normally excellent. After my second ablation I was waiting to hear about a follow up as I knew I would need my meds adjusted after three months as discussed if all was going well, I hadn't heard anything for 4 months so chased and got an appointment within 7 days with the Cardiologist who immediately reduced my Bisoprolol as my heart rate was dropping to early 40's. Good luck.
Amen to that. I wrote a formal letter of complaint to me GP practice manager and oh boy have they upped their care of my condition!
Hi Jodie. I've had AFib for just over 4 months. I didn't get pain at all the first time but I do now. I've had three episodes. Pain in the back and in the neck I think is to do with the course if the vagus nerve, which wraps around the heart. That dose of Bisoprolol is quite low so in these times, when what you want to do is avoid A and E I'd be onto my GP to ask for advice as to dose and frequency of drugs. Re cardiologist - if you had an appointment booked - call the hospital, or get your GP to write - and ask for s telephone appointment. I got one. And truly, when this is all over, consider paying to see your cardiologist privately if you can to speed things up. It's usually about £200 and well worth it. What you'll be wanting right now is reassurance and to stay safe.
Hi Jodie. I used to get back pain with my af, although not sharp pain like you experienced. Mine was more of a growing tension in head and neck that would stop me sleeping. My non-doctor understanding is that electrical signals from a widely firing heart can leak back out into vagus nerve and cause this kind of issue in the surrounding muscles. Infact since ablation I've realised the whole area had become locked up and tense as a secondary effect of afib - its now starting to loosten up with a mot of crunching and growing.
So, there is link, its likely to be that, but I'd second what others said on either private cardiologist, or blood tests next time to make sure that definitely is what you are feeling and nothing more worrying.
Hi Jodie, you need to have a proper investigation but as you say it's not the right time to develop a medical problem...is there ever a right time?
The sad truth is if your problem is not continuous and no other markers can be found pointing to what it may be, the medical profession will shrug and say come back if it happens again.
This is understandable as otherwise they can spend a huge amount of time and money searching for something in the dark, an ECG and blood test will normally indicate whether you are having or have had a heart attack.
A similar thing happened to my wife, she was having fainting episodes and collapsed a few times whilst out shopping.
She had all the tests but nothing was found, the doc said next time it happens call 999, they do have limits to what they can do.
Eventually she had a longish episode, her pulse had dropped to 32, blues and twos and she ended up having a pacemaker fitted which solved the problem.
Has your AF been positively identified by an ECG? Have you been prescribed an anti-coagulent? This is the first thing they do if your AF has been positively identified.
A sudden jump in heart rate is completely normal if you have an episode like this, this is down to an adrenaline rush and I wouldn't worry too much about that.
This pain could hopefully be a one off, an inflamed nerve, maybe it won't come back again, heart arrythmias are very common as we get older, and most are uncomfortable but not necessarily dangerous, many people live with permanent AF perfectly normally, although I have not heard of it causing actual pain.
Stress is also not going to help, easier said than done I know but you should try some stress reducing procedures.
Stay safe
Hi I was told by a paramedic 2 years ago that the ECG showed afib she said paraxysmal atrial fibrillation my then gp did nothing and I was having about 2 episodes a year since then iv changed gp and they are around 4/5 a year ? But I don't panic as I know what to expect but ECG always show nothing and a 24 hour monitor showed nothing but she prescribed me a PIP of bisoprolol 1.25mg to take on start of an episode which iv only done twice . I took it this time and the pain stopped and afib lasted literally 8 to 10 mins ? Shortest ever to be honest but I rang 999 as this pain was completely new to me it made me feel nausea and dizzy but passed quickly. Iv rung gp still no call back but I will persist all day until they reply as I'm more worried now reading these replies thanks for your advice
I shouldn't worry too much, as we get older arrythmias become more and more common but these episodes can be a bit scary.
Unfortunately many people go to the docs but they can find nothing wrong. They may put you on a 24hr monitor, and if it doesn't show anything serious I'm afraid they may send you home (like my wife above) until you present with the symptoms in real time.
If they did identify AF (and AF has some very clear markers on an ECG) then you would probably be put on anticoagulant therapy to guard against stroke. It's no big deal, I've been on warfarin for 4 years now even though my AF is well controlled with meds, they just want me to continue permanently to be on the safe side. I just have to stop if I have a medical intervention which involves cut and stitch (just had a hernia repair).
Stay safe and don't worry too much.
Thanks , iv had the 24 hour monitor it showed nothing but a paramedic once said I had paraxysmal atrial fibrillation as I was showing afib in the ambulance on the monitor it's not the afib that worried me its the shooting pain in between my shoulder blades as that could be a sign of a heart attack but gp still hasn't called me back il keep trying as I'm convinced it's more than AF
I’ve had those symptoms as well. I thought I was having a heart attack. I have seen the Specialist Heart Surgeon at the Freeman Hospital and was told I needed an ablation. I am waiting to have this procedure, which has been postponed because of coronavirus. I have been given flecainide and a blood thinner while I wait for surgery. The medication is helping the pain and has helped the symptoms as you have described.
I know this is really scary for you, but try and relax and know you are going to get through this. The Cardio heart teams are excellent and will support you. I’ve been given a number of the specialist heart nurse at my local hospital who I can ring at any time. She is brilliant and really supportive when I am panicking through fear of a heart attack.
Much love to you at this scary time.
Denise xx
Did you experience the pain in between the shoulder blades ? It scared the life out of me I'm on waiting list to see a cardiologist I cant wait I'm worried sick to be honest xx
Yes. I had pain and tingling in my arms and pain going down my back, which I still get at times but not as much. Need ablation really so hopefully this pandemic will be over soon and my procedure will be done xx
Hi Jodiedebs55. Someone said a glass of cold water helps bring you round. I had a bad afib attack last year at Jamaca Inn in Cornwall and the man at the shop very kindly gave me a glass of lemonade and water with ice, it was very cold, and it brought me out of it quite quickly. Try it next time, it may help. Not meaning to be pessimistic but you say you only get afs about 4 times a year. Just remember that af is progressive and will most likely get worse over time. It did for me but I have had an ablation which has put me right for the time being.
Hang on in there.
Good luck for the future.
Regards Flyer.
Hi I live in Cornwall near Jamaica inn . Have you experienced the pain in between shoulder blades ? I normally manage mine fine but not this time , I always drink cold water at the start of an afib episode as my Bisoprolol is a PIP iv only used it twice to be honest, I will pester my gp today as I'm still waiting for a call back thanks for the reassurance
Hello again Jodiedebs55. I have not experienced pain in between the shoulder blades. I occasionally got a pain mid chest, a bit like indigestion. I sometimes thought I was about to have a heart attack, but got used to the symptoms after a while. Af is a horrible scourge and it affects people differently so I am hardly surprised by your symptoms.
Stay safe.
God bless.
Flyer.
Hi Jodie, my AF started with a single episodein 2016 and I was put on 1.25mg bisoprolol daily. I was fine, no AF, until August last year, when I had an severe episode of fast AF, with severe chest and back pain, lots of weeing, the pain lasted about an hour. I was taken to A&E, ECG was OK, but the bloods showed high troponin. Everyone was sure I'd had a heart attack. I remained in AF, had to stay in hospital for 6 days because I was waiting for an angioplasty and they said I had significant heart damage. Angioplasty showed no blockages and no damage to heart. This severe reaction was due to the AF. I was in AF for 5 weeks until cardioversion in September, then ablation in January. I'm still recovering from that. You should talk to your GP urgently about your AF and your medication. It seems odd to me that you are not on your beta blocker continuously, but I'm not a doctor. I was also put on an anti coagulant in 2016 and have been on it since, and will be for life. I think you need more information about the way your AF is being managed.
Thankyou so much il get back on to my gp today
Waiting 15 minutes after presenting symptoms like you had described could wind up killing you. Stop guessing, and ask your cardiologist to put you on a 24-hour heart monitor (Holter). You really need an electrophysiologist, who specializes in heart rhythm disorders. Finally, many patients cannot take beta blockers, due to certain side effects, such as bradycardia (slow heart rate), which can make one feel light-headed (not same as dizzy), especially when standing up from a sitting position.
I don't have a cardiologist I'm on the waiting list for one and I only take 1.25mc of Bisoprolol as a PIP iv only taken 2 since September as I rarely get afib
I had a 24 hour heart monitor in January it showed absolutely nothing
Hi Jodie, If the pain came just before your afib attack it could be the sheer anxiety of the pain that caused a surge of adrenaline that caused you to have an afib attack. So in turn could be a completely different issue. All kinds of different stresses and worries can kick of afib. Good luck x
Hi,
I have constant A Fib and heart failure and can only speak from my experiences.
The majority, but not all, of the times I have been to hospital I have been released when my heart rate has been controlled. My heart failure nurse phoned me yesterday to tell me that if I get any issues in the coming weeks to contact her or my GP first as the last place they want me going at the moment is hospital.
I suspect that you are a combination of both. The paramedics would normally have taken you in but, as they have controlled your rate, and they don't want you to go into hospital (due to the risks currnelty there) they have kept you at home.
These are strange times and the best treatment today maybe not be as it was a few months ago.
Stay calm and positive (I appreciate that is easier said than done).
Best wishes
Neil
Put on your face mask, gloves and other protective clothing and immediately go to the emergency room. The pain you describe could potentially be very very serious. Better to risk getting a viral covid flu than lose your life. This is what l would do. Don’t be stubborn. Don’t make excuses. Stop asking questions to those who really don’t have professional training and aren’t doctors. The only way they can tell you that you didn’t have a heart attack is by giving you many tests including blood work. Good luck.
To be honest, after two 7-9 hour ablations (chasing a pesky flutter) , a dozen or so cardioversions over the years, I would be happy with four afib episodes a year. The pain sounds more like angina, but I'm not a doctor and I'll join the chorus of all the other "not a doctor" on this post and suggest you see one, if no other reason than an EKG and a medication review. If you have been diagnosed with afib, what is your anti-coagulant and dosage.
I have a PIP Bisoprolol 1.25mg at start of afib but rarely feel the need to use them as I don't ever feel I cant control them with breathing techniques and drink cold water so this was a complete shocker for me as iv never experienced pain but the paramedic did say if it was a heart attack my heart beat wouldn't have slowed right down and mine didn't so that was reassuring. I just hoped to get reassurance here which I have . I have been on the waiting list for a cardiologist since September 2019 but obviously wont be seen now for a long time , my gp is in critical care with the virus and I'm waiting for another gp to call me back ..thanks for your reply I do appreciate that
Hi I had exact same symptoms on 2nd sat in Dec paramedics did a ecg said not conclusive I had go for a repeat one had to go to Hosp for bloods and another Ecg dr put me on 2.5 Bisoprolol and 5mg x2 daily the next day as I have high Bp on meds for that previously and also copd but had some side effects to start but over them now have been ok just a couple of minor blips usually food related cut down on salt n processed food eating more fruit n veg which I did amy anyway was never given positive cause as follow up app been delayed due to covid restrictions but I m doing ok but I'd ring gp and ask for more info
Did you get the shooting pain between your shoulder blades ?
Felt like a punch in chest that went straight through chest to In between shoulder blades n ache in my shoulder and left arm but I had a bit of an anxiety prob family related earlier in the day I mentioned about hearing a change in my heart beat to my gp a few years ago but not given a conclusive diagnosis due to tests being put on hold at present time so still not sure on cause ie anxiety or minor heart prob sorry not to be more helpful as I have back and chest pain related to my copd. But meds seem to have helped even though I don't like having to take pills for everything I will do until I get conclusive diagnosis stress anxiety doesn't help so try to speak to someone and take care
What do experienced members think of this?
AFib/Atrial Flutter Burden
As my atrial fibrillation come back?
Atrial Fibrillation 
