Was so good whilst it lasted , however slipped back into NSR about 2am , took a 50mg flec tablet about 4am and it was gone by 6am.
So restart the counter from 0 ....
However , happy it cleared itself , but still a reminder that it’s lurking beneath the flecainide mask .
Lately I have been forgetting or not sure if I took my first tablet of the day or not ... so I think I missed yesterday’s first tablet ( I take 3 x50mg — 1 around 1-3 pm the others approx 8 and 10pm) .
Foolish I know ,but complacency set in regarding the tablets .
Mr Afib is full of surprises , he’s a cunning bastard and will get you if you let your guard down.
I would just grab a strip of tablets with me when out for the day working / whatever .
Now I will cut 3 out every morning so I can’t miss one in a day .
Anyway I’ve noticed a few times I wake myself up snoring and I think this may have set the episode off this time ...
Yesterday I also let slip a few personal rules ( extra caffeine being one )...
Going to look into sleep apnea again as I think I could possibly have a mild case of it if that’s possible to have a mild case ....?
A while ago when I had even less knowledge of Afib , my gp almost laughed at me for me mentioning “ do you think it could be related to sleep apnea ?”.
“No , no , no , silly boy , that’s highly unlikely to be the cause with you “ ... yet I have read previously that whilst it affects certain people ( obesity link ) more than others it isn’t always related to that.
It does seem to be a choking type snore that wakes me up I think , though that’s probably mr Afib playing with my mind now after he got me again .
Don’t be foolish like me and let your guard down .
Tablets will now be taken with military precision .
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Davidv45runner
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Sleep Apnoea is one well known cause of AF which just goes to show how ignorant your GP is on such matters. This is sadly not un-common. I suggest that you press for a sleep study although with the curent situation that may be a while coming.
Happy the tablets are working( when I take the correct amount ) , yet would be good if an exact cause could be found - or at very least eliminated from the investigation .
DEFINITELY! Sleep apnea is a biggie. Do you have a mild walking program? like 10 minutes every other day, then 10 minutes a day, increasing 1 minute per week. It has helped many to give it a try. Anyway, see how you feel.
Mild sleep apnoea is possible and I seem to have some very mild symptoms which appear if I sleep on my back.
What has worked for me is a tennis ball in a pop sock pinned strategically centre back on my pyjama top so that if I try to lie on my back, it hurts and wakes me up.
Looks ridiculous and is the source of much family hilarity but it stops me gasping to breathe and sawing like a lumberjack. It might be a stop gap until you can get your sleep study.
Your GP is an idiot or trying to save money as they get charged for sleep studies and any following devices such as a CPAP machine.
My GP told me that I didn't have sleep apnoea for years before I was admitted to hospital with AF.
My EP immediately suspected sleep apnea and referred me for a sleep study.
Result was very mild SA, at a level that they wouldn't normally treat, but when I stopped breathing my O2 sats dropped below 80% putting massive strain on my heart.
Anyone can have SA, it is linked with obesity but I know some very fit people that have it, and one of our friends kids was diagnosed with it at the age of 5.
As for the pills, a dosset box is a good idea, as is setting an alarm on your phone
Your story sounds all very familiar. The following comes to mind based on my similar journey starting 6 years ago, which has been by all accounts pretty successful to date:
My GP didn't initially believe I had a problem at all & wouldn't sanction an ECG or anything else. My cardiologist seemed to have no clue about the effects of the Vagus Nerve.
My cardiologist favours taking 200mgs on a very regular basis (for me 6am & 5pm). I started on 100mgs but that didn't stop it. It needs to be stopped asap.
Overlooking taking tablets is a lesson to be learned - I had to miss a trip to Jersey because I forgot mine and couldn't take the risk. I have only missed twice and the second time I didn't realise until the next day and there were no consequences. When you are feeling well complacency is the enemy so be super strict on avoiding caffeine & I would add try reducing gluten & sugar by 75%. Also, I am afraid it is advisable to reduce your running.
Yes, I was sleep tested and found to have mild sleep apnea. I now use nasal strips & a supplement (Cyto-nite) at night and am currently doing my homework on better breathing - if you are interested check out oxygenadvantage.com & Patrick McKeowan's YouTube videos. If you are a runner you know about persistence - a valuable tool to get back at the 'cunning bastard'!
I was diagnosed with sleep apnea about 5 years ago, had AF for over 12 years and it wasn’t until I pushed my GP to give me the sleep test (questionnaire) they would refer me to the sleep clinic. Although my score from the sleep test questionnaire was borderline, I was given a full sleep study and found to have moderate sleep apnea with 11 pauses/hour. Whilst snoring may indicate sleep apnea, it is the stopping to breath - the pauses which do the damage. If you are married/in a relationship - ask your partner if they notice you stop breathing, in between snores. My husband’s pauses used to be as long as 45secs+.
There are quite a few things you can do to improve your sleep and I have just discovered relearning to breath through your nose is one of the most important factors. I learned this from Patrick McKeown and have been practising his suggested methodology. I just came across this blog which you may find of interest.
Few tips - use tape to keep your mouth closed - I just started using Myotape (The Oxygen Advantage) which is really comfortable but ordinary micro tape works nearly as well. Do the regular face exercises to strengthen the facial muscles which will help to stop soft tissue collapsing and blocking the airways - which make you snore.
I’ve used CPAP for sleep apnea for quite a few years now and it has been brilliant, BUT am discovering the down sides, blocked Eustation Tube & being unable to clear ears and excess mucous production after viral infection last November, so trying to wean myself off the machine and after researching, came across Patrick McKeown and then found out that a relation (elite endurance athlete) has been working with him in Ireland to improve performance and speaks very highly of him. I found him through a podcast that Dr Chatterjee did a few months ago.
I don't think I suffer from sleep apnea. I sleep on my side, I've a BMI of 24 and I've had no reports. However, I tried the nasal breathing and got the Oxygen Advantage book. It's a bit long winded - II'm sure the 300 pages could be condensed to 30! However most of it is quite positive, I'm breathing mostly through my nose and my sinuses are clearer.
However there's one downside for me. I find on my right side just as I'm dropping off to sleep I get some vibration in my throat (like a soft snore) that wakes me up. It's really annoying, so I've gone back to sleeping more on my left side and not worrying whether I've got my mouth open or shut at night.
Hi David
I get exactly the same thing, wake with a start if I lie on my back, try and sleep on your side and try the 'mute' nose clip that stops your nostrils closing when you sleep. I had a very mild case of sleep apnea when tested but not every night and its related to sleeping position so back sleeping is a cause of it, I am not overweight (BMI 25). Try the tennis ball trick as well as that stops you drifting onto your back. My dad had very bad apnea and it eventually killed him , however he was heavily overweight and never used the machine they gave him. It contributes greatly to AF and is enormously damaging if not addressed.
When I was on flecainide pre ablation I had an alarm on my phone to tell me to take the pill. Which normally worked. However one saturday I was doing a late shop in aldi when my 7 pm alarm went off. Of course by the time i went home I had forgotten, and I woke up straight into afib. I had a daily poll box, do a glance at that told me why!
I have very mild sleep apnea but doc doesnt agree and says i wont have it because I am sim. I fund a paper which says the opposite as children can get it and slim people. Because sleep study score only 5 NICE Guidelines wont allow you to have sleep study but their questions ate so vague, no doubt done on purpose! I now wear a nose clip at night as O discovered I was breathing through my mouth and not my nose. I suspect alot of us do this without realising it! It really helps to train you to breath rhrough your nose. They are much cheaper on ebay thsn Amazon.
I personally believe sleep apnea causes Afib, at least in my case. I had an ablation, use an anti-snoring device called Sleep Hero, and both my GP and cardiologist have said my Afib is gone. I take no meds, outside of baby aspirin.
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Shorter episodes thanks to Flecainide?
Are there times when an AFib episode is just going to happen?
Weekly episodes, trigger ideas?
