Cowardly Newbie

[Grigbey56]

Hi, I have had this problem for one week but it follows a couple of months of anxiety disorder and depression which is a bad combination. I have always been petrified of getting older with all the potential illnesses that come with and as the reality sinks in, I am absolutely shitting myself in all honesty. Sorry for the gloomy mood and thanks again for your time.

[Hidden]

Hi Grigbey and welcome to the forum. Assuming you have been diagnosed with AF, the first and best thing you can do is to find out as much as you can about the condition and read about the various ways it can be managed. If you click on the following link, you will find lots of information which will help you overcome your anxiety.

healthunlocked.com/afassoci.........

Some important things to remember. Over 1.3 million people in the UK have AF and most are able to live relatively normal lives and provided their AF is controlled, there is no evidence that it will cause premature death. Of course, Coronavirus has not helped and during February, March and April this Forum was almost swamped by members who were finding it difficult to to come to terms with what was going on. Although it does look as though history is about to repeat itself, we did manage to get through the difficult times first time round because this is a strong group with knowledge and experience of what people like you are experiencing. Again, assuming you have AF, you need to know that bad lifestyle choices have a major impact on AF and it’s symptoms and this is something you really need to consider. Apologies for the lecture, but we can only help if we are honest......(regarding your comments on your profile and not your post)

[Grigbey56 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for the encouragement, I have always been very scared of health things despite my bodily abuse which I am angry with myself over now.

[CDreamer in reply to Grigbey56]

Hi and welcome.

It is important to understand the relevance of emotional and psychological distress and physical illness, especially with AF. Your very fear of illness and your anger with yourself will have impact so may I suggest that if you haven’t already got such support, that you seek out psychological support and develop coping strategies. These can be quite straightforward such as CBTMindfulness practice which once learned, you can practice at home. Do you take any medications for Depression and Anxiety? Some of these medications may trigger AF so important to know and discuss with your doctor.

You can help yourself but that does take work and commitment and it will help you to cope with the arrythmias and the various treatment options.

Best wishes CD

[jeanjeannie50]

Welcome to the forum Grigbey56.

Well I can tell you that you've joined a lovely caring community here, so start rejoicing that you're now with people who totally understand.

What you are feeling right now will soon pass and you'll come to accept having atrial fibrillation (AF), it's a pain as it can sometimes prevent us from doing the things we want to. I'd rather have this than cancer, Parkinson's, Motor Neurone disease or lose a limb or my sight. At age 17, I came face to face with a man who had lost half his face, it made me dizzy with shock. Aren't we lucky to have just AF and the bonus is we still look fairly normal?

One day I'd gone to hospital to have a skin cancer removed from my thigh. I didn't feel well at all afterwards and as my friend drove me home, I was full of self pity. Then I looked out of the car window and saw a young man sat on a bench, both lower parts of his legs were missing from the knees down and he wore like metal running blades. It made me feel ashamed of myself for making a fuss over my small spot removal. So come on let's be glad AF is all we've been dealt with from life's pack of cards.

Some wise information for you here from our lovely FlapJack.

Look at your diet and try to make it one that doesn't include any foods or drink containing artificial additives. Make sure you are never dehydrated as that can be a trigger and drink plenty of water. A lot of members here swear their AF has been helped by supplementing with magnesium, it can be taken as a tablet, salts to put in your bath, or as an oil spray. I take magnesium glycinate capsules and believe they've helped me. Also beware of consuming too much sugar.

Big healing hug my friend, trust me you'll be fine and it's highly unlikely that it will kill you.

Ask any questions and bear in mind that we always say that there's no such thing as a daft one.

Jean

[Guitar335 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Love your reply jeanjeannie50

[JudyMarieC in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Jean - I love your reply. After several weeks of having my own personal pity party due to a flare up of afib, your remarks made me realize that, yes, there are worse things. So thank you for helping me to put things in perspective - I feel so much better. Judy

[C66t in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Beautiful post Jean.💐

[Paulbounce]

Welcome to the forum Gribley.

What can I add to the great posts from Jean and Flap. Not much really.

Except this - afib isn't as half as bad as you think it will be. When I was first told I had it then I too had a mass panic. Is it half as bad I thought ?

Nah - nowhere near.

I think we all feel on a 'downer' at the moment with what's going on in the world.

You wrote

"I have always been petrified of getting older"

Yep - however I count my blessings and find it's a privilege to be be allowed to get this far.

You also wrote

" it follows a couple of months of anxiety disorder and depression which is a bad combination"

Sure - have you spoken to your GP about this ? Maybe it's worth seeing a councilor for a natter ?

Best,

Paul

[sotolol in reply to Paulbounce]

Yes Paul a privilege to get old.

[Paulbounce in reply to sotolol]

Heheh - not 'old old' just yet Sotolol. Still the way time passes it won't be long !

Enjoy your weekend .

Paul

[Grigbey56 in reply to Paulbounce]

I have had the usual phone appointments, am regularly messaging the Samaritans, finally had one healthy minds call last Friday, and been on Sertraline for nearly five weeks. I m not 100% sure what specifically brought on the anxiety disorder although I did take the Covid situation very badly back in March and thought I'd caught it in June turned out to be severe cellulitis which hospitalised me for five nights. Thanks for your time and encouraging words, Regards.

[Hidden in reply to Paulbounce]

Ha, yes, there's a quote something to the effect that getting older is a lot better than the alternative! Still alive and faintly kicking...

[Paulbounce]

By the way Grigbey - I just checked out your profile.

You are short term afib and it could revert back to normal on it's own. However I think it's important to be on the ball and act right away. The quicker the better here - have you contacted a medic about it ? If not get on job asap. Sorry to lecture but keep off the booze for a few days - it might make all the diference.

As above keep drinking water and stay well hydrated - it can really make the difference.

One other thing - do you find it easy to fall asleep ? This can really help if you get a good nights sleep - I would try to rest.

If you haven't already contacted your doctor do it as soon you can. You are not 'doomed' and I feel in your situation you may find treatments very succesful.

Keep up undated - I feel sure things will turn out better than you think

Best,

Paul

[Letofeyd]

I am also new to this AFib and to this forum. I share your fears, and I am scared witless.

My dad died suddenly at 52, and I am 52 in December. It seems silly, but I take after him and don't want to die.

So, you are not alone in your fears.😏

All new sufferers of any disease or disorder are scared at first.

Others have trod this path before us. Maybe we can gain some confidence from them.🌹

Sending kind thoughts.

H

[Cha275rL in reply to Letofeyd]

Try not to worry Letofeyd . My dad died suddenly at 63, and, as I take after him, I thought the same as you, but have managed to get 12 years past that so far. Take care.

E

[David1958 in reply to Letofeyd]

I really would not worry about the age thing. My dad died at 59 and my mom at 61. Some people get really wigged out about such things, but there is no correlation. You can take after someone but you are not them. I take after my mother but she was killed in a car accident. We are all at risk of that particular scenario, but it is not preordained. Lifestyle, eating habits, exercise, alcohol intake and more have more to do with our longevity than the genes we inherit from each parent. I am the youngest sibling in my family and am 62, so I safely passed them both bye.

[C66t]

Hi Grigbey, it is ok to feel down and dealing with afib does not help. I'll be 70 in few weeks and feck it the miles on the clock show.😀 I agree with Jean seeing someone else with big health issues can put things into perspective. I hope you have support and here you will always get great support. Keep us posted. Healing hugs to you.💐💐☘😀😀