I havnt posted in a while as I've been depressed and miserable with this bloody dancing ticker of mine. I have Atypical Flutter now which means my Kardia shows normal 50bpm but my Atria goes crazy meaning I feel awful, faint and fuzzy when it occurs every few hours but only ladt a few minutes and I'm also plagued with PACS. I'm having a 7 day holter next week and on the list for my 3rd ablation.
So, my problem is I'm absolutely terrified of having to go to A&e with my ticker and the covid situation. Every missed beat and mini run makes me feel sick with fear. I live alone so that adds to the issues, cant remember the last sleep i had for more than 3 hours at a time and this has been going on for the last year. I look like I've been dug up!!!👻
Does anyone have any experience of how they deal with heart conditions if presented in A&e? Can you go directly to to the heart ward. I'm even debating cancelling my 7 day monitor next week ... I've jumped through hoops to get it and it would be stupid if I don't go but finding the fear of covid overwhelming.
Any advice would be great x
Thanks all for reading xox
Written by
booboo73
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Hi Booboo. I understand your dilemma, I’d be the same.
Is there any way the heart monitor could come to you? Have you used that type before? If so you could probably set it up yourself. Why don’t you give them a ring and explain how you’re feeling? You never know, they might have some suggestions x
Hi Hilly , took you and Bobs advice and rang them. Not a chance. I have to go and no exception to the rules... I really did try!! Also, appointments are like golddust so I will just have to go as I'm desperate for the monitor. Thanks for helping xxx
Oh I’m sorry and surprised to hear that Booboo, especially as you’re not feeling well. Remember though, hospitals are much safer than they were, all precautions are being taken.
All the best from about 20 miles away from Leeds, would offer to take you if I was allowed out. Let us know how it goes won’t you? xx
Hi Kiddo long time no speak. I think it is important to get the monitor done but as suggested can it be remote> I have been waiting ssince last August for one to be sent to me but given up for now knowing how low priority we are compared to others at this dreadful time. PM me if you need to sound off.
Hi Bob lovely to hear from you. They won't bend at Leeds and it's fair enough I suppose. Now I will have to look into wether Andy is allowed to come from Hull to pick me up and take me to Leeds as I have no other way of getting there except a taxi and that will be 50 quid. Will email you later xx x
Well, look on the bright side. You can put off having your Holter monitor for a couple of months and stop worrying about having to go to A&E next week. They have presumably stopped doing ablations at the moment so you won't lose your place on the list.
Stop worrying about your PACs. Sanjay Gupta did a video about one of his patients who had a thousand or so each day.
Hopefully, things will improve on the Covid situation and then hospitals will be safe places again.
You could ask your doctor for some sleeping tablets. Things will get better.
Hi Phyllis, I spoke to Sanjay Gupta on a private consultation, he really is lovely. I can cope with the pacs I'm just worried about the aAtypical flutter as it can go to over 200bpm if it breaks through and the mini runs are becoming more frequent and want to avoid A&e and just curious what to expect. Thanks Xxxx
My husband has A.F. and since the shutdown in April he has to go to the hospital. As he is on Warfarin he needs regular blood tests, it only takes seconds. He tells me they only have one or two in the waiting room. That does not stop me worrying, but there is no other way.
Hi buddje, thanks for the reply. Im going to go and get in over with and my friend is going to take it back for me the following week. I have waited so long for it I would be stupid not to go. Glad you're AF free long may it continue xxxx
I went to A&E this year, also had a cataract op! For the AF visit, 111 booked me in so I was whisked away by nurses as soon as I arrived. For the cataract op I found the hospital was divided into red and green areas and no way could you stray into the red one. My understanding is that there is not much you can do for flutter with medication so unless it is an emergency ablation maybe A&E won’t be helpful - you could ask if it’s worth going. I’m sure it would be justified for Andy to transport you - I assume hospital transport is not an option at this time so what else could you reasonably do?
I am so sorry you are having such a bad time, just keep saying to yourself ‘This is not forever’. I hope the Holter gets you some speedy action, but if not you’ll know you’re considered safe so that may help a bit 🦋
Thanks for the reply, you have really put my mind at rest.
I never thought of 111, I know if it kicks off i will need a cardioversion, will be my 15th,so I know how it will work. The thought of the usual A&e visit filled me with dread but maybe 111 will send me straight to the shocking chambers!
I'm glad I posted on here, I feel better. I've just been so negative the last few months I didn't want to share my misery but that's what we are all here for, to help each other. Thanks and hope things are on the up for you xxxx
as you say we are all here to help each other and the worst thing you can do is to be alone and keep your problems to yourself. It is always better to share esp at this time.
Yes i cant believe how much better I feel since I posted. When I'm really on a downer I hide away and hibernate. Silly really as you've all been such help xxxx
As Buffafly mentioned, you may not fix your heart right away. So, please take care of your mental and physical health. Focus on calming your mind, eating and sleeping well. Presenting your situation to your doctor seems a given.
Yep I will do thank you. I'm trying to keep busy and potter about. I've started doing rock painting to keep my dramatic brain occupied. Spent a bloomin fortune at Hobbycraft !! Plus I've bought a blender in preparation for healthy eating, still unopened...Well it's a start!! 😉
Below is a link to a video, adding more to the AF mosaic. Just one more (hopefully informed) opinion. I shared your critical interest, in my journey to be rid off the pest
I had a holter monitor in October and had to go to the hospital to have it fitted. I was a bit anxious going but honestly it was fine, there were probably 4 of us in what is usually a packed out waiting room, we were all very spaced out and I was in and out of the hospital in, at the most, 10 minutes! On returning it I just had to post it in a box in the reception. Please don't worry if really was very very safe.
That's great news thanks, I'm definatily going to go. The nurse todsy said it would be apx 10 mins....so I will strip off, get it fitted and run like the wind out of there !!! Xxxx
Hi there , I haven’t been to hospital with my heart since covid times but spent much of 2018/19 rushing to A&E with an extremely fast heart rate due to PAF. I can say without fail every time I was given a red card and seen pretty quickly and usually stayed on the a&e ward until being discharged a few hours later. I have also been to A&E during COVID times for falling down the stairs and can say that I actually felt quite safe as they take all necessary precautions. I’m sorry to hear of your troubles , if it helps when I had these awful episodes I used to try and remind myself that they do pass , and worrying makes it worse so I used to do deep breathes and try and distract myself , I know that’s extremely difficult though !! Take good care of yourself and hope you get the proper help soon
Sounds like you have had an awful time, the a&e visits are bad enough without the covid. Hope you have something sorted out with your ticker.
Thank you, very reassuring about your experience. I'm hoping it won't go into fast flutter/tach but I know well enough the a cardioversion is the only thing that works had loads of them now. Xxx
YeH ain’t heard from you in a while hope you are ok also, are you 100% going to have your 3rd abalation? You can’t continue going through this it’s Awful having AF and flutters even if you are having a few good days you are just waiting for the heart to play up, are they doing a 7-day holter monitor to see how bad the flutter is?
Yep 100%. I have a strange arrythmia... A-typical flutter/tach. My Kardia can show 40bmp but it's all going crazy in the atria and the pacs/pvc are horrible, feels like flutter is trying to break through to my ventricals... I'm bloody sick of it!!
I've been warned low success rate with 3rd ablation then if it doesn't help will be pace and ablate I guess. But they must be some optimism is they are gonna fund the ablation. Xxxx
Good luck with it all booboo. I have been to A&E twice for Afib since Covid and several other hospital appts - one for a cystoscopy (fast tracked on two-week cancer path, so had to go!), two appointments for Cardiology. You couldn't get any more anxious than me about going to hospital in these scary times. It looks like you've come round to going and I'm sure that you'll be fine - just keep gelling/washing those hands at every opportunity! Great that you've got a 7-day holter. I have ordered a 7-day pad from Sanjay Gupta - I've had to pay but I knew I'd be hard pushed to get one on the NHS. Quite funny, when I first typed holter it autotexted holster - all guns blazing!! Good luck with it all and I hope you get some reassurance. I am surprised about your Kardia readings giving normal as you would think that it would give 'unclassified'. Got me worried now, as I use a Kardia 🤔🥴
Ha ha holster, i hate auto text. I once wrote anout my other half as a group text 'Andys got a fatty liver' unfortunately I wrote Andy's got a fatty LOVER.... not far from the truth !! Don't let my arrythmia worry you, it's very rare.
Sanjay Gupta is so lovely, I had a chat with him recently. I don't live too far so I may have a consultation with him when all this calms down.
Thanks for the advice, I'm much more confident now about going xxx
Good luck booboo. Can I ask if you tried Magnesium, Taurine supplements ? Are you drinking a lot of water ? (you need to replenish electrolytes). All the best.
Hi, I tried them about 6 months ago and I seemed to get more weirdness going on. I'm sure it's psychological but I'm scared to use them again. I've bought a big water bottle as part of my health kick ... I just need to fill it !!! Xxx
You've had loads of good advice and I do hope you're feeling less stressed about all this. I would add, have you thought of learning some relaxation techniques to help how you feel? I find a bit of deep breathing the moment I start to feel remotely anxious really helps. xxx
Having recently been in a&e and then admitted overnight I couldn’t fault the care I was given and COVID precautions taken by the staff. I went in via the 111 service who booked me directly into a&e and I was quickly seen.
It was a positive experience so please don’t over worry and attend for your test and go to a&e if you need to.
Thinking of you. You won't be going straight to any ward if you go to A&E. Have to have a covid test and get clearance first. Re monitor appointment, it will be fine and in cardiac dept away from A&E and covid wards.
It was my third ablation that really helped me. I'm in constant mild AF now, but can lead a fairly normal life and do long, hilly walks.
Hello lovely lady x yes I'm hoping 3rd time lucky and if not I'm more open minded to pace & ablate. The more research I've done on it it's much more positive than I thought. Anything is better than this!Lots if love Jean xxx
Hi BB, no wonder you feel anxious all your going through. I'm sure the hospital will make sure your well isolated from any contact with anything covid , and just make sure you keep your own hand gel and mask at all times. I hope the next ablation helps, I can't imagine how you feel going through so much, but hopefully the third ablation gives the results to relieve some or all of these symptoms , as you rightly say they wouldn't fund it unless it looked viable . I worried when I was in flutter years ago so know a bit how you feel, but compared to what you've had to ensure it pales how I felt into insignificance. Stay strong and go for the halter, itl help them get your third op precise 👍
I feel for you but ì have ended up in A&E twice since Christmas after collapsing with pa emaker problems. Both times i was totally isolated from other patients and so were my trips to xray and C T scan. I am home now all my covid tests were negative and my care was wonderful. Please do t be afraid . .
Thank you, that's very reassuring, I'm not half as anxious as I was before I posted on here. A friend of mine passed away recently with covid so my already high anxiety shot through the roof !! Ive calmed myself down a bit now x Hope you got your pacemaker sorted x
Don’t cancel.... I had my Ablation at St George’s this year just as we started the 2nd lockdown.... straight up to the ward no problems. Then on NYE I went to A&E with chest pains. Covid patients do NOT sit waiting with A&E patients. It’s all separate.
I felt extremely safe and secure there. All the seating was cubicled out aswell.
No problems and obvs I didn’t catch anything as I’m here to tell the tale!
Btw, no massive queues or ambulances lining up outside either.
Dear Boo,I can relate to your fear and empathise with your dancing heart too.
I hope that, like me you find comfort in this AFib forum.
I’ve just got back from my local hospital and although of course your experience may be different, all I can say is that I felt very safe there.
I didn’t have to go via A and E, but went straight up into the cardiac unit and all was well... everyone in masks and kept at a distance and my specialist nurse was in PPE.
yes all this certainly helps thank you, just sorry you had to go through what you had to give me the advice!!..... Hope you are sorted x yes this forum is invaluable , been on it for a while now and always helps xxx
Can’t add n e fing, just wanted to say ello and ‘ope you get it sorted.....😉
I’m in the USA ... l had a quick afib attack several months ago ... l always go immediately to emergency room ... it is five minutes away from home ... they greet you at the door ... take temp ... and admit you ... you are then escorted to an examination room ... everyone is gloved, masked, etc. l was there for perhaps one hour and returned to nsr ... my husband accompanied me ... it was a breeze ... they gave me all necessary tests ... three or four nurses and several doctors looked after me. Not to worry.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Bisoprolol to proprananol 😣
Ectopics have taken over my life
Should I be chasing for answers?
Diltiazem X-ray 120 mg
