Not sure what's happening

[tabletphobic]

I don't know if I'm still experiencing Afib, I don't feel at all as I did before when my heart was pounding out of my chest. If I feel something now its very subdued and normally on waking. But I feel kind of jittery/shaky as well. Can anyone relate ?

[Trapes]

I think when you’ve had it for a while and it becomes persistent some don’t notice the symptoms anymore. Have you any device you can check it with?

[tabletphobic in reply to Trapes]

I don't , I'd asked the nurse if she thought it was a good idea to get the watch that checks all these things but she said she wouldn't I'd get paranoid. I'm not sure now because it might be better to know for sure. I have the machine thing which the clinic can download to see whats happened but my next appointment isn't till July

[Paulbounce]

Yes for sure TP - I can relate.

You wrote

"I feel kind of jittery/shaky as well"

IMO this is apart of afib - it doesn't mean your heart is not beating as it should. Anxiety and worry is part of it.

Now then - relaxing might be key here (if you have doubts of course contact your medic). OK first off have you tried the correct breathing exercises and grounding ?

Paul

[tabletphobic in reply to Paulbounce]

Thanks, I have a feeling that some of my symptoms are caused by being a bit panicky as I'm worse when I'm out and I am watching for every little thing going on. Got some epsom salts to see if that helps. I do try to relax but for me its activity that does that.

[Kingst in reply to tabletphobic]

Please don't underestimate the power of the mind and our emotions to impact our bodies. Anxiety has many, many manifestations and the feeling of internal shakiness is a common one. Its even know that classic yogis can regulate their heartbeat at will, so you can see the connection, the pathway, between the mind and the body, and our potential power over it. As others have mentioned, deep breathing is a smart and effective way to bring immediate relief to anxiety. I have learned that simply inhaling through my nose for a count of five, holding it for a count of five, then exhaling through my mouth for a count of five has been very effective. I do this frequently and overall it has made an impact on my body's response to stress. Also, its worth making sure you are not suffering from adrenal exhaustion due to the cycle of anxiety. Taking care of your overall health through proper nutrition, sunlight, exercise goes a long way in helping balance things out. Best of luck!!

[tabletphobic in reply to Kingst]

Thanks for that, I had feedback from the clinic and the last afib I had was yesterday which lasted a minute and I didn't even feel anything at that time, so I'm reassured its not that. Started eating healthier and I'll remember about the breathing. Feel better knowing its not the afib. Its gone from one lasting 4 hrs to 1 hour and now minutes few and far between. I think the shakiness is part anxiety and part stomach issues

[Kingst in reply to tabletphobic]

You know there is this whole new, emerging area of research that is showing a powerful connection between gut microbiome and the heart and mind. They have even managed, through clinical trials, to isolate specific probiotics that address regulation of things like mood, anxiety, brain functions, etc. There is a lot of interesting information about this on PubMed. If you are having tummy troubles you might want to explore this area of treatment.

[tabletphobic in reply to Kingst]

I'll look at that. When this suddenly happened I was convinced it was my stomach issues that set it off. Before it got bad I felt that the mild palpitations I had when in bed was coming from my stomach. I didn't say anything because I thought it was mad to think that. Having come across Dr Gupta from yorkcardiology, he described exactly what I was feeling then. I have been trying probiotics on and off for years ( having been into complementary stuff ) on the one hand I feel great on them but on the other i get sore itchy eyes and it worsens my stomach complaints. I'll look into your link though Thanks. At the moment trying goat's yogurt

[PlanetaryKim]

My episodes stopped 11 weeks ago. (Hope that's permanent but we shall see.) But prior to that my episodes were once every 2-3 weeks, and that jittery/shaky feeling was my primary symptom at that point. In the beginning my primary symptom was heart banging chaotically in chest. But in the last year it became this subtle thing of feeling "off", tense, easily panicked or angered, and just kind of shaky and wrong. Also usually some shortness of breath too. I learned that instead of reaching for an Ativan if i feel I need it, I should reach for stethoscope to check my heart rhythm.

[tabletphobic in reply to PlanetaryKim]

That's exactly what I'm experiencing, think I'd best ask the Dr. Thanks

[tabletphobic in reply to tabletphobic]

I don't think the beta blockers are working very well, may even be causing something because my stomachs been a mess since taking them

[PlanetaryKim in reply to tabletphobic]

Beta blockers (metoprolol) certainly made me feel worse the few times I have taken them. Big increase in shortness of breath. Also makes me physically sluggish and mentally depressed. It's quite a sudden onset effect i have from them beginning about 20 minutes after I take them. Have not used them in months.

[tabletphobic in reply to PlanetaryKim]

Yes , its been obvious from the start the side effects of beta blockers, I keep waiting for them to stop, they eased a bit but not enough

[PlanetaryKim in reply to tabletphobic]

In the beginning of this journey when I was joining various Afib forums and seeing how sophisticated everyone else was about monitoring their heart with Kardia or Apple watch, I felt I had to do that too. I felt I was flying blind by comparison, and I do like data! But I am very anti-wireless radiation and anti-wireless devices, and I have none in my life or in my home. And I didn't want to change that. So I have, over the last year, gotten quite adept at using an old-fashioned stethoscope to monitor my situation. And I now am quite happy with my ability to assess myself and determine when I am in actual Afib and when it is just a sustained run of ectopics. Which is really all I need to know, I decided. Because I have a somewhat different strategy/approach for each. (For me, Afib usually starts with a day of ectopics/PACs - and that's when I need to catch it and convert it).

But as I posted about elsewhere, my Afib episodes have mysteriously and miraculously stopped (perhaps just coincidentally?) since I started taking ivermectin once every 2 weeks for something else back in February. healthunlocked.com/afassoci...

[tabletphobic in reply to PlanetaryKim]

Now that's taking me down a whole different route. I don't know whats really going on, what I do 100% think is if my stomach was normal I probably wouldn't have this problem.

[cuore in reply to PlanetaryKim]

Where do you get ivermectin?

[Nerja2012]

Ive started with exactly the same thing. Its scary . I too am reluctant to get a Kardia even though I know it would help. I would get too obsessed with it which would make me anxious. Spoke to Doc , had normal ECG but seeing a Cardiolagist WHEN I CAN for a check up havent seen one since diagnosed 6 years ago. Doc didnt seem too concerned. Take care tabletphobic.

[tabletphobic in reply to Nerja2012]

Yes it is worrying, better if we knew what was going on I think. I think its good you have a normal ECG

[Nerja2012 in reply to tabletphobic]

Im lucky T Phobic as I dont have any problems with my heart only PAF. I feel for a lot of people on here. Take care

[tabletphobic in reply to Nerja2012]

Whats PAF ?

[Thomas45 in reply to tabletphobic]

Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation, that is AF comes in episodes.

[tabletphobic in reply to Thomas45]

How long do they last or is it different for everyone ?

[Thomas45 in reply to tabletphobic]

Episodes can last from a few minutes to up to seven days. Mine lasted a few hours, and could come several times a week, or I might go two weeks without an episode, and then have five episodes the next week,

[Nerja2012 in reply to tabletphobic]

T phobic. Paroxysmal. It means you only get occasional episode. IE I had one episode 6 months ago and 10 months before that so I guess its a milder form . Other members would explain better than me as I'm a novice. Bob D could explain better. Im sure someone will see this and explain it better. Take care.

[tabletphobic in reply to Nerja2012]

Thanks for explaining Paroxysmal. I have a machine in my bedroom and through that I've been able to send a ' transmisssion ' through to the clinic. They will be able to see if its the Afib or not. How good is that ?

[Thomas45 in reply to Nerja2012]

I disagree that it's only when you get them infrequently. Paroxysmal means comes in episodes. My episodes were frequent until Flecainide reduced them significantly,but before, after 21 years AF became persistent, which was later deemed by the medics and myself to be permanent , but mainly asymptomatic.

[Nerja2012 in reply to Thomas45]

As I said I'm only a novice my advice was to ask somebody who knows. What I described was my situation only.

[The_Lord_is_with_Us]

Magnesium will calm the anxiety and help with arrhythmia. Give it a try .....

[Snowgirl65]

I get that sensation now and then, especially after having my 2nd ablation 23 days ago. It's more like a thud or short palpitation, and slow deep breathing stops it. I know for certain it's anxiety in my case. I used my Kardia device to track it, and the device showed no abnormalities.

[Princess7457]

Yes, it’s been 4 weeks since my ablation and I am experiencing the same problems. I do slow breathing and it helps to slow my heart rate a lot. However the shakes drive me crazy. I was told that this would stop once my heart had time to heal. ( at least 90 days)