Return of Fibrillation due to stress/ worry.

[Heathcliff5815]

Hello folks, back again. Had an Ablation exactly 3 months ago and everything was nearly back to normal on Friday. Last Wednesday I had the prostate checkup and on Saturday got the NHS letter. - Gp referral, urgent appointment you may have cancer. A bit of an extreme line of information that shocked me and I instantly felt my heart pound and it's been bouncing around since then. 4 days now as I was hoping it would settle down again. Should I go back onto Bisoprolol or Amioderone both of which I stopped after the Ablation. Any suggestions or advice please ?

[BobD Volunteer]

Rather than ask us who are not medics please ring you EPs secretary and see if you can get a telephone consultation in the circumstances if you are worried. .

For my part, three years post my last AF ablation in 2008 I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and eventually had a five hour operation to remove it and various other non essential bits and bobs that had been caught up in it. I then went on to have 33 sessions of radiotherapy " to mop up anything missed" and three years of hormone treatment "just in case".

I'm still here and apart from various obvious inabilities still kicking a**e, just not quite as hard as I used to.

The moral is stay positive and illigitames non carborundum as my Latin master used to say. (Don't let the bast**ds grind you down.)

[Padayn01 in reply to BobD]

Good man Bobd

[P0rtnahapp1e in reply to BobD]

Bob, you took me straight back to “amo amas Amat, amamus amatus amant.”

[BobD Volunteer in reply to P0rtnahapp1e]

Ceasar adsum iam forte. Pompei adarat.

[10gingercats]

Make sure you are seen asap re. possible prostate cancer.No waiting around for a referral. Nag to be seen quickly if necessary .

[Heathcliff5815 in reply to 10gingercats]

Had the checkup for prostate cancer yesterday and all ok. It was the overly serious nature of letter that shocked my heart into afib. A more subtly worded letter may have been better. If it's not one thing it's another. Oh the perils of getting older.

[Desanthony in reply to Heathcliff5815]

Glad that you are clear. Remember the letter only said you may have cancer and there are other conditions that may be brought to light by just a PSA blood test and Digital Rectal Examination DRE. Such as prostatitis and infection which will give a higher than normal PSA result and a larger prostate felt at DRE. Having said that time shouldn't be wasted in finding out if there is cancer present as the earlier prostate cancer is found the easier it is to obtain a cure with less invasive and life changing treatment. I was diagnosed with a PSA of 12.9 back in 2016 as I already was having bladder and prostate problems and had had a TURP procedure back in 2004 (no cancer found present then as the parts of the prostate shaved off were biopsied) my oncologist - when I finally got to see him was cross I hadn't been referred when PSA reached 9 when brachytherapy would have been possible but it is what it is. My GP refused to do quarterly PSA checks as my PSA was rising and by the time I managed to get to see a consultant urologist - my usual one was moving off to the USA so there was upset at the hospital and the one I had seen before him was being moved up to head of department in the whole of the health area so ended up seeing a registrar in a private ward off the main ward in the hospital for a hasty consultation. Anyway, after 9 months of hormone treatment (HT) and a month of radiotherapy it seems that I have got that cure. Though you never feel safe and every annual PSA test has a few weeks of worry around it - more so for my wife. My brother who is 5 years younger than myself was diagnosed at the age I would have been had I been referred when my PSA reached 9 and I believe his PSA was around about 9 at the time and had brachytherapy - a lot easier than HT and radiotherapy just a day in hospital and a few days off work, and also, thus far looks like it has hit the PCa on the head. I was hoping to have the prostate removed but at MRI it looked like the tumour was pushing on the back of the prostate into the rectum so the radiologist was loathe to say that cancer cells had not already escaped so thought radiotherapy would be the best treatment as it would treat the whole of the local area where the cells may have escaped. Both my brother's and my PSA results are under 0.01 - what is called undetectable now and I hope they stay that way forever.

All the best to you. Hope you get your AF under control too.

[Heathcliff5815 in reply to Desanthony]

Great to hear you've both got it under control after such a huge journey to get where you are now. I've still got a lot to learn on every aspect of I'll health after only the odd headache tablet in 60 years. Good luck and hope you continue to stay well.

[Desanthony in reply to Heathcliff5815]

Yes wasn't it good to be young and fit! Other than one bad illness and one emergency operation it was only aches and pains from my work until I was into my seventies. All the best.

[Rubymurray25]

Brilliant all was well! Maybe you should ask your EP's secretary about getting a Pill in the Pocket, it just gives that extra level of comfort: it did for me when I can off meds after my first ablation.

[Heathcliff5815 in reply to Rubymurray25]

Hi Ruby - what's this 'pill in the pocket ' ?

[Rubymurray25 in reply to Heathcliff5815]

I was on holiday near Yeovil about 250 miles from home three years ago when I had a very heavy AF episode and was taken into Yeovil hospital; 24 hours later the cardioversion worked. I was on Bisoprolol 2.5 at the time and the Cardiologist said I should have a Pill in the Pocket in case it happened again and that I should take the extra controlled medication as it can stop an episode. He gave me Flecainide and said take 100mg half an hour after the episode started and if that didn't work take another 100mg one hour later. Whilst we are all so different I do feel your own EP would give you the absolute correct instructions if he thought it would help. It did save me about 5 visits to A&E . It did stop working and then it was changed to the maximum 300mg in one hit which also worked well until my second ablation. I am now on dronedarone but still have the flecainide as my PIP. If I may just reiterate the above was very much my instruction from my own EP.

[Heathcliff5815 in reply to Rubymurray25]

Any information is good to hear but as you say we are all different as are our symptoms. I collapsed on the kitchen floor at home and a friend ran up a big hill to rescue me. Glad I wasn't 250 miles from home. Look after yourself x

[Singwell]

So good to hear that all is well! I too am very reactive if 'called in' for tests etc. Gets my heart racing. For some of us a belt of anxiety can set things off. Hopefully you'll settle back down again. If like me you're anxiety prone check back through my posts 3 posts back where there's a long thread of anxiety and loads of helpful comments.

[Heathcliff5815 in reply to Singwell]

I'll have a look at your anxiety posts now as I'm going on a first date for 12years in an hour. Hearts pumping already. Had it not been for the scary letter I'd have been fine.

[irene75359]

I totally understand (although I would rather not!) My AF, from about three episodes a year totally controlled with PiP, reared its head with my diagnosis and I haven't been the same since, if not AF episodes then daily episodes of tachycardia that my meds don't seem to touch.

Sending my very best wishes that the investigations show nothing and your heart starts behaving.

[Heathcliff5815 in reply to irene75359]

Best wishes to you aswell Irene , hope everything improves

[TracyAdmin Partner]

Please contact and discuss this with your doctor at your earliest convenience before re- introducing the medications. I hope all goes well for you? Take care, Tracy

[Heathcliff5815 in reply to TracyAdmin]

Called the surgeon today Tracy. Awaiting callback on Monday. Quicker than the GP call back in 3 weeks.

[TracyAdmin Partner in reply to Heathcliff5815]

Good news - stay in touch and let me know how you get on? In the meantime, take care, Tracy