How many people here work full-time and have afib? I ask because today I'm fibbing and it's really affecting my ability to focus.
I tend to get stressed easily doing a desk job but I wonder am I easily stressed because I have afib?
I work in computers and am remote for the time being. I've just realized how guilty I feel for not being able to produce as well as I can.
How do you all cope with work and afib?
Thanks.
Quite difficult to answer because AF affects us all so differently. Although I was retired when diagnosed, I did have a volunteer driving job with a local special needs centre but stopped in case AF affected my ability to drive which in the event, it didn’t. I know many people with “controlled” persistent/permanent AF who work and they say it doesn’t particularly affect them, maybe get a bit puffed sometimes but no real problems. I guess the body adjusts over time and they just adapt to it. Paroxysmal AF must be more different, particularly if intensity varies and episodes vary in length. Thanks to two ablations, I’m in NSR most of the time but if an episode kicks in, using a PiP generally puts me back into rhythm within an hour. I don’t really understand why a PiP option is used more often, maybe someone here may comment. Probably this doesn’t offer much help but it will be interesting to hear what others say…..
G'day afafaf,
I was diagnosed with paroxysmal AF in January 2010 ( 12 years ago now, nearly ), aged 65. I stopped driving buses full time,i.e. in excess of 42 hours a week a year ago and now drive buses about 30 hours a week as a part time employee. Yes I do get stressed, but, no it doesn't trip me into AF. Thing to note is that I do have to manage my off duty time much more efficiently and learn to relax more than I have ever done in my life.
I am intolerant by nature, don't suffer fools gladly ( never have done) so that tends to trigger things - BUT - never triggered me into AF. My normal trigger is usually food. My controls are now a careful diet and medication. I might get an AF event 2 or 3 times a year but only a very short burst, not worth worrything A & E about. My last two major AF events were Feb 2015 and April 2018.
John
Hey there,my boyfriend works full time in a very stressful job and needs to be very focused throughout the day.
Being in afib definitely affected his work. He said it was sometimes hard for him to focus while feeling the heart beat in his chest like it’s running a marathon.
It all got better after his ablation. The first few weeks afterwards he was super happy because finally he could work with a heart that has a normal heart beat, like it’s normal for so many other employees.
He did get some ectopic heartbeats as well as phases of fast beats but so far so good it’s been definitely worth doing the ablation.
Hope I could help.
I can’t even imagine how it must feel to be working and having such a high heart rate. Im already feeling unwell when my heart is at 120b. My boyfriends went up to 170 during afib. So don’t feel guilty! My boyfriends work colleagues had a lot of understanding for his situation.
I was upfront with my employers ( a Local Govt Authority) I worked as a rural community teacher, traveling a lot with lots of equipment.I decided it was best to be honest and say some times I night be off my game a bit than to carry on without them being aware and possibly noticing drop in ' performance'
Once I'd done that I felt less stressed about trying to do everything as normal during bad periods.
Practical level,even if working remotely remember to drink water .Get out and breathe fresh air regularly too.
I retired last year, but found that PAF almost never occured when I was at work; it invariably occured at night or after work. I suspect that I have vagal AF which occurs during periods following stress rather than during it.
On one occasion a couple of years ago when I called out an ambulance , I was astonished to be told by the driver that he also had the condition. He also said that one female colleague had it and that they had to pull over on occasions when she had PAF.
Hiya Samazeuilh,Funny you should say that ....exactly same with me! It never, never ever mugs me when at work, only when relaxing and off duty. Doesn't matter if its a little niggle or a major blast. Never ever when at work.
John
Yes, it sound like you might have vagal AF too. Did you ever get to the bottom of the mysterious chills that you had a few weeks back?
Not really I'm afraid. However, given my track record of AF related issues kicking off from food ( a dysfunctional vagal nerve) I can only believe it was a reaction to a Chicken Kiev meal I had eaten earlier - the batter surrounding the chicken or some infintesimally small ingredient of the batter. In which case, yes vagal AF.
Weirdly ..... I can go and eat a tub of 'Original' KFC and no problems at all😀
The issue a few weeks ago has - in all its manifestations - totally disappeared.
John
With me, sugary foods rather than spicy tend to cause the problem. I suppose it's just possible it could have been some sort of food poisoning and not directly related to AF?
Thanks all for your comments it's interesting learning about your various circumstances!
Hi afaf.
I’ve often thought exactly that. Does stress contribute to/cause my af or do I get stressed quite easily due to af 🤔 chicken and egg scenario there.
My mrs thinks the former and I think the latter 🤣 the answer is probably a bit of both but I’d love to get a definitive answer. Somehow I very much doubt I ever will ☹️.
All I know is that I can get extremely tired at work, I’m a 35 yr old electrician and I need to make sure that I don’t work past 3 o clock too many times a week or I’ll pay for it over weekend and the following week.
I don’t ever remember going into AF during work, it’s usually during night, after exertion/work in evening or first thing in the morning. All seems energy/sleep related for me personally and from what I’ve heard on here, that’s the same answer for many people.
Again I would love to know the answer to this but don’t think we will ever know definitively either way. At least not anytime soon but who knows 🤞
Yes afafaf, I worked for 38 years with Afib through Paroxysmal, Persistent and Permanent stages. Had 2 ablation but still get breakthrough events.
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