Hi all 😊 new to he realms of heart issues and really need to talk , I’m have episodes of atrial defib , crazy heartbeats , felling really weird although no pain just a pressure on my chest and being given the runaround by hospital and my doctor
I’m terrified and no one has time to talk , what is happening to me , I can’t get appointment until end nov for heart clinic , I’ve been rushed to hospital 5 times now with sustained heart beat of 160 and very high blood pressure
These episodes have gone from 1 every fortnight to 3 or 4 a day ……any comments more than welcome
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Hazel1010
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Hello Hazel 🙂 welcome.You sound very anxious as we all are when first diagnosed with AF.
Unfortunately getting anxious is one of the worst things you can do when you have AF , doing so can raise your blood pressure and levels of stress hormones. It can become a vicious circle of AF/anxiety/more AF.
I would start by telling yourself millions of people throughout the world have AF and learn to live with it .
There are many things you can do to help yourself while waiting to go to the clinic starting with learning relaxation techniques and measured breathing . Lots of information on the internet if you Google it . You can use these techniques to calm you down when having an episode of AF, I do .
Next check your weight, if your BMI is high losing weight can help also eat a healthy diet lots of fruit and vegetables avoiding additives and processed foods. Avoid alcohol/stressful situation. Take some daily moderate excercise and make sure you get lots of sleep.
Once you realise you are not alone and can learn to cope with AF you should find you are not so anxious .
More like a lot of help methinks!! A lot of us have been where you are now so we understand what you are going through at the moment together with the frustration of not being able to get the help and advice you need. Unfortunately, the added burden of Covid isn’t helping! There are two main issues to consider. Depending on your circumstances, your stroke risk should be assessed to determine whether or not you should be taking an anticoagulant. The other is to be prescribed medication such as a beta blocker to help bring your heart rate down to acceptable levels ie, under 100 bpm when in AF. If your blood pressure is being taken whilst in AF and with a home monitor, the readings are likely to be inaccurate.
Of course, your GP should be helping you to get these two issues covered and your trips to A&E should have resulted in arrangements for a basic medication. If this has not happened, then you need to pursue your GP with references to anticoagulants and rate control medication. It shouldn’t be necessary I know, but because wait times to see a specialist can be so long, many consider a private consultation but this would cost around £250. I also suggest you take a look at the following post as it will help guide you through the AF Association webpages and make you more aware of the treatment options available. I hope this helps you to get over the initial fear factor normally associated with being diagnosed with AF, one of the important things to bear in mind is that once your AF is controlled with medication, it does not shorten life and the majority of the 1.5 million folk diagnosed with AF go on to lead relatively normal lives……
Honestly I’m such a doormat sometimes I’ve been treated like an idiot , had results lost, prescribed betablookers although I can’t take them , told my first appointment at hospital would be at least 2 months and talked to like dirt in the last week , God help me I know know we still have COVID but the worlds falling apart ….so two days ago I got a same day appointment at Spire I’m wearing my heart tracker at the mo and have had such a different experience all for £550 so far I appreciate any feed back on here so thank you so much 😊
Hello Hazel, you've had a bad experience with your medical team. You can help to turn this around by getting really 'genned up ' on the condition. Have a thorough read and reread of all the excellent literature available on the AF Association website.
Knowledge is power. You will be able to have meaningful dialogue with your medics and you will not allow yourself to be palmed off and talked down to.
I too had 3 private appointments. It did get me on lists for cv and Ablation with the NHS but lists are horribly long. I'm struggling with presistant a fib and high hr at the mo.
If you are thinking of Mr Blair, I don’t think that’s strictly true. I believe he had Atrial Flutter which is slightly different and a bit easier to treat with a higher success rate…..😉
in reply to
Regardless of all that, good luck with your procedure, let us know how you get on. 👍
You may well be right, as I too had atrial flutter three years ago, which was fixed but then triggered the Fibrillation three days later. The gift that keeps on giving eh?
Opposite for me. I had AF in March this year controlled by medication PIP then developed flutter for which I had to have an ablation in July. Sorted it though and now just take meds for AF. Touch wood no AF since but taking regular meds instead of PIP.
Anxiety sends the blood pressure sky high. Mine can be 115/60, but at times, 150/85. What was yours? And have you taken it first thing in the morning, before eating or drinking, and before any medicines, but after getting up? Also, take it in the evening before going to bed.
A sustained heart rate of over 100 is called tachycardia; it needs to be treated and this is usually done with a beta blocker like bisoprolol. Atrial fibrillation can be persistent or "paroxysmal" (i.e. occurring then stopping). If you are deemed at risk from this of its causing blood clots, you will have been given an anticoagulant such as rivaroxaban.
But keep in mind that afib will not kill you even if it sometimes makes you feel like it will. People do vary a great deal in their response to it, with some not noticing it and others feeling weakened, fearful and very unwell.
Hi Steve , my bp was taken at 160/105 a week ago when I was on my way to a&e but that was worse case one off hopefully, I seem to be setting down now to my normal resting h/ rate of around 70 and decent blood pressure thank goodness.I’m already on a blood thinner for a very minor tia 6 years ago but nothing else yet.
The weird episodes off wonky heartbeats seems to be a couple of times a day but for minutes rather than hours now .
Being very proactive with good diet, exercise and positive thinking and I’m very grateful for the input on here thanks
Hi, do you know about Dr Sanjay Gupta He’s an amazing guy and is a Cardiologist in York. Check him out on Facebook or is website is here drsanjayguptacardiologist.com/
He has some amazing videos on his YouTube channel and he is very calming and explains everything in layman’s terms
HazelIt’s a horrible club to be in but you will learn more from this site than most doctors. I was the same as you only two years ago but the people here are very knowledgeable and helpful.
See an EP as soon as possible they understand. Think about early ablation as the better chance of success.
Welcome to the club Hazel. We all have been through what you are feeling, the anxiety at first is horrible. I was convinced I was going to die, that was over four years ago. I'm now 72 and not dead yet . . .
As others have said, the key to stopping the anxiety is knowledge. Read all you can, glean lots of opinions and experiences on this forum, and once you are confident you know what's going on you will realise it can be lived with and worked around. The drug regimes and the ablation route are, in fact, optional, and if something doesn't align with your needs you can get it changed.
Good luck, and keep in touch with us, we can all help.
Hi hazel, I feel for you. the early days of afib are the worst.!! But it was the worry and fear about it all that made it so terrible.? The unknowing and not understanding of what’s happening with me.??? But you will get there and get treated and end up in a better place believe me.!! It took a long time for me to get my head around it all.But when I realised my episodes are not guna kill me and I’m not guna drop down dead the anxiety started getting less over time. Even though I still had my episodes and constant A+E visits. It may be worth while ringing your GP or the heart clinic itself for some advice on anticoagulants before your clinic appointment in November. My cardiologist told me to learn as much as possible about the condition so I watched some good educational videos about AFIB that Dr Sanjay gupta posted on YouTube and they are very good and mostly reassuring.👍 I’m sure though that you will get some excellent advice and tips from the guys and girls on here too. I must say that every one here has given me some great support and help over the time and I’m sure you’ll receive the same.👍
Try not to worry too much. Easy said than done I know .but You will get there hazel. Let us know how you doing and keep intouch. Best wishes. Ron.x
Welcome to the Forum Hazel, if you would like advice or information, we are always happy to help at the A F Association, call us on 01789 867 502 or info@afa.org.uk anytime
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