Hello all - very new here so apologies for the basic questions!
Very recently diagnosed with AF, which led to the discovery of CVD and an enlarged ventricle. Genetic, they suspect. Entirely unexpected as a 31 year old, non-smoker, occasional drinker, with no discernable symptoms! Won't deny there's a bit of a belly though...
I've seen a few of you refer to going in/out of bouts of AF - please can you tell me how you know this? Are there any obvious symptoms/signs, or is it typically the results of a regular home ECG test?
If home ECG, are there any types/makes that you would recommend?
Any other personal hints / tips / insights that you wish you'd known about in the early days?
Apologies again for the simple questions - any help would be much appreciated.
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HeartyParty
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No such thing as basic questions, we’ve all had to learn.
When AF comes and goes it’s referred to as Paroxysmal. Some people feel it coming and going with palpitations, fast heart rate, fatigue and SOB = shortness of breath, syncope or near syncope (feeling faint).
Some can be really symptomatic which makes every day life difficult. Others feel nothing.
In Paroxysmal AF it can be difficult to catch on an ECG because it comes and goes which is why people use mobile ECG gadgets of which the Kardia is the most popular and in my experience the most reliable.
The iWatch has an ECG facility on it and is wearable which others prefer. They are the 2 most popular but others exist. Most doctors these days will accept readings from the Kardia simply because it was 1st to market & it’s been very well tried & tested. I bought my first in 2013.
Tips:- wish I’d known?
Links between lifestyle factors & AF eg:-
Sleep Apnea, weight, stress, food & drink triggers, importance of moderating exercise, importance of keeping check on inflammatory markers, ie:- how to monitor bloods - I can now do that through the NHS App as my test results appear on the app. Importance of learning to breath correctly ie:- not mouth breath.
The importance of taking response ability for my own health.
I wish How to Cure AFib had been written back then & I had not only read it, but followed the advice to the letter instead of taking medications which had detrimental long term affects.
There are many well informed & lovely people on this forum so hope you will get all the help you need - you are amongst fellow sufferers so we know how scary it can feel.
Very best wishes CD
Hello and welcome HP, CD has covered most of the basic but FJ just wants to add one thing. It would be a good idea to get your thyroid function checked because it can be an often overlooked contributor to AF. An overactive thyroid is more likely to cause problems but to a slightly less degree, so can under active
You’ve owned up, so it’s worth adding the value of getting your BMI below 25, maybe a good New Years resolution (something I’ve got to focus on after the festivities. If you enjoy reading, click on the following link and that will help you to navigate through some helpful AF Association webpages as well as other useful stuff. Can’t think why, but things will be fairly quiet on the forum over the holiday period but I’m sure you pick up some more helpful tips over time……good luck with the diet. 😉
Hi Hearty, I’m sorry to hear of your diagnosis but you’ve come to the right place. There are lots of incredibly helpful and knowledgeable people on this forum - you’ve already had replies from two of them😊I’m still quite new to all this, having only been diagnosed with the paroxysmal form of AFib in June this year but what I would say is read all you can about it. There’s a huge amount of information in the past posts on here, plus the AF Association website FJ has linked. I would definitely second CD’s book recommendation “The AFib Cure” by John D Day, as well.
I’m certainly aware when I’m having an episode, as my ticker seems to be trying to fight it’s way out of my chest and my heart rate rockets up into the 180s! I ended up in A&E a couple of times as a result. Since taking Bisoprolol as a PiP ( pill in the pocket meaning I only take it when I’m having an episode) it’s kept the heart rate down. As a result I don’t feel so bad and can ride it out at home.
I’ve got a Kardia device, as CD has mentioned, because the paroxysmal nature of the condition meant episodes inevitably ended before I could get hooked up to a hospital monitor. Depending on your lifestyle, you might prefer a wearable like the Apple Watch that will give you more instant access to an ecg function if you’re out and about when episodes happen, plus you’ve got loads of other info available - resting heart rate, etc, if that’s your thing.
I’m doing my best to follow lifestyle changes to tame the AF beast, with mixed results so far but I’m not giving up! Stress and anxiety are long -standing issues for me that I’ve been in denial about and studiously trying to ignore for years but due to AF, I am finally getting to grips and addressing them. In some ways, bizarre though it sounds, having AF and implementing lifestyle changes has been a good thing for my overall health, so don’t despair, good can come out of this!
Good luck to you and as others have said, there’s no such thing as a daft question!
Oh well done you for addressing long standing issues. I agree that sometimes AF can be the wake up call that we need to address our issues and that managing stress, especially latent stress is so important.
Thanks CD. I recently came across your post of 4 years ago summarising the talk on managing anxiety that you gave to the Exeter AF support group. It is brilliant and has been printed off for reference. Thank you for that.
Hi Threecats If I may ask what dose of Bisoprolol do you take as a pip? And how long does it take to kick in? I have a short flight in a few days with the stress of travelling alone, airports, Covid etc and have my Bisoprolol ready in case was prescribed as a pip but I’ve never yet taken. Happy and healthy 2022
Hi Foxglove, I take 2.5mg of Bisoprolol as a pip. It normally takes around 30 -40 mins before it starts to kick in. I try to take it as soon as I’m aware an episode has started, before my heart rate gets too high - it’s usually around 120 - 130 when I take it. The Biso keeps my heart rate around 90 which I find more manageable. If I’m really “lucky” and having a long episode 🙄 I find the effects start to wear off after around 10 hours, so I’ll take another dose then. Hope that helps and have a safe trip. Happy New Year to you, too.
Hello HP. Welcome to the club that nobody wanted to join but you are in the right place. I can’t add anything to the good advice you have already been given. Ask all you want. As CD said, there is no such thing as basic questions or as others have said, silly questions. We have all been there asking and reading and is the best way to find out. For me I have had PAF (paroxysmal afib) for around 18 years and am symptomatic. I do have a kardia to check rate etc but that’s the only time I use it.I wish you a very happy new year and hope you find the help on here you need. x
Hi and welcome. One thing that I could add to the other advice and comments is that I was told that AF rarely occurs for no reason (i.e. as what is called “lone AF”), but that the reason can’t often or easily be found (hence the need to check for heart issues, hypertension, diabetes, thyroid issues, sleep apnoea and such like).
In your case, I guess it’s related to the ventricular enlargement (or whatever caused that). I’ve also read that when the heart muscle is physically stretched it affects its ability to conduct electrical current, which is the root cause of arrhythmias. That might be relevant?
Overall, though, I would be asking the cardiologist lots of questions and making notes of his responses, as well as pushing hard for high quality tests to be done, if they haven’t been already. The gold standard, I was told, is a stress MRI.
Hi well done you've found the best place for advice and support here! All I can add to CD and FJ posts is that to try to remember it's not seen as a fatal condition . Some people find that they end up actually healthier after looking at lifestyle and making changes.
Medications vary and not all people can tolerate them. As you are young you may be offered a procedure too,called ablation.
Many of us older uns need to take anticoagulation ( wrongly called blood thinners) but that is decided on by a scoring system and may be irrelevant to you.
Best wishes for 2022 and remember no such thing as a daft question🙂
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