My partner possibly has AF. He’s 58, fit, normal guy. He has had high blood pressure for the past 8 years & takes ramapril which has never really brought the BP down to a normal level. Through a medical some years ago it was discovered that he had an abnormal T wave but not signs of anything else & no symptoms so nothing further happened about it
2 weeks ago he went canoeing at the end of the session his heart wouldn’t stop beating fast, this carried on for about and hour. He had an ecg & blood test at doctors which were all normal, so we thought it was just a weird one off event.
Then a week ago whilst on holiday abroad he was fishing, caught a fish, had an adrenaline rush & heart beating fast happened again & he was terrified. Called ambulance, who said not a heart attack, pulse was about 110 (it’s normally 65) and BP was 180/100. We decided to come home early from holiday due to the worry.
Got to see a cardiologist a couple of days ago who said he thought it sounded like AF. My partner starts a 2 week ECG today & a heart scan of some sort soon. The cardiologist said it was vital he gets his BP down due to risk of stroke & important to do gentle exercise & he may have to go on blood thinners.
We had been feeling less panicky and yesterday we went for a slow very short walk into the village. On the way home he started to feel very very tired & did so for the rest of the day. He said his heart felt funny, but wasn’t sure if it was because he’s just so self aware now. When he went to bed he took his BP & it’s way up again.
We’re just so afraid that death or stroke is imminent, he’s absolutely terrified that even a short walk isn’t possible & despite doubling his BP medicine it’s up even higher.
I’m not really sure what I’m asking, or advice I’m looking for as we’re just in the early stages & unable to get rid of the feeling of paralysing terror!
Thanks for reading x
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Avdb
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Firstly it is important to understand that AF is not a death sentence. Damned inocnvenience certainly but many people live long and productive lives with AF. I was finally diaganosed after about ten years missed oportunities in 2004 and I'm still here.
What it far more important is to get that BP down at any costs as it is likely the long period he has had it which has contributed to the AF (If that is finally diagnosed.)
I trust that you are addressing all the dietary matters to help with the hypertension and that your doctor is wroking towads this..
Yes if AF is confirmd than anticoagulants (they don't thin blood at all ) will be important. Not all arrhythmias are AF so don't jump the gun.
Gentle exercise is OK but walk and talk at the same time is a good measure.
Thanks so much for your reply. It is good to hear someone say it’s not a death sentence. The cardiologist pretty much said the same & compared to some my partner’s AF (if it is that) has only happened twice.
Interesting to hear that high BP has maybe lead to this. His, despite 5mg of ramopril for years, never really came down below 142/90.
Yes looking at eating even more healthily. Thanks again for your reply. This seems like a really good forum for reassurance & info.
To explain the mechanics, high blood pressure can cause enlargement of the left atium which stretches the natural electrical pathways. This stretching can mean that those pathways break down and new more chaotic ones form.
I feel for you both , try to relax and don’t worry about dying . I too was very scared but once I educated myself on the condition, I relaxed. Take the meds and learn learn what you can about Afib. It is a very common disease. Thinking of you xxx
As someone who's had SVT since 1988 when I was 22, it's certainly not a death sentence....though mine is mild and sporadic. 110 is not that fast in my experience ...I have been to hospital when it's been 220! The BP should be a priority as was mentioned previously.
Hello Avdb, firstly your partner is very lucky to have someone like you looking out for him. As you may now, most of us here on the forum are not medically trained but from what you have said so far, it sounds as though he is getting some good medical advice. It’s commonly known that high blood pressure can and does cause AF and anything that can be done to help BP has to be helpful. Lots of folks here will come up with some more natural suggestions such as perhaps trying beetroot juice etc and as long as you appreciate the effect this may have on pee ‘n poo then they are certainly worth trying.
Of course anxiety will cause BP to rise therefore having a better understanding of what AF is all about may help reduce anxiety because generally AF can be managed and the majority of people with AF go on to lead relatively normal and long lives. It should help if you take a look at the AF Association website because AF is what is known as a mongrel condition, so it can be different for different people and it helps if you can find information relevant to his condition. The link below should offer a helpful starting point and no doubt others here will come up with lots of helpful suggestions……hope this helps.
Hi,Thanks for the links. We had been trying beetroot juice for the BP. It does seem like the increased dose of BP medicine may be working to bring it down although it does seem to spike up & we have to work out the triggers for that I guess. His BP before these events was around 145/90. During the recent event it was up at 180/100. Now since doubling the dose we have even seen 115/77 but also at 156/96.
Thank you for the reassurance & yes need to be informed.
Hi and welcome and like the 2 previous answers you have had, I’ve lived withy AF and other arrythmias for the last 15 years +.
Anxiety and panic is normal - there’s something wrong with your heart and we only have one! BUT unlike heart attack it’s nothing to do with a blockage preventing blood from prof using muscle which leads to muscle death and your heart stopping - that’s about vascular stuff - bit like plumbing blockage so the water don’t get through.
Arrythmias - AF is an arrythmia - is a dysfunction of the electrical system so instead of heart stopping it works a lot harder but a goes a bit haywire so doesn’t pump blood as efficiently - but most important no blockage - so no imminent threat. Not to be ignored, but no imminent threat. Repeat - no imminent threat.
By taking anti-coagulants the risk of stroke will be reduced but it’s useful to know what that risk is in the first place so first rule of living with AF - knowledge. Know your enemy and what it is, what the risks are, what the treatments are and what you can do to help yourself or your loved one.
Go read as much as you can. Get familiar with the ‘speak’ so you can understand. Ignorance feeds fear and makes it much harder to understand what the doctor’s are saying to you so become an expert patient.
What do you call high BP? My husband, when I met him, had BP which was off the scale and is still too high for any doctor but you know what - he’s 88 now living with AF for nearly as long as me and still doing his press ups in a morning. His BP is now just about controlled but still over 140 a lot of the time. What worked for him was taking a lower dose mix of 3 BP lowering meds than taking a higher dose of just one.
We get how scary this is and I was diagnosed at 57, very fit, ate healthy and had a good life and it was a huge and very upsetting shock. Now I still have a good life, not as active, had to let a few things slide - not too many more wild adventures and stopped scuba diving and skiing so sometimes a few life changes are required.
Hope some of that reassures and informs and please come back and ask any questions - so many wonderful people here who have knowledge, experience and really care and support.
Having had high bp for a number of years and af since 2019 I read your reply with interest,CDreamer. The part I liked was when you said, I gave up scuba diving and skiing.
I too gave those up and unfortunately can no longer walk up and down hills as i used to do but walking on the flat OK. It is of course entirely possible that i would have had to give those up by now anyway cos of my age. This forum is brilliant. There are so many helpful people on here. AVdb please don’t worry too much. Stress is never good. Seems to me that your partner is on the right path. The others are right. I find knowledge very helpful. Good luck
Totally understand how scared you feel. My husband developed high BP in his 40s and was slapped on a bucket load of meds and advised lifestyle changes. He was an RAF pilot and told no more solo flying unless he could reduce it without meds.He did stop smoking but had to stick on transport planes as he needed to " keep taking the tablets"
He does have AF but only since 2012 (he was nearly 70 by then) apart from one isolated incident in the 1990s so control of BP seems to have helped in his case.
Read as much about it as you can.
May also be good to remember the many thousands of people with AF who live uneventful lives without venturing onto a forum. On here there are people struggling and old hands who provide reassurance, but you may get a skewed view of how much people are affected by AF. Many people once things are investigated and controlled, put it to the back of their minds and find it affects their day to day lives much less than you might imagine when it is all new and scary.
As Bob said, you could do with a diagnosis before you get too embroiled. Best Wishes
Hi,Yes I think control of BP could be key. It had been left to bumble along at too high a rate to my mind for a while & it’s taken these events to wake up and really do something about it.
You’re right will have to wait for a proper diagnosis.
Thank you for the reassurance. I’m hearing that most people once the shock is over are able to live mostly normal lives and adjust
You will be amazed just how many people have AF - and live comfortably with it. It may require some lifestyle changes, but they are mostly the sensible things we should all be doing anyway. Eat properly, lots of fruit and veg, regular exercise especially outdoors, more walking less driving. All the stuff we know we ought to do, but don't always. Good news - they will reduce the chances of diabetes, strokes, and the other things I worry about now I'm 55. (FYI, I've had permanent AF for sixteen years).
The BHF is a good place to start for information, and in my experience cardiologists are pleased to answer questions and help.One other thing for high BP - mindfulness, yoga, self hypnosis are all recommended, but obviously your husband will need to find what works for him.
Stop worrying and tell your partner he should have no concerns if he is getting good medical advice. I had my first incident of paroxysmal AF at the age of 47 or 48 which was so bad (racing pulse, totally out of sinus rhythm) that I was taken to hospital and put on blood thinners and kept in for almost a week. I returned to sinus rhythm without intervention in around three hours from admission, but then I was told the next day I had had a heart attack, which proved to be totally wrong.
But I am now 75, and from 1995 to 2020 led a normal active life, only taking sotalol for a beta blocker and aspirin for an anticoagulant. I spent 18 years in retirement restoring buildings, gardening and walking a lot every day.
Then in 2020 I had a sudden and unexpected ischaemic stroke and was told I should have been on an effective blood thinner. Now I am told I have permanent AF but I am coping with life and relatively active now I have made a slow recovery,
What I am saying is that AF may be something unpleasant and uncomfortable but with the right medication and other treatments your partner is unlikely to die from it. I have had it for nearly 30 years and I am still here!
Please reassure your partner that this is the more likely outcome if he can improve his life style.
Underdstably you're both worried and that can make us 'freeze'. It's great you're taking action on behalfof your husband by coming on here. Investigate options for the BP and look into the dietary changes - stop using processed foods for now and cook from scratch. The NHS will tell you salt is the enemy but its the hidden salt in processed foods that is more dangerous. No processed meats for instance. Try to eat more plant based foods together with your protein of choice and also a variety of foods. But different veggies this week for instance and try a new grain or pasta. Slow walk and talk for 20 mins is good. BP can be raised simply by being anxious about it unfortunately. Moving around can help with both the worry and the BP.
Try and use those concerns to drive a change in lifestyle on all fronts, which will hopefully avoid various chronic issues that might otherwise develop later on....ie start turning bad into good!
Next, I would say definitely no more canoeing or fishing or any other active exercise until all tests done, any medications settled, BP down and most important when he is generally feeling much better. I say this because there are a lot of unpublicised post vaccine events and one has just happened in our extended family.
To end on a positive note, my QOL is much much better now than when first diagnosed with AF.
Agree with much that has been written. I've had AF since late 20s, bow late 40s and only now needing more direct/ aggressive intervention, mainly as I have issues with most meds. Have had a fit, active and healthy lifestyle in between.It's definitely not a death sentence. BP can also be well managed.
Read up on things to get informed but don't saturate yourself with doom and gloom type stats would be my advice. Being overly anxious definitely won't help.
My other advice would be to be assertive with getting tests and GOOD medical advice, which includes being listened to.
Hi Avdb, hopefully the above posts are putting your mind at rest. I thought I'd add my two penneth, as it sounds like your partner is a similar age to me and also keeps himself fit as I do. Ive not had the high BP issue, but had some nasty scares last year when AF started kicking in and then stayed for a month! Since then Ive read up a huge amount on the subject and feel relatively relaxed about it now.If you read all the posts on here, it can be a bit daunting, as there are so many different stories, with some of them quite scary, but you have to remember that a lot of people are successfully treated and then disappear from the forum.
One thing that definitely seems to affect mine and my 60 year old friends, is alcohol....especially when we over do it. The one thing that has made a big difference to my condition seems to be staying well hydrated and not over doing the booze. If I manage that, then I'm fine. You'll hear a lot of people saying cut it out completely along with other things, but its not what Ive been advised ....and so far so good. So whilst others will come up with all sorts of triggers for their AF, this seems to be mine and my similarly aged friends, so a good chance it might be your partners too.
Just a comment to add to the above, which has all been good advice. When I first discovered I had AF, I got referred to a cardiologist at the local hospital who carried out all the 'normal' tests re the heart's function as a pump. They totally ignored what I said about the AF and never mentioned anything about the electrical side of things. From what I learned on this forum, I then knew enough to ask my GP to refer me to an EP (I don't think the local hospital has one!) and I was sent to a specialist cardiac centre as a result.
Some divide the heart specialists into 'plumbers' and 'electricians', and as with most urban rumours, there can be some truth there. Just something to watch out for.
Of course, at this stage, it still might not be AF, but something else. There are other arrhythmias.
Thanks for this, fortunately he’s with a cardiologist who specialises in heart rhythm issues which they think it is. We’re starting a 2 week ecg monitor which hopefully might show something
Try not to worry. Even about the BP. Doctors used to be taught that blood pressure rose with age and that a blood pressure of 140/ 80 was perfectly acceptable for a man of nearly 60. Nowadays we are all supposed to have the blood pressure of a fit 20 year old no matter what our age. Of course this results in more blood pressure reducing medications being prescribed. It's just like cholesterol. The appropriate levels are reduced all the time to get more people on statins. Just getting your BP taken by the doctor has a tendency to raise it a little and it can vary with time of day. Afib is frightening when you first get it and especially if you have the "frogs fighting in the chest " type of symptoms but there are lots of meds that can help . Sometimes it takes awhile to find the right dosages . Reducing alcohol is a good idea , also cutting out large meals especially in the evening as this can trigger afib. Cutting back on stress or even too much excitement can help and not getting dehydrated is crucial.
Auricular is correct. In early 2000 I had "normal" blood pressure at 140/90. 6 years later when I had an issue and my BP was taken I found I had had "pre hypertension " at .....140/90!
Now 16 years later I have "High" blood pressure at 135/85!
Call me suspicious but I think someone wants to sell BP medication !
Not medically trained but if your partner us very worried about Afib his BP WILL spike. Mine did!
I had Afib, got rid of it and 9 days later I developed another arrhythmia which left me extremely breathless I was put into medical assessment Unit in hospital and my bp lying down was high 160 s . I later found I had atrial flutter. I spoke to my EP ( cardiologist specialising in electrical arrhythmias) made a plan on what was going to sort the flutter, and immediately my BP dropped to normal ( my normal, not a 16 kid marathon runners).
As others have already advised AFib is mainly for the majority (and was for me) a pain in the backside!
As for heart rate I was in Afib when i was 57 at a rate 165 - 195bpm lying down! Resting in hospital for 5 days - NOT desirable but no damage.
I was at constant 140 bpm for over 3 weeks when I was in Atrial flutter. Again I dont recommend it,but eight months after that I was back running averaging 8:15 minute miles over 6 miles! Aged 58.
Apart from the Afib I was otherwise healthy.
Best thing is DO NOT WORRY! Worry releases adrenaline wich raises heart rate and blood pressure. It can be a vicious circle.
Hi, I was diagnosed with AF almost 5 years ago. I've since found out that it runs in the family although my high blood pressure hasn't helped, I suspect. I recently had a 24 hour BP monitor so the cardiologist could see what was going on overnight. To my amazement, the average over the 24 hours was 126/75, significantly lower than the readings I took on my home monitor. Perhaps this procedure may help your husband?
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