Symptoms

[NLGA]

hi

In May and again in June I suffered regular bouts of a feeling of suffocating my pulse was up and down my peak 170 amd 150 both times I spent 5 days in hospital

I was diagnosed with Af and put on various medications Amiodarine beta blockers etc come July it happened again but with phlem so much I couldn’t sleep and on this occasion the hospital said it was hay fever now I have never had hayfever like that I couldn’t breathe. I called out of hours doctor and they said hayfever but put me on 5 days of amoxicillin this cleared it up pretty much

Now yesterday my GP phoned to say the X-ray I had in July while at hospital revealed a severe infection in my lungs and nothing about hayfever

Today I went to hospital for my pre assessment for CV on Friday for the AF to be told it’s not present so they cant do anything

So my question is did the lung infection start the Af and the AF was not the reason I felt like suffocating or is the suffocating normal with AF

[BobD Volunteer]

I would say from personal experience that the lung infection probably brought on the AF. No doubt you had Covid at some point.

That said you may be lucky and have no repeats but there is no guarantee and it may return.

[NLGA in reply to BobD]

Hi Bob your bang on I had covud in February the issue started in May

[Desanthony]

Hayfever can cause a chest infection - it always does with my wife.

[NLGA in reply to Desanthony]

This was to the level of not breathing like someone filled my lungs with water

[CDreamer in reply to NLGA]

That sounds very like pneumonia which would certainly trigger AF. Once the lungs are clear, often the AF will disappear. I have controlled AF but had COVID last September with pneumonia which left scarring and I’m still having to control phlegm with sinus rinses but once the infection was controlled so was the AF. It’s really important that you don’t lay prone when you feel like that - you need to stay and sleep propped in sitting position.

[NLGA in reply to CDreamer]

Hi Thank you it certainly is now more on my mind why the infection was missed and left for 3 weeks before it was noticed

[Hidden]

Hiya NLGA,

Can't comment on the breathing/ hay fever issues as I have never experienced them in the context of AF.

When my AF kicked off in Jan 2010 my HR hit 156 bpm and I ended up in hospital for 6 days, in which time, hospital conducted all manner of tests. During the first 4 hours in A & E the Dr. administered by drip Amiodrone ( I think it was) to bring my HR down to a more sensible level. Some three weeks after being sent home to the care of my GP I was given an appointment for a CV but by the time I attended I was back in NSR and they couldn't proceed. I have never ever had one either because all the meds they prescribed did their jobs and provided a measure of control.

That said I have never been free of AF although it has minimised in recent years and hasn't worsened.

John

[NLGA in reply to Hidden]

Thanks John starting to think the infection is behind my issues

[bassets]

Bob's right. I have asthma and get lung infections easily which in turn trigger AF. This was explained to me by a cardiologist.

[NLGA]

How interesting

[Snowgirl65]

Covid affected my lungs in a big way in December 2020, exacerbating a-afib for which I then had an ablation in April 2021.