Good Morning everyone. Well have had a right three weeks with my AF also hearing my heart beating at normal pace all through my body. Was rushed to Cheltenham General. Came home on the night. Then next day AF went crazy and I was rushed to Gloucester Royal A and E. Probably the worst night of my life. It was a Saturday and there were some awful case coming in. Next to my bed the police were there and these security chaps at one point I thought they were all going to fall on my bed. Couldn’t get anyones attention. Couldn’t walk to toilet so having to keep asking for the toilet. Didn’t have anything to eat for at least 10 hours. Hadn’t eaten much at home. Then I felt really poorly. Doctor decided to up my verapamil in the end. And after a very distraught 24 hours they moved me to an acute minors ward. It was like entering the ritz they couldn’t do enough for me. And I was right by the toilet. Came home after three days and it heart had come down eventually. A few days later I was rushed in again. I saw an amazing doctor that night who said the feeling of hearing my heart was that I was having anxiety attacks and panic I do have a lot going on.
Saw my Cardiologist on Monday she said you are having panic attacks. She also said how much verapamil are you on as I told her I had not got a scrap of energy no apetite and so on. I was then on 360mg. She said it was far too much for my body weight so have reduced that. Have had AF four times through the week luckily not long episodes. Then yesterday I more or less felt my normal self again. Came to bed and I started having missed beats fast heart rate couldn’t believe it. It has settled down after taking my PIP but am getting so fed up of it now. Regards everyone.
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Gillybean123
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So sorry to read of your dramas at the hands of a couple of hospitals. Quite the opposite of what Buffafly recently wrote about. I rather suspect your experiences are the norm ! Certainly, from what you wrote and the way you wrote it, a hospital emergency room is probably the last place you need to be for proper diagnosis and treatment.
I wonder, and am only wondering if dealing with a Dr and/or a Cardiologist is the best way forward for you. My recent experience leaves me determined to have nothing more to do with my surgery/GP than I absolutely had to and it all arose because of what action I took independantly of them in lowering my dose of Bisoprolol AND the fact that my medication hasn't been reviewed for some 12 & half years. In the end I bloody did it my way and quite successfully too.
Anyway, long story short my GP fobbed me off to our Surgery Pharmacist ( not a Pharmacy pharmacist BUT surgery one) and set up a telephone consultation with her which I had on 1 September. It was one of the most constructive and positive consultations I've ever had with a healthcare professional who confirmed that my approach to my Bisoprolol problems was spot on and is exactly what she would have told me to do. End result is a follow up appointment later in September.
So, what all this post is about is, I wonder if perhaps you need to get a Pharmacist Review of all your medication. If your surgery hasn't got one on their payroll make an appointment with a Pharmacy near your home or anywhere really and get them to carry out a review . The one thing I learned from my session with my Pharmacist is that it just isn't the drug, per se, thats important it's how that drug interacts with other medication you maybe on. If the Pharmaceutical mix isn't right then you may well experience ongoing issues with your condition. Remember a GP is ONLY a generalist NOT an expert on drugs.
That is very useful information! Like Gilly I was on way too high a dose of Diltiazem for my weight. An accident waiting to happen that sent me into A and E twice and was very very scary. On almost half that dose now.
I recently tried to order my prescription online but found it was blocked ,visited the surgery and found out that the GP was reviewing my drugs the receptionist said she would sort it but if it happens again I can go on the practice website and bypass the review . Went back home and low and Behold I could order them . This begs the question has it been reviewed or not ,been on bisoprolol apixiban and digoxin for 4 years and only once early on with a reduction in apixiban ,nothing has changed .
Following my telephone consultation with my Surgery Pharmacist, I actively persued the fact that 12 & half years with no review. She countered that my medication had been reviewed, I was bloody minded enough to disagree.
It does seem that there is a big difference in the definition of medication review. From the surgery point of view it seems that meds are considered to be reviewed as a result of annual blood tests being conducted (which ensures that meds prescribed are not having an adverse impact on ones various organs). From the patients point of view, the patient considers that the way they feel ( their ability to operate close to normal or without any major side effects ) defines their view of meds (if you see what I mean).
Now the way I felt with Bisoprolol suggested to me that the side effects were eventually so horrendous that 7.5 mg of the stuff wasn't doing me any good and I was far from normal. So I just reduced my dose back to the original 5 mg.
Yes I have had blood tests annually but all they do was confirm my organs weren't adversely affected. The blood tests did not confirm or otherwise the effectiveness of any one drug and whether it was still suitable for my aging body and my defined medical condition, 12 & half years after the stuff was originally prescribed.
Anyway we agreed to be worlds apart ......... but this experience just shows how remote the medical healthcare professionals are becoming and why a great many of us write in this forum, "that my GP won't listen, or, doesn't understand ".
Hope this isn't too much of a ramble and that peeps can understand what I'm trying to get across.
In my own struggles with arrhythmias, I have come to accept that anxiety seems to cause a wide range of awful, doom-laden feelings, many of which I struggle to hard to accept as not having a more sinister cause.
Interestingly, I have a now elderly friend who has had persistent AF for many years now, all at a normal heart rate and with few, if any, symptoms. In the many years before AF was diagnosed he suffered what he called "rigors", and which several doctors diagnosed as panic attacks. This was something he refused to believe as he feels that he doesn't have an anxious personality. After much persistence, and private consultations, these, eventually, got diagnosed as a shortage of a particular liver enzyme, for which he has since taken a small dose of an aspirin-like tablet each day of this life, convinced it is keeping him well.
I've often wondered whether what he actually had, all those years ago, wasn't PAF mimicking the anxiety attacks? It seems odd to me that his persistent AF suddenly came on with no prior paroxysmal AF.
Unfortunately anxiety does seem to increase with age. I think we should all have 'getting old' classes with tips to deal with this and the rest. I have had some success by throwing all common methods of reducing anxiety, so as not to rely on just one. Best wishes.
I so agree with you! I think many of us learn to mask it when we're younger and so we 'manage'. Then our lives change, maybe we're living alone now and BOOM it bites you in the bum. At least we've more awareness of it now - there's a UK wide mental health crisis due to the pandemic. And we're learning better ways of dealing with it. Not just medication. Though no shame in that.
Another way of dealing with it, where I am supporting awareness, is regular weekly visits to Social Farms, also known as Care Farms. A secure outdoor site with animals helps young & old alike.
morning Gilly. So sorry for these horrible events - I do know the 'worst night' syndrome and joys of A and E. Glad they had the sense to change your drug regime at least. It's one step forward.
I'd like to chip in on the anxiety issue as I too suffer with this and it can make life miserable on top of the AF itself. Over a year ago another forum member recommended this book to me and while I still get bouts of anxiety It's really helped turn me around. Maybe try it as an audio book? I'm sure your GP will be on the case too but I'd also recommend Somatic work if you go for counselling etc with someone who offers cognitive behavioural therapy.
Hello Gillybean123, this is the same response I gave to Avatel on the prior post. When anxiety or depression start creeping in or the onset of AFIB I immediately turn my attention away from the problem and call upon Jesus Christ and begin reading the Bible. I find it calms me down and gets everything back on the right track so I can cope with it. I have had AFIB for 33 years now and HE has never failed me yet. Staying focused on the problem exacerbates things tremendously and I know it's easier said then done but in time it will become as easy and effortless as breathing and the results will be truly worth it. Hope this helps.
thanks for that is there any particular part of the Bible that you read? I am always praying I have just done so. For someone else with problems and to give thanks. Regards Gillian.
I love it all and have found that reading it just calms me down tremendously where my anxiety and worry is soon not as bad as I was making it out to be. 1 peter 5:7 says it all.
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