how do I get my heart back into sinus? I take apixiban as well as verapamil (can’t take beta blockers)
And for when I have palps flecainide 100 mg have taken for last 3 days but nothing feel really disappointed, I have done the vagal moves, tried everything my heart rate shoots up to 160 bpm.
I am seeing a new cardiologist team this Tuesday I saw an EP privately and he as asked them to refer me to them via nhs. He added the flecainide, but my BP is high now as well any ideas.
Sorry but you have AF and this will happen sometimes. Try to stay relaxed as worry will exacerbate things. Stay well hydrated and breath deeply.
Only a few days before you see your new team but if you have any chest pain or fainting then go to A and E . Other wise just ride it out.
jeanjeannie50 has an exercise sheet that has some suggestions on how to get back into rhythm. I can’t find it but hopefully JJ can!
Have sent it to her. x
an exercise sheet? That sounds very useful. Is it posted somewhere in this group?
It's exercises to get you out of AF. I'm always putting it on this forum:
These are tips people have given over the years for stopping an AF attack.
I am a therapist in private practice for over 20yrs. One of my therapies is yoga based. Having quite an accurate knowledge of anatomy, neurology and physiology also having PAF I have found this technique helps me immensely when my heart is fluttering like crazy. Make yourself comfortable either on a bed or lying on the floor, position a pillow under you head, raise your left arm in an extension position as if you are doing the backward crawl, stretch as much as you can and imagine that it is stretching your heart muscle. I bend my arm and position my hand under my head palm upwards. Stay in that position for as long as you can or until the fluttering subsides. At the same time I think of something pleasant. It does not matter what you think about as long as it is a pleasant thought for you. This stops my heart jumping about almost instantly. I also place my right hand over my heart area...Don't panic and just keep calm thinking pleasant thoughts. I do hope this helps you. Kind Regards.C
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As someone else who finds yoga breathing and some positions helpful, I would love to try (xxxx) suggestion, but lying down flat tends to make things worse for me. My most helpful position, taught me by a lovely yoga teacher, is based on a yoga forward bend. I sit up with my legs outstretched in front of me and a pillow under my knees, and then bend forward from the hips not the waist, with my arms relaxed but outstretched towards my ankles, and breathe deeply and slowly. It's not so good on a full stomach and is more comfortable with your knees slightly apart, and I guess you have to be a bit flexible to find it comfortable, but it has proved to be a great help.
I agree with (xxxx) that staying calm and focusing on something pleasant is a must, and I've even fallen asleep like this as most of my episodes occur at night. All the best Liz
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Finally, like AV nodal re-entry, some people have recurrent rapid rhythms that are infrequent and easy to self-control by using various methods to increase neural slowing to the AV node (so-called, "vagal maneuvers"). Using these maneuvers, one can sometimes stop the arrhythmia. These maneuvers include:
Bearing down forcefully like you're having a bowel movement for 5-10 seconds, then slowly exhaling.in the neck while lying down for approximately 5 seconds
Placing very cold (soaked in ICE water) cloth on the face abruptly.
Coughing forcefully
Rubbing the carotid artery, one side at a time. If you do both you can pass out,
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There's a yoga breathing exercise that has worked for me before. Lie on your back, bend your knees up so they are above your hips and your lower legs are at 90 degrees. Take a breath in for a count of 4 then breathe out for a count of at least 8. As you breathe out, bring your knees into your chest so you curl into a ball. When you think you've got all the air out of your lungs, try and breathe out more! Breathe in again for 4 and release your legs out to the starting position. Repeat several times. It helps to reset the diaphragm and focus should be on a good long out-breath.
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So, after discovering that making myself sneeze stops Afib. I have discovered another novel way to stop an attack. It involves drinking a litre bottle of water while holding my nose. It's especially effective if I experience almost panic as I can't get a breath. I don't always finish the bottle but find that's not always necessary to gain the desired effect. Works especially well if I catch an attack early. Kenny
thank you for reposting these! Mine tachycardia is usually resolved by some combination of these methods. Flat in the floor, relax, breathe in and fill lungs to absolute extreme. Long breath out.
THANK YOU so much. Have pasted and copied and will print it out when i have time
can you send it to me
Will send it to you as a private message, so that you always have it.
me too please jeanjeanie, thanks
Can you send me it please..
would you mind sending this to me too please? 😊
Thanks JJ! I’ve kept it this time. One worked for me so it’s worth a shot Lily!
yes am trying them, still in AF though but will keep trying
If your AF is vagally mediated and you don't normally drink cold drinks try taking one straight from the fridge and gulping it down....stopped one of my episodes.
oh no - that’s miserable- so sorry! Your BP will be high because of the AF - the messages between the 2 systems get scrambled when the HR is so chaotic. It might drop later when you revert to NSR so remember to keep hydrated lie down with your feet elevated if that happens.
Have to say vagal manoeuvres never did anything for me. Maybe try just being gentle with yourself - take things calmly, breathe slowly if the palpitations feel strong, step outside to remind yourself that there's a world out there. I know you live in a beautiful part of the country. Cry if you need to - lots of opportunities to do that today!
Sometimes we can just sit with it and ride it out. I hope this will be the case for you today Lily.
thank you must admit do cry a bit just feel so scared and hopeless nothing I do has helped my weight has gone down 2 stone I thought that may help but this constant heart shaking is horrid, I am trying to carry on going up poly tunnel and walking dogs around field
Sorry to hear it, but take some comfort from the fact that I was out of NSR for a month & gave up hope of it ever returning. And then it did. So try to relax & hopefully things will look up when you're not expecting it.
thank you, did meds get you back into it? I am so scared of having a stroke although I do take my blood thinners, and the damage it is doing to my heart 😔
I'm on bisoprolol & apixaban, but have been for a long time, so reverting to NSR wasn't related to them I suspect. Doing relaxation exercises helps for me. Worth a try.
Similar to Collie my wife was out of NSR for 2 weeks and then self reverted. Fingers crossed things work out for you.
thank you I hope your wife is okay now
Cant add any more to all thrse wonderful suggestions Lilylui except to send you big hugs. I dont expect you have slept much so you must be feeling tired on top. Distraction, distraction as much as poss, and soon that new team will see you.....tomorrow. Let us know how it goes. Xx
was in Afib for a month (after four ablations!). On flecainide and metoprolol all wo effect. Went back for fifth cardioversion and now am six months in NSR … so far. Sorry, but welcome to the club.
in my mind if nothing is working and it is causing you concern then seek medical help.
I have similar episodes and when my heart increases to 140 plus then even the emergency room struggle to bring it under control as last time i was admitted to Kings college hospital London and it took them 4 days to bring my heart under control.
You know your body. If it doesnt feel right get help.
do you always go if heart 140? Last time I went to a&e they did nothing but monitor me after 6hrs the rate did drop
yes my heart rate refused to come down and actually took 6 days if you include the days before i went into hospital
with such high heart rate for three days it is time to the hospital.
I would definitely go to A@E if it was myself, better safe than sorry, get some help now.
they didn't do anything last few times just did ecg and on a monitor told me to increase meds, and then waited till it dropped to 100 I am seeing cardiac team tomo so will ask them what I should do all the docs at A&e are so conflicting
I suffer with paroxysmal afib and most of my episodes last between 6 to 14 days. As Bob says you sometimes have to ride it out. I've tried everything and the only thing that sometimes works for me is hard exercise like a long run or bike ride which is no fun during an afib attack. Bisoprolol keeps my HR down
Try thrusting your head in a bucket of Icy water. It works for some people
Hi
I think Ver...... is a CCB.
My CCB Diltiazem 180mg dropped my H/R from 156 to 51.
I then experienced change not so dramatic on
Diltiazem 120mg am and Beta Blocker Bisoprolol 2.5 which never has brought down my night avge rate of 47 H/R.
One must not take a BB with a CCB.
There are a lot of BBs. I have banned metroprolol for breathless, fatigue and it never reduced my rapid, persistent H/R with AF. 186 H/R day avge.
I cant have an ablation.
I was diagnosed with Papillary Thyroid cancer which was removed Feb 2020 4 mths after stroke.
I keep my TSH ideally at 2.0. I refused suppression. I refused RAI Radio Active Iodine.
My energy returning when the inflammation caused by J&J surgical mesh in TVT Kit was removed. Back in March 2022 this year.
Is your Thyroid scan OK?
Fingers crossed you will find a cure.
cheri JOY. 73. (NZ)
yes thyroid scan said it was fine but also shows hasimoto’s, gone into sinus fingers crossed it stays for a while
you may want to ask about increasing Flec dose as 100mg would be consider a low dose in 24 hours -it nay be thats it just not getting enough to stop the episode - BUT you need to get advice before doing so.
Hopefully your heart has settled back into rhythm at this point? If not, have you spoken with specialists about med increase or possible med change {as are options out there)?
Note that I was advised by my EP that flecainde can take up to 5 days to take efffect.
yes it settled again, it used to go months but now only going days it’s so nice when it’s in sinus
Glad to hear it as I certainly know intimately the relief of going back into NSR.
My Afib episodes became longer and longer (episodes lasting 24-48 hours) and more and more frequent (from months to weeks to days) a few years ago. The ablations since, though not completely successful, have helped in conjunction with smaller amount of meds, in lengthening the time between episodes and greatly reducing the duration and intensity of my episodes.
I am a realist and understand that this will not last forever, but does provide more week to week mental and physical stability. Wishing you well
Flecainide and Blackouts
Cardi version and not Flecainide ?
Nausea & Flecainide 
BLOOD PRESSURE TOO LOW but HEART RATE TOO HIGH - SHOULD I TAKE BISOPROLOL or NOT?
Recent continuous AF Update
