Well another attack of bad afib/tachycardia and that’s the 4th one since before Christmas each one lasting about 4-5 weeks
i Was blue light to hospital earlier this week as bad pains in my chest snd roughly 168 heart rate. I know I’ve been about 240 before but felt really ill this time. Anyway tests showed no heart attack or clots on lungs The suggestion is now to be transferred to Harefield for another ablation
My question is I was on furosemide and once before in hospital the cardiologist said too harsh on kidneys as only one working kidney and changed me to Co-amilofruse
This time in hospital after looking at my notes with hole in heart, valves leaking, pulmonary hypertension, enlarged left atrium, I was changed back to furosemide
Since then my ankles and feet have been swollen despite trying to put them up every time I sit down I wondered if this is because although heart rate gone down to 89 (my old usual was always about 43-48) if it is this latest attack or the change back to furosemide??
Does anyone know which is the best diuretic to take which is kind to kidneys but works please?
Apologies for the long screed but found hospital snd also GP not much help
Pat x
Written by
Tapanac
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I can’t help with your question but has no one suggested Pace and Ablate? With all your other problems I wouldn’t have thought a regular ablation would work but of course I’m not medically trained so interested to hear why they think another ablation might be successful?
I don’t know. Apparently I learned this time that my other ablation was for flutter snd this time fibrillation. All I know is that it is different and more invasive hence the reason going to Harefield hospital as our hospital can’t do it. Get to one side going by the right side??? All I know I have 14 pages of risks and takes about 6 hours (hopefully then general anaesthetic) as last time it was about two half to three hours should have been sedation and felt everything!!
Thank you for replying. I guess/hope when the appointment comes through snd hopefully meet the surgeon I can ask all questions and they give me straight answers. I was silly and looked up Google and it said the older you get the more risky - that could be with any op I should think
I will thank you. Trouble is my husband had mild dementia and not well with his heart either snd it means 2 days intensive care and another 2 days in the ward. Although my present EP seems to think longer
Our family all live so far away plus of course they have to go to work. Although I know they will help their best.
Awww that is so tough. I'd definately seek out further advice. Is Harefield the specialist centre and thats why you are bring sent there?
When considering your op needs they should look up you needs when discharged to home at pre op stage. You definately need to flag up your role as a carer and the fact your family live a long way away & have existing commitments. They will need to look at your husband's needs so that you can recover from your op once home. Please don't be stoic because it's really important you have proper support so you can recover.
Re age and ops.... Yes it's true that as you age ops can have a higher risk level But what they should look at is your fitness and health...... there are plenty of older folks who are actually fitter than younger people so it's not a given.
unfortunately I’m not very fit as I had brain tumour surgery and what with the pandemic and “watching” trevor I haven’t been as active as I used to be.
I did make a mistake after the last ablation as when I was discharged it was night time snd the only person in the ward was a clerk who virtually opened the door and goodbye. No instructions at all and I didn’t belong to this forum then. So the day after I had new carpets and when the men had gone I hoovered snd put everything to rights. Didn’t feel well after that!!!!
Awww so sorry to hear this. Poor you. Terrible that you were given no advice. It is difficult when you don't feel well to strike the right balance between activity/rest. It's very individual.. Guess moving the furniture is what did it for you.... Lol.😢I'm having a new carpet laid in two weeks.... I put my foot down and told the chap measuring assessing fitting cost that I can take the drawers out of the chests for them but they will have to move furniture, mattress and navigate around the bed. I'm sure I'm not the only one....but it's taken me a very long time to accept I need to not try and to say it....!! I sympathise. xx
You definitely need answers from someone who understands what is causing the swollen ankles because the heart, specifically right ventricular function, and kidney problems are linked. I can’t comment on the meds because I have no knowledge whatsoever in this area. In the meantime, do you have any compression hosiery to help with the swelling? You need to find out what’s causing the swelling so you need to keep pushing until you can find someone who takes you seriously. Easier said than done, of course. I know only too well how difficult it is in this post-pandemic healthcare chaos that’s our ‘new normal’ now, but please get on the phone to the GP first thing on Monday, even if your opening gambit is a request for support stockings (whether you want them or not) because at the very least it’s saying “something has changed and I’m physically uncomfortable in a way I wasn’t before” and hope they take their fingers out of their ears and listen to you.
Can you get some home help after your ablation? It may be possible to have help if you ask your doctor and explain your circumstances. Sometimes being stoic is the wrong way to go. let us know how you are going on? x
Bless him I had another pain in my chest this morning (it only lasted about 10 minutes this time) and my husband said “I think you ought to see someone about that”. I only came out of hospital on Thursday!!!!!
Hi, I am new here and have not yet written up my bio, but I have been dealing with a swollen right foot, especially at the top of the foot. It is about 6 inches high! Not the sides! Very weird. Podiatrist said go see your GP right away, GP said "lymphedema." I was worried it is my heart, but for now I will be seeing a lymphedema specialist and hopefully getting decompression massage as my foot is so swollen there are no shoes I can wear at all! I am using a surgical shoe. The hospital did ultrasound from my waist to foot to check for blood clots. If you find out any other news about this I would love to hear it as well. Good luck.
Swollen tops of feet, what a nightmare ! My GP gave me a mild diuretic, that just raised my heart rate. My cardio put me on Spiractin (aldosterone). This has no effect - I noticed that I was getting discomfort in the kidney region of my back, so the other day I stopped it - discomfort gone! I'm due for a GP appointment next month so I will discuss it with her again. The odd thing is, when I saw her a couple of weeks ago after I injured my foot and needed an anti- biotic, I told her whenever I have an anti-biotic the swelling goes down, but returns a couple of days after I have completed the course - this had her scratching her head, she has no idea. So I wondered what I do differently when on an anti-biotic, answer I drink more water. I normally only drink water, but I do not get thirsty so only drink when I am thirsty . I have now doubled my water consumption and my feet are much better ! The swelling is not bad, but I have very high arches and the extra height on the top of my foot makes it impossible to wear high fronted shoes or boots. I tend to walk around bare foot at home and both feet have suffered crushing injuries at one time or another! Any suggestions I can put to my baffled doctor would be gratefully received !!!
can’t think but I did wonder if you are walking around bare foot could you have an infection that although taking antibiotics and they help, maybe the infection not going completely and therefore the swelling starting up again
I can't help thinking it's an infection. My doctor is lovely , I have been consulting her for 15 years and it was only when the practice nurse was changing the dressing on my foot which I had cut, and she popped in the wound room to see how I was doing that I mentioned in passing the anti-biotic thing to her- it was not discussed in depth, but when I see her next month for my 6monthly check I will go into detail. Thanks for the suggestion !
Thanks, but it's not that urgent, I've had this slight swelling for years, silly I know, but I was ashamed of my ugly feet , so I did not want to show anyone, Eventually a year ago I swallowed my pride and showed my GP, as I have AF she thought it might be my heart, my full blood count I had just had was fine, she prescribed a mild diuretic. I found that increased my heart rate so she said to stop it and discuss it with my Cardio (my annual appointment was due). The echo and doppler were OK, my EF is 60, I have mild Pulmonary Hypertension and mild ACOS - he just changed the diuretic to the potassium sparing Spiractin (half a tablet). I saw my GP again because it was not making any difference, she increased the dose to a whole tablet 25mg. She does not want to increase it more because it's bad for the kidneys. It only occurred to me that it went away on the few occasions I have an anti-biotic , a couple of weeks ago with the cellulitis on my cut foot. My AF is symptomless. I think more kidney tests may be needed (I am routinely tested for CKD) or may maybe a vascular specialist - I have a good pulse in my feet when my GP checked. But my ankles do not swell, neither do my legs or hands and I have no pain, so I think it can wait!!!!!!
Just to add, they are fine when I get up in the morning and are at their worse in the evening (gravity from sitting too much - I'm 80 and spend a lot of time on my computer ) !!!!
Hi Wavy - I have an exercise bike I ride every day for 20-30 mins, - not Tour de France stuff but as if I were leisurely pedaling along a country lane. I have it on an enclosed patio which has all glass along the garden side and I look out and watch the birds as I pedal and meditate. The joke is, my feet are worse after my bike ride !!!!!!
Oh noooo.... How annoying! Sounds like the support stockings are unavoidable... Lol. Cest la vie!Love your daily bike ride meditation though.... Bliss.
thank you. I seem to always doing something in the house snd garden, but over the last couple of months I’ve had a pain on my groin (can’t find out what it is) plus also waiting for results of MRI for spinal cordus equina, so not been active in actual walking beside so breathless
Never rains but pours does it. I’ve decided for some growing old should be the golden years, but in our cases they’ve gone rusty!!!!
Thanks Joy, I was beginning to feel guilty, like I should be knitting or embroidering garments for refugees - not that South Africa is much of a magnet for refugees, as there are no free handouts !!!!!!
Funny you should mention antibiotics. I have RA and a heart condition. My feet, left knee and wrists often get inflamed and Prednisolone helps with the pain. BUT over the years I noticed every time I have a course of antibiotics for tooth infections or anything else, the inflammation goes away!!!
Docs say it can't work for RA but its happened too many times to be a coincidence!
Still confused, maybe the cause of some conditions are bacteria related. God Knows!
For the swelling, I do wear compression socks, knee straps, put feet up when lying down use an infrared lamp. Massage lightly upwards for lymph nodes to work, try and get sunlight, walk barefoot (grounding) at least a couple of times a day, drink greentea, light black tea with ginger and rosemary tea too. Garlic to keep BP in check. I stay away from 5g any emf which appear to cause my inflammation and water retention to get worse!
Thanks Rubina - it is strange, fortunately I don't have RA so it's just the tops of my feet. I hardly touch salt, I was known as the rabbit as a child because I eat green salads and tomatoes without salt or dressing (still do), so diuretics make little difference - I sleep for 7 hours without having to get up to go to the loo, and I only drink water all day and one mug of decaf coffee in the morning. I take Co-Q10 which is supposed to be a powerful antioxidant. Because of the anti-biotic, I can't help but think it's some sort of low grade infection - where,I have no idea, I have no pain ! I live in South Africa, so I will speak to my GP about compression socks, I have thin skin and I take an anti coagulant for my AF and the compression stockings that go to the knee cause petechiae. I shouldn't complain , there are so many people with much worse problems than not being able to wear smart shoes. I think I'll get some of those Ugg boots, it's winter now - I should manage to wear them !!!!!!!
I have had pace and Ablate but still take one Spiranalactone and two Bumetanide every morning. I had a Doppler test for compression socks many years ago, but the diuretics are holding my feet and ankles for now. Like you my feet go up the minute I sit down
when I see my GP on 22nd I might ask him about a diuretic as the furosemide and Co-amilofruse are usually fine in the winter just hot weather etc tends to make them swell. The only trouble is I take my water pill as soon as I take all my others but I’m wary about going out until at least 1pm which is a real nuisance especially if we are going out or seeing friends always looking for nearest loo. So if we have something on I don’t take it and of course swollen feet by the end of the day. I’ll also ask him for one that is kind to the kidneys.
Sounds like you need access to treatment to reduce the swelling first poor you. I've forgotten what's its called but they do gentle massage to aid the fluid drainage (not painful) and then put the compression stockings on afterwards.... Might take a few sessions. Compression stockings are awkward but shouldn't be painful to put on /off.
Hi sorry to hear you’ve been having such a rough time. I was changed from furosemide to Bumetanide as it wasn’t getting rid of fluid anymore and it was damaging my kidneys. I began to feel better after that change. But that was my cardiologists decision. I had a blood test done and they phoned me and told me after a discussion concerning my case they decided to take me off furosemide and put me on Bumetanide. Speak to them again, because your case is different from mine it might be Bumetanide isn’t good for you either
I saw you mentioned pulmonary hypertension I’ve been diagnosed with that also. Does it affect you in any way?
I’m the same. I have persistent Afib, a heart function of 23% and severe pulmonary hypertension. Any one of them or even all of them can be why I get breathless all the time doing things. Something for me to ask the cardiologist the next time I see them. Pulmonary hypertension was never discussed, it came up in a report from a recent clinic visit.
oh we are creaking gates aren’t we. Mine came up from an echocardiogram where it showed up hole in the heart, pulmonary hypertension, mitral and transcupid leaking valves, diastolic disfunction and other things I can’t remember offhand
We are creaking gates😂😂very good analogy. I’m the same there’s always something a lot of it I don’t pay attention to until it’s mentioned on this form. Our hearts are the gifts that keeps giving😀
I'm not an asthmatic as well but Metropolol was not good and also I was given first cheap drug for high BP I think it started with I .. which made me cough.
I’ve never heard of that drug. We have to let them know if we are reacting to these drugs. Some people are ok on them and some are not. When they stop us taking some of these drugs after a long time and put us on new ones it’s because too many people have complained about side effects.
have you been given anything for your pulmonary hypertension? I read somewhere that although it’s incurable there is a pill that could help but I jsvfnt been given anything
No I haven’t. I didn’t even know I had it. I was going through my hospital report in January, after a visit, and in the report it was mentioned and it said severe pulmonary hypertension. I went back in my reports years ago and it was mentioned, but I never noticed it then. I contacted the BHF nurse and she explained it to me. I’m already on water tablets for Heart failure. I was on the transplant register, but I decided to come off. I’m 62 had a good life. My cardiologist told me to go on BHF website to see what the ending for me would be like. At the beginning of my journey in 2003 I was given lots of books about heart failure. I found them, read them again, and found them helpful. They were from the BHF. I also recently sent off for some books from pulmonary hypertension people. I found online. According to that, the same meds I’m on for hart failure is the same meds for that.
well if you’ve had pulmonary hypertension for years, perhaps I shouldn’t have looked up Google as it said without specific medication which I believed was something beginning with F to help be more comfortable I had approximately 1-2 years left. The rest of my problems 1-5 years. I did panic a bit as don’t want to leave the family (besides I haven’t cleared my wardrobe out!!!!)
You stay well as 62 as young to come off the transplant list xx
You have years left. I think the tell me to prepare because I came off the list. 62 I don’t know. Since coming on here I’ve seen a lot younger people in there 20s-50s needing transplant. Me personally would rather a heart go to them. That’s me. Everyone is different. People tell me not to give up. I feel more at peace coming to this decision. I am taking all the meds offered to me. I’m being well looked after too.
gosh that’s kind of you and brave although I should think a heart transplant is a difficult time to go through and whether it takes. Stay well and best wishes. Let’s hope we all have years and years left xx
All diuretics do the same and try and rid the organs of surrounding fluid.
They also rid the body of potassium and other minerals and elements.
Walking and feet up the best especially at night.
Sitting in a car or travel in heat and being stationery are worse.
But some pills are culprots as is over weight.
Remember to have that banana daily in the morning and keep up the fluids - even though it is a 'hard' circle to deal with.
I feel for you. I was bad on the South American Tucan doubledeck bus touring around S America in the heat. I took frusermide then someone exchanged outr new bottles of water and I got the 'runs"! Awful.
Be sure to tell the nurse/doctor during rounds or your GP.
Watermelpn is best to replace nutrients.
I couldn't climb in National Park cause I couldn't get my leather walking boots on. I bought some lighter suede ones. Still got both but should give away the leather water proof ones.
yes when I had to go to A&E because of afib and bad tachycardia they gave me a potassium drip
I do try to keep my feet up as much as possible. I can’t manage the walking much as i am waiting the MRI results for spinal cordus equina and more often than not as well I have bad pains in my groin which no one seems to know what it is. Plus so many things wrong with my heart that at times I do feel down.
It doesn’t help that my husband has short term memory loss snd so much to think about for the two of us and our family live a long way from us
Oh dear I am having a feel sorry for myself time aren’t I Sorry
You will need to get your heart rate down under say 85 before they will operate.
The Anaesthetist said that for the pre op check. Luckily I was put on CCB the December prior to March 2022 and I slipped through OK.
Op went well. I was done in the DHB Public North Shore, I had a special general anaesthetic, 2 Drs and 2 Anaesthetists. I awoke hungry for my dinner 5pm. So op was 1pm and not sure what happened between. I must have awoken and went back to sleep I guess.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Feeling Bummed out!!
Understanding AF and how to cope with it 
Svt
Last Chance Saloon
How do I slow a rapid heart rate?
