linesteps1

[Linesteps]

hi all , my af seems to be getting worse , I know that’s normal sometimes . The issue is trying to ignore the irregular heart rate and the anxiety of impending doom !! My rate is between 70/90 so don’t really have any symptoms except a fuzzy head sometimes ! The increase has gone from maybe once a month for 4 hrs to every time I get up in the morning for a couple of hours , is it worth seeing anyone ? My resting heart rate is 60 when in SR ?

[pottypete1]

Yes definitely worth seeing someone. Not A & E though.

Pete

[Linesteps in reply to pottypete1]

thanks yes I agree a/e worst place I’ve emailed my Arrythmia nurse for advice I’m so annoyed with this it’s ruining time with grandchildren so unpredictable!!

[Linesteps in reply to Linesteps]

I’m just wonderering if a slow heart rate can trigger episodes of af ?

[wilsond in reply to Linesteps]

I used to get slow AF a lot,mixed with fast AF 😒 so yes you can.

[Cavalierrubie]

l think if it was me l would get a review and check up. I think we all know when it’s time to do that. Think it will put your mind at rest as well. Your numbers are good and it’s not a fast AF. Best wishes

[Ppiman]

I seem to be holding my own AF at bay since taking bisoprolol 1.25mg each day for a few months now. However, I do get irregular pulse caused by multiple runs of ectopic beats and palpitations each morning, and for much of the day, all at a similar heart rate to yours. My resting rate is also similar to yours, or a bit lower. Mostly, I can keep anxiety at bay these days but can relate well to how you must be feeling. That phrase "impending doom" perfectly describes the feeling.

I was told that this awful sensation is the result of slight changes in the blood chemistry caused by a subconscious alteration in breathing, whereby we unknowingly breathe out a little too far with each breath, making the blood slightly less acidic as we lose too much carbon dioxide. It's called over-breathing or hyperventilation and leads to reversible mild alkalosis. It's said that one in ten people can suffer this at some period during their lives. That sounds a lot to me, but I have known three people personally who have had it, as well as yours truly.

One emergency way to relieve is to breathe in and out of a paper bag for a few breaths. This works, for sure, but seems to have lost favour and is not advised these days for some reason. A better way is to retrain yourself to breathe more naturally, or to follow a course of relaxation therapy either self taught using one of the many phone apps or books available or paying for an expensive cognitive behavioural therapist to show you. I bought a book once by the Australian doctor Claire Weekes which was truly excellent and, I suppose in its way, life changing. The books are out of print but always available from Amazon second hand. I would try that if I were you. It will work.

By the way, do you have an Apple Watch, Kardia or similar device? I use a Wellue handheld AI monitor these days, which is similar but more comprehensive, but achieves the same outcome. Any of them will confirm that what you are feeling is AF rather than ectopic beats and palpitations. If it is AF, then your doctor ought to know and might have some magic potion to hand!

Steve

[stoneyrosed in reply to Ppiman]

Some of the you tube videos by Wim Hoff are great for training breathwork.

[Ppiman in reply to stoneyrosed]

That sounds an excellent suggestion. My troubles were years ago and there was nothing like that back then. I tried CBT but found the therapist pretty poor and very expensive considering that mostly she gave me printouts from web pages. In the end, the Claire Weekes' book did the trick.

Steve

[Linesteps in reply to Ppiman]

thank you will definitely get Claire’s book x

[Ppiman in reply to Linesteps]

There’s no full cure I have found except to finds way of stopping the precipitating thoughts before they take hold. That and time which brings the knowledge that all was well the last time and all will be well this time!

Weekes’s books are all enlightening and even, as they say these days, “empowering”.

Hope and Help for Your Nerves: End Anxiety Now amzn.eu/d/1mtbMno