I was diagnosed last year with Afib,still waiting for cardiologist appointment after 9 months,hence I don't much know what I'm doing. Does anyone know if having a flu jab will affect my afib,or bring on an episode.
Flu vaccine : I was diagnosed last year... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Flu vaccine
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TheGrinch2
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Hi, I had a LINQ ECG implanted in February which picked up Afib in May. I had a telephone call to check out what was happening at the time and then told my meds would change from antiplatelet to anticoagulant. Since my stroke out of area 18 months ago I have not seen an NHS cardiologist face to face in my local NHS trust! Just one telephone call! I'm taking responsibility for improving my health fitness levels, get my blood tests etc I have just had flu jab, COVID jab booked and I intend to have shingles jab too. Not aware of any reasons not to. I'll be following this to see what the replies are and checking if they are evidence based! But I would take my primary advice from the primary team. You should advise the jabber of your meds just in case there is a bleed or adverse ( unlikely) reaction.
At the end of the day if your condition is stable and has been for 9 months that seems to me to be a good position.
Like you,I'm taking responsibility for health,watching diet,and being sensible. Haven't been able to see G.P all the time I've been ill,no one checks on me,i have to make regular appointments to check b.p and such.Also chase up how far I am on waiting list for hospital appointment.So ...no idea if I'm stable or not. However thanks for reply.
BobDVolunteer
It might, especially if you think it will but for sure flu or any other infection/inflamation can bring on AF. I've had every vaccination offered for about 20 years and never noticed any problems with AF
Thanks for that, yeah, the mind does begat
I tend to react badly to vaccines but the last flu jab I had least reaction - probably a few hours of unsettled heart and mild flu like symptoms for about 24 hours. Flu can be really serious and at the moment more of a threat than COVID so I’m going for it but not until end of Oct as the worst of the Flu season is usually Feb.
My husband has Afib. There’s a possibility that it was initially triggered by a Covid vaccine (and Google throws up research papers linking both Covid and mRNA vaccines with arrhythmias). During and for a while after getting Covid his Afib was worse. He has been advised to have the flu vaccine but no Covid booster. I read a research paper that said the flu vaccine has no effect on heart tissue in contrast with mRNA.
Hope you get seen soon. Cardiology seems to be even more stretched since Covid came on the scene.
Thankyou ,all my heart problems started after covid jabs,hence the doubt and fear
I had my flu jab Saturday and apart from a slightly achy arm, it’s fine. Like BobD I have had every vaccine offered without a problem. Only had flu once some 55 years ago. I was young (15) fit and healthy but have never felt so ill. I never want to experience that again.
I have had regular flu and covid vaccines with absolutely no effect on my heart that I am aware of. I wouldn't give it a second thought.
As for waiting nine months, well, the only alternative in our beleaguered times is to pay privately, in which case I would have an echocardiogram and ECG carried out before the consultation as, without these, the doctor will be a bit hamstrung.
Steve
Thankyou,I was sent to A/E from G.P surgery when I was first diagnosed I had echocardiogram and 24 hour holter monitor quickly.Waited 3 months to before I was put on cardiologist waiting list. I'm thinking of paying as I've been told waing lists are over 1 year
I wouldn't be surprised at such a wait. It's really terrible, isn't it? I gather the NHS is using a lot more private sector consultations at present to bring the wait down.
Steve
had my flu vaccination on Saturday. All good apart from a bruise on my arm and it was a bit sore yesterday. Still debating whether to have the next Covid jab - last one made me feel a bit odd.
Good luck - am sure it will be fine
Did you get COVID? Are you able to contrast the odd feeling after vaccination with the the consequences of a COVID infection? Were the odd feelings you had worse than say someone you know with long COVID? These evidence based comparisons may help you make the decision. My view, on balance the risks of a bad dose of Covid are infinitely worse than some irritating side effects of vaccination, and infinitesimally small risks of serious side effects from vaccination. Yes people have caught COVID after vaccination but how serious their infection was relative to being unvaccinated will never be known!
I didn't have much effects from covid vaccine,however,some time later in the year I had third nerve palsy and afib,hence I'm thinking this could have resulted through covid va ccine.
I think the balance of experience from your replies is firmly in the vaccination camp. It's impossible to reason with a scenario that links improbable events. It's very worrying to have paroxysmal health events which throw up what if's, shoulds and shouldn't, contradictions. But you have had an Afib event acknowledged, you are receiving the right medication, you have had appropriate cardio vascular tests. You are in a better place and much less likely to have a serious event like a stroke than before being on anticoagulants. There is a current strategy to lower the threshold for anticoagulants in order to reduce the deaths from stroke by 6500, and serious strokes by a lot more. I hope the balance of positive feedback here for vaccination is the most influential on your future choices. Keep up the good work on health improvement and if necessary arrange a private cardiology consultation to ease your concerns, check if your GP can facilitate this. Costs are likely to be less than having a car serviced.
I would get your flu jab (and your covid booster if you are eligible) asap. I always get my jabs (including the pneumococcal one last year) and have never had a problem.
No problems with flu vaccine for me. In fact have been encouraged to have them all the way through. My wife has only had on slight reaction to a flu jab back in the early 90's and she was just sort of hung over for a day. She is asthmatic so has been having the flu jab since she was in her 20's. I would ask your pharmacist for advice if you cannot get advice from your GP but in the first instance call your GP and see if anyone at the surgery can call you back and advise you.
I had covid and flu jabs at the same time last year. No adverse reactions. I am booked 30 September to have both at the same time again. Not expecting anything untoward this time either. Fingers crossed! Beats the alternatives of chancing covid or flu or both!
I have not seen a cardiologist since I was diagnosed in 2021
That's pretty shocking eh!
I think so , seen a doctor Friday he said the same so hopefully soon I’ll get an appointment.
The flu jab certainly had an effect on my AF and made me feel poorly for a few days. We all respond so differently to jabs and pills, so there's no telling if it will have an effect on your AF or not.
Jean
Food for thought
I had the flu and covid booster jabs on Saturday and upper arms still painful, especially from the flu one which I had tried to avoid this time after my previous experience. Heart untroubled by it but I take flecainide twice daily which keeps it in order ( except around the time I must have been infected with covid despite the jabs, with no other symptoms but a positive test) when I had a brief episode, ended with an extra flecainide as PIP.
Yeah,when I have had the flu jab in the past without having afib my arm was red and painful from top to elbow
Gosh! That puts mine into perspective! Mine are not as bad as yours but one in each arm has left both painful to touch and with some necessary movements.
I had my flu vaccine in 2022 was feeling fine when I had on Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon felt terrible. Went to see a doctor told it was chest infection then told it was indigestion 5wks this went on kept putting on weight saw an older dr had ecg rushed straight to hospital with heartfailure. Will never have another one. Last covid jab knocked me on my back won't have another of them now either. First diagnosed with afib heartfailure/pneumonia 5months before covid supposedly arrived in the uk but I had every symptom when they published them. But the Dr.s just say no it wouldn't of been that when I mention it. How do they know??
The trouble is, it sounds as though you have the sort of heart problem, possibly, that needs the protection of vaccinations that might keep you safe from the worst effects of Covid or flu.
I think you are entitled to get a definitive decision on what to do before deciding not to take the vaccinations.
On balance, if you have met the criteria, including health record, to get a vaccination, I would go for it. Covid is on the rise again.
You see, this is the thing isn't it. You have a bad experience so..weighing up the pros and cons I quess
Trouble is doctors tend to have common sense extracted in the course of their training, whereas we have retained it!! We know we are all different and react differently to drugs and jabs etc but they can’t seem to grasp that!!
True,that's why this site and members is so helpful.
Exactly! It’s all very supportive!
I'm glad that common sense is not part of medical training. Some common sense is plain barking mad! PS I don't have a degree in common sense.
Not had any problems so far, diagnosed with AF in January 2010. My next flu jab is in first week of October. No problems with CoVid jab either for that matter.
I’ve had nearly every vaccine known and none of them brought on an episode of fib or flutter for me. My routine after a vaccine is to massage the injection site, take some paracetamol, drink plenty of water, and relax the rest of the day. NO WORRIES.
Thanks for that positive reply much appreciated
I had both Covid and Flu jabs last Saturday. No AF, but very under the weather Sunday with slight fever and chesty feeling. Much better today and anticipate I'll feel normal tomorrow if past experience is anything to go by.
Flu jabs have never affected me. Some covid vaccinations have brought on afib really badly. Some have been O.K. I suppose it depends which company they use and which variant you are being vaccinated against. Flu jabs don't seem to affect the heart at all. All the best.
Thanks for that
I've had a yearly flu shot and it's never affected (triggered) my a-fib.
You raise a good question, Grinch. My story is posted here under "My story: AFib, Covid and the jabs." Even if you have already read it, it's a good idea to read it again because...here we are again. And the new vaccines are based on the old ones, Now almost three years later and there is a ton of research to verify my experience.
Many of your replies pointed out that we need to take responsibility for our care. Excellent point and post-Covid, more than ever. One point that has not been made enough - and again my experience bears this out - is not to go by our immediate response to the vaccines. Watch what happens in a week, month or years. The mRNA process impacts every organ in the body and it often takes time to manifest an issue.
Of course there is the fear factor. One of the best ways to proactively avoid Covid, or whatever this variant is, is to top up our vitamin D. At one point during the height of the pandemic I remember Dr. Fauci saying he was taking 8,000 IUs per day. Have your "Covid kit" ready. Being proactive is a great antidote to fear.
And don't forget to wash your hands often, always one of the best tips of all. When I got Covid my husband and I didn't isolate and I didn't wear a mask at home. He has never gotten Covid.
I had the privilege recently to spend an evening with a Boeing engineer. He was tasked with the responsibility of safety so they could keep selling planes and flying passengers. He is a mechanical engineer with no ties to politics or medicine, just independent science. He verified everything I experienced, plus my questions, and more.
These are really important conversations, especially for us with cardiac issues. I have just had my second ablation because my first one was undone shortly after my two Pfizers (not Covid, which came after). I noticed none of the medical staff in that heart hospital questioned my claim that it was directly a result of my shots. In fact, they agreed that the shots do result in heart problems. I need to travel internationally to support our widowed son and his children and my cardiologist told me again a few weeks ago that if I have to take another shot, to call him.
Each of us must make our own decision, but the more informed we are the better the decisions we can make. It takes time, but our doctors are run off their feet and so it's increasingly our responsibility for our consent to be informed.
Sincere best wishes.
Three weeks ago Dr Fauci was unequivocal in recommending vaccination. There is video of him talking, paraphrased below on the BBC.
Anthony Fauci on the recent spike in Covid cases
01:41
Anthony Fauci on the recent spike in Covid cases
Close
In a wide ranging interview about his life after retiring as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci tells the BBC's Katty Kay that 96% of the US population has a degree of immunity against the most recent Covid variant but urges people to get a booster shot that will be released in September.
"There is enough fundamental community-level protection, it's not going to be the tsunami of cases that we've seen."
Subsection
US & Canada
Published
29 August
Do other vaccines carry a risk of myocarditis?Research published in The Lancet medical journal in April 2022 shows that there is no greater risk of developing heart inflammation after a Covid-19 vaccine than after other common vaccines, including the flu jab.
Researchers from Singapore looked at the findings of 22 different studies, covering 405 million doses of different vaccines around the world – including flu, smallpox, polio, measles, mumps and rubella. Overall the rates of myocarditis and pericarditis following Covid vaccines weren’t significantly different to other vaccines, including flu, although rates of myocarditis or pericarditis in young men were higher following mRNA-based Covid vaccines such as Moderna or Pfizer.
The researchers, writing in The Lancet medical journal, suggested that the rare cases of post-vaccine myocarditis and pericarditis might be connected to the overall immune response to vaccination, not specifically because of the Covid-19 vaccination or the spike protein it is based on. They suggested that the reports of myocarditis and pericarditis might be because of the large scale of Covid-19 vaccination and the close scrutiny it has had.
Based on these findings, the researchers said that the benefits of Covid-19 vaccines (including a reduced risk of severe illness or death) far outweigh the very small risk of myocarditis or pericarditis, which is also seen for other vaccines.
Well..you can't deny your experience and gut instinct, regardless of what the medical professionals say,who seem to contradict and change their minds eh!
Do other vaccines carry a risk of myocarditis?Research published in The Lancet medical journal in April 2022 shows that there is no greater risk of developing heart inflammation after a Covid-19 vaccine than after other common vaccines, including the flu jab.
Researchers from Singapore looked at the findings of 22 different studies, covering 405 million doses of different vaccines around the world – including flu, smallpox, polio, measles, mumps and rubella. Overall the rates of myocarditis and pericarditis following Covid vaccines weren’t significantly different to other vaccines, including flu, although rates of myocarditis or pericarditis in young men were higher following mRNA-based Covid vaccines such as Moderna or Pfizer.
The researchers, writing in The Lancet medical journal, suggested that the rare cases of post-vaccine myocarditis and pericarditis might be connected to the overall immune response to vaccination, not specifically because of the Covid-19 vaccination or the spike protein it is based on. They suggested that the reports of myocarditis and pericarditis might be because of the large scale of Covid-19 vaccination and the close scrutiny it has had.
Based on these findings, the researchers said that the benefits of Covid-19 vaccines (including a reduced risk of severe illness or death) far outweigh the very small risk of myocarditis or pericarditis, which is also seen for other vaccines.
Goodness me,one needs a degree in medicine and psychology to weigh up all the research
That's why we take the advice of professionals and have an NHS. Otherwise it's a lot of money wasted if we all think we know better. Anxiety is real, why me, why now, have I done something different, can I point the finger elsewhere. Sometimes it's just a bummer. When I had a severe stroke out of the blue, treated brilliantly, recovered mostly, psychologically I needed explanations, reasons, attention. I had the best treatment, I had the best outcomes, in the end, it took awhile, but the interventions had to be justified by the outcomes. I guess if I was the King I'd have a shed load more tests and maybe minor interventions, an ablation here or there. But the residual Afib that has subsequently been detected is that. It may have caused my stroke who knows. But I am being treated now in a way that should reduce, not eliminate the risk of a future stroke. Up to me to do everything I can to not have another blue light health emergency at great cost, not financial, to those around me. Vaccines, medication were not available to me when I first had a subtle hint there may have been cardiovascular problems. If I turned up now with those early signs I would be treated and receive the meds and may not have had the stroke, highly likely not to have had the stroke. I am grateful people do the research and educate themselves. It's a shame that some people seem to feel they need a degree to understand this. Anxiety is real and may require a different focus to the cause of the anxiety. Science can't prove a negative and cant answer the question ' you can't say that my x didn't cause y' , that's a belief.A lot of people here have provided good suggestions and shared their experiences and are in general agreement. A few have offered some beliefs without substance. I think you have had a great and helpful response.
Sorry if I have offended anyone didn't mean to, and,for sure I very much appreciate people's time and response on this site. Last thing I wan is to get personal
I haven't had problems previously but got my jab tomorrow so hopefully all will be well. I am not convinced about the covid jab though my last booster gave me a very nasty prolonged episode so not sure if I will take that one yet
Thanks for that, yeah I'm very much on board myself with you now
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