I have written this post in my head so many times, but don't think I have written it here yet.
Quick facts about me: I am 49. I have aortic and mitral stenosis, which I believe is congenital. I have been in persistent a-fib for a little over 2 years now (after 2 ablations and 6 cardioversions). The only "a-fib" meds I am are anti-coagulants. I am just under six foot and weigh 80 kg (reasonable shape).
Every now and then I get this sensation where most of my upper body goes warm. The feeling seems to move up my body, and from my hands up my arms and into my head - its sort of like pins and needles, but not really. Most of the time when it happens I feel like I might topple over. If i am standing or walking when it happens I will hold onto something if I can. Its usually like a wave that goes over me and comes on with no warning and leaves just as quickly and after taking a few deep breaths. Its usually come and gone in 10-15 seconds.
The closest thing I can describe to it is the stress/trauma/shock that I would expect to feel if I told a deep dark secret about a close friend to someone I think would never cross paths with that friend and then walk into a party and see the two of them talking to each other.
I cannot link it to anything - sometimes it happens twice in a week, and I can go a few months without experiencing it. Whenever I have checked my heart rate during one of these episodes I don't notice anything (and I have a loop recorder and to my knowledge that hasn't picked it up), although my heart rate is usually a bit elevated afterwards because of how anxious it makes me.
This could be completely unrelated to my a-fib and (quite plausibly) linked to not having had a proper holiday for a while now. Any way, if you have thoughts I am interested.
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Jonathan_C
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Just a guess on my part but I wonder if what you describe is actually lability of blood pressure/orthostatic hypotension. I used to experience something similar. I also think that the physical manifestation of anxiety can present itself in this manner.Regards
Looking at as a lability of blood pressure issue is making a lot of sense. I wrote a post a few weeks ago about feeling lightheaded when i stand too quickly from certain positions - and there is some similarity between that and what i describe in my original post.
Definitely discuss with your GP. Should the warmth be accompanied by tingling in your arms or hands, discuss having a MRI of your spine for possible spinal stenosis.
Are you taking any other meds besides the anticoagulants or is there anything in your diet that may be the cause ?
My first thought was anxiety, as your symptoms would sometimes present that way in the past for me, decades ago. But your mention of nasal spray also piqued my attention. When my seasonal allergies got the best of me last autumn, and my doctor prescribed a nasal spray with steroids, my heart rate increased, it triggered a-fib and made me tingle all over. I ended up having my third ablation a couple months later. Could this be a possibility in your case?
I wonder if this is an autonomic nervous system thing, switching from adrenergic drive to vagal drive or the reverse. I had something very akin to what you describe when I was trying disopyramide as a pill in the pocket for my (pre-ablation) AF. I clearly recall going into AF during a training (classroom) session and popping a disopyramide. Ten minutes later I had this lovely warm wave of relaxation and ease sweep down from my head to my lower body, and my AF episode terminated. I thought I had hit the jackpot. It happened only once more a few days later, and after 2 weeks it was clear the disopyramide was not the solution to my AF. However, I have become very aware over the years that with AF your autonomic system is constantly fighting itself.
I don't know if this makes any sense, it doesn't to me 🤣
I am going over these responses again, and again, thanks ...
"Ten minutes later I had this lovely warm wave of relaxation and ease sweep down from my head to my lower body" .... what i have referred to is not lovely in this way!
I did a little reading on about the autonomic system, which helps
Hey Jonathan, that sounds like a weird and disturbing thing to experience. You describe it brilliantly - when you gave your example of how you might feel (the friends/deep dark secret thing) I actually could imagine exactly what you’re describing! Good one to remember for when you talk to your doctor about it. (Which I think you def should do.)
Sorry I can’t help cast any light on it. As a woman I do actually recognise having very similar sensations to that, but my GP said it was hormones, due to peri menopause, and that def won’t be relevant to you!
It might be worth having your blood sugars checked - I know someone who had similar but much longer lasting sensations, and the GP advised him to buy a glucose monitor to test if his blood sugar levels had changed when it happened. (He did, and found they had plummeted each time.) I’m not saying this could be it for you, but again it’s an avenue the GP might want to explore.
Have you actually activated your loop recorder when you have this sensation? If not, I would recommend you do next time, and not make the same mistake as me! I assumed my loop recorder would pick up anything if there was anything to find. But the cardio technician told me it depended on the parameters they’d set it to, and that it’s always best to activate it any time I have an unexplained medical event/experience - even if it doesn’t feel like it is cardiac, just in case anything is detected on the recording.
Really hope you can get to the bottom of this. Do let us know what comes of it, won’t you? Jx
I had the same sensation and even fainted a couple of times. The feeling of a whoosh from the feet to the head (or maybe the opposite direction). It was happening when I was in AFib and was converting to NSR, caused by a pause in the heartbeat (several seconds long) before NSR kicked in.
Yes I can relate to that feeling and the reason for it. Fortunately it was recorded on a 24hour monitor and it was found the pause in my heart was seven seconds and it was recommended I have a pacemaker. Since having one fitted 10 weeks ago I still experience PAFib episodes but not the whooshing.
When I was in Tokyo, while sleeping in the hospital bed, just before my mini-maze, they monitored an eight second pause, and none since. Wishing you good health.
Hi Jonathan, yes I can relate!!! This happened to me after I had, what they called, a successful ablation. It was horrible, this very warm sensation from my feet to head and then total white out, not black out, everything went white and I couldn't see anything other than white. Reported back to cardiologist, he said these were the same as blackouts and meant my heart was dipping way too low, he was anxious that if I had such an 'attack' outside the home or on the stairs etc, this could lead to injury so he recommended a Pacemaker and thankfully this stopped the whiteouts completely. I have PAF so not the same as your condition and this happened some 8 years ago. I hope you manage to get this sorted out because it is very frightening x good luck x
🥰 I can definitely relate to this feeling and the weakness it produces. Like others have said I used to get it when converting back to NSR after an AFib episode. It was getting much worse with each attack so as they diagnosed Tachy/Brady syndrome where my heart would go in a couple of beats from 60 to 180 and back and produce angina as well, they offered Pace and Ablate procedure which I have had done and it has solved all the problems. My husband had similar symptoms to you and the fitted a pacemaker and it has helped him enormously. It was low blood pressure with him and standing up too quickly. Hope you get answer soon.
I am being a little out of line here, but it is true: Something like that used to happen to me when I first started spending time with my now wife. Just thinking about her could do it.
Its not a lekker (as we say in South Africa) feeling I am talking about - that feeling you talk about is because you feel lekker liefde vir jou skattebol
I had an experience yesterday that reminded me of your comment - and if you take that feeling you describe, but some how make it feel no so nice (lekker) its very very close to the sensations i described in the original post of this thread.
I, and it looks like others on this forum too, experience sensations that are very difficult to describe - and your description provides something for us to relate to.
More importantly, I am happy that after 48 years of marriage that feeling is still there, even if "not so much"
If it wasn't for the normal heart rate and length of attack, I would say t sounds exactly like a vaso-vagal episode. I used to get these when I was standing for a long time (ie I was a soldier in a play at school) or when I was in a hot restaurant full of people and I would get this hot feeling going up from my feet to my head, my heart would pound and I would have to lay down until eventually I would literally break out in a cold sweat and my heart would go back to normal. I asked my EP if this was related to my AF and he said no but I'm not convinced
Sounds hormonal in lots of respects. Men can have hot flushes as well if their hormones are out of sync. Also could be a sudden fluctuation in blood pressure or dehydration, or a host of many things. Hope you get to the bottom of it eventually.
I get that feeling that you describe and I think I’ve narrowed it down to an adrenaline rush that happens suddenly if I think something is wrong with me. The first time it happened it scared the heck out of me because I didn’t know what was going on. I tried to explain to the doctor what it felt like, but I just didn’t have the words. You described it perfectly! I’m noticing now when I get these, it’s usually because I feel like I might be going into Afib or i’m suddenly worried that something like a heart attack or something is going wrong with me. I’ve even thought, maybe it’s the beginning of a panic attack?
I hope this helps in some small way to know that you’re not alone. It would help even more if we could figure out what it’s from or what it is.
I get that feeling when my heat is going back into sinus rhythm. I’m paroxsimal. Perhaps your heart is trying to return to SR even though you are in persistent/permanent Afib?
I also had a few events as you described with the transient sensation changes not related to any activity. When I mentioned it to my EP cardio he said it was most likely BP as I was weaning off a Beta Blocker at the time. Let me suggest you check your BP routinely for a few days and then try to catch a reading when you have this sensation. And of course mention it to your doctor although that is reassuring you have a Loop recorder in which should catch any cardiac arrythmias.
If it helps to know my EP cardio was not concerned due to the transient nature and no additional symptoms. So between that & you having the recorder I wouldn't be overly concerned but I know when it's happening it's hard to ignore. Hope you get to the root of the events.
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