Shaking Body & Cold Clammy Hands

[heartmatters1]

Hi all

Fortunately my AF episodes are few & far between 🤞, therefore I just take Flecainide as PIP when it kicks off, which it did at 1am this morning. I got up to go to the loo & when I got back to bed I couldn’t stop shaking, I was so cold, then the AF started.

My question is does anyone suffer with shaking? Also my hands were & still are ice cold & clammy, but my body is warm. Does this happen too with anyone? My heart has gone back into sinus rhythm. Just feel I’ve been through the mill again 😖.

I do take Apixaban & statins.

[BobD Volunteer]

Sounds more like a fever to me. How do you feel this morning?

[heartmatters1 in reply to BobD]

Well Bob I did think that, I am getting over a cold, followed by an upset stomach over the weekend. I have taken my temperature but it’s normal. My BP was up, which is unusual for me. At the moment I still feel a bit shaky & cold (especially my hands) I also have a headache.

Thanks for your reply. I do hope you are keeping well.

[jeanjeannie50]

I have had much the same thing as you, heart racing when I get up in the night and feeling really cold when back in bed. What to do about it well here are my tips.

Sit on the side of the bed for a minute before getting up and do a little deep breathing . I take my Levothyroxine tablet for my underactive thyroid then as it needs to be taken away from other meds.

Never strain to empty your bladder, just let it flow naturally. Strain will kick off your AF .

When walking back to bed, breathe deeply and continue doing so once back in bed, keep eyes closed and listen to your deep breathing.

What tog quilt do you have on your bed? I just had a 9 tog and would then put my thick dressing gown on top of that. Have now added a 4 tog instead of the dressing gown and am sleeping so much better. Nights are cold right now and we really need to be warm and cosy.

Hope this helps.

Jean

[heartmatters1 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thanks Jean for your advice. I have a 10 tog on at the moment & I did feel really cold when I went back to bed, as I only had a nightie on, so put some warm PJ’s on, but by that time I was shaking uncontrollably, so maybe it could have triggered my AF off. But I am getting over a cold & a tummy bug I had over the weekend, which could have contributed to it. Don’t you just hate the cold weather? 😖.

Best wishes Ally

[Steadybeats]

Hi, sorry to hear about your episodes, not pleasant. I also suffer from af about twice a year, every one is an a&e visit. Starts with an unbearable chest pain, then I struggle to breathe followed by uncontrollable shaking. Heart rate around 200 which I assume is why I am out of breath. I am unable to talk and if I don’t sit I will fall over. 200mgm of flecanaide as a pip but it takes to long to kick in. Ambulance guys just bundle me in and off we go to hospital. Things to note, always happens in evening or at night. Unable to find a trigger. Cardio version has little effect. Most importantly in my case, once pain is under control I revert to sinus rhythm with time and medication. My advice, discuss these issues with a cardiologist, we are all different, on different medications, and circumstances. When your heart is in af, it is not beating as nature designed and there are bound to be side effects of this and it may show as cold extremities or shaking of the body. Speak to a professional who has both training and experience in this matter. Good luck and best wishes.

[heartmatters1 in reply to Steadybeats]

Thanks Steadybeats for your take on this. I suppose it makes sense if the heart is not pumping correctly it will effect the circulation.

Best wishes

[secondtry]

Not sure how many episodes is 'few & far between' but my cardiologist favours daily Flecainide as the heart likes stability rather than 'the rollercoaster' of PIP.

I have found that I need to keep an extra layer on day & night (not just in winter), which then keeps my hands & feet warmer; I understand if your body is not warm enough it drags blood from the extremities to the core, heart etc. Prior to this my hands & feet were always uncomfortably cold.

[heartmatters1 in reply to secondtry]

Thanks secondtry for your reply. My ‘few & far between “ are about twice a year (well what I’m ware of anyway) but I am on anticoagulants) just in case.

Best wishes

[Singwell]

Sounds like it might be a combination of getting over the virus and then the shock of AF. I too get chilled easily and keep a warm cardigan by the bed to put on before I get out for my nightly visit to the loo. I think btw that the shaking and coldness whilst you had AF might have been due to fluctuations in your BP. We have those anyway when we wake up - especially of in the middle of the night - and maybe it was made worse by the AF.

[heartmatters1 in reply to Singwell]

Thanks Singwell for your reply. Thanks for your take on this. It makes real sense what you say.

Best wishes

[Ppiman]

A friend seems to have what you had and he would call it a "rigor"; my wife's late mother called them "ague bouts".

Assuming you have a normal temperature, then I think yours was set off by the AF, or at least, the circulatory and other effects of your AF on the body system. In the early hours, especially, the system is more prone to "things" owing to circadian rhythm and reduced steroid levels as the adrenal glands take a bit of a rest. I should think it will go away over the day. I would, however, phone your GP to put your mind at rest.

Steve

[heartmatters1 in reply to Ppiman]

Thanks Steve for your reply. It makes real sense what you say. Heart is behaving itself at the moment 🤞. Just a headache & feeling tired.

Best wishes

[Ppiman in reply to heartmatters1]

Mine rarely behaves itself really well, although it waxes and wanes. Actual AF is unusual but ectopic beats and palpitations, along with odd chest twinges and the like, seen often to be there to add to the anxiety levels!

Keep us informed hope you feel as the day goes on perhaps?

Steve

[dwright12]

My hands and feet are like blocks of ice. Dr. said it's from low blood pressure??

[fcmdl]

I started taking flecainide about 2 months ago for persistent Afib (Apxiban and Diltiazem were started some 6 months before the flecainide). I initially was on 2 tabs 2x daily and I simply could not function, - nauseous, fatigue, etc., so it was lowered to 1.5 tabs 2x daily. I detest the flecainide. I am scheduled for a cardioversion this upcoming week - a bit nervous. I have freezing hands and tease the family by touching them to warm up, and watch them jump lol. I have on occasion been so cold I have had to have a hot bath to warm up. And yes, my hands can shake and it makes writing difficult. (This is before we had the arctic plunge in temperature in Calgary, Alberta, Canada which was in the -50 degrees celcius range over the past few days). So yes, I would say your symptoms are being caused by the flecainide. GL to you.

[heartmatters1 in reply to fcmdl]

Thanks for your reply. Good luck with the cardioversion. My husband had one a couple of years ago and fortunately it was a success so 🤞to you too.

Best wishes from my cold hands to yours 😅

[fcmdl in reply to heartmatters1]

Thanks for the positive upbeat info re your husband having success with his cardioversion - that gives me hope!! Hope you get some reprieve from your frosty fingers too. GL to you!

[doodle68]

If my heart rate is high in AF say 145bpm and above I shake and feel sweaty and breathless. I had 8 months of this continuously while awaiting an ablation.

[heartmatters1 in reply to doodle68]

Thanks for your reply. I suppose it makes sense that it would put your whole system into a shock/fight or flight response, but it’s scary & feeling the of doom is immense 😵‍💫.

Best wishes

[doodle68 in reply to heartmatters1]

...Yes I agree and I decided it was a form of shock. I used to lay down at those times and to do slow calming breathing excercise (which has been shown to lower the hear rate we do it naturally when we sleep) and visualise calm things like walking on a beach . Or listen to music or a play on the radio, it is a distraction too really helped and got rid of the doom and sometimes I fell asleep ..

I stopped laying down when the episodes lasted all day but still used breathing excercise.