Hi - I have AFib and am on anticoagulants and heart rate medication. The thing is I never feel any palpitations of the usual symptoms of AF. My condition was only picked up as I was about to undergo an operation on my big toe!!
I'm not really wanting to get a heart rate watch etc as I am rather a hypochondriac and I do suffer from anxiety so feel that I would be checking my heart rate etc all the time which I am absolutely sure would be no good for me.
How do i know when it is kicking in and how badly I am affected by this. I recently had an echocardiagram and it all came back normal.
Thanks folks. HOpe you are having a good Sunday!
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VimtoLover
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If I was you I would keep on as you are. You are on the right medication and obviously not having any side effects or symptoms. By focusing too much on your heart you are breeding anxiety and that is bad for your heart so just keep calm and carry on.
Hello and thank you for replying. I am of your opinion really but when I read about all the symptoms which people experience I wonder what is going on with me!! I don't know if you have found this but my GP was not really interested in my condition after she had prescribed the meds and once when I asked her if I needed any further investigations she said: to quote: 'If I sent everyone who has AF in this practice to the cardiologist they would be queueing round the block' !!!!
Yes I know I had the same reaction when my PSA started getting higher and asked my GP for more frequent PSA tests to track it.
Thing is if you are feeling well and are anticoagulated and not suffering any side effects, that is, you are living a normal life as you were before AF was diagnosed then I wouldn't "poke the beast". If anything changes then get back to your GP and discuss it further or ask for a referral to a Cardiologist but at the moment you are lucky enough to be getting the correct treatment and not suffering any symptoms or side effects. If you wish to get an opinion from a cardiologist then you can always pay to see one privately. Charges are from about £200 to £350 for a half hour consultation.
Lucky you and for goodness sake don't get any gizmos! If you are asymptomatic then so long as you are anticoaguated and your rate is controlled you are well treated.
Thank you Bob for your reply. I honestly think if I had gizmos I would be a checking them every two seconds and then getting into a state at fluctuations in the results. Glad I found this forum which offers such great support
My AF is asymptomatic. After 22 years of paroxymal Af it was found to be persistent, i.e. 24/7 and asypmotomatic. An echocardiogram is to check the structure of your heart which is normal. AF won't kill you. The anticoagulant is to reduce your chances of having a stroke, as blood is more likely to pool and coagulate if it's not flowing evenly. You can feel what your heart is doing by feeling your pulse. I accept that mine is persistent; I respect it, but don't let it affect me in any other way.
If you are overweight ,(I was), it's best to get back to a recommended weight, by cutting out sugar and walking for 30 minutes a day. You can have sugar in fresh fruit.
Hello Thomas. Thank you very much for replying to my post. You are very right in what you say! When I was first diagnosed two years ago I thought- come on Cathy you must lose some weight and I did and got some very nice compliments from my friends!! I have now put some of it back on so have decided not to have the cappuccinos when we're out but have tea with no sugar. Last week I started walking to church and to the clubs I go to instead of using the car as I find it boring just pounding round the block. We don't have a dog as I am allergic to fur. I do swim so will make sure I go at least once a week. The trouble is I have a husband who can eat what he likes and who remains stick thin. We are both retired and it's very easy when we go out to pop into a cafe for a drink and of course a cake! I am definitely not going to get a heart rate watch. I would be checking all the time and getting anxious!
Just be grateful you are asymptomatic, and you know about it, are on anticoagulants. Just carry on and enjoy your retirement. And keep walking, gentle exercise is good.
I'm the same.. no symptoms... but I do have a watch and just tells me no reading at night because it can't get a consistent heartbeat... but tht changed for 10 days last month, it gave me readings, and I took an ecg on the watch that said I was fine. Then it stopped taking readings again so I tried a few tweaks and last week it's taking readings again so fingers crossed. I wonder should there be levels of A Fib?
Keep fit and eat healthily. Make sure you get enough rest and sleep. You seem to be on the right track so keep going. It may be a good idea to join a walking group where you walk as a group and will also be likely to find and make friends.
Hi VimtoLover - I am on the same page as you - pre op assessment ECG 3 weeks ago showed AF and I was taken off the list!My GP was not overly concerned but prescribed anti coagulants and never mentioned going back to see her.
I do read the posts on this forum and I find it gives me perspective - many posts are about people with a lot of genuine health issues and I count my blessings.
I do think the best thing you could do is try and drop some weight - you have the reason why you should. No more Vimto!
You are so right. Getting this in perspective is excellent advice. I am grateful that, touch wood, I don't suffer too much with this. It's getting the mindset right which is important.
You either have very mild symptoms or like me, it’s continuous. Mine was picked up on a gynae appointment and I was in permanent AF and thought I had no symptoms as I put it down to being a working mum, trying to catch up with everything and feeling stressed. I had some ablations which have changed it from permanent to paroxysmal and I can definitely feel it.
Like you. I'm asymptomatic too and my AF was discovered by chance. I consider myself to be very lucky as it has no impact on my life beyond taking the pills .I used to use a Heartmate monitor but gave up on it as it was making me anxious. I take the view that I know the symptoms of AF from being on this forum so, if I ever get them I'll know what it is so why do I need a monitor?
Thanks. Excellent advice. I have been treated in the past for anxiety and continuously monitoring myself and worrying definitely doesn't help. That's why I haven't got a heart rate watch/monitor!
after my heart event which has left me with issues. I’ve been put on all the medication’s to keep things stable. My cardiologist gave some really good advice. Don’t forget to get on and live your life. Why do you need to know if you’re in AFib? Your on the right medication and are asymptomatic. Good luck
I’m a bit worried by your forum name! If you are genuinely a Vimto lover you should break up 😂 Fizzy drinks (and squash) mostly have rubbish in them and ones with artificial sweeteners are the worst. This advice applies to anyone, not picking on you! The first thing to do if you have a weight problem is to cut out ‘empty calories’ ie anything that has no nutritional value such as sugar in drinks and sweets.
I've loved Vimto since I was little and I do drink a fair amount of fizzy drinks which although they are the diet variety do have a load of additives in them. I chose the name because I couldn't think of what else to call myself but I will start to cut down on anything which is not natural. I don't drink alcohol though so choosing something when we're at the pub is a bit difficult. I suppose I could go for a fruit drink!
VimtoLover - may I suggest you try a zero alcohol largar or beer as a nice pub drink - you could ask for a bit of lemonade in to make it taste ok. I never used to drink beer of any sort but I don't like anything sweet and so I never had anything apart from mineral water! But I'm hooked now! Only a small one tho! Gave up the gin 😪
Hi VL , how lucky you are not having symptoms of AF which make life a misery for some of us.
In your position I would take Anticoagulants if applicable based on the CHADs score, help my heart and AF by avoiding alcohol ,eat a good diet avoiding foods with additives , take reasonable daily excercise and make sure you get enough sleep.
Asymptomatic AF is quite common. Estimates vary between 10% - 40% of people with AF are asymptomatic.
I suffer from anxiety too, but I have all the "gizmos" and want to understand all the opportunities and threats associated with my AF. However, I have paroxysmal AF - episodes lasting 1 - 14 hours, several times a year. So from my perspective knowing details of my episodes, which I collect with my "gizmos", is useful e.g. it might help me identify triggers to avoid, enables me to inform my cardiologist about how my AF is going so he can make decisions about my treatment etc.
You'll read time and time again on this forum that everyone is different i.e. our circumstances are rarely even close to being identical. What works for me doesn't necessarily work for you and vice versa.
So, I'm not advocating getting "gizmos" but nor am I advising you against them. It's a personal choice. What I will say though is having anxiety doesn't rule out having "gizmos". I suffer greatly from anxiety (a born worrier) and actually feel better knowing what's happening rather than worrying about whether something is happening or not.
You also need to decide whether you want to get up to speed with all things AF relevant to you or you just want to leave it to your specialist to decide what's best for you (or something in between). Depending on what you're like, the former can fuel your anxiety as you'll read about the risks associated with AF and it's treatments. However, in the process, you'll probably also find out about potential options for improving your situation as well - including some that your specialist might not raise.
My cardiologist will never know me as well as I do nor will he be as concerned about my welfare as I am. He's good at his job but I only see him once a year. So I believe it's in my best interest to know as much as I can about my AF and related opportunities and threats. If nothing else, my goal is to ensure that I know enough to ask all of the right questions about my treatment.
My AF is low burden and 4 1/2 years since my diagnosis, it doesn't have a big impact on my life. I expect it will be something I will die with rather than die from (directly or indirectly).
Thank you so much for sending me such a comprehensive and sensible response. I think it is right when you say that everyone has to judge for themselves how much info they want to have and I take it on board that even though I have anxiety it doesn't mean that I have to shut myself off completely from the gadgets because they make me scared. This forum is SO useful and I am very grateful for all the replies I've had to my original post! I am seeing a cardiologist privately next week as my GP doesn't have the time to sit down with me and talk to me about AF which is not ideal but I will discuss some of the issues you have raised with him.
I don't recollect my GP mentioning my AF since he referred me to my cardiologist. He's probably too busy to and/or it's seen as being my cardiologist's responsibility (and specialty).
Good luck with your appointment. Make sure you're prepared with a list of all the questions or issues you want to discuss! If you have a problem with asking questions and/or remembering details then consider taking a trusted friend or family member who's good at it, in with you.
Hi Thanks. I am going to see the consultant in March so will make sure I have a list of questions with me. It is a good idea to take someone with you as in the heat of the moment you sometimes don't listen properly and it's good to get someone else to be a second ear. My husband has agreed to come with me so I should be OK. Once again I do thank you for your excellent advice and for the time you have taken to reply to me. I have had some very sensible advice from my original posting.
Many people have asymptomatic Afib, I being one of them, despite being in it 100% of the time!!..I too am on medication, and the tendancy may be that if I have no symptoms, why do I need to take meds??....Dont fall into that trap.
Anticoagulation is needed to reduce the chance of complications...Afib is a progressive condition, it comes back over time, but it can be treated and you can live a full and normal life.
My echo came back this time with a slight reduction in my EF, but my heart rate was 120 and I was in Afib, so thats not unusual!...I too am reluctant to use a smart watch or other device to tell me what I already know, and yes, I can get fixated on my pulse rate!!....Have a chat with the cardiologis/ EP and raise your questions
Hi. Thank you for your reply. I am going to see a cardiologist privately in March as my GP does not have the time/feel the need to give me a lengthy consultation - which given the current situation is understandable but frustrating. I don't think I will get the gizmos as I would honestly be checking them every 5 seconds and getting myself worked up which is not good in itself.
I wonder if you could become more sensitive to your body's subtle signals. This would just mean paying attention to your chest in quiet moments and sensing what you sense, like a meditative body scan when you have a few quiet minutes. Maybe these sensations will be more familiar and announce themselves, like a soft voice if there's something different.
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