Hi everyone. Sorry to keep asking questions but I feel really down today. I have had 2 episodes of AFib in the last couple of months. The first one ( I had ever had) stopped before I could see a GP and the second one I ended up in hospital for a night. I have beta blockers and blood thinners but I still have a very irregular heart beat, although it isn’t beating as fast as it was when I was admitted to hospital. Is this normal? I assumed it would go (and possibly come back temporarily again in the future) but my watch says AFib every time I do an ECG. Does anyone have any ideas of helping myself? I am seeing a private EP at the end of April but it seems so far away. Thanks for your help.
How long will my irregular heart beat... - Atrial Fibrillati...
How long will my irregular heart beat last?
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Wilky57
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but my watch says AFib every time I do an ECG. Does anyone have any ideas of helping myself? I am seeing a private EP at the end of April but it seems so far away. Thanks for your help.
If your truly in afib all the time, then I would probably first want to get cardiovverted and if that didn't work, then take a daily anti-arrythmic medication or consider having an ablation.
If this is not possible prior to your appointment in April, the important thing is to have your rate controlled.
Can you email your ep a couple of ekg's from the Watch? Maybe they will intervene sooner than your appointment.
Jim
Thanks Jim. I’m having trouble speaking the specialist and his secretary. I thought I might contact my doctors and see what they say. My heart rate isn’t high like before. I just don’t understand why it doesn’t eventually go back to what is was. I suppose I thought that’s what beta blockers do but who knows any more!
Beta blockers control your heart rate, not your rhythm. Only cardiologists are able to prescribe antiarrythmic drugs or recommend a treatment plan and I fully understand the anxiety and the frustration not being able to speak to EP.
If you are in the UK you are unlikely to be offered a cardioversion before you see the EP unless you present at A&E and are considered an emergency.
Best advice would be to ensure you stay well hydrated, up with electrolytes, try relaxation and breathing exercises and light exercise. There really isn’t any self care other than trying vasovagal manoeuvres which may convert you to NSR but also know that although uncomfortable, Af is rarely dangerous as long as HR is controlled.
At least you know you do have an appointment coming up and you have received recommended first line treatment - rate control and anticoagulants.
Hopefully you will self convert very soon (said as I am waiting for my episode to do the same)!
Thank you so much for your help. I’m sorry to be a nuisance. Being “ill” is rather new to me. I know I should think myself very lucky instead of moaning
Having a diagnosis of AF is a shock and brings anxiety, most of us have felt what you are going through. Moan away, it helps!
I don’t consider myself ‘ill’ but as having several (the other a much more life limiting condition than AF) ‘conditions’ which on some days do not impact on what I do and other days I just have to find other less active activities.
Self talk and the mindset you adopt will help you through this difficult time. The first time I saw an EP I immediately had confidence that there was a treatment plan, that I could live WELL with AF and that treatments could minimise the impact on my life but inevitably I would have to change and stop some activities - but I had to learn the hard way 🤷 - skiing at altitude made me when AF kicked in and lowered my O2 sats. A gentle cruise in our yacht was delightful but the full on racing in dinghies, that had to go - reluctantly.
10 years on and we don’t travel much these days out of the UK (my husband is 90 with a AF and other heart conditions and cognitive decline) but we still enjoy life. Husband runs a singing group (most of the singers are at least 10 years younger than he). I run/participate in several activity groups - book club, crafts, meditation and sometimes art. Tai Chi once a week and daily Yoga practice. I garden, enjoy time with grandchildren and enjoy helping my granddaughter sew, bake. We used to have a saying on this forum - I may have AF but AF doesn’t have me!
Lifestyle adaptations helped as much as drugs, in many ways more;-
Managing stress and anxiety by practising mindfulness and meditation
Sleep - good quality, regular sleep. Treated sleep apnea which is strongly linked to AF.
Breath - learning how to improve oxygen levels through breathing practices (Patrick McKeowon & James Nestor).
Exercise - too much is as bad as little or none - pacing myself, I’m never going to go faster or further than I did in my 60’s, or 50’s so my PB’s are left well behind so several brisk walks a day are adequate for health.
Eating - Good Nutrition is essential to gain all of the micronutrients our body requires and they should come from good quality, fresh if possible food. I follow The Doctor’s Kitchen - amongst others.
Most of all monitoring oneself is useful to know base lines and time to take action plans but don’t get hung up on this. Listen to your body - if you are symptomatic have a check list:- Am I hydrated? What about electrolytes? Does exercising help palpitations or do they get worse? Does rest with legs up help or make it worse? Does relaxing help or make it worse? Certain foods and drink - do they trigger anything? Eating large meals at night can cause nocturnal AF? And so on….
Your body is your best teacher so listen to it and usually we know when we’ve done something which aggravates and something which has helped.
BUT also know that AF just IS sometimes and you just have to get through and remember nothing stays exactly the same, something, sometime will shift and usually for the better.
No beta blockers are a rate control drug. Something like flecainide are rhythm control drugs. You are not on blood thinners but on anticoagulants which helps going towards avoiding strokes.
To try and get you back into nsr do see if you can get a cardioversion, but in my experience sometimes medics won’t do it unless your heart rate is higher than 110.
All the best
Pat x
Good advice from mjames1 as always. How does your presumed AFib make you feel physically?
Is it possible to upload an ECG trace here? (I’m not familiar with the Apple Watch)
Which beta locker (BB)and what dose are you taking?
I feel fine except I have no energy, a headache and freezing feet! I’m on my third try at beta blockers and I’m now on Carvedilol 12.5mg twice a day. I have a Samsung watch but I have no idea how to share the readings. I used to have ECGs that read “sinus rhythm 58 bpm - 64 bpm” but this week I’ve had AFib 70 ranging to AFib 116. I know that’s not high like it was in hospital but it’s definitely irregular. I had really hoped it would go back to normal after a day or so. I realise I’ll probably have more episodes but it just puzzles me. Thanks for your help.
Beta blockers control rate of heart beats not the irregularity! You need something like Flecainide for that.
Try cutting out coffee and eating a banana or two, and relax! Any of those, and everything CDreamer has said, can help. I found just getting involved in something else so I just stopped thinking about it helped.
All three of those symptoms could be the side effects of the beta blocker. You could still revert to NSR . Can you tell from your pulse whether you are in afib so as to ascertain whether the afib is continuous or if hou are going in and out ?
Hi Wilky, to be sure I’ve got this right, you were in NSR up to this week but for several days you’ve been in AF? If so, it sounds as though you are temporarily (hopefully) stuck in AF. More than 7 days is called persistent AF. Unfortunately BBs discourage but don’t prevent AF nor do they help return you to sinus rhythm. However, they do seem to be keeping your HR within reasonable limits. My cheapo Chinese watch will check my HR wvery five minutes 24/7 if I set it to do that, and I have. So I can see that very annoyingly I’ve been in AF for three days but I can also see that my average rate rate, my resting rate and my max rate are all ok even though I feel rubbish. Your superior watch should do the same thing I should think, though mine is classed as a fitness tracker so maybe not. I also have a Kardia to back up the results.
This is very discouraging for both of us but doesn’t call for an emergency cardioversion. If it carries on you could try to push for a cardioversion but as your rate is controlled I doubt whether you’d be offered one. I was booked for one last year but by the time the pre op appointment came round I had lots of ectopics instead so it was cancelled.
If you feel very unwell or your HR goes up above 100 all the time you could call 111 who generally send you off to A&E to be on the safe side. Otherwise I’m afraid you may have to stick it out until your appointment, miserable though it is and then Jim’s plan will probably be followed. Best wishes ❤️🩹
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I’m sorry if I seemed muddled in my explanation. I meant to say that prior to these two episodes I was used to my watch saying I was in NSR in the 60s but now I’m all over the place. I assumed I would go back to normal for a while at least. Good luck with it all.
Hi, you don’t say how long your first episode lasted but if I read correctly this is your second episode (as far as you know). Some people have episodes that last for minutes or hours and some have episodes that last for days or months and then some progress to persistent or permanent and some go straight to persistent on first episode. Your rate will continue to be all over the place as you put it until the episode ends and you are back in NSR. I would suggest if this episode is persisting longer than expected then speak to your doctor or call 111 to discuss. The medications you are on are to protect you during episodes and do very little to prevent episodes, beta blockers to control your rate and anticoagulant to reduce the risk of AF related stroke. Rhythm medication like flecainide can only be prescribed by a cardiologist and not a GP in the UK so that won’t happen until you see a cardiologist and only then if you are suitable for it. We’re all different.
Here is a link to an information booklet api.heartrhythmalliance.org...
Hope this helps.
Thank you for so much information. The first time I had an episode it lasted just over 24 hours. That was on a Tuesday/Wednesday and then on the Friday I got it again and I think I’ve had it ever since. At least the rate isn’t as high. I think I just need to grow up and face it all
Not at all, first diagnosis is really scary and difficult to take all the information in, it’s a shame we don’t get more attention from the system but we all know that’s how it is at the moment. The more you find out for yourself the better you will understand when to seek help. Keep asking questions and don’t be afraid to contact your doctor, I would certainly let them know you are back in it and it’s persisting. They may want to do an ECG to record your episode and rate as you were NSR before your appointment last time.
Please don't berate yourself or feel the need to apologise! As CDreamer said, we've all been there and some of us are still there. AFib can be a very anxiety provoking condition mentally, but also on some level your body is telling you 'eeek!, something's not right here!' so it's very natural to feel anxious. That will get better as you learn more and have a plan. At the moment it's possible that you've gone into permanent AFib but on the other hand it could stop at any time. The best thing you can do is follow the excellent advice CDreamer gave you, try and relax as much as you can, stay hydrated and avoid alcohol. There's no evidence that coffee contributes to AFib but there's plenty of evidence that alcohol does.
The good news is that your heart rate is not too high - probably the beta blocker you're taking is helping that, but also may well be causing your cold feet and also possibly the tiredness. So just rest assured that you're not in any danger and you have an appointment with an EP lined up in the not too distant future. And always feel free to seek support from this excellent forum!
Thank you so much for your words of wisdom. They are greatly appreciated
I am surprised no anti-arrythmic drugs eg Flecainide were suggested. I was put on Flec on initial diagnosis.
They haven’t yet seen a cardiologist orEP, only GP was my understanding.
Earlier the better private appointment with cardiologist then.
Re needing an earlier appointment, I see Sanjay at York Cardiology is promoting his innovative '3rd option' scheme on his YouTube channel- more responsive all-in. Maybe not relevant here and needs a bit more research into what's on offer and who is able to take it up to evaluate properly.
Hi, sorry you're having a bad time. It's hard when we're first diagnosed- you get given your pills and off you go. And arrhythmia is uncomfortable! Apparently if you ARE in persistent AF your body and system will adapt to it. My brother has it all the time, and now doesn't notice it. Others here say the same. But it's early days for you and it may be that when you do see an EP or cardiologist that an anti arrhythmic will do the job. Beta blockers made my feet cold too btw. There are other options but your GP isn't allowed to prescribe them. One procedure they'll need to do is an echocardiogram to check of your heart morphology is normal. I think admin here have an intro leaflet or similar for those newly diagnosed - see if you can contact them and ask.
Really sorry that you are in a muddle, but this usually happens to us all when we are diagnosed. You have some sterling advice from others here but I would add that anxiety will only make things worse. If things continue as they are, make a nuisance of yourself and get some help from that EP or a consultant, or ring 111. You know how you feel. Good luck and best wishes.
Did the hospital carry out any scans such as an echocardiogram? If so, what was reported from that? What are your symptoms when you are having an episode (or if it is permanent)? How much of the feelings you have do you think might be down to your anxiety? In the early times with me, the anxiety acted like a magnifying glass and added greatly to my fears and feelings of debilitation. I’ll be honest and say I can’t unpick which was which. It took a specialist to convince me I really wasn’t going to have a heart attack or similar.
Your anxiety is natural but I hope and believe that it will be a phase that will eventually lift and you will accustom yourself to life with AF. My son's colleague and friend is 76 now and is in this position. In the last nearly twenty years, he has had several ablations which helped keep him relatively free of AF, but it is now persistent.
If you do have AF all the time (i.e. "persistent AF" or "permanent AF", as a now elderly friend has had for many years), and if your heart is otherwise sound (revealed from scans), then the options available are as others have outlined (on top of the daily anticoagulant):
a) if symptoms are bearable and life can continue mostly normally, live with it as my now 90-year-old friend does;
b) have an electrical cardioversion on the NHS (long wait!) to see if your heart can still convert to normal rhythm and, if your doctor agrees it will help, follow this with an ablation (12-18 month wait);
c) be prescribed rhythm tablets such as sotalol, flecainide, amiodarone or similar;
d) continue only with the beta-blocker to stop the heart racing, perhaps taking an extra dose as needed (with your doctor's approval). Ask the doctor about switching to a calcium antagonist tablet if beta-blockers cause too many side effects.
Steve
Try not to worry. I have permanent AF, through I can't feel it. I started with episodes of AF nearly 30 years ago. The GP at the time told me not to worry about it, if I only had 1 or 2 episodes a year. No medication given. After 8 years the episodes became more frequent. A different GP advised me to go to A&E the next time it happened. I did, and treatment started from there. I was eventually put on Flecainide which worked for 12 years. Then I was found to be in persistent AF, which I've accepted is now permanent, though it's without symptoms.You state in your biography that you are overweight. Try to lose weight, by avoiding added sugar, and processed food. Cut down on alcohol, and have a balanced diet. Try to walk for 30 minutes a day. I no longer eat meat, but I do eat fish twice a week.
Above all, don't worry.a
My daughter has sugar in her tea, which as her mother I feel free to make disapproving remarks about. She counters that she doesn’t eat sugary snacks. I recently discovered that the sugar in her tea is the equivalent of eating a Mars Bar a day. I think I’d rather eat the Mars Bar or preferably something with some nutrition in it 😂
Thank you so all much for your replies. I am so lucky to have found this forum. I had a bad day yesterday but, with your help, I am feeling positive again and will bat on until I’ve seen the EP at the end of April. Things could be so much worse, I know. I have had a read of the information sheets and I feel I’m getting a better understanding of it. I just dream of walking up the stairs without huffing and puffing!
On the positive side, I am eating really healthy food, not drinking wine and doing yoga and other exercises so this must be having lots of positive benefits to my body.
Thank you all once again. I hope one day I will be able to help others in the same way.
l had problems as yourself when l was first diagnosed and looking back l am convinced it was heightened anxiety that caused me to to have AF more at that time. I thought l was going to die and had never heard of AF. You have had an enormous shock to the system, new medications and a life changing experience. I became obsessed and was thinking of it all the time, which made everything worse. I panicked at every little blip of my heart, even ectopics which are not dangerous. In time you will relax more with acceptance and experience of what is happening. The more you can relax, and realise it’s not life threatening and treatable, it will get better, but this all takes time and you can’t wave a magic wand. It will get better, and you will have a good quality of life again and you will smile again. This forum is a great support and help in times of desperation. It will help you cope and get through this, as it did me. All the best.
Thank you so much. I had been doing well and, I think, I focused too much on what I can’t do at the moment, instead of the positives. I’m trying again today. I can’t believe the amazing support available on here.
You will get there. Take one day at a time. It took me 3 years to get stabalised with acceptance and drugs. There is so much to take in all at once. Don’t let it overwhelm you because you will be ok and things will get better for you. You are not in a race, so don’t worry if you are doing the right thing or not. Listen to your body and of course to your medics. and all will be well. Don’t let it take over your life. Don’t let it define who you are. X
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