HELP PLEASE

[Cavalierrubie]

l had endoscopy last Friday. Since then l keep getting AF on and off. I am now in second episode . They are not lasting very long so not sure if it’s ectopics or AF. I not sure what to do. Do l sit it put or phone 111. I am getting it more or less every day. Thanks

[colourblue]

Sorry you are so worried, perhaps the best thing is to ring 111, they may be able to reassure you. Very best wishes.

[Cavalierrubie in reply to colourblue]

Thank you. Yes l have phoned and a clinician is phoning me back in an hour. Wish l had never had this done.

[secrets22 in reply to Cavalierrubie]

Yes i often think we maybe should not have certain procedures done because we can end up with even more stress than is necessary , but its a two edged sword in many cases, but i truly hope you are soon feeling much easier.

[Blearyeyed]

Can you contact your surgery and ask to speak to someone? Because it is cardiac related they should ring back and give you advice and arrange a check asap , otherwise you could try 111 if you can't speak to them.

It really depends on the length and severity of symptoms and if you have the medication and methods to control them .

If these episodes feel very different to AF or Ectopics you usually have, or are affecting your breathing getting checked up is important.

It is pretty common for people whom have had an invasive procedure to have various symptoms , including short periods of palpitations after a hospital procedure , even if they aren't diagnosed with AF , but many people can have an AF flare triggered for up to a week after treatments.

It's particularly common after an Endoscopy or work around the mouth, neck and shoulders because it is close to the vagus nerve which is partly responsible for triggering arrhythmias.

You need to do what feels right for you with your symptoms.

Hope you feel better soon.Bee

[Cavalierrubie in reply to Blearyeyed]

Thank you so much for your help. It’s reassuring to know it is normal after this procedure, but l have never had AF quite like this. An hour this morning after l had eaten and then again, now, for the last two hours. I have awful indigestion at the moment and burping for England, but then l always do with AF. Very uncomfortable. I have dialled 111 and a. Dr. Is phoning me back, so hopefully l will calm down then. My Surgery is useless and would only tell me to ring 111. Thanks Blearyeyed for being there.

[Blearyeyed in reply to Cavalierrubie]

An endoscopy can really upset your swallowing and stomach and can give you bad acid reflux and indigestion for a few days to a week .So, the knock on effect of the indigestion etc. can also be feeling of palpitations and chest pain from heart burn , as well as increasing your heart rate in the process.

This could cause periods of Tachycardia, particularly straight after eating which could feel a bit like AF , or trigger a short spell of AF.

It's also common at night .

Did they advise you on sleeping with your upper body elevated?

It also helps to eat five smaller portions per day instead of three big meals , and to eat pretty bland, soft food for 5-7 days after an Endoscopy if you already have other health issues while the oesophagus recovers and drink plenty of water throughout the day and whilst you eat,

You may find natural live probiotic yoghurt with a little honey helps with the indigestion and to soothe the throat.

It makes a good base for your breakfast or early medications before your breakfast.

Natural yoghurt before a meal as a dip ( add herbs or tomato) eaten with some dipping vegetables can also help settle the tummy before you start eating a meal.

It's also useful to have yoghurt in some way before certain medications to reduce the need for a PPI.

Although , you might find getting a PPI like Omeprazole for a week would help to reduce the indigestion / stomach acid and stop it triggering your palpitations whilst your stomach recovers .

Take care and get lots of rest , Bee

[Cavalierrubie]

Yes, l have been advised to have my upper body elevated, but have problems with arthritis of the neck, which is a pain. I have a hiatus hernia which l have had for years, also they found some polyps so took a biopsy. I have asked my Dr. for referral to a Gastroenterologist, which she has done, but as we all know that could take place after Christmas! I will have to have a private consultation if this carries on. It has completely sent me backwards and upset an apple cart. I will never go this route again. Thank you so much for your comforting words and advice.

[Ppiman]

I get PAF, and more so than ever this year. When it sets off, I don't do anything but sit down and wait for it to pass. I guess you must get far worse symptoms if you feel the need to phone a doctor?

The endoscopy (into the stomach, I am guessing) will have disturbed the diaphragm and that is close to the heart, so some extra disturbance there will have set off some ectopic beats. These are a known trigger for AF in prone individuals, so that seem likely to be what has happened. I would feel certain that it will soon settle.

Steve

[Vonnegut in reply to Ppiman]

How different we all are! When I had the endoscopy that showed my hiatus hernia, even though it was delayed by an hour, I found it very interesting as I could see what was happening inside where I think I’d had some internal anaesthetic.

[Ppiman in reply to Vonnegut]

I can’t look when I have one. I’d rather not see any bad news! I did look for my first, though - when I was younger and cavalier. The “sliding” hernia was quite small I remember. It’s amazing it causes so much trouble with excess acid reflux and so I’m now stuck with taking PPIs.

Is yours troublesome? Reading online it seems many people have them and don’t ever know.

Steve

[Vonnegut in reply to Ppiman]

Not really as the acid only seems to have got to my oesophagus so that now I understand the term “heartburn” but I think the Omeprazole came with digestive problems so I’ve stopped taking it and just do the exercise my friend found online every morning and take the odd few spoons of Gaviscon or suck lozenges that are supposed to help. And, we raised the head of the bed as advised somewhere too. Anyway, I am 80 and guess something would have got me by now and fortunately, my brain is still working reasonably well.

[Ppiman in reply to Vonnegut]

I wish I could get away, like you, without the PPI but I’m stuck with it.

Steve

[Vonnegut in reply to Ppiman]

If you feel you need it but do you get unpleasant side effects?

[Ppiman in reply to Vonnegut]

I wish it were only for if I felt the need as I'd then try to not take anything except simple antacids. A specialist I saw about it told me it's because the stomach acid can erode the lining of the oesophagus, and that that can be dangerous over time.

Steve

[Vonnegut in reply to Ppiman]

Yes but when I asked a new doc if they could check on how my oesophagus was doing she just said to take the Omeprazole but didn’t put it on repeat so I’ve stopped it now and think my digestion has improved as a result though Flecainide also has side effects affecting digestion too. Crazy they give you something for one problem and it deals with it and gives you another one!!

[Ppiman in reply to Vonnegut]

They do, because they are stuck to know what else to do, I suppose. I think the acid issue is unlikely to be troublesome unless it is severe. I would check with your doctor about it if you can't take omeprazole. My friend can't as it made him feel very sick.

Steve

[Vonnegut in reply to Ppiman]

I actually took one of those pills with all this talking about it as I might as well use the ones I have. I think the damage to the oesophagus might lead to something akin to cancer so guess I’ll finish the pack I have.

[Cavalierrubie in reply to Ppiman]

It is difficult with this medication with all the media news. I have taken Omeprazole for years. I wish l didn’t have to. My GP explained to me that you can get serious problems without them just as much you can with them (possibly), if you have serious stomach problems. Also, we have to protect our stomach lining from the harsh effects of anticoagulants. It is the worst of two evils. The only thing we can do now is monitor our health regularly, and not let it worry us too much and get on with the rest of our lives. We have so much other stuff going on. There are lots of us taking PPI’s and we are all in the same boat.

[Ppiman in reply to Cavalierrubie]

We are. There are some here who say we shouldn't take them and that there are other ways to treat excess acid. Well - maybe, when it isn't a severe case of reflux, that is so. But, sadly, for many, it's the only way forwards without an operation (and that is far from risk free and seems not always to work).

I keep hoping a better drug will be found.

Steve

[Vonnegut in reply to Cavalierrubie]

I’m back doing my daily morning exercise for that as I don’t want any more drugs messing up my digestion as I think the Flecainide does.

[Vonnegut in reply to Cavalierrubie]

I don’t take anticoagulants any more as I don’t have episodes of af on the dose of Flecainide I take regularly.

[Vonnegut in reply to Cavalierrubie]

I stopped taking the anticoagulants soon after I started taking the Flecainide regularly as if I’m not having af episodes I’m no longer at risk of stroke!

[Cavalierrubie in reply to Ppiman]

I do, like yourself, wait for AF to just run its course, but this was rather worrying with chest pain, so had to be checked out. It kept me awake at night, which has never happened before, so rang alarm bells. The paramedics said it’s so difficult to distinguish between the two pains of heart attack and indigestion so, for me, it will probably be a frequent occurrence. Thanks for explaining and your reassuring words. They have really helped. The ectopics have settled, so far, today.

[Ppiman in reply to Cavalierrubie]

I read only the other day that AF can cause such a drop in heart output to bring on mild angina in some people. I get a kind of chest ache and, yes, too much of that would have me going to hospital for sure.

Steve

[Vonnegut in reply to Cavalierrubie]

That’s interesting. When my husband urged me to phone 111 because of the pain n my chest, they sent an ambulance and we had a tea party in the garden when it arrived and we were good friends before they took me off to the hospital where we spent ages outside in the car park and then I was taken inside where I waited to be seen, fortunately with a good book for company until I must have been diagnosed with the hernia after they had eliminated other stuff. The endoscopy was at a different hospital a month or more later where another good book was a great companion until I finally got seen and could see what was causing the trouble.

[Cavalierrubie in reply to Vonnegut]

You made me smile Vonnegut with the garden party. I wish l had your temperament. I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy anything if l was due for a medical event. I have high anxiety at anything with the term “medical.” I had to wait 3 hrs. for my endoscopy. Nothing to eat 6 hours before and nothing to drink 2 hours before. Three hours waiting on top was very debilitating. Not good for us hearties is it? I was disappointed afterwards as l was expecting a nice cup of tea and sandwich like l had on my first endoscopy 10 years ago ( l didn’t have AF then). All that has changed now at my local hospital. We were offered water or orange juice only, but they provided a small room where you could buy your own beverages and sandwiches. I felt hard done by.

[Vonnegut in reply to Cavalierrubie]

I just wrote a reply to you but it’s disappeared so here we go again: if you are in the UK, the i weekend paper has a lot of advice on dealing with stress, anxiety etc which I passed on to my local Chronic Fatigue group on Facebook where it was appreciated. My attempts to post it here failed though, so hope you can buy a paper copy and find it helpful. If you are not in the UK you might be able to access it online - a newspaper called just i.

[Desanthony]

I had terrible trouble after my colonoscopy going on for 3 weeks ago and at my age have decided never to have on again. It was particularly galling that nothing was found - no polyps or areas of suspicion - which were dealt with last time. I had to have blood tests afterwards and a scan which I have an appointment with the consultant next Wednesday for results. There is a scan which you can have which will high light areas of suspicion so the endoscopy or colonoscopy can be targeted and would likely not take so long. For the previous colonoscopy and endoscopy I had the consultant did ask for this to be done but that was the last thing done when it should have been the first! Of course done months after the endoscopy and colonoscopy even the wounds left from removing the polyps and biopsies had healed so they could see nothing - surprising eh?

[Cavalierrubie in reply to Desanthony]

Oh dear Desanthony and here I am telling you how awful my experience has been. I think you have made a wise decision. Things are not so easy and straight forward when we get a few miles on the clock! There are other alternatives, choose the ones that are easier for you, not easier for them, Thank you.

[Desanthony in reply to Cavalierrubie]

No never belittle your own experience. You have been quite poorly and it is very worrying. I hope you have managed to get some help now.

I hope you can sort out your Af soon and get back to normal.

[Cavalierrubie in reply to Desanthony]

Thank you for your kind words Dessnthony. I have been to AE overnight and had good care. I had chest X-ray and ECG etc. All is well. The Paramedics were wonderful and said they would rather l call them if l am worried rather than let things get worse for them to deal with, so wasn’t that kind of them? I have had to get help quite a lot just lately. Yes, l think we need to advise ourselves what tests we will have. Only we know our own strength and weaknesses. I am never going through this ordeal again. My heart is settling down so onwards and upwards. I hope you are improving. The body is a wonderful machine and heals itself mostly with a little help. Hope you are enjoying the sunshine as it’s a good tonic. Good to talk to you. Take care.

[Desanthony in reply to Cavalierrubie]

yes really enjoying the sunshine - its been beautiful here. Take care.