Hubby and I were both enjoying a long overdue week in the sunshine - 4 days into the holiday hubby developed a sore throat and a cough, and a few shivers. Temperature ok…
Roll forward 2 days and my AF was kicking off in spite of medication.
Home today and both of us tested positive for Covid. Fortunately our vaccinations are up to date.
I feel dreadful, no appetite, cough, PAF episodes more frequent, no energy,
Pretty miserable.
Any advice gratefully received, with regards to what I can take, do etc…
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Fight-the-good-fight
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Is there a takeaway here that we need to update our jabs, as good old Boris called them, before flying overseas? Five and a half months is a long time and variants seem to change fairly quickly.
I agree with you that airports expose us to a variety of viruses. I was interested to read however that aircraft are safer in that context, because of efficient air filtration systems.
I had my Moderna jab yesterday. Affects, I’ve had a few, too few to mention, as Frank might have said ….. but didn’t.
I found the AF disappears on recovery from COVID. Had it 3 times for sure, latest Nov 23 which was very mild and didn’t trigger AF. I may possibly have also had COVID in the very start Feb 20 but that was before any testing or vaccinations were available. I was very ill with it in September 21 which took a long time to recover from but the latest strains are reportedly quite mild. I haven’t had vaccines now for some time, they made me worse than the last couple of times than the COVID itself.
Advice is usual for any virus, rest, plenty of fluids and treat the symptoms, hope you recover very soon.
"I found the AF disappears on recovery from COVID."
That wasn't my experience. I had an episode when I had Covid followed by several in the ensuing months. These were at a higher rate than usual for several months before dropping back to "normal". When I told my cardiologist at my annual check up he advised that it was quite common, and sent me for a cardiac MRI to ensure no damage, which there wasn't.
My differing experience to yours is yet another example of how we're all different when it comes to AF.
Just rest up and hope it passes soon. How different we all are! I only knew I had covid because I tested positive and it explained how I had an AF episode around the time that must have occurred., the last one I’ve had, well over a year ago!
I think we might have had covid recently although I did not test. I had an afib episode and the next day felt more wiped out than usual. I thought it was just par for the course as I generally feel tired the day after but then later that day the sore throat started. I also got a bad headache which is very unusal for me . I coughed for about a week but did not have the sort of congestion that comes with a cold. Then a fortnight after the afib episode just as I was starting to feel better afib reared it's ugly head again . Before Christmas we had really a bad virus which tested negative for covid . I had high fevers and went into afib 3 times in 4 days . The last episode lasted 22hrs which is a first for me - usually 8- 12 hours. I think once your afib gets to a certain stage viruses of any sort tend to kick it off.
Hope you get better soon. I take NAC n acetyl cysteine as it helps with coughs but it does have some "blood thinning" properties so most people here might be reluctant to take it.
Sorry you fell ill. Look into new studies show certain teas like Green tea, Red Zinger teas reduce Covid viral count by around 96%. Take some D3 and zinc.
I also recommend that you refrain from any more of the so called vaccine jabs. Everything I read is that not only does it make you MORE susceptible to Covid, but can in some people reduce your Immune System's capacity which may cause recurring illnesses that your body fought in the past such as Shingles and cancer. I've had zero vaccinations since 1982 and somehow I am magically alive. Covid? Had it around 2-3 times. Body kicked it's AXX after a few days of discomfort.
I live in South Africa and had the initial two Pizer vaccines for Covid, plus a booster in '21. Then the government here gave up. There was so much resistance among the population that millions were wasted on vaccine. I have never had Covid, those that I know who have had it since the initial vaccination have had what was little more than a cold. I don't know of anywhere that is giving the vaccine anymore. It's rarely mentioned and all the special venues for vaccinations and 'hot' lines have gone? Herd immunity perhaps? I don't know!
As always we're all different. Covid in 2022 pushed me from one isolated episode of AF I was aware of to permanent AF despite being fully jabbed. That might be down to the extent of my immune and inflammatory response. The best advice is to take it really easy, don't push yourself and stay hydrated.
Thanks JoDog, I have a feeling my PAF is heading in the same direction. If I could only lower my HR (which is averaging between 90 and 105) I could probably be more tolerant and accepting of irregular rhythm.
I feel for you! I had Covid last year and felt utterly dreadful for about a week. Constant fever in my case and a sore throat that was like razor blades. And almost constant AFib (I have PAF, 2-3 episodes a month). NHS 111 sent out an ambulance because of my heart rate and the paramedics phoned the on call doctor who simply told me to take the maximum dose of paracetamol every however-many-hours you can take it. As soon as I started doing that I began to feel a lot more human and it all settled down after a week or so, as I said.
Take care of yourselves, take the medicine and drink plenty of fluids. This too will pass x
Thanks Top Biscuit, I was reluctant to take paracetamol because I thought it would make AF worse. Plus, not sure of the interactions with Dabigatran and Diltiazem.
The fatigue caused by going in and out of AF is as bad as the Covid symptoms…
I will take paracetamol before I go to bed this evening.
Can I ask what your average AF HR was during Covid?
My HR doesn't go that high generally, comparatively speaking that is - it feels pretty high to me! Maximum is about 130 but that's only a few 'peaks' right when it kicks off. It usually comes down very quickly to 90s to low 100s. It was the same as usual with Covid.
The lady at NHS 111 asked me what my HR was and I said 120, I think, because I'd just gone into AFib again. She seemed quite panicked at that and said I should go to A & E immediately. I told her there was no way in hell I was schlepping to Bath to sit in a waiting room for hours, so she sent an ambulance. I felt a bit bad about it, I didn't think I was that ill, but it was a Sunday and I was desperate for some antibiotics because I thought I had a throat infection. It didn't occur to me it was covid, as I didn't have a cough. The paramedics told me I had tonsillitus but they called the duty doctor and it was him who said it was probably covid and to take paracetamol. I took a test and it went positive immediately. The paracetamol really helped the sore throat too which was an education for me because I wouldn't think to take a pain killer for a sore throat.
I really recommend the paracetamol - it's pretty benign and shouldn't interfere with your other meds. Look it up if you're concerned. I suggest you take it every 4 hrs (or 6 hrs - whatever the box says) for a day or two and see if that helps. It's better to take it regularly rather than now and then, it's much more effective that way.
I had an AFib episode in February last year. I had a cough at the time, which wasn’t really bothering me, but when I get an AFib episode,I was told by the Doctors, that I have to go into A&E, as I get a very symptomatic one and my BP and heart rate soar, so when I went into A&E, they were still testing for Covid then and they gave me a test and to my surprise, it came back positive. If it hadn’t been for the AFib, I’d never have known I’d got Covid, as I never felt ill, apart from the cough, which wasn’t very bad. It was the first time I’d had it as well.I’ve had all the jabs, apart from the over 75 one this spring, as I’m not eligible for that one, so they must have protected me. I had an ablation in September last year and I’m hoping that if I got Covid again, it wouldn’t bring back my AFib.
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