My daughter recently had an episode which her cardiologist said might be afib. She experienced what she describes as a sudden rush of adrenaline, a feeling of a hot flush and tingling throughout her body, accompanied by lightheadedness and feeling shaky. Her blood pressure was normal and she doesn't recall feeling an irregular heartbeat. It happened about 10 times over a 3 hour period. At the end of May, she had a mild heart attack which resulted in 2 stents being placed, so any strange bodily sensations cause her a great deal of stress. Her cardiologist is not concerned. He advised her to send him a recording from her watch if it happens again. Has anyone ever experienced similar symptoms with an afib episode?
Is this afib?: My daughter recently had... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Is this afib?
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JudyMarieC
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It may have been a panic/anxiety attack, if she is very stressed.
Yes, we suspected that at first, but then it happened again in the middle of the night while she was sound asleep.
Nocturnal panic attacks are a common sign of stress and anxiety, I had them nightly during perimenopause.
That's very interesting - I'll pass that possibility along to her.
I can confirm night time panic attacks. Really horrible! One Minute you're asleep, then you snap awake, shaking and sweating. Consider your daughter has a form of PTSD. It's reasonable for her to seek help with a therapist who can help with that. You have some excellent integrative medical practitioners in the US. Maybe do a bit if digging?
It could possibly be some sort of PTSD. The heart attack was quite a shock and a scare for her.
Has she had a sleep study? AFib and sleep apnea are highly linked
Yes, she has sleep apnea and uses a cpap device nightly.
There is loads of research on Google scholar about the prevalence of having both. A smart watch set up to catch AFib at rest might catch it for her.
What medications is she on? Could be side effects especially those used post-heart attack?
She was placed on Metropolol and Prasugrel following the heart attack and her Lipitor was increased to 80 mg./day. We initially suspected the new meds but the episodes were so random that we dismissed that as a reason. I've been on Metropolol for years due to afib and, other than some fatigue, I haven't had the kind of reaction that she had.
What dose meto is she on because it may be that she needs an increase or maybe something else that will lower the adrenaline she's producing. Or maybe she just needs to talk to a professional to learn how to do self-calming techniques. The point is that there are solutions and her doctor should be able to recommend something.
She's on 50 mg. extended release metoprolol which she takes at night. Yes, hopefully we'll find a solution to this. It could very well be too much adrenaline.
I could go with the adrenaline rush and light-headedness and shakiness when I go into an AF episode but then my heart rate goes sky high .
As advised she should try to capture these on her watch or Kardia device when she has them. I can imagine this can all be quite distressing for her. I do hope this can be sorted out soon.
Thank you for your response, Jalia!
it sounds a very worrying period for you. AF is very difficult to detect and lots don’t know they have it. If your daughter could capture this, when it happens, it would determine what it is and hopefully eliminate anything serious. It could just be medication, or stress. Incidentally, you can have a panic attack in your sleep. It has been a very difficult and stressful time for your daughter, which can cause any of the above conditions. Hope you soon get some answers.
Thank you for responding - yes, I hope she gets some answers soon. It's just one more thing to be concerned about.
I would have thought they would have fitted a heart monitor for a week maybe 🤔 ?
Yes me too.
Yes, her doctor suggested that but then noticed her watch and said she could send him a reading from the watch.
Hi there sorry to hear she is having these episodes - I have afib but don’t get these symptoms, I would advise getting a Kardia monitor which is v small and portable, then she can check if it is afib as this little gadget will detect it. I have one and it is very reassuring to do an ecg and find you either are/or not in afib. All the best
I used a Kardia regularly before I got my pacemaker. It was very effective in capturing afib but the cardiologist felt her watch would do the job.
After going through what she did with the heart attack. I would think it’s panic and anxiety. We are all different, but when I was getting my a fib, it was usually shortness of breath, sometimes pressure in my chest and the constant thumping. I have discovered now that my anxiety can cause many different symptoms but of course the symptoms only give us more anxiety. It’s a vicious circle sometimes. I just went through about a week and a half of what I would have called a fib. I have a pacemaker and AV node ablation however you will still get the feelings of flutter and a fib, but I never had it for any length of time until this time they took several transmissions from my pacemaker, absolutely nothing showing in any part of it. My doctor has taught me quite a bit, so I started replaying in my head. Normally, it’s important to get out of your head or you will constantly focus on your heart and come up with all kinds of things. Anyway, we have been through two serious storms one storm the second a hurricane. Our weather temperatures are mostly over 100° for a week I had no power sometimes no water no phone, etc. we lost six pets within the two storms. So I wonder what could I be stressed about L O L I am being facetious when I say that. As I started to settle down and things began to get normal somewhat I felt better , I have a problem with hot weather and that it makes my blood pressure drop dramatically. We were out one day all day doing necessary things sometimes I sat in the car and they AC just couldn’t work properly because it was 110 out. When we got home, I sat on the edge of my bed, and that was the last I remembered , except getting up for the call of mother nature then back to sleep for over 20 hours mostly I think we just try to handle what is coming our way not realizing when you have heart issues things hit you different. I also do not perspire which does not help.
you don’t mention if she previously had any anxiety issues. She may need medication now to keep her in check. I was very overwhelmed when I first had my a fib, but they weren’t sure what it was yet. I could feel every tiny anything in my body I swear I could hear my blood rushing through my veins, that is how focused we can become. I don’t know about the rest of my friends here, but I think most of us can agree that you feel overwhelmed and think about constantly scaring yourself even more. if this continues, she may want to talk to her primary about something light for the anxiety and see if it helps.
it was only a few months ago. I finally got smart enough to realize what I tell everyone now get out of your head. When I had my first annual check, my doctor was over the moon reading all of my stats for the past year since the pacemaker. He reminded me how many parts we have in our body, but everyone blames the heart once they realize they have a heart problem. He actually spoke with my primary about my anxiety because my meds were as needed and he said I needed them more than I’ve been doing. Obviously, my doctor could see something I cannot because I would tell you I’m not anxious , my anxiety used to make me cry 24 seven. I was not doing that so I didn’t think I was anxious. It’s gonna take a while for her to get used to knowing she has the stents and that she had a heart attack. It doesn’t matter what kind it was. It was a heart attack and she is scared. Even with a pacemaker, we can still have heart attacks so trust me that scares me as well but I can’t dwell on it. I am going to live one day at a time and enjoy it not be running scared.
she is lucky to have a mom like you also tell her except for doing the readings for her doctor stop looking at her watch or any other way that she is checking on a fib, etc. you become addicted to doing that and your numbers fluctuate constantly another thing that causes anxiety. Best of luck to your daughter and you. I have a feeling doctors see newbies behaving this way all the time which is why they seem like they don’t care but most of the time they just know we have a long road before we truly handle knowing we have a heart problem . Sorry if I babbled I am very wound up tonight thankfully, my heart is quiet like it should be in spite of myself lol
Dawn, I'm so sorry what you've gone through with the terrible weather. Yes, anxiety really seems to escalate when one gets afib. I went through a terrible couple of years after I was diagnosed in 2017 - lots of doctor visits, phone calls to the office, emergency room visits, etc. Now that I've gone into permanent afib, I'm doing much better - I no longer have the thumping in the middle of the night, shortness of breath, etc. Losing about 20 pounds helped too. I had a pacemaker implanted in 2019 so it helps to know that I can send the doctor a reading if I notice anything unusual. Take care and thank you for your response which I will share with my daughter.
As described, these are textbook symptoms that result after prolonged, often unnoticed, hyperventilation, often, but not always, as an unnoticed response to stress. I suffered this several times during my life from my mid 30s. The chain of events is the result of breathing too shallowly and rapidly, often rather subconsciously; this expels excess carbon dioxide and causes a mild increase in the acidity of the bloodstream called acidosis. The old fashioned cure, which rarely failed with me, was to breathe in and out of a paper bag for a few seconds. This temporarily but effectively increases the carbon dioxide levels in the bloodstream and stops the acidosis and the strange symptoms very quickly.
All that being said, it is also exactly what I suffered twice in 2019, which was, to my shock, found not to be "panic" but to be atrial flutter. The cardiologist who is still treating me now for AF and frequent arrhythmia (i.e. ectopic beats), and who carried out an ablation to cure the AFl in 2019, feels certain that the early "panic attacks" were likely to have been undiagnosed arrhythmia episodes.
If I were your daughter, given what sounds a similar possible cause, I would invest in an Apple Watch or similar, and she could use its "irregular heartbeat" and ECG apps to monitor her heart rate and rhythm over time. Also, worth buying, perhaps, and relatively inexpensive, is a Wellue AI home ECG - the version that can run for 24 hours, which I have found very useful on several occasions.
Hyperventilation can also have other causes, some related to diabetes, but I think your daughter will have been investigated for this unlikely possibility.
Steve
Very interesting information - thank you. I'll mention the paper bag idea to her. She has a watch which will record her heartbeat during these episodes but I'll mention the Wellue - I've never heard of it before. She's had Type 1 diabetes since she was 12, she's now 47, so diabetes probably isn't a factor or hyperventilation might have occurred before now. Thanks for replying!
I saw online that diabetes can lead to a less than welcome form of over-breathing so it might be worth mentioning to her doctor.
Steve
those symptoms are the same as I used to have. It can happen in the night especially after a bad dream that you don’t necessarily remember or due to sleep apnoea. It used to happen when I stood up or about half an hour after food. It could be a symptom of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia (POTS) which can be associated to Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) which is a type of immune/allergy response to a number if allergens. Does she suffer with allergies? It used to happen mainly after food (about half an hour) or if I got overheated. A small dose of Propranalol (beta blocker) and an elimination diet has kept my symptoms in check.
She has sleep apnea and uses a cpap machine. Also has lots of food allergies so we'll keep that possibility in mind. Thank you!
I’m surprised your daughter’s cardiologist hasn’t suggested a heart monitor to help put yours and her minds at rest. Could you ask?
I hope all sorts out soon all the best
He seemed to think her watch would send him the information he needs - I don't really know how it compares to having a monitor for a few days but I hope it's accurate enough.
Hi. How old is your daughter? I used to get exactly that which was the start of perimenopause. Maybe something to consider
Oh yes - we've definitely considered perimenopause since she's 47. Her gynocologist is sending her for bloodwork to check this out. My first reaction when she told me was that it was a "hot flash". It seems pretty intense, though. She says she feels tired and weak when it's all over. It'll be interesting to see what the bloodwork shows. Thanks so much for your response.
I pent a few days in hospital the consultant sent me home with a heart moniter which I had to wear for 24 hours and then had to take it back I have a fitbit which records heart rate etc so asked if it was necessary to have the moniter on as I had my watch he said yes as he didn't trust the fitbit watch to be accurate enough
That's my concern too - that the watch won't be as accurate as a monitor.
This sounds something like my worst hot flashes. I had been off HRT for years but had to go off because of a blood cancer. It was tumultuous. I would wake up in the middle of the might, the adrenaline rush catapulting me out of a deep sleep. Whoosh! The pins and needles would start in the pit of my stomach and then the hot flash would hit. I don't remember any heart symptoms but they sucked everything out of me. Sometimes I was on the floor from weakness. I was afraid to go anywhere. My doctor tried all kinds of antidepressants, I tried supplements ,and nothing helped. I was desperate. I finally begged the gynie for help and went on creams. Then breast cancer hit and I couldn't take anything. At 80, I still have hot flashes daily but not as severe. The adrenaline rush keeps me from sleeping at night and my skin rebels - too hot, too cold. I could write a book about it.
It sounds as if you've been through a lot. Thank you for your reply - it seems as if what you've experienced is very similar to the episodes my daughter is having.
Oops - correction. I had been on HRT for years...
Did you notice if your heart rate increased significantly when you had a hot flash?
That's an interesting question. I didn't but I was also not paying attention to my heart, just consumed with fighting my way through. I don't think so. I should have taken my BP as well, and I still could athough they aren't as severe and I doubt there is a problem.
I have lots of episodes and panic attacks. Sounds more like a panic attack to me. If the cardiologist doesn’t seem concerned, I would see my GP and try not to stress. Hope this helps, I am in Canada
She experienced what she describes as a sudden rush of adrenaline, a feeling of a hot flush and tingling throughout her body, accompanied by lightheadedness and feeling shaky
I have been in persistent afib for a few years.
I have experienced what i think are the same sensations - i am not sure i got the sudden rush of adrenaline, but the other symptoms describe what i experienced (and I have struggled to describe it).
i recently discovered i have had quite long pauses of the heart - sometimes up to 20 seconds per event - and now have a pacemaker to prevent this.
Its too early to know whether the sensations are/were a symptom or caused by the events.
I hope your watch can pick up pauses if that's the source of the problem (and/or if she is getting pauses). My pauses were picked as i have a loop recorder.
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