Heart went out of rhythm in early evening of 30/11/24. Avg 160 BPM, went to Ninewells, at 815pm Cardioversion done at 1030pm , and home at 1am....Canae fault NHS was seen straight away.
This is 4th time in . years 1st was going through chemo 2020, 2nd 2022, 3rd 2023 and 4th yesterday.
Diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in Aug 2020...
Last 3 AF episodes have all happened after being at a proffesional football match and walking back to car.
Didn't have any alcohol or Caffeine, and never smoked....am I simply allergic to the fitba...#AF
Written by
bobby1290
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Glad to hear that you were able to get your cardioversion so quickly. Your hospital sounds excellent to have been able to offer you the procedure so quickly. Sometimes I wonder if it's the luck of the draw and there just happens to be someone on duty who is expert at doing cardioversions.
I'm afraid there's no accounting for when AF strikes. Though I do know that products containing artificial sweeteners would kick mine off.
Hi Bobby, Hope it’s not given you a mental block now going to the footy. Do you stand for a long time in the cold? Do you get excited with the match? Excitement can have the same adrenaline effect as anxiety, Do you breathe properly at the time? Are you well hydrated? I am not a medic, but some of these things mentioned have triggered my AF. Unfortunately AF can come back at any time. I had a break of 18 months and now getting AF once a month with ectopic beats added on. You are not alone.
Do not get over excited TBH...generally always drinking water so hydration not an issue..possibly HR maybe is slightly raised during match, then walking? But I go every 2nd week and doesn't result in AF....Just want to minimise issue without enjoying life 😀
Could be your heart rate being the trigger. Do you take a beta/blocker for rate control? Perhaps need a drugs review if it carries on. Go see your GP. Enjoy your football, we shouldn’t have to sacrifice everything.
Yes, l have same problem with beta-blocker as l have low blood pressure. Can’t take them regularly. Could be the new meds. Perhaps when your body adjusts to having something foreign put into it, it will all calm down. If not l would have a talk with my GP. Not all drugs suit everyone.
excitement can raise heart rate and referee decisions may be stressful! Histamine is increased during mental emotional highs and lows and can trigger arrhythmias. Do you eat/drink anything at the match? Do you have any allergies? Sugars (and artificial sweeteners) and starches trigger my episodes. You need to look at anything you do/have on these days - such as a particular food earlier in the day that you don’t normally have. Even aftershave or the clothing you wear.
Thanks for your reply. No allergies, tend not to be too excited at match. Most times I have a Pie, and maybe a coke zero? TBH day to day I only drink water and Decaff coffee especially since 2020...been to plenty other matches....think maybe my heart is slightly increased with match/atmosphere during match, then having to walk 10-15 mins to car.
Maybe? TBH I used to drink mainly diet coke before my cancer treatment and my Heart condition being discovered in 2020, but since then hardly ever have a diet drink..
what a shame! Something you really enjoy. It’s so frustrating, mine is always just after I’ve fallen asleep (which makes me nervous about sleeping 🙄) - try to think really hard if there are any similarities. For me for example I have to be really careful not to eat too near to bedtime and definitely can’t do alcohol or caffeine near bedtime at all.
Sometimes, sleeping on your left hand side can bring on AFib, that happened to me a couple of times and I read about it. You can Google it and it’ll explain why.
There is no rhyme or reason to AF, if you've got it then unfortunately it stays with you in one form or another. My triggers are stress and over excitement...........have to control myself with Rugby Football and Cricket and not watch scary films lol.........I'm a bit hyper so stressed, which I tend to bottle up. Ive had my AF friend for almost 30 years but its a crafty monkey, when I got to the hospital for cardioversion I got on the bed, staff were ready and it reverted itself, I was so thankful but could have done without he 2 hour journeys to get there! Learn all about this condition I will help you understand what is going on. Good luck x
Hi BobbyI've had AF since my late 20s, and over the last 20 years (10 of which AF was persistent/ constant) I've learnt that sometimes there are some obvious reasons why AF might be more problematic than others and sometimes there just isn't. The rate that you are having episodes is very infrequent, which is good for you and your heart, but in some ways the infrequency can be more difficult to manage (for some folk) as often people find themselves living in trepidation of it happening again. And they don't get that experienced at dealing with the episodes. When it's very frequent or persistent you kinda just get used to it. It just became background noise for me. Others may not have the same experience. We are all different.
You did very well at the hospital. I've never had that kind of response. Hope it all settles back down again now. 🤞🏻
Many thanks for taking the time for reply....Suppose everyone has their own journey, not 100% sure what permanent AF would be like, certainly wouldn't like to live with the feelings I have when I am in AFib? ❤️
Everyone's different, but I'd say it's not to be fearful of. Its easier to manage in many ways. Your body gets used to it rather than bouncing in and out. And usually, if required, medication can keep the heart rate low enough to not put too much strain on the heart. That didn't work for me, but it does for very many Of course there are surgical procedures also. Cardioversions didn't work for me, and I had 2 failed ablations but 5 months after 3rd ablation my heart went into normal rhythm for the first time in two decades and has stayed that way since. 18 months now.
So even for hearts as tricky to manage as mine, things can work.
Your atrium, as mine, for whatever reason, is sensitive to mis-conduction and that causes ectopic beats. Sensitive to what? No one will likely ever bother to find out, but what is known is that the calls of the atria are sensitive to any kind of stretching, say from particular body movements, pressure from intestinal gasses and food, swallowing (the oesophagus presses tightly against the atrium), acid reflux and much more. This leads it to become ectopic and, if prone, to go into AF.
Are you very symptomatic? I have never felt the need to go to A&E except for my first AF attack which put the fear of God into me. Looking back to that, the anxiety of the event likely added to the tachycardia and fear.
To be honest.....all 4 were very uncomfortable, to the point on few occasions I was having dizzy spells, did wait a few hrs to see if it would slow down itself, before going to A&E. Most recent one felt a bit different, as I felt my chest area was full of cold air or an elated feeling,,,,didn't actually feel my heart was racing, until I checked it on my BP monitor at home....was told from Cardioligist to come to A&E if I feel I have AF or other related issues. Do get yearly check ups/Scans, always show no further thickness to my heart
If your doctor suggests visiting A&E then that is the way to go. To slow my heart, I was told to take an extra bisoprolol (beta-blocker) tablet. That did the trick after about an hour. I wouldn't want to go to A&E these days what with the long waiting times. A friend had to wait for over 10 hours in our local hospital just a few weeks ago.
I did take my pill a few hours early, but didn't make a dent in my HR, hence I went to A&E....certainly i would never want to add to the Qs at A&E especially as many folk are there on a Sat night due to Alcohol related issues....Given it was a Heart issue, I was taken straight away to main crash area. People in NHS do an amazing job. Thank you
One trigger for me was coffee, not the caffeine in coffee but coffee itself. Although my AF is now permanent, it's also without symptoms, and my heart rate is in the normal range of 60-100. Subsequently I haven't drank coffee for 16 years. I drink tea without it affecting my AF.I've been in permanent AF for 7-8 years. There was no defining moment when I went from paroxysmal to persistent. The medication I was on, Flecainide reduced the episodes to one or two ten-minute episodes a year.
The only medication I take for AF now is an anticoagulant, warfarin being my choice. I also have long- term asthma, and need to use a strong, steroid, inhaler to improve my breathing.
I lead a normal life. What helped me greatly was losing weight. I was never obese, and didn't feel overweight, but I was.
well I have been experiencing 4 a-fib in the last 5 weeks.. taking sotalol for about 3 months. It seemed like this drug was going to work but nope afib s are getting more frequent… gonna have to send my afib graphs to cardiologist.. I wear the APPLE WATCH THAT confirms my afib..then sends to phone then I send to cardiologist…afib usually last between 15 - 36 hours..
I know how you feel -- question after question as to why it happens. Your episodes are infrequent though. Did you eat anything at the game, i.e. continual snacking on something? As Jeanne says, food additives are her trigger. Potato chips (your crisps), or something salty perhaps? I only recently discovered that nuts are a possible trigger for me.
Bobby it sounds like you need a little bit of our tough love about a fib and flutter, etc. There is no cure everything is just a Band-Aid sooner or later it falls off. Even a pacemaker you will still feel your a fib or flutter. The difference is if you had your AV node ablated, there is no longer any damage being done to your heart because the pacemaker is in charge. your life has been changed forever all of us on here have the same problem. My last cardioversion not only did not work at all, but it took three tries just to get me back where I was. The first one worked for 3 1/2 weeks it was heaven, but all I did was sit on the couch one night and it started again. I had tachycardia so when it starts, it really started.
it is not a one fits all problem. None of them are just like you and I are different so are the is usually why they try meds first at least here where I am to try to keep it calm most of the time. There is a learning curve that you will have to wrap your mind around. You will figure out your triggers. It sounds like you worked on it, but I will tell you, anxiety is one of the worst I think and so did my EP. I already had meds, but it said take as needed. My EP decided I didn’t realize how much I needed them so he spoke with my prescribing doctor. it really did help. He knew that physically my pacemaker, etc. everything was in order. He wasn’t worried about that but evidently he could see in something I could not. He was very intuitive. Of course I kept denying. I was but then you think about can we not be when our lives are changed forever? Just remember very few people die from a fib if any it’s usually something else I have heart failure. My ejection rate in the 40s. It’s up to the 70s now because of the pacemaker giving it a rest there is light at the end of the tunnel. Just not exactly what you want. I read on here where people are still doing what they know triggers we are all you your business but then you get the consequences and sometimes you don’t have to do anything wrong and it still acts up. If you have any reading devices for your numbers, stop looking at them. That was one of the first things. My EP had me do I think because I was not only driving myself crazy but him as well. Just know everyone has their depending on what you’re doing. It can change minute to minute. Just getting out of bed some days will shoot me up to 90 from 60 bending over is my enemy and changes me. Don’t be afraid take control and don’t let a fib run and ruin your life. it will if you let it just remember knowledge is power if it’s call your doctor if you’re not sure about something you’re feeling and it’s not urgent. Ask out here because we have all probably had it at one time or another but don’t mess around with what your doctor tells you or if it could be a medical emergency remember, there are no silly questions. Take a deep breath. Use the common sense you were born with and then ask out here. Bob will direct you to where to find other info. He’s the best at that. The rest of us will share what we have dealt with, but just remember we are all different
also every day they are working on things so don’t think there is never gonna be anything better because there are amazing people out there trying to give us quality of life. My EP was one of them he created a pacemaker just for me. I am known as being unique lol I’ve been called worse lol but seriously he got in there and saw what he had to do. There was no pacemaker at the time that would work for so he made one.
FYI, presented my case in Dallas after he did it. The hospital in Dallas requested he come and teach the EP‘s there about the used to possibly save more people like me being an EP he has told me means never stop learning.
two months ago, he broke my heart that he had fixed because he was leaving to go to North Florida, but he is going for reason. He was given the title of chief for a hospital affiliated with a large university. I knew he was slated to be famous whether he likes it or not. He was not always the favorite here because he wanted to give us quality of life not just repeat things that don’t work like etc. I had three and I already had too much scar tissue for him to consider doing another and the odds of getting the right spot are minimal. I am horrified when people talk about having a dozen or more. I think that’s why they are doing things like field ablations they make a lot more sense. It’s like circling the wagons instead of just putting one in front of a problem.
sorry for the novel, but I want to share what I have learned because it has given me sanity somewhat
FYI, I still get flutter once in a while. I started out as a bad cold and had flutter for a couple of weeks. It wasn’t bad but let’s face it. It’s not fun. Remember, I have a pacemaker so that flutter can jump around all at once it’s not gonna hurt me now😊
Thank you for taking the time, to share your experience as well as the information. Appreciate I have lot to learn and understand regarding living with HCM and AF. Everyday is a school day, but I am keen to understand what to do to minimise risk, plus come to terms that this is something that we need to live and deal with. Hopefully the next life we will all have a ticker that works well. 😁 take care and thanks again
we don’t know what we don’t know and it takes time to learn so be good and patient to yourself just remember don’t feel awkward about calling your office if you need to or even go into the ER if you need to. I had asked my EP if they could actually do anything for at the told me not unless I was really having a problem in which they would stabilize me and keep me comfortable until he could get there. I have never gone to the ER except after an accident one time. Unless they admit there is a charge so I would rather just wait and see my doctor, but I will tell you there were times I did that that I should not have like the first time I had my event. I knocked myself out cold or I hit the floor after I was out I think that may have been more the case. I hit a concrete floor It’s not pretty then I thought I got up and climbed into my bed. It turns out that was not the case. I woke up on the floor of my bathroom on my back with my head between my bathtub and toilet. They say God fools obviously it’s true. Then I went to bed and slept not seeing the Dr for 2 days. later, I was lectured by several doctors. The fact that I ever woke up again was amazing because of the head injury, not the a fib.
one day at a time is all we can do. It’s overwhelming, but you are not alone.
LOL....was well wrapped up, and Saturday was mild TBH...initially did think it was cold air in my chest lungs. Will wait to see any advice from cardio team at hospital 😁
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
AF episode and triggers
Unusual AF episode
AF episode 
2nd Af episode 
