shattered

[Anxious37]

well last night was awful only been on med 2 weeks but last night i was nearly in AE . I could not get the flutter:/ wobbling / vibrating under control . My whole body was shaking and i have hardly slept .not sure if i had a panic attack on top of everything. Seemed like my nervous system was all out of wack . Am up now trying to get warm and calm my body down from shaking . This can be such a scary condition and i don’t really handle anxiety well . Have a phone call with Doctor on Monday so hopefully that will help . In the meantime this site really helps with advice and support

[actionteddy]

Good morning When I was diagnosed 7 years ago I went through exactly what you are now.,Was very anxious and scared,also was in a state of panic .But 7 years on my body has got used to the medication .I know it sounds impossible at the moment because it is a shock but try to relax,your body will get used to the meds but it will take a little time

This forum is brilliant for support as I have found over the years x

[Anxious37 in reply to actionteddy]

I dont think the medication is helping in 2 half weeks there seems to be no change . Think thats the scariest. I realise i have to be patient but so hard

[CDreamer]

Many of us have been through exactly what you describe but just to echo actionteddy, your body does adjust but self talk and telling yourself that although the symptoms are horrible nothing bad is going to happen - your nervous system needs reassurance - pretend you are talking to a very frightened friend or child - talk as you would to offer reassurance - and breath - remember to breath - Long - Slow - Deep through the nose. It really helps.

[Buzby62]

Do you know if you are persistently in AF or having episodes of AF (paroxysmal) ?

I was paroxysmal and when having an episode the meds do little to help the symptoms other than controlling the increased heart rate to protect the heart.

Some are very symptomatic with AF and some don’t know they have it but still need the protection medication. Usually but not always episodes can be more symptomatic than persistent AF. If you have symptomatic persistent AF then there may be other treatments to help you but it takes time to build the picture when newly diagnosed and you have to make a bit of a nuisance of yourself with the doctors.

You really need to have a consultation with an electrophysiologist in my opinion so ask your GP about that.

Link to treatment options api.heartrhythmalliance.org...

Best wishes

[Anxious37 in reply to Buzby62]

I have this feeling all the time of my heart flutter/ rubbling tenderness in chest . I have had to wait over a week which is on Monday for an phone appointment . They said needed to give meds time to work . When i was in AE for the second time they told me to take an extra 2.5 on top of my 5 mg bisoprolol and obviously blood thinners if needed but stop if it make me extremely light headed which it did . So I stopped the extra 2.5 and just take the 5 mg . I do realise no one on here is medical trained so i don’t expect people to have all the answers

[Buzby62 in reply to Anxious37]

That’s more than a small dose of bisoprolol and I found 1.25 made me light headed for a while until I got used to it. Some can’t tolerate it at all but you don’t know until you try. It’s just so difficult to get the answers in the beginning as waiting for appointments etc. I would write a list of questions down for your GP and ask for a referral to an EP asap.

Best wishes

[pettingzoo in reply to Anxious37]

hi, i have been on several different beta blockers over the last 30 years. AF and SVT. was on 14mg of bisoprolol for a year, and let me say the first 3 months were a nightmare with anxiety symptoms and dizziness. my body did adjust though and all side effects went away. im now back on 200mg metoprolol only because bisoprolol unfortunately did not help with my migraines. just remember when increasing a dose with any beta blockers you need to move slower while adjusting to the dose. hope this helps.

[Cavalierrubie]

l would see your GP if it doesn’t calm down because the more anxious this is making you the more AF will play up, so you need to address the anxiety. My anxiety went through the roof when l was diagnosed. I had lots of AF episodes. When l accepted AF and it didn’t scare me anymore, l didn’t have AF for 18 months. It’s an awful time for you right now, but it will get better.

[jeanjeannie50]

I remember feeling just as you have described and honestly thought my attacks were so terrible that I'd be found dead next day. It was like having a big floppy fish thrashing around in my chest.

My AF was diagnosed almost 20 years ago and I now know looking back that I had it a long time before then. Well here I am all all those years later and still here. I tell myself now that all that worry of mine was a waste of time and that's exactly what I'm telling you now.

The less attention you give your AF, the better and shorter your attacks will be. Anxiety almost seems to feed and make it far worse. I know it's hard to believe that right now but I promise you it's true.

I used to find that listening to a slow heart beat on YouTube helped, also nice slow deep breathing. I never lie on my left side in bed as that's another trigger for me and totally avoid all foods/drinks containing artificial additives.

Wishing you well.

Jean

[racer373]

Hi Anxious37 . I got diagnosed with AF and HF at the end of September and know exactly what you are going through. This forum is an amazing network of people going through similar experiences. One thing that really helped me was talking to the BHF cardiac nurses. They always were able to but my mind at rest,

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

They are available Mon-Fri 0900 - 1700 I've spoken over the phone and online with chat.

Hope you get the answers you need!

[Purplekatt]

I am pretty much on the same path as you, diagnosed about 3 weeks ago and after a week of atenolol, was put on Bisoporol 2.5mg that has rapidly been increased to 7.5mg but it does not seem to work. GP told me to get rid of my fitbit as it was stressing me out, so I got a Kardia that I use once a day and all readings show AF at 120-130 HR. I am also on a 14 day monitor so hopefully that will show more detail if I ever go out of AF - it now feels constant. And I am fed up with feeling so tired and sometimes breathless and not knowing if it is the AF or the meds causing it. Also it freaks me out that the HR is not going down with such increased dose, I have seen no difference from 2.5mg. Consultant has suggested Sotalol as the next ‘trial’, so hope to get that Monday from GP and that it will help. This forum is really helpful, I also need to manage my anxiety and hearing from others does help.

[Buzby62 in reply to Purplekatt]

Purplekatt, have you attended hospital at all? I wouldn’t be happy with a GP managing those figures if persistent and not responding to meds. Just my opinion.

Best wishes

[30912 in reply to Purplekatt]

Sotalol at 320mg daily put a stop to my persistent tachycardia after 27 hours, where the combination of Bisoprolol and Digoxin just made things worse.

Good luck with it.

[Jajarunner]

Here's a hug, if you don't mind. I know what it's like and hope you feel better soon ❤️

[Cozzer]

Hi first diagnosed over 20 yrs ago, persistent AF sometimes atrialflutter I get dibilatated with it and struggle to do anything near like "normal activities" only relief for me is many cardioversions, got to say the "vibration" thing is always a pain, I find that sort of tensing the whole body was the only way to stop it , but of course that tires you more, I echo what everyone else says about anxiety, unfortunately it can be a catch 22 situation, I found I didn't get on with beta blockers, I think it was due to undiagnosed asthma, though I'd had bb in the past with no issue, over the years I ve found diltiazem to be good, and even digoxin did a good job, as others say if not under a EP , push for one, and whilst not encouraging you to go to hospital everytime or anything it could be worth it mid attack as you might find they will give different meds to try, have you anything like a bp machine or pulse oximeter to get a idea of rate? Look for triggers . And try to get to understand your own type of condition, in effect don't let it control you become the boss of it!!

[Singwell]

Definitely understand how you feel! It could be that the meds you are currently on don't suit your physiology. In the UK we always start with Bisoprolol until further tests have been done. Ask your GP about this.

If you've been taking extra Bisoprolol it might have lowered your BP too much - hence the light headedness. (Although not the only cause necessarily). Can you hang in there until Monday? Find some slow beat calming music to listen to on your headphones and breathe along to it. Breathe in through your nose if you can. Humming loudly on the outbreath can also help. I use Max Richter's album called Sleep.

[Vonnegut]

Do go gently- rest and meditate gently - perhaps with some gentle classical music to listen to breath slowly. Good luck.

[JezzaJezza]

hi so sorry to hear this. AF can be different for everyone. I don’t have AF but I do have SVT…..but they are all arrhythmias. I do agree that the palpitations are the worst aspect. This is what has worked really well for me:

Give the meds time to work. Take them same time each day and don’t miss any. Are you on an anti arrhythmia drug? Bisoprolol is not anti arrhythmia drug, it reduces the heart rate and once your heart is beta blocked it is generally very effective at managing the palpitations. Some of the most effective arrhythmia drugs can only be prescribed by cardiologist or an EP. I’m on dronedarone (Multaq) which has completely controlled the SVT.

Drink min 2 litres of water every day

Cut out all alcohol (drink 0-0 versions) and ALL sources of caffeine including fizzy drinks.

Don’t over eat or eat too late. Allow 4 hours after eating before going to bed. Cut out ultra processed food. Cut out salt

Stress brings on AF. Learn to identify your triggers…..and then studiously avoid them.

Practice meditative breathing. Loads of great stuff on YouTube.

If overweight - lose the weight.

Exercise but not high intensity. I do 320 mins per week of fast faced power walking.

Get your GP to do full bloods and check your blood pressure. Check you aren’t deficient in key vitamins such as the various B’s, C, D and also your thyroid.

Hope this helps.

Best wishes

Jezza