Afib and Chest Pain

[Debjimmay]

Can having an Afib attack with high heart rate of 140 cause chest pain? I had this last night and it lasted about a hour. The pain was pretty severe, but once my heart rate slowed down, the pain went away. I’ve been wearing a holter monitor for two weeks now so I’m hoping the monitor will be able to tell what was going on. I have Afib quite often, but not such a chaotic heart beat and chest pain like I had. I’m just wondering if anyone else has experienced chest pain while in Afib and if it’s something to should be concerned about.

[Ppiman]

Hi Deb. Unexpected severe chest pain of sudden onset should, normally, be reported the emergency heath services.

Chest pain from AF doesn't seem to be all that unusual and I have had it, but wouldn't ever call it severe, although the anxiety it causes can make it seem worse than it is. AF, or at least when it causes tachycardia, reduces heart output (i.e. it can causes acute and temporary heart failure, recovering when the AF stops). This can cause a mild form of angina, depending on whether the heart's own blood supply is reduced - and that creates chest discomfort and even pain.

Since you survived to tell the tale, all is likely well, but, if this was a one-off, I might still phone a doctor and see if he or she suggest a blood test, if it's not too late to do that, to check for anything else that might have caused the pain.

Steve

[Debjimmay in reply to Ppiman]

Hi Steve! Thank you for your response. I’m going to call my cardiologist on Monday and let him know what happened and also ask him if he can recommend a medication I can take that will slow my heart rate down when it takes off like that. I really believe the fast heart rate is what caused the pain (or maybe it could best be described as more like an ache). I had the holter monitor on with this happened so I would imagine if they thought it was something serious they would’ve contacted the doctor.

[Ppiman in reply to Debjimmay]

I think you're right. I get an "ache" with fast AF. Let me know what the cardio says!

Steve

[FraserB]

I had the same uncomfortable high heart rate when I was in flutter for most of a day. After feeling extremely light headed I went to emerg where an IV bolus of diltiazem brought it down I finally reverted to sinus rhythm. But my chest/left side ached a lot after this.

After full blood panel/tests looking for potential heart attack/heart failure the doctor said mine was more related to muscle strain or discomfort from the prolonged high heart rate, which can lead to a sensation of pressure or aching because it was the equivalent of "running a marathon" for most of the day. Though mine was not a pain but a constant ache until the next day with rest it settled down.

But even though just an ache, the doctor still referred me to a cardiologist for further tests because AF/AFl can occur on those with underlying coronary artery disease and best to get it checked out further if not for piece of mind. And also hopefully your holter will pick up what's going on.

[Debjimmay in reply to FraserB]

Hi Fraser. I am currently on 180 mg of Diltiazem once a day. I’m going to call the doctor on Monday and explain what happened and ask him if I can take an extra dose of the Diltiazem if I have an episode where my heart takes off racing like that again.

And you are right about feeling as it was more like an ache instead of pain. The ache was very intense and other than being a little bit dizzy, I didn’t have any other heart attack symptoms. I was extremely scared though which probably made it worse.

[FraserB in reply to Debjimmay]

I agree that consulting with your doctor before taking an additional dose of diltiazem is essential, especially if you experience another episode. While diltiazem is used for rate control, doubling the dose for the first time can significantly lower blood pressure, potentially causing it to drop too low in some people. Your doctor can provide further evaluation, which I had, to confirm the cause of the ache. If anything further tests to be sure you're on the right track can lessen that scared feeling. It did for me.

[BobD Volunteer]

Any chest pain MUST be investigated. Chest pain in AF is not overly common but it seems those people who do get it suffer badly. For the record 140 is not high. Many people in AF see rates well over 200.

[Debjimmay in reply to BobD]

Thanks Bob. I have read on here where some people have their heart rate go over 200. I couldn’t even imagine what that must feel like. I’ve had fast heart rates before, but never had the chest pain or maybe I can describe it more as a bad ache? I’m not sure what heart attack pain feels like, but I’m thinking if I get it, I’ll

[Singwell]

I had a rate of 155 for about 30 minutes the other week. Tachycardia that precedes AF in my case. Poor old pacemaker trying to keep up! I don't get pain with that rate though it's extremely disturbing and uncomfortable. I agree with Bob, get it looked into. You may need a different anti arrhythmic.

[Ducky2003]

I get, what I call discomfort rather than pain. If I experienced chest pain, I would be on the phone to 111, if not 999.

[Debjimmay in reply to Ducky2003]

Hi. I think I had more discomfort and aching than pain. It’s really hard to describe how it feels sometimes. I just know it wasn’t normal and I was getting quite anxious, which was probably making it worse. In the past two I’ve been to the ER twice for Afib and spent seven hours mostly sitting in the waiting room. I was told the reason was they are short of help and they take the more serious patients first. So I was holding out as long as I could and finally the aching started to subside and was finally gone.

[Ducky2003 in reply to Debjimmay]

I know what you mean about it being hard to describe. Discomfort is just about the closest I could get. 😊

[4Pip]

hi there. I had Afib 160 with bad chest pain not investigated when in Afib. Lots and all blood tests done. One year later after I had it again. They did a battery of tests etc stress and the works. Said I was fine. I refused to move because I knew I wasn’t well. They eventually did an angiogram as my back pain was intolerable and I had a 99% block at main coronary artery which would have been a widow maker heart attack. Three stents were put in in record time. That was 10 years ago. I say. Listen to your self and don’t give up or give in if you are not happy

Jo

[Debjimmay in reply to 4Pip]

Hi! I will have to say your post was very interesting! I actually copied it and I’m going to print it out and take it to my cardiologist. I have had severe back pain for some time now and never related it to my heart at all. I’m so glad you were able to figure out what was causing your problems and that you were able to get help for it. So happy for you. Thank you so much for your post.

[Danny44]

Yes nearly every time I get bad AF I get chest pains.and HR anything upto 137 down to 65.i have had 130+ for hrs.seems the high heart rates give chest pains.i also got pressure in my chest and very light headed.This is after stopping amiodrone for 8+yrs and going into flecanide it’s not been an easy ride to say the least

[Debjimmay]

Hi Danny. Thank you for sharing. I’m assuming the chest pain I had was from the Afib along with the high heart rate because normally I don’t have any chest pain or discomfort at all. So are you able to tolerate the Flecainide? I tried it, but it made my arrhythmias much worse than they already were so I stopped it. I wish they had a magic pill we could take to make all of our heart issues go away.

[MisterD22]

Have you tried Magnesium Glycinate? Most people are dificient, some commenters say it helps. It helped my nighttime leg and foot cramps, but so far the Afib still comes and goes.