On Monday I had a rather stressful "adventure". I came in from working in the garden late about 16-30 not having eaten anything since breakfast at 9-30. My husband had gone for a long bike ride and there was a message from him saying he would go to our local supermarket on the way back and phone me when he got there. The weather was still sunny and warm so I decided to take a banana and my Kindle and sit on the balcony outside our kitchen to enjoy the last of it before having "lunch". After about twenty minutes it started to get cooler and I decided I really ought to go in and eat and horror I found myself trapped outside. Somehow the handle on the interior of the French window had slipped down locking me out! The balcony is on the first floor and has no access other than by the French window.
I heard my next door neighbour walking down the path of her garden and called to her. I think she must be a bit deaf and the conversation had to be shouted as our balcony is on the far side of our house. I explained what had happened and asked her to phone my husband - my own mobile of course was sitting in the house charging. She seemed to disappear and I assumed she had gone into the house to get hers . After what seemed like ages she reappeared and then started the palaver of trying to give her the number. She kept repeating it back to me wrongly ! This sent my stresss levels soaring. By now the sun had gone off the balcony and I was starting to feel the cold. Eventually she got a ladder and climbed over the fence so she could come and stand directly under the balcony. Unfortunately I had locked the back door when I came in from the garden so she could not get into the house . Then started another round of trying to dial my husbands number. I could now hear our telephone ringing in the house so guessed he had arrived at Intermarché (though it might have been one of these pesky cold callers). She kept saying that he was not answering ( no big surprise as that often happens when I call him). Eventually she got through and he said he'd be back in 15/20 mins. By this time it was 17-45 and I was starting to get really cold. My afib has been set off by cold and also by going too long without food so I was convinced all this stress on top would provoke an attack especially as I am just past 2 weeks since the last one. The next 20 mins crawled by but eventually I heard the horn of the bike - a bit like the cavalry coming to the rescue!
Did my afib kick off! No. Whats more I had no ectopics that evening. I have been having runs of ectopics during and after dinner for a few weeks now. But that evening my heart behaved perfectly. The following evening after a fairly busy but stressless day the ectopics came back a bit .
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Auriculaire
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A very interesting story but glad of the eventual outcome! I feared your husband had met with an accident.
I can certainly relate to this. I can think of several super stressful occasions when I was getting resigned to the probability that I would surely be carted off to A&E before the day was out but nothing other than a bit of tachycardia .
That was one of my worries! That he would have an accident and not come home and I would be stuck there. Once I had spoken with my neighbour I was a bit better as there was always the possibility she could break the glass on the old bakehouse door and get into the house that way or as a last resort call the fire brigade.
OMG. Articulaire. What a nightmare for you? It’s one of my worries getting locked out of the house. I only did it once and it was horrifying. Thereafter, l hide a key in the front garden.
You would expect AF to happen as your HR and BP must of gone up. This is where AF is so unpredictable. The ectopics must be the aftermath. I had runs of ectopics a few months ago after stress with hospital appointments and tests. They just stopped after a few weeks. I still get ectopics, but not on that scale.
Will we ever understand this mystery? Why can you get AF out of the blue? Why does it show up when we are relaxed? The only clue l have with you, is that you had not eaten and therefore less strain on the heart? Who knows……………?
Don’t think you will ever forget the day you got locked on the balcony 🤫
What an interesting story Auriculaire and you told it so well. It looks like you need to keep a spare key hidden on your balcony, or perhaps give one to a neighbour.
It's certainly strange that your heart didn't kick off into AF right way, has stress triggered it in the past?
I would send this written occurrence of yours off to a magazine.
Our French windows don't have keys . They just open from the inside like an ordinary window. I don't think stress has triggered it much - usually it is when I am relaxed after dinner when it kicks off.
Have you considered buying a small, weather proof wall mounted key safe. Suggest you 'Google' the product.
Basically, you mount it on a wall in a discreet location ......... wherever you want ...... and pop a spare key in it. Access is by keying in a set of numbers, bit like a padlock - it pops open and gives access to your spare key.
Stress ..... yeah, interesting that ............ I retired at 65 and we moved to Cornwall from the Surrey/Hampshire border area, but despite all my interests got bored with it. I'd been a bus driver for decades until that point. I returned to bus driving, initially full time then as old age crept on, went part time. I finally retired aged 79 when I started having symptoms which were eventually diagnosed as COPD - then I knew I'd have a problem passing my annual medicals.
Most regular bus services in Cornwall use double deckers and wending them around the myriad of narrow Cornish roads, with very few 'passing places' is not for the feint hearted. highly stressful in fact - particularly you have to vacate your bus to move some elderly old idiots car for them 'cos they can't reverse ( even though it is a driving test requirement ). Yes, all very stressful ........... y'know what though .......... I enjoyed the driving and enjoyed the stress. I really enjoyed the stress. Further, I miss it still, quite alot and often use my old gits pass and take a bus ride, sometimes I'm lucky enough to find an old work buddy is the driver.
Unfortunately our French windows dont have keys! They open with a handle on the inside just like ordinary windows. There is no handle on the outside. I have to remember to always have the handle pointing down . That way the door cannot lock itself . Has your shoulder pain not improved since giving up bus driving? I worked as a bus conductress for a year in my youth. I loved it except the early shift starts and the drunks on Sat night backshift!
Well, I finally retired from bus driving on 5 July 2024 from that date onto November/December 2024 the shoulder pain diminished....... to the point that I spoke to my GP and cancelled the next steroid injection into the shoulder due in early January 2025.
Since then, the pain has resumed and continues making mundane things like putting on a shirt or a jacket extremely painful - even reaching into high spots of kitchen cupboards too. However, when I cancelled with my GP I asked for a review at the end of April/early May 2025. I will keep my end of the bargain and will do nothing until May. Meanwhile, I survive on a needs must basis with CoCodomol 30/500 and heat patches. That keeps my Warfarin INR readings nice. I have to say though I have regular 3 weekly appointments with an Osteopath and I do insist on her manipulating my offending shoulder and to keep aiming for increased mobility in that damn joint. Although the process is bloody painful I prefer this approach to anything else. When she works on it you can certainly hear the joint 'cracking' 😱
Hope you can get some relief. I sympathise having had rotator cuff problems in both shoulders. Dressing was very painful and I had to get my husband to do my bun.
wonderful that you were ok! May I ask if you’re on any meds to help control? When I was in 2 Rx I had an episode of tachycardia and afib. The two come together for me. I think my last episode was caused by stress.
Regards stress,I was diagnosed with paroxysmal af last Sept last af episode on my fit bit was Dec then just recently this past month once a week and then still trying to get p I p through NHS cardio team via gp as still waiting for NHS cardio appt as previously had a private one as health care plan covered diagnosis,but can't keep paying for Private consults,hence waiting for NHS appt. All the stress I believe is causing me to have more af maybe ? Plus one of our dogs is awaiting major hip surgery and it's been postponed once due to replacement hip joint supply issues this is adding to it , and I'm on no meds as my Chad score is 2But I had an Ecg at gp surgery and I get stressed by going there too and had an episode which was captured by the ecg...so they are now trying to get me the pill in the pocket and or meds to help that won't affect my resting hr as it goes low 45 at times, they can apparently talk to the consultant I saw privately,what a palava ,but the gp said can give me so blood thinners and beta blockers to tide me over , depending on the consultants advice , definitely stress affects mine ,sorry for the long story
Yes but I didn't completely escape ! This morning at 6am (60hrs after "rescue") I went into afib. I suspect it is probably because it is two and a half weeks since my last episode and they are coming every 2/3weeks now but also because I have been heaving heavy stuff around in the garden. Upper body work has triggered it in the past. I take Nebivolol but it doesn't work very well for bringing my heartrate down.
I expect you are experiencing flashbacks now ! 😳. It’s interesting how all that didn’t bring on your Afib. I have been puzzled by my afib’s response to stress. Since November, there has been an ongoing stressful situation for me, along with more physical demands and poor sleep quality and duration. Co-inciding with this, my afib and ectopics have reduced considerably ! Now I know stress and tiredness set off my afib ( rather than any foods of meal habits ) so it is confirmation of what a rogue condition this is. When I’m feeling imaginative, i perceive afib as a wicked and mischievous little demon, hopping around me, teasing, or waiting to spring out from hiding and creating mayhem. One day, I’m sure I will start talking to him 🤪.
Just proves when you think you know your triggers, aFIB surprises. You were lucky hubby took his keys. I now have a lockbox at my house as I’ve experienced similar but not so spectacularly as your story. Glad you and your neighbour are ok
Yes - he can be very forgetful with keys . Often misplaces them. 60 hours later when sleeping I went into afib at 6am this morning! But I can identify a trigger - I was heaving heavy stuff around in the garden for the last two days and upper body work is definitely one of my triggers.
I can relate to this….organising events I would often have periods when on-site (3 - 4 weeks at a time) of high stress, long hours, poor sleep & bad diet but no AF. Finally some time off - hello AF. Even when I had major abdominal surgery 4 years ago - no AF before, during or after op. It appeared 2 months later when the residual pain was finally subsiding & I was at last feeling back to normal. In fact, I can’t think of a single time when AF coincided with a period of stress. Perhaps for some of us, high adrenaline levels can be a contributing factor but for others, it’s the reduction of adrenaline 🤷🏻♀️
I think it must be like that for me. My episodes nearly always start in the late evening when relaxing or in the early hours when sleeping. Though it always wakes me up - like at 6am this morning 60 hours after my adventure!
As someone else mentioned, Afib can be so unpredictable at times. I've knocked myself out of Afib in the past with exercise, essentially stressing the heart. When I get runs of ectopics, they seem greatly diminished when I'm hyperfocused on a task at hand and under duress. They seem to come more for me after a hard day while sitting relaxing in the chair doing nothing. So I don't know if the fight or flight nervous system and mental focus during times of need take over and keep this stuff at bay a bit.
I could feel your anxiety as I read your post. Something similar happened to me in the past which prompted me to have an extra key made which I keep in an undisclosed location! Isn't it interesting how something as stressful as what you went through caused no a-fib, but it'll occur under less intense conditions -- at least for me. I'm glad your story ended well!
Often times, when a loved one is ill, some kind of immune response kicks in and keeps us well so we can care for them. My wife and I never even had a cold for 10 months when our young daughter was getting chemo. I accidentally poisoned myself one time by eating a hospital breakfast she couldn't eat that was 6-7 hours old. I was very ill in my room near the hospital all night, but the next day I was good to go!
I do think adrenaline might help the heart overcome the more subtle factors that precipitate afib. Maybe doctors will start prescribing scary amusement rides or car trips with your least- favorite relatives.
I know where you’re coming from.? In recent years I have spent all day on different occasions and filled a skip full up full of bricks and rubble whilst doing home improvements etc and never had a missed beat or any afib.
But then Iv sat there on other days relaxed and reading a book and ectopics or AFIB kicks in.!!! I’m totally baffled with my AFIB sometimes 😮
Me too! Sometimes I can point to things that I know are triggers for me. But often these triggers will not promote an episode. Other times it just appears for no good reason.
Thanks for posting. Yes our Forum needs to crack the mysteries surrounding stress & AF episodes.
I have PAF 7% of the time on a daily basis. I find when I am busy it is far less trouble eg yesterday spent 5 hrs travelling to and from a conference and no problem; I have pulsatile tinnitus so can monitor it all in real time!
However, a regular day in my home office relaxing doing volunteer work I enjoy can kick it off several times and while not debilitating it is uncomfortable. Frustrating...maybe heading towards a Pulsed Field Ablation.
I would hate to have it every day. At the moment I am averaging one every 2/3 weeks lasting around 12 hours. The one this week was a drag. It started at around 6am waking me up. Half asleep I downed 5mg Nebivolol which was a big mistake as so much gives me side effects including dizzy spells. I felt worse than usual all day even after I had gone back into NSR and apart from cooking meals just laid in bed reading.
Yes that sounds like my old AF. For me now it is a lot different and less intrusive, in fact if it wasn't for my tinnitus drawing my attention to it I would be pretty much asymptomatic.
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