.I was diagnosed in Dec.2012 with Atrial Tachycardia and then in Jan '13 with AF.I was prescribed Bisoprolol 5mg which worked well.I had to stop taking it when I was fitted with an event recorder.It was thought I would not be a stroke risk as I am 58 yrs,not got high blood pressure nor diabetes,don't drink and am fairly fit.I woke up one night and realised I couldn't see out of my right eye for about 5mins.I had had a TIA. 8 days later I had a minor stroke.I was then put on Warfarin and Aspirin and have been taking them along with beta blockers for the last 28 days.
My query is what symptom relates to which problem.I sometimes feel very ill and I don't know what is down to medication,AF,AT,or the potential for another stroke.The symptoms are Nausea.mild vomiting,very tired,.tingling in fingers,very breathless,clammy hands and feet and quite faint.The beta blockers are keeping the AF under reasonable controland even with an episode my pulse rate doesn't go above 100 but I have a suspicion that they may be causing the other symptons has anyone experienced similar problems ?
I am to have an ablation in approx 4 mths time.That can't come soon enough !
Sorry to sound like a hypocondriac but I'm particularly scared of having a full stroke .All suggestions gratefully received
Thanks Fi
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feejbee
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Welcome to the forum, I fully understand where you are coming from, I too am 58, was diagnosed in Dec 12, although straight with AF. I too am on warfarin, bisoprolol and aspirin.
OK, bearing in mind I am new to this also, and with a complete lack of any medical qualifications whatsoever, I am happy to share my opinion if that helps.
Most importantly the warfarin you are now on reduces your risk of stroke significantly from my reading and knowledge. And right now that is the most important thing, anything else is of less immediate importance.
Now to the symptons, I share the tiredness, breathelessness, tingling (very cold) hands and feet and sometimes a little faint. In my view all of these come from the beta blockers, and seem to be reasonably widely shared amongst us.
I do not share, nausea or vomiting, it could be a reaction to the warfarin, but I'm not sure I have heard anyone state that as a side effect, so perhaps a call to your doctor to check that one out.
It could also be a reaction to the aspirin, like you I take 75mg a day, which many say is of no use in AF, and might be so, but I am happy to carry on for a short while as they are prescribed. What I did find, is that I had to buy the gastro resistant ones, NOT the ones prescribed, as otherwise I did feel awful on it. If your aspirin is not gastro resistant, then get down to the pharmacy and buy the gastro resistant ones, they are less than £1 for 72 so don't bother about the prescription. No promises but that might solve the nausea and vomiting.
Go ahead and read what you can on this forum, also you can join the Yahoo Group, quite useful for searching older messages, say about aspirin and you can find that here.
This group is gradually migrating over to this one, which is better
If there is any single important message I can share with you, it's that we all know what you have gone through since diagnosis, the fears, the downright disbelief, and even the panic which rises at the most awkward moments. You will be fine, you are amongst friends and fellow sufferers now, and we know what you are going through. Feel free to, ask questions, vent your feelings, and even just scream at the keyboard. Sharing really does help.
Good luck with your ablation, doubtless there are many many questions, and there are some really great people on this forum who will take the time to answer and help any fears you may have.
Hello and welcome Fi. It's tough to have a new diagnosis that is complicated and to be on a lot of new meds and not know why you are feeling lousy. I'm sure it was scary having that TIA and I'm glad you are now on an anticoagulant, which is your best bet to prevent a stroke. I think stroke is the biggest fear for all of us. Are you in persistent A Fib or does it come and go?
Talk with your doctor about your side effects because there are lots of options and you should be able to feel well while treating this.
And while it is great to have this forum, as well as information on the internet don't consume yourself with your disease. My best advice is to live well around it, doing what you need to for your treatments but try not to focus on it all day.
Make the most out of all the beautiful things and live in the moment. Try not to worry about tomorrow while having a happy day today.
We are all here for support when you need us. Be well.
Hi .Thank you for the welcome and advice.I haven't persistant AF ,I have PAS but episodes are becoming much more frequent. I will see the doctor about all side effects and hopefully be able to sort them out. you are absolutely right though about living in the moment .When I am well ,which can be several days at a time I think I'm imagining the whole thing and have great days,the days when I'm ill I do quickly realise I'm not imagining it though.It must be the same for everybody.it's been very helpful to find this forum.Thanks for replying.
Happy Birthday. At least we're still in our fifties !
Thank you so much for your reply. You could well be right about the aspirin.I am prescribed 300mg daily and have been for the last 6 weeks so maybe that's the cause of nausea.I'm at the anti-coag clinic tomorrow so I'll ask the doc. You're right about the panic and disbelief, I'm sure that once I get used to the symptoms it won't be quite so frightening but at the moment I'm not quite sure what symptoms I should take more seriously than others.Still very worried about the stroke issue.
Hi Fi and welcome to the group. If you are on that much aspirin I'm not surprised you feel sick! This drug has been found to be of no value in stroke prevention in AF yet still retains the risk of gastro intestinal bleeds (Prof Greg Lip and others) yet still many doctors do prescribe it sadly. I am sure that most of your symptoms are related to your treatment. Are you under and electrophsyiologist or just a simple cardiologist by the way? Yes you are amongst friends here and knowledge is power so please visit the Atrial Fibrillation Association website where you can find fact sheets on every aspect of the condition and treatment.
Thanks for the answer.I have seen my GP today and I'm now off the aspirin and taking Omeprazole which will hopefully settle the nausea and sickness down.Yes I am seeing an electrophsyiologist but have asked to see a cardiologist as well 'cause I won't be having the ablation for 4/5 months because of the minor stroke and feel I should have access to some sort of heart care in the meantime.
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Tiredness
Since starting Beta blockers I get much worse confusion. Could it actually be since AF? Does anyone else feel 'hard of thinking' on b block?
Hi I'm Delle...just joined this afternoon!
My cardiologist has taken me off anticoagulant - not exactly sure why
