Diagnosed today with AF… Bit confused?

[wordzo]

Hi Everyone, First time on this site. I’m 32 years of age and today have been to see a Nurse Practitioner at my GP surgery because of a prolonged cough that’s been going on for the last 8 weeks. When the Nurse checked my heart rate it was irregular. She then checked it again and the same happened. She then did an ECG and said before that it could potentially be AF. This was a shock to some degree as I thought the appointment was about my cough and then this popped up. The results got sent off and came back with confirmation that it is AF. When I was born mitral valve regurgitation was picked up and this was repaired when I was 13. After that for a short while I was on warfarin for a few months, but since all has been given the okay and no follow up appointments needed. However over the past ten years I have had palpitations and also seen my heart beating out of my chest. But when I’ve been to get checked up nothing has shown on the monitor until the ECG today. It just doesn’t feel real and not really had a proper explanation of how, what or when. Blood tests, x ray and cardiologist lined up now and been put on bisoprolol. Just doesn’t feel real.

[firstlight40]

Welcome to the board, there are lots of friendly people here who will help, many will have experience of AF.

Sounds like the nurse practitioner was on the ball. Bisoprolol will relax your heart and damp down arrythmias until you see the cardiologist who will look in more detail at you.

[Jaws66]

I was mid-thirties when I was diagnosed, and yes, it does feel unreal. However, you're now in the system, and it is frustrating waiting until all the results are in and you are back in front of your cardiologist. Then, depending on the results, they may want even more tests !

But.....

Please try to be patient; it will take time, but it will all happen. Spend a bit of time lining up your questions for when you see the doctors - I always come away wishing I'd asked something else. Eat healthily, walk when you can, cut down alcohol and decaff drinks only - because you do have some control over all this, even if it feels bewildering at first.

And good luck !

[Hidden in reply to Jaws66]

Good advice, it comes as a shock to us all, although to be honest if I had had your medical history at such a young age I might not be that surprised? As gas been said here you have a lot of things that are under your control, as well as those that are not.

[Retirement65 in reply to Hidden]

Hi there hope you don’t mind me jumping on here it was what you said about gas? My husband has a pacemaker his pulse always stays steady but he has the feeling of palpitations more so in his throat but he is burping a lot we are both not new to the dreaded palps but wanted to check with you about gas!! Thank you 😊

[Hidden in reply to Retirement65]

Sorry! I meant has not gas, just a typo. Don't know anything about burping I am afraid.

[Retirement65 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for getting back to me 😊

[hf54]

Very sorry to hear this. Usually they wait until they have all the tests/ information responses to meds before telling you your outlook.with new meds they start you on a low dose / kidney function test s before they up dose to fully working level. It can take a long time to know where you are . Hang on in there and things can get better

[BorderMLH]

Hi Wordzo200! So sorry to hear your new diagnosis! The same thing happened to me whilst I was out running and I was put on 1.25mg of bisoprolol after a year my body got used to the meds and it was upped to 2.25mg then 5! When these didn’t work I was then put on Flecainide and reduced my bisoprolol to 2.25 and the Flecainide I take 50mg twice daily! I am on the waiting list for an ablation which you may get offered! A lot of scare mongering re bisoprolol but it really does help for the first few years! I am dreading the ablation but I know I have to give it a go as I hate taking meds and I still go into full AF every few days! Good luck and you will get all the help on this forum! 😃

[wordzo]

Thank you to everyone that’s responded. I really didn’t expect it and the comments have been really helpful. I have been for my bloods today and everything looked good and my kidneys too which is good. I was also fortunate enough to speak to a gp at my surgery who luckily has a background in cardiology and he was able to give me a better understanding of everything. I’m off work for the next ten days, which couldn’t of come at a better time. A nice break spending time with my wife and 3 year old. Going to have to start taking a hard luck at my lifestyle and my work life too. Major changes need to be made. Thanks again.

[Mario6196]

Hi Wordzo200, I wonder how many people suffering from irregular heart rhythms can be helped by magnesium supplementation. I have had high bp for a number of years but this time last year I also started to experience irregular heartbeats. Predominantly, this was ventricular ectopics but also occasional AF as well. It got really bad at one point, I was having literally thousands of ectopic beats a day. I saw a top cardiac specialist and he recommended bisoprolol (2.5mg once per day). He said this would help lower my bp and suppress the irregular beats. He was half right, it suppressed the irregular beats really well but it caused my bp to rise which is not the normal experience. Anyway, I didn't like the way the drug made me feel so I looked for alternative options. I came across magnesium. There is a series of Youtube videos by Dr Sanjiv Gupta on the use of magnesium for irregular heartbeats which I found very helpful. I started taking it but obviously I couldn't tell if it was working or not because my irregular heartbeats were suppressed by the bisoprolol. I took magnesium for several months and then gradually weaned myself off bisoprolol over a period of 8 weeks. The irregular heartbeats didn't return. They only return now if I stop taking magnesium. I am not saying this will work for you but it is something to consider. Be cautious with it though. In my first week I took 600-800mg of elemental magnesium per day. It was too much. I had the runs but worse than that I passed two tiny kidney stones. Never experienced anything like that before or since. Now I take 300-500mg magnesium per day in different forms (citrate, bisglycinate, taurate, threonate). I am off the bisoprolol since February and my heart rate is steady. Touch wood! Good luck!