I suspect that one main culprit for my severe stomach bloating which causes lots of heart palpitations (usually accompanied by belching 50-100 times) is that I am and always have been a very very stressful person and even thinking about a forthcoming event or appointment gives me the fight or flight feeling often accompanied by palpitations. During the past three years I have had around 16 episodes of AF, have been hospitalised overnight twice and more recently discharged with Bisoprolol 2.5mg and Edoxaban 60mg (blood thinner). I always wake in the night with the AF such that I have got scared to even go to bed and often spend the night sat upright on the bed, sometimes even in my 'day clothes' I did manage to get a face to face appt a couple of weeks ago with a cardiologist who decided I should stop the Bisoprolol and start taking Flecainide 50mg twice daily (Ironically my my first AF episode was back in 2005 which again totally shattered my nerves and I eventually in desperation had a private consultation with a cardiologist in 2006 when he ordered an echocardiogram (discovered a mild leak from mitral valve) AND put me on Flecainide 100mg twice daily WHICH I WAS GIVEN ON REPEAT PRESCRIPTION FOR TWELVE YEARS during which time I did have my 'usual' daily stress-palpitations but NOT ONE EPISODE OF AF. In 2018 I had another private consultation with a cardiologist who was horrified to discover that I had taken Flecainide for 12 years stating that long-term use can cause other serious heart arythmias -so I was to stop taking it immediately!! That was in 2018-my next AF episode was in 2020 (3 in 2020, 4 in 2021 now 9 in 2022) I have managed to see a GP who has decided that with my cardiologists approval I should not increase the Flecainide to 100mg twice daily which I have done since Aug 10th. My other concern is that my B.P. is usually around 120/60 but since the AF episodes increased it has often gone up to around 145/70 such that my GP has asked me to check it regularly (trying to not do it when feeling very stressful!). I am ALWAYS aware of my heart beating and get super-stressed if the resting rate feels fast (1.e. 80plus). Since being on the Flecainide again I have not had a full-blown AF episode but instead on the rare occasion that I do fall asleep I am often awoken by my heart thudding extra heavily and fast which makes me panic and start my three antidote moves: 1) Splash cold water on head & face 2) Deep breathing 3) Valsalva Manoeuvre .A recent echocardiogram still showed only mild leak from mitral valve (tho I understand that this regurgitation can cause AF) and a GP once said that my hyuper-stress was also a likely cause.
At the ripe old age of 79 my life is totally miserable, I live like a hermit scared to venture far and having no friends or activities feel utterly hopeless - does anyone have a similar situation to mine and any helpful suggestions would be gratefully received.
Thank you
Micron 5
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Micron5
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Members will come on that have AF and be able to help you some good advice and share their experiences with you
I had heart attacks and Bypasses so do not know much about AF but I do know what it is like to live in fear and be full of anxiety
I also have had everything ready just incase something goes wrong I manage to not sit in bed with my clothes but I know exactly what to grab and where it is if something went wrong all because of fear and anxiety
I am agoraphobic and never leave the house so I suppose I am a hermit to and it has been over 20 years I have been agoraphobic and one by one your friends get on with their life's and you lose contact and been a hermit you don't meet anyone new
Reading your post and please don't take this as I am saying you are old as I am not but there is Age Concern it could be worth talking with them I think if you could start finding out if there are any groups in your area you could join this would really help with your anxiety and getting control back over you life as well as getting to meet people
I am not sure if you have spoken to your Doctor about how you feel but you should do there is support and help that they could help you with to make life more pleasant again
One thing you are not though and that is hopeless !!!
Please believe me on that one
You are someone that is suffering and struggling and needs support and help and that does not make you hopeless if you are then I must be but I know it is the nature of how we feel that can make us feel that way but it is not reality
Reach out to your Doctor and get the support you need and deserve and would be so nice to hear how you get on x
There’s nothing worse than anxiety and the fear it creates. Iv spent alot of my life with it myself and still do sometimes. It’s nice to hear some good advice/suggestions from people👍X
You do sound (to me) really distressed, and anxious. I wonder if you have tried counselling? It could well help you with your fear and anxiety and your social isolation. Many Councillors and Psychologists now work on-line which might work well if you are scared of venturing very far.
Hello Micron5,My AF symptoms are quite mild but my main telltale is bloating.
After examining results (or lack of) from testing myself with different triggers for AF I’m convinced that mine is firmly rooted in anxiety & stress - the only thing that I can’t easily & wont test…. I actively avoid these now & any career ideas have been binned in the process, a decision I’m entirely at ease with. Life has been much better since. Ultimately, only you can control your anxiety but I think you may need a little help to achieve this? I’d approach your GP for advice about that, forget any conversation about current meds - purely about stress / anxiety.
Hello Micron, so sad and sorry to read your post. I have permanent persistent A Fib and hopefully I have learned to live with it. Years before I was diagnosed I sometimes got panic attacks when walking up a hill or if I had an argument with someone. Anything that upset me really. Well meaning people would sometimes say I should `get fit` or similar and I wondered if they were right. Being diagnosed made me feel better because I understood what was wrong. Two days ago I broke my wrist and I am now having to get used to that. I am 76. The thing is this is life, the ups and downs of it, we are a long time dead so they say but right now we are alive.
It can`t be good to stop in, we are still in summer and need to make the most of it. Going to the doctors is the thing, as others have said but also perhaps you could have a walk to the library or a nearby cafe, anything, just so long as you get out of the house. You may find the most difficult thing is getting your shoes on and out through the door.
I’m sorry you’ve going through such hard times. I used to suffer with many panic when I was a child. I think it was started off after an operation .It’s interesting you saying about bloating and stress. I had bad stomach problems about 10 years ago. I had lots of tests and none came up with any medical solution. I self diagnosed in the end ‘ stress ‘ . After dealing with the stress the problem went.
I’ve recently been through a cancer operation and a heart attack, then suddenly I had stomach problems. I’m beginning to wonder if this is another stress related illness.
I am 66 and have been in constant AF for last three years at least. I wasn't aware of it because I am also a person who is always stressed so heart jumping about was nothing new to me. I've always had high BP as well which was written off by all GPs as ""white coat syndrome". Think the untreated BP caused the AF which in turn caused a massive pulmonary embolism in 2019 which I was told is usually seen at post mortem, yet I survived. There is a history of PEs along the female side of my family - all fatal, so I'm thinking there is a genetic factor in both PEs and Afib. I'm on rivaroxaban, bisoprolol, amlodipine and furosemide. I tolerate all meds apart from furosemide which I detest.
I also have a leaking mitral valve and was told in 2020 that I am in heart failure with preserved ejection. Great joy. Life is certainly difficult now and I tend not to go out much either. I do sometimes wake in the night with heart trying to do the tango, but I just tell it to behave and go back to sleep. My husband has cancer and my two children both have mental health difficulties, so life is always going to be stressful it seems. Each day I wake up and it's a bonus and even though my health is always on my mind 24/7 I plod on very slowly doing what I can when I can and nap most afternoons. Don't live in fear of the Afib, that way it is controlling you. Take back your ownership of your life and live it the best you can. We are all in very similar boats here, and all struggling to make some sense of it all, but we are still here so are strong enough to deal with what is thrown at us. Very best of luck.
I just wanted to say how sorry I was to read your post. It’s sounds like an awful way to have to live and I hope something changes for you really soon.
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ATRIAL FIBRILLATION DIAGNOSIS
EXERCISING WITH PERSISTENT ATRIAL FIBRILLATION – ALSO CONSIDERING AN ABLATION
Atrial Fibrillation fear
Mitral valve regurgitation 
Atrial Fibrillation 
