Atrial Fibrillation query

[thespianglobe]

This is my first post as I am in a bit of a quandary as to how to tackle a problem which has recently arisen. I am a 71 year old lady with one son aged 45. My son has recently had a bad cold and went to the GP with a straightforward ear infection. I was amazed to then receive a phone call asking me to rush him to our local A&E as his heart rate had increased to dangerous levels and his blood pressure was soaring. He was seen in A&E, his ECG was quite normal and he was then booted out having been told that his GP was "probably trying to cover his a**e" - hardly reassuring, AF was vaguely mentioned but no follow up was suggested. My son is very tall, very thin, walks miles every day and has never smoked or drunk alcohol, he has never had any heart problems as far as I know so we are both equally in the dark. He has refused to talk about this, has embarked on an extreme fat free diet and is losing more weight and if I try to offer advice he gets angry - any helpful suggestions anyone? I do not anticipate a very cheerful Christmas, dealing with your own health problem is one thing, treading on eggshells whilst trying to support someone else is quite another!

[thespianglobe]

Thanks for the reply. To be honest I am already taking your advice and trying to keep my own counsel. I am not a worrier but my son is obviously worried although he won't admit it and I suppose my concern is the rather casual way the whole thing was treated at the time. I have read up quite a lot over the last couple of weeks and I am more than curious as to why a very fit guy with no health problems should suddenly develop this condition or has he always been susceptible - no idea.

[scentedgardener]

I'm sorry to hear this, but not surprised as when I was told I had AF it was very casual, along the lines of "you can go now, by the way you have AF, take these pills." Nobody seemed to be the slightest bit concerned, and barely interested.It is a shock and when you're given no information or advice it's a nightmare.

The British Heart Foundation website, and cardiac nurse helpline, is invaluable, and you could talk to them too.

I wonder if you could approach the subject with your son by telling him that although he doesn't seem worried you are, and before making changes he needs a starting point, like a discussion with GP and possibly blood tests to check his cholesterol and thing like things potassium levels and other important trace elements/vitamins.

Obviously you know your son best, but if you don't think he will be receptive perhaps you could talk to your GP who might be able to give you other suggestions.

It's really hard when someone is intent on avoiding something like this, so I really feel for you. Best wishes.

[thespianglobe in reply to scentedgardener]

Thanks for the reply, you have hit the nail on the head. I am quite a level headed person and not given to sudden alarms. I certainly did not assume that my son was about to be whipped in for open heart surgery but the casual "we're busy, get lost" attitude at our local A&E put my teeth on edge a bit. My son is not receptive to talking about this at all so I will just have to leave it and hope for the best but I am not sure if a crash fat free diet or more intensive exercise is the way forward and I have no idea if there is anything he should look out for. I will wait and see.

[scentedgardener in reply to thespianglobe]

I speak from personal experience, which certainly wasn't the best!There's nothing stopping you researching as much as you want to, I always want to know. Other people find comfort in not knowing, we're all different as is our experience of AF.

A mediterranean diet is widely considered to be the most healthy, and is very unlikely to be harmful, as I suspect you feel his strict regime might be.

Extreme exercise, hmmn, anybody doing that needs to build up to it and guard against dehydration, dehydration is a major trigger for a lot of people. Moderate exercise is generally considered beneficial, some people find exertion a trigger although others can walk off an episode of AF.

Common triggers can be stress, alcohol, sugar, caffeine and large meals, but truly everybody is different.

My own trigger came from an untreated, although diagnosed, subclinically overactive thyroid gland, despite seeing at least 16 different doctors who all had either information about it directly from me, or access to my notes, but it was left to me to connect the dots. Since I have been given some medication my AF has all but disappeared, long may it be so!

Fingers crossed that your son will come round and seek reputable advice to help him manage his condition.

[MountainGuide]

Hi, I have been active on this AF issue recently, elsewhere on this helpful forum. I had a procedure called 'ablation' around 12 years ago to sort out AF. It was successful and very straightforward. I was 66 years old at the time. Recent cardio investigations show the AF has returned in a persistent way. I've been working as a mountain guide for fifty years of my life. I've been told AF is often associated with fit people. I'm now on medication and it's taking time to get used to that. The meds leave me tired and anxious.Please do try and talk about it. I know from my own experience that keeping quiet is not a good pathway to peace of mind. If your current GP is not being helpful, please try another one. A heart scan and ECG should find out what the problem is. It's worth considering going private if you can afford it. Elsewhere on this forum a person paid around £300 for an ECG and heart scan.

I really hope you can find out what is going on and put your mind at rest.

Cheers

[thespianglobe in reply to MountainGuide]

Thanks for all your helpful replies, I have left it to my husband to talk to my son as they seem to be on the same wavelength, if I wade in it just creates arguments which is not good for my blood pressure! I may be fussing over nothing I suppose but the casual way this has been dealt with does not seem ideal. I have no wish to make my son into an invalid but I little knowledge and discussion at the A&E department might have been helpful. I will post again if I get any further updates - thanks everyone.