Need Advice/Clarity

[GreenManNat]

I am a man in my 20s who is relatively active and keeps in semi-good health

Last Month I was playing Sports and my Heart Rate went strangely high, I decided everything would be fine and rested for the night only to wake up from an Apple Watch Notification stating I had Atrial Fibulation during the night.

The day after upon spotting this I believe I had a panic attack which raised my heartrate again and I went to the hospital. Upon going into the hospital I was given an ECG and told that something was abnormal and I was to see a Doctor.

After an hour of calming down my Doctor said they were going to refer me to a cardioligist but I had to see my GP First; after seeing my GP they stated they think it was Atrial Fibulation and that my reference was sent to a cardiologist.

This has sparked really bad health anxiety and I am really hyper-aware of my HR now. I cant exercise as I am frightened too and when I told my GP this they contacted a cardiologist who is now saying when I was taken to hospital I was “asymptomatic” (after saying they believed it was Afib. With the waiting times being so long in the NHS I am frightened.

Should I be worried and if this was urgent would I be receiving an appointment quicker.

Any Help is appreciated.

Thanks

[RufusScamp]

We can't give you medical advice, but I think if your condition was considered serious, you would get an appointment sooner rather than later. The BHF nurses might be able to give you more help. I'll add the details if I can find them!

Heart Helpline at 0808 802 1234, open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Learn more at: bhf.org.uk/informationsupport

[Cocoadonkey]

Hi there

I am not sure where you are in the country, but there is a charity call CRY who do pop up clinics around the country where you can make an appointment or have a walk in.

It is specifically for heart issues in young people and they run lots of tests and give advice etc. They may also be able to speed up a follow up consultancy if required. There is one this weekend in Havant, Hampshire, but if you cannot do that one, check their website and see where the next ones are.

Hope that helps whilst you are waiting for your referral - but another opinion and some advice may be useful.

Good luck and try not to worry.

[Welshwomanarrythmia]

Dehydration may have caused AF. A very common culprit is alcohol for tripping people into AF.

Until you have been seen, you are going to worry. I suggest you build your exercise up gently and hopefully you will not experience AF. Take care and good luck.

[GreenManNat]

Thank you everyone for the help, I feel as though maybe seeing different stories about young people passing of undiagnosed heart defects has made me anxious about this all, suppose all I can do is not worry about the things I cant control.

Thank you!

[JeremiahObadiah]

I totally understand that you feel extremely concerned, these things are frightening. But try not to get too anxious about this episode as that will impact your mental health . Find out what you can about the triggers and avoid those . Seek medical help from your doctor and do as they recommend but unless told otherwise don’t view this as a disaster, rather see it as a nudge to look after yourself well as you get older. It is so easy to take our health for granted until something goes awry!

Can I just ask, did you have a few alcoholic drinks after your sports evening? If so that might explain a lot and it would be worth discussing that with your doctor or with the BHF nurse.

If not alcohol, had you eaten that evening , were you dehydrated from an unusually intense bout of exercise ,did you drink much coffee, anything else unusual?

Fitbits are great but also can cause undue alarm. It is unlikely that moderate exercise will cause you harm if you are fit and not overweight/not smoking etc and moderate drinking (as in one or two drinks ) likewise. But it would be wise to get medical reassurance to know there is no underlying cause.

[Ninad951]

You say this is worrying you - “cardiologist who is now saying when I was taken to hospital I was “asymptomatic” (after saying they believed it was Afib).” - ‘asymptomatic’ doesn’t mean they have changed their minds and aren’t investigating, it just means you didn’t have other symptoms alongside the Afib like breathless/dizzy/pain

i.e. your Apple Watch told you something about your body that no one would have known about otherwise - this puts you ahead of the game in getting it sorted x

I’ve had regular Afib attacks for 12 years now and exercise as normal when my heart rate isn’t high, just rest when it is. I think this helps keep my heart health x

Good luck

Nina x

[MWIC]

Hi - sorry to hear you’re having this hit you at your age - Key here is getting diagnosed as lots of different arrhythmias and conditions - AFib, Wolff Parkinson’s (nowt to do with Parkinson’s btw) as well as blips that may not occur again - I’m way older but I ended up booking a private appt (£250) after I’d bought a Kardia device (£100) and took lots of EKG’s on it - went along, consultant took a look through the recording, said yep you have AFib and signs of flutter and got on a waiting list for an ablation on NHS - spent probably a year wasted with GP’s previously who put me on Apixaban thankfully but that was it - told no treatment - before ablation had deteriorated to occurring every 2 days and now 5 months AFib free. Well worth the money to get a proper diagnosis and onto a treatment plan. Try not to worry - it doesn’t help and can have a worse effect. If it is AFib make sure they’re considering anticoagulation but aside of that whilst it’s bloody horrible it won’t kill you and quicker you’re treated the better - best of luck 👍