Afib stressed out

[Pepsicoke]

Hi,

Hello all i wondered if any could help settle my mind about afib. I am a 48 yo guy and have suffered many years with palpitations and such i was in and out the doctors all the time and always got told its stress, depression, i have had quite a few 24hr ecg recorders and a few 7 day ones and was never really able to capture the palpitations in action they said i just had a few eptopic beats nothing to worry about and the recent letter basically said they didn't want to see me again.

A few weeks later i was taken into A and E with a rapid irregular heart beat 230 bpm was recorded and the pulse was totally erratic and lasted a good few hours. I was just about to have the cardioversion done when my heart suddenly decided to go back into a normal pattern and my heart rate slowed back to normal lvls. I was told they would refer me to cardiology again but have heard nothing and that was 6 weeks or so ago and i'm totally stressed out they don't want to seem me because that is what they said in the last letter.

I also keep getting every now and then only what i can describe as an electric shock feeling in my heart that makes my whole body jump and my head goes a bit weird for a split second almost like a dizzy feeling i can only think its like the blood not getting to my head for a split second does any body else experience anything like this.

I am so worried all the time that its going to put me back in hospital and i feel like i'm climbing the walls and no one has really explain anything to me other than being told it was an episode of afib and given a box of beta blockers, no one said how long i was on them so i can only assume its for life? who knows i just feel utterly in the dark about it all. Thanks for reading

Jason

[KeepingHealthy]

Wow 230bpm, you must have been really scared! I have AF and have also experienced the electric shock feeling while I've been asleep. I don't know why it happens, so I'm also interested to see feedback from others. The feeling of a rush of blood going to my head and feeling dizzy with it has also been something that I've experienced. If it was me, I'd see my GP to explain everything that's happened and ask them to chase up your Cardiology appointment. Good luck.

[SaxmanAD]

Hi Jason, I hope you're ok & yes it's worrying as someone with AFib I know. I also would recommend you contact your GP & explain what's happening. Good luck with it bud.

[Callie456]

Hi, I don't have any experience with this, but I know there is an AF forum on health unlocked that others have mentioned, so if you hop on there people might have more experiences like yours.

[Isobel1]

Jason, try ringing your cardiologist's secretary, and explain the situation to her. She might be able to hasten your appointment. If you have no luck with that, could you afford to see a cardiologist privately? Good luck!

[scentedgardener]

It's a nightmare with AF, nobody ever explains. Your GP should be able to talk you through it, or speak to the cardiac nurses on BHF, 0300 330 3311.Just a little advice, whenever you have an ECG ask for a copy, and keep them all. I started doing this with my mother when paramedics came, and the copies were of use to them on the next visits. I now always ask for a copy of the print out, and took them with me to my last cardiology appointment, together with the ECGs from my Kardia that I saved to my phone.

[AAJJTt]

Hi, it is a normal reaction to be worried and anxious about a new diagnosis. It can be scary but bear in mind, Afib is not generally life threatening but it can cause complications, so it needs to be managed and treated properly.

I started my journey with Afib 5 years ago, it was actually the protagonist in my heart attack. I too have been in A&E, in the early hours, with an irregular HR of 220+ bpm. Like yourself, I have never had a electrical cardio version either; my heart always reverted spontaneously to NSR within a few hours.

This seems a long time ago now. Currently I am very stable on low dose medication; I haven’t had an episode for 4+ years. It doesn’t affect by QoL, I lead a normal, very active life - working, exercising and travelling.

Getting a good trace of what is happening can be difficult; it took me a few attempts before I started treatment. I’d start again with your GP and explain the recent events; they should have been informed of this anyway. They can give you more information and hopefully help expedite your cardiology appointment.

As someone else mentioned, this forum is good but there is another forum on this platform too, dedicated to this subject. Look for ‘Atrial Fibrillation Support’. Very active and supportive community; lots of advice and info. They also have an excellent help line, which I have used in the past too.

Best

[Pepsicoke]

Thanks all for the replies, Have moved post to appropriate forum ty again.