Atrial Fibrillation

Thanks for that, I too try to sleep on my right hand side, I find it more comfortable. I think that my AF and pulse rate is moderate, it's just that as it is new to me I can not only hear it but feel it, sometimes it feels like it is really 'knocking' and I can feel the impulses in my chest, where once the beat was steady it is now 'all over the place', the odd thing is, last night for the first time in 12 nights, the AF was the calmest it has been but I still couldn't settle down. I was actually thinking about getting some help with relaxation techniques, something I probably should have done years ago, I am not an insomniac but in more recent years I have found it more difficult to get off to sleep. I have been to the warfarin clinic today, second time, I have been on 3mg but today it has been put up to 4mg as the clotting has only gone from 1 to 1.3, however, I have my trust in that and the bisoprolol so fingers crossed. Cheers, 

hi there i use headphones in bed as i have major unstable angina and have a fear of sleeping now since several ops and a heart attack also i have a light on never did before, the angina attacks come mainly at rest hope you feel better soon i have dealt with mine for ten years so keep going kiddo good luck x

Hi Tony, Wow, what a positive posting, a real treat to read which is why I like to log into this site rather than the 'weary willies' on the other, I hope my other 'friends' have read this. I had a reasonable 'rest' last night, not really established a great sleeping pattern yet, I was ok until the night before last when the 'little bugger', (heart) started to dance a jig at half one in the morning, scared the lfe out of me, your advice is excellent and  I will try to remember it at those funny times. I am not being nosy but you dont' say how old you are, I reckon you are a young un'!! I also take it you are not in AF all the time and it's brought on by some of the things you do, that's ok, you can't live to a formula. I have started doing a few longer walks, a little over 3 miles yesterday and am looking to do a bit longer this aft, am at warfarin clinic at 1.45 so that messes up the after noon but hey, I'm actually only in the room for two minutes. Anyway, good luck to you and you rebellious heart, long may it pound the spinning machines!!! Thanks so much for taking the time to respond, these positive comments do mean so much to me and others who read them. Cheers, 

Agree witj you tony I excersize 4 nights a week and won't have it any other way like you I know my heart is sound I am in riveroxibane so my of a stroke is less than those without a condition such as PAF so why let it ruins my life.

Hi Jess, Lovely to speak to you again, well what has happened since we spoke last.....loads!! To re-iterate, it's been exactly one month since I was discharged from Oldham with AF, (permanent as it's still there), I have had some ups and downs, the ups during the day as the medication seemed to keep things fairly 'quiet', the downs at night as I had no meds to help and the 'knocking' was awful, some nights I just did not get off to sleep. I had a really horrible night last Friday, it was a hot night, it thundered and lightened here in Rochdale and the 'knocking' just never ceased all night, in the morning I took my 5mg of bisoprolol but it just didn't settle. I ended up back at A & E to see if they could help. The doc took some bloods and after a good 2 hour wait said that the heart was fine but I obviously needed some more meds to settle the AF. He gave me another 1.25mg at night, to double up to 2.5mg if needed. I slept much better on Sat and Sunday but not much on Monday. I went to my own GP, (actually a locum as they were all on holiday!!) who told me to carry on with the meds but she also rang the cardiologists secretary to see if they could see me sooner as I had, had two visits to A & E. I was a bit gobsmacked as consultant cardiologists are like God and he said he wouldl see me in 8 weeks, here was I turning up after 4!! As I went in to see him yesterday I was given an ECG and BP, my pulse was racing at 122 as I have major white coat syndrome and before this I have never really been in hospital, bloody hell, all my chickens are home to roost now eh? He heard my tales of woe and prescribed 5mg of bisoprolol in the evening, he said that he needed to settle the AF as he didn't want any permanent damage. PERMANENT DAMAGE!!!! Another bloody hell. I was under the impression that AF, although not very nice, wasn't life threatening but just one of those things that can happen but once you get used to it, you can live with it. Anyway, he was also annoyed that the hospital hadn't given me an echocardiagram and therefore arranged for one to be done. He said he wanted me to have a 24 hour ECG and that he wanted to do a cardioversion, he said that 95% are successful, it's keeping the sinus rhythm that is the problem. I will just have to go with the flow really, you are in someone else's hands aren't you? You have to really trust the cardiologist to give you the best advice as they know what they are doing and you don't. So that's it Jess, I still haven't had my glass of wine, I have had a beer now and again, 4 or 5, not much in a month, it's Friday night and I would be down at the pub now having a couple of pints of real ale, not very ladylike eh? If the beer wasn't it's usual best I would have a couple, (or more) glasses of wine, I think that's the hardest part, things that make you relax and enjoy times with friends, not that you can't have a good time without a drink but I do like trying different wines, if you ever get to the Lancashire town of Clitheroe, there is a great wine merchants called Byrnes, their shop has an old musty cellar and I have spent hours down there just mooching about all the different wines. They have been wine merchants of the year for quite a few years. Try it if you get the chance. Sorry to ramble on. I haven't forgotten you and thank you very much for your support in that first couple of days. Cheers, and have a great weekend. 

Hi Jess, Didn't know you were in Glasgow, we went last year and luckily went round the Glasgow College of Art, what a shame about the fire eh? Glasgow looks amazing though, fantastic city.  I too had a beer last night, just one, at a BBQ, and although it may have nothing at all to do with it I had the 'knocking' again, couldn't get to sleep all night. I am now on 5mg bisoprolol morning and night and have been great on that, (since Thursday anyway), I was under the impression that the Beta Blocker would curb the noisy AF symptoms like it had since I have been taking it but it didn't last night, I was just saying to my partner that ' I can actually cope with this as I have no 'discernable' symptoms, just a slight 'bubbling/flutter' but not last night. The cardiologist said that he wanted me to try to stick on bisoprolol but if for any reason it really didn't agree with me he had written some alternatives and sent them to my GP. I would like to stay on them as I think that they are the lesser of several evils but time will tell. Well, that's about it really, feeling a bit fed up at the moment but this thing comes in fits and starts doesn't it. I hope that the cardioversion works, it seems to for some people, failing that I hope I'm offered a pacemaker, don't fancy the ablation business one little bit. Cheerio and enjoy Glasgow, don't know if you are a resident or just visiting but if you see Claire Balding, say hello for me!! Cheers. 

Hi lanklyass, I saw my cardiologist yesterday - he told me that cardioversions only have a 20% success rate for permanent AF (which I am now in, I've joined the club, pulse about 116!) but can be repeated. They're done under a very short term anaesthetic and with no overnight stay - they use Propofol which is what killed Michael Jackson but he was on it intravenously apparently. My cardio says that catheter ablation is the far more successful procedure but like you I don't like the sound of it!  It takes about 4 hours under general anaesthetic and an overnight stay for monitoring. However, if it cures it I might give it a go.In our area there is a  7-8 months waiting list for it. I am fortunate to have BUPA through my husband's work though and they will cover it. Anyway, in the meantime, I am to double my Digoxin to 250mcg and Bisoprolol to 7.5mg.

Sorry to bang on about me me me but this is my story and as you have the same ailment I thought it might be of interest. My cardiologist is well respected and quite eminent so ought to know whereof he speaks!

He also said that AF does not dispose you to a heart attack and if you get rid of via ablation your lifespan is as if you'd never had it.

Good luck for the future!

 

Hi Soobee, Thanks for the info, it's funny how you get different success rate stories, when I saw Mr. Gray, my cardiologist, he said that cardioversion had a 95% success rate, (he didn't mention permanent AF but he was talking to me and knew that I had it), he also said that the trick was keeping the sinus rhythm but that you could have it repeated. I am having an echocardiagram and 24 hr ECG on the 21st August and presume that shortly after that he will do the 'business'. I too don't want an ablation, a friend had it and she got an infection which resulted in her being on bedrest for weeks. I have been on 5mg bisoprolol morning and evening for about 2 and a half weeks now, mostly it keeps the AF in check, however yesterday I had a big family wedding, folks staying over, breakfast for 9, I actually went to bed earlier than everyone else and the my heart started to race, tried everything to help it relax but it wasn't having any, I got very little sleep and am tired as I write this but have to get going as it's afternoon tea at the bride and grooms. It's funny how it happens, I seem to be doing ok with the increased dose of BIs, apart from the odd breathless episode and occasional bouts of tiredness, 'bigstyle', but by far the worse thing is this 'racing' heart which I just can not get back to normal. I hope that the cardioversion works but failing that is it possible to have a pacemaker? I know they do this for slow heart rates but surely that is a more permanent and tried and tested method to stay in sinus rhythm and has to be cheaper in the long run? Have you asked your cardiologist about that? Cheers, speak soon. 

That was bad luck re your friend but we ought not to judge by others' experiences - though I really don't want an ablation! Interesting that your consultant said cardioversion has such a high success rate - that gives me 'heart' - groan. I get that thudding heart at night too but try to ignore it. Feel a bit better since increasing the meds. And a pacemaker is surely a last resort and I think usually given to older people. It wasn't suggested to me anyway. I used to have paroxysmal AF (when you go from normal to racing in seconds and it lasts about 10 hrs) and that was harder to deal with - left me worn out. My GP said permanent AF can be easier to cope with and I am finding that. But would still rather be rid of it!!

Good luck to you - hope afternoon tea went OK.

Hi there, Sorry I haven't been online for a couple of days, left the laptop up at the relations with all the 'cocktail' stuff and didn't retrieve until yesterday!! Had a busy weekend what with the wedding, then a couple of my relatives were in London, they were over from Sydney so came up to Manchester to see me, feel exhausted just thinking about it!!! That's strange about the pacemaker though, what is very odd is the day I went to A and E with the racing heart, back on 25th June, (seems a lifetime away!!) there was an item on Breakfast tv, about a young lad, about 19, who was playing football and his heart began to race, it went mad, well over 200, he'd had this a few times and put it down to exertion, anyway, on the sofa he revealed a little bump near his breastbone and said he'd had a pacemaker and all was well, very odd that a few hours later I was in a 'similar' boat. I wonder what difference it makes it the person is 'older'? If it works without meds I would think that it would be the answer to everyone's problem? To be honest I haven't really 'gone into' pacemakers, I haven't even looked up cardioversion online, I think once you start you can drive yourself a bit mad, eh? Like you say, we are all different. I do agree that  the PAF can be horrible, my friend has it, was reading a book on the balcony of her apartment in Samos, Greece, last year, totally relaxed and chilled out, she has had quite a few attacks, she is on flecanide and aspirin, she wasn't given a beta blocker as perhaps she has never really suffered from High BP. If my cardioversion doesn't work I will be asking to change some of my meds, I am on 5mg of bisoprolol morning and night, plus warfarin, most of the time it is ok but now and again I still get the 'knocking' and banging heart, I am prone to anxiety, no bloody wonder!!!, and am trying to deal with that, I am joining a yoga group tomorrow night, I used to do it but the group was at least 24 strong and there were too many 'bodies' this is a smaller group.A friend of mine has done some 'tapping' with me, look up EFT on youtube, it is sort of like acupuncture where you tap in certain places of your head and upper chest, seems to work for some people. Any ideas of yours for relaxation, all offers gratefully received!!!! Cheers, speak soon. 

My relaxation includes knitting (very absorbing) and stroking my new kitten,Boris. Mind you he's quite destructive so that can be rather stressful! He is very active until he flops down to sleep, but he's lovely.

I found the Digoxin has helped. Heart seems less pounding in the day, but rhythm is still all over the place. Not sure what the future brings but I'll have to deal with it as it happens. I wish this ailment was more publicised.

Good luck.

 

Hi Soobee, I agree, animals do calm you down, I too have a cat, a rescue cat, I have had her for 3 years now and she is a real sweetie, definitely calms me down when she sits on my knee. I tried yoga last night in a very small group, I have done it before but it was in a large hall with more than twenty people and there wasn't enough room for the mats. I found it very good but some of the  'moves' were quite tough to do, standing on all fours , your whole weight on your arms, mine were shaking and I couldn't really hold that position for long, however, I will give it a try. I seem to be doing ok with the increased bisoprolol, the breathlessness has lessened now and I don't feel as exhausted when walking, I actually went into Manchester yesterday, if you know it at all, it is quite spread out now as they have developed the 'artisan' areas on the outside of the main city, I had a cuppa half way round but felt ok. Was a bit tired later but not 'whacked out as before. As for the banging, I get it at odd times so the medication definitely needs adjusting but I am not going to go to my GP until I have had the echocardiagram and the 24 hour ECG which are both this Thursday. Hopefully after that I should be hearing about the cardioversion. It's a 'bummer' really as I usually like to go away on holiday around the 20th September, you can pick up a good deal and still get some sunshine. I will have to wait and see. I admire you for knitting, I tried it years ago and got nowhere, however I do think that all these things help, they 'quieten' that inner worry and that's important. Lovely to speak to you, have a good weekend. Cheers, x