Confused or denial?
Posted , 9 users are following.
Hi, 6wks ago ive been diagnosed with AF. Im 42 dont drink, dont smoke considered myself quite healthy & fit, so all this has come as bit of a shock to me. Ive suffered with acid reflux for 12yrs, so over time ive experienced chest pains but majority of the time medication has kept this under control. Since 6mths ago, my chest pains have been gradually getting worse, to the point ive gone to A&E on a number of occassions as suspected something else could be happening due to the chest pain, but each time i was informed my heart is ok & that its my stomach. Due to the severity of the pain & especially being in the chest area,this then brought on panic attacks & they ended up being almost on a daily basis. Approx.3mths ago i felt so bad i had to go to the A&E, who kept me in over night, all my blood tests/ECG's were fine so i was able to go home,but they requested a stress test so this would just rule out eveything else. During the time up till the stress test, i then started to get a feeling of missed heart beats but mainly after eating, sometimes they felt quite severe in the following heart beat. Also, i noticed i started to be awakend by heart palpitations, nothing dramatic (as i thought at first anyway) but an increase to about 80-85. I then started taking note of my heart rate through out each day, ranging from 50-65 at rest, but then the increase when being woken at night to about the 85.(ive been told since, that if im usually around the 60bpm then even the 80-85bpm is abnormal even though under the 100?) I had the dubotimine stress test,& reached maximum but as they put beta blockers in to slow the heart rate, for a 4 second period my heart raced, i believed this to of been a bit of anxiety as one moment my heart was racing then they slowed it down very quickly. I was informed i tolerated it well, but due to this 4 second palpitaton they said theyd let my gp know to give me medication for my anxiety on a more daily basis rather than the as when required approach. Four weeks later, i saw my gp who informed me i have AF & that i need to go on medication for this & due to my blood pressure on the higher side i would also need to go on blood thinners. I was in utter shock as it seemed so trivial during my test. I have now been on Bisoprolol 2.5mg for 6wks, & started my rivaroxaban 10 days ago. But thats it, i dont know if i need to see my gp regularly or do i need to see the cardiologist at any point, i feel very much uncertain of everything to be honest. The gp said i have minimal AF but need to be treated as someone with more severe AF which i understand, but i cant stop thinking of how trivial it seemed during my stress test & so i keep questoning myself over this. Also, my calves have been aching & my feet swelling slightly mainly at night, but the gp took me off my previous blood pressure pills as said a common side affect to them, but that was 6mths ago,& although there not as bad anymore i still feel theres a connection to my heart especially reading stuff on the internet,& yet evertime i ask the gp's they say its not my heart as my heart is good and strong. Ultra sound on calves & feet showed nothing, so no idea where i am with all this, my apologies for going on,im just lost at the moment. Any help/advice will honestly be really appreciated.
0 likes, 28 replies
kate07761 dean0612
Posted
I cannot give advise but I can say after reading your experiences that how you are feeling is perfectly understandable and a lot of people on this site will understand and have experienced themselves. The link with acid reflux and the confusion between is it that or the heart I totally understand myself. Not sure if this will help but AF is a bit of a mystery problem which has most of us feeling like we are going around in circles. We end on on meds because a problem has been highlighted and then once on meds we then get the side effects so it is bewildering. It sounds to me that you are not confident you need to be on the meds so you need to ask for a 2nd opinion. You need to be confident of why you are taking meds and happy with it or your body will remain anxious because of that point alone. It's typical to be told me are anxious if the doctors don't know what the root of the problem is however you also talk of being anxious yourself and so I would recommend using a technique called EFT which helps bring the anxiety under control when caught up in the moment. Its very simple to learn and you can see it on You tube or get professional help. That's one bit of the hamsters wheel where you can help yourself. I'm sorry to hear you have joined our exclusive club and I hope you can sort things out with the advise so you are more confident with it.
dean0612 kate07761
Posted
Thankyou for taking the time to read my comments & replying. I think your right, there does seem to be a part of me that doesnt quite beleive it yet. The day before i got my results i was gardening pulling out tree roots with no issues & feeling normal,then few weeks later & on my meds im struggling to just walk my dogs each day getting out of breathe even making just conversaton at times,(but after a check up, again i was told heart ok & that this is my stomach?) just really confused. Some gp's have told me that ill get palpitations at times & wonder why all of a sudden i got them & not to worry, but then reading about it it says to contact your gp immediately & let him know, so im just getting more confused by the day to be honest. I had palpitations last night when i went to bed, lasting couple of hours waking me etc... (ive been getting palpitations at night but lasting only few minutes, so last night was the worst its been since starting my mediaction).
kate07761 dean0612
Posted
dean0612 kate07761
Posted
betty47298 dean0612
Posted
sue1972 dean0612
Posted
Hi there, first of all there is a connection with acid reflux and AF, I have read on here something to do with the vagus nerve (don't know if thats the correct spelling) I was suffering severe reflux for two years before my AF started, was given ameprazole and as symtoms increased i was taking it daily (as told to do by GP) one night last August I had a racing/uneven bumping heart but no pain, lasted a few minutes and over the next few days didn't feel too well. Went to A & E, put on monitor and my pulce rate was 176 given bisoprolol,apixaban and digoxin. Was taken off digoxin in November but within a month was back in Hospital with high pulse rate so was put back on a lower dose, since then been OK BUT there are side effects like muscle fatigue, the plus side is that i only need to take omeprazole very occasionally and the attacks are no where near as severe. So,.....don't let the AF rule you, accept that you need medication and get on with life without stressing. Don't mean to sound hard, it doesnt have to change your life, no one seems to know why AF kicks in but there are thousands of us living with it...... Hope you feel better soon
dean0612 sue1972
Posted
hi, thankyou for your response. Been on lanszaprozal for about 12yrs at max dose of 2x30mg per day, never heard of the vagus nerve so ill look into this thankyou. Think i need to get over this mental block i have & as you rightly say & realise i need to accept the medication & move forward. Before coming on here & reading all the information i genuinley thought it was all doom & gloom from here, ive just had no real info from anyone just more or less been told i have this, heres your medication now carry on. Thankyou for your time, knowing that there is a voice out there really helps, thankyou.
sue1972 dean0612
Posted
No problem Dean, on the site you will find a vast amount of information about AF don't be afraid to ask anything there is always someone out there who can help you come to terms with it all, After going on the meds i started getting what i can only describe as claudication in my left calf when walking about 100 yards, had it checked out by vascular surgeon who didn't find anything, was advised to walk regularly so every day I do just that, within a couple of months the claudication type sympton went away and I can now walk as far as I like.
dean0612 sue1972
Posted
Thats very reassurring thankyou.Ive had problems with both calves & feet but havent been given a cause for this as yet, ultra sound was clear & waiting to go back to specialist. calves aching at night with a slight thickness to feet, but since going onto the rivaroxaban they have seemed alot better, i love my walking so im really hoping to get back to this soon as possible,thanks for your help.
Therapy_girl dean0612
Posted
Hi Dean INR is a test of blood clotting which is used to monitor warfarin therapy. Possibly other blood thinners too. The aim is to maintain an elevated INR in the range of 2.0 3.0. I hope this answers your question. Since my stroke my one prevailing ailment is severe exhaustion. I feel as if I could sleep forever. Friends advice listen to your body and relax. Well I'm quite laid back any way and feel as once in bed I could stay there for days. So different to how I use to be awake very early in the morning in my office by 7.30 lm very athletic or use to be I was in the gym at least three times a week. Swimming, running always busy, how different things are now it takes such a lot to motivate myself to walk my dear little dog. I'm exhausted when I return but know I must persevere. So many different symptoms we all suffer. Take care Dean stay calm and chill out. Therapy Girl
dean0612 Therapy_girl
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Thankyou for this info, ive been told to go back for a check up in 3mths so im assuming thats what it must be for, i probably didnt take it all in and perhaps misheard them.
?Relaxation is starting to look the key for me at the moment, im pretty much like yourself to be honest, use to be laid back and chilled but now i seem to be on edge even when relaxing. So frustating with the change of person i am at the moment, im having to force myself to walk my two little dogs with the drain of energy,& yes i totally understand the sleep thing, ive gone from having minimal sleep needed to i cant get enough, im assumming this is a side effect to any meds im on,as i was never like this before i went on them, so im hoping with fingers crossed to regain atleast some of my energy,thankyou for keeping in touch & helping me, really appreciated.
Therapy_girl dean0612
Posted
Dear Dean
You poor thing anxieties can make you feel awful. It you have done the right thing going to see your gp
I to hav af and take warfarin to thin my blood plus statins. I go to a Anticiagulation clinic where they take blood samples to check on my blood INR if it is not near 2-3 I'm asked back very quickly the following week if my blood INR is around that number my next visit will be a few weeks longer inbetween the test. For example I've got a four week break before my next blood test. I know my diet has a lot to do with my blood test, if I eat to many green vegetables before my blood test I'm usually requested to come back the following week. Perhaps you could ask your gp to get a referral into the Anticiagulant clinic. Although some doctors provide this service but the samples are sent to the hospital's Anticoagulant clinicians for testing. I hope this information is of some help to you and bring down your stress levels. Best of luck Therapy Girl
dean0612 Therapy_girl
Posted
Hi, ive recently gone onto Rivaroxaban 20mg once per day. My gp practice have their own Anticiagulant clinic, & i have been advised for myself this would be more beneficial, mainly that i only need a blood test every 3mths & diet wise i can remain the same,( my diet is pretty good & dont drink or smoke), sorry to be a pain but what is the blood INR? unless im mistaken i dont think this was explained to me in my last appointment.
?The past 4yrs,my wife & i have had some awful experiences around the xmas season,my gp first explained i may have seasonal disorder due to this & that when i saw him to the run up to last xmas this is when my anxiety started & was given propanolol 5mg to take as & when upto 3 times a day, although im not as bad as the start of it, i still get my anxiety attacks at times, & to be honest i feel alot of the time ive brought them on by over thinking things & not necessarily bought on by a trigger. Which is so frustrating, as i use to be so confident & outgoing to now totally the oposite. I genuinley appreciate your response,thankyou so much.
betty47298 dean0612
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dean0612 betty47298
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Hi Betty, good idea about getting meds looked at thankyou, i appreciate there maybe side effects to all meds, but my energy levels have just been totally wiped away at the moment plus feeling rather breathless at times. And please, stay positive aswel you sound like a confident lady with a lovely social life, please dont let this get you down, easier said than done but please stay strong & positive, thankyou for sharing your time with me,Dean.