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
Okapis dean0612
Posted
Hi Dean - its all a bit much to begin with so youre neither in denial or confused! For one thing paroxysmal Atrial Fibriallation (which is what you have) ie comes periodically is a difficult diignosis for doctors to nail. Episodes albeit fleeting, brief or longer turn up at seeming random, making it very difficult to catch.
What you are most likely lacking is information so you can understand and then cope better. So you've come to one of the right places for info. The BHF is good as are many of the NHS sources. Since were all rather different in our experiences a lot of (to us) quite important detail gets left out, which is where we come in.
I was lucky in one sense I had familial atrial fibrillation - my father and brother both had it and were doctors so when it happened I knew what it was! Episodes started happening at 29 but weren't an issue until my mid 40's when I was referred to a cardiologist - said they found nothing I wasn't surprised as I had been warned this might happen.
So the first thing to say is that mild AF or even medium AF is not going to carry you off this mortal coil just yet. I started AF episodes when 29 but finally had Catheter Ablation when I was 62... It's important to take an anticoagulant though - I presume rivaroxaban has been prescribed for this as stroke is always a possiblity if your heart has an arrythmia.
Are you in the UK? I think I would ask for a cardiology referral to an AF specialist - likely to found in the bigger general hosptials so at least you can have a Holter Monitor test over 24 or 48 hours - checks the heart activity. They dont beep these days so count yourself lucky. I went to work with my first one and beeped all over the place getting all sorts of comic reactions.. more sophisticated these days.
Next little point. AF has different triggers for different people. Mine was inherited but for some Caffeine does it, others alcohol, chocolate, emotional stress, phyical over exertion etc. So try and destress yourself - easier said than done I know. You could be preciptating episodes by getting would up! Its a matter of working put if anything particular sets you going
I always found that going to bed and sleeping got rid of episodes but in the early stages just sitting down away from the madding crowds and resting would do it
Next thing you need to know - there is a whole range of treatments that can be used either if what youre having does not work or your AF gets worse. Pills and then other physical treatments. Or maybe both combined. The end treatment so to speak, if you effectively become disabled by AF is a cardiac catheter ablation that gets rid of the rogue electrical signals that send the heart beats haywire.
So lots of options but patience over time is needed to check treatment out. Used to drive me nuts waiting, waiting so expect it and dont stress.
Now where was I...Think thats probably enough for the time being. Youre not alone! And you can cope...what do you do for a living?
dean0612 Okapis
Posted
Hi, first of all thankyou everything you have just said has answered so much for me. When i was first told of my AF, i just had so much negative thoughts going on in my head, mainly to my ignorance of the condtion of AF, embarrasingly up until this point i hadnt heard of it. Its now im wanting to know more & not wanting it to take over my life but also my wifes & my families who are so supportive i just want things to start to get a normality again for everyone. Ive read your reply a few times now and it is so reassurring so thankyou. I think i need to take notice of what could be being my triggers, although i do know im not helping myself by over thinking.
?I didnt realise there are so many options as for treatment, one fear ive been having just lately is what if this medication doesnt work... this has been playing on my mind quite a bit,then in turn ive been having an episode, so to know all this information is more valuable than i can express, i cant thank you enough.
?Yes im in the UK, & i work at my local airport office based so sitting down for 8-12hrs so i try wherever possible to get up & move around.
?Once again, thankyou so much.
derek76 dean0612
Posted
dean0612 derek76
Posted
derek76 dean0612
Posted
THis site has all the AF info that you need
https://patient.info/search.asp?searchterm=atrial+fibrillation&searchcoll=All
dean0612 derek76
Posted
terence68672 dean0612
Posted
It sound slike you are suffering form anxiety which id just exacerbating any real symptoms you may be experiencing. Maybe you should try some mindfullness and/or meditation?
dean0612 terence68672
Posted
I had the anxiety first for a few months,but no palpitations that i was aware of outside of the panic attacks, but then between having my stress test & getting my results i was noticing more & more that i was having mainly missed beats (especially if i hadnt eaten anything for a while or after a large meal)& then mainly at night when i was trying to sleep which would wake me up racing,(i say racing but this was usually between 80-85, only a couple of occassions i went to 95bpm), this is where some of my confusion has come from, i didnt know whether it was anxiety related, food related, heart or anything.
Most days ill have an occassion where i feel ive had a missed beat but far & few between,its mainly the night time after ive eaten i may feel some palpitations but apart from last night this is now to a minimum due to my medication.
Ive started to do some homework on meditation, as i believe this may be of great value to me regardless of the situation,any advice where is best to look/learn will be greatly appreciated,thankyou for your response.
John5006 dean0612
Posted
Hi Dean,
?I was diagnosed with AF aged 65 in Jan 2010. Some 4 months later I began to relate the onset of an AF event to food I'd eaten and digestive issues. My symptoms were massive, massive painful bloating with pain in the chest around the heart area, also burping, also diahorrea also intestinal gurgling ( very loud and therefore very antisocial).
?My GP at the time had me checked out for IBS and Coeliac Disease but all clear. He wanted to do more tests but I refused.
Instead I consulted a Nutritionist.
I had discovered a nerve called the Vagal or some call it the Vagus Nerve. It is a significant nerve in the central nervous system that acts like an information super highway between the brain and the heart. It also CONTROLS both heart and the digestive system.
?Back to the Nutritionist - she put me on a course of Probiotics and suggest I change my food plan and went for a Wheat Free, Gluten Free etc diet. Amongst other things. It took many years of working on this, keeping food diaries watching very closely what foods seem to upset me and eventually eliminating them. However, no guts, no glory - it has worked for me - I have been AF free for a little over 2 years and all the distressing digestive symptoms have disappeared.
?I also suggest you have a look at the Atrial Fibrillation Association Website. You can't do too much wrong having a consultation with an approved Nutritionist. 'google' Vagal/Vagus nerve and form your own opinions.
?You could also look at CHADVASC2 and HASBLED. The first will give you an indication as to whether you should be on anticoagulents and the second will indicate your risk of a bleed from being on them. I think you'll find both these somewhere on the AFA website.
I had massive palpitations for some 2 and half years before AF hit. I've had digestive issues on and off over the years since my mid 30's including acid reflux.
Do not trust a GP, half of them wouldn't know a vagal nerve if it hit them in the face, and cardiologists aren't much better !
John
betty47298 John5006
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dean0612 John5006
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Hi John,youve just been descibing me... ive had acid relux for 12yrs,be on & off buscapan for IBS for many years,the last two years been on & off Rantidine for painful bloating, to the point ive been measuring in morning & at night & theres been a huge increase around my waiste,& the noises my stomach makes at times is so embarrasing, youd never think that such a loud noise could come from the stomac,and the knotting feeling it produces.
?Ill definately look into speaking with a Nutritionist then thankyou, i'll also check both the CHADVASC2 & HASBLED,thanks or your help.
John5006 dean0612
Posted
Hi Dean .... and you too Betty,
Yeah guys - When I'd eaten something within hours I could see/watch my gut inflate .... truly .....and yeah you just couldn't believe the noise from the gut.
?Suggest if you are in UK and if you go down the Nutritionist route you look at the BANT website, its the professional organisation where appropriately qualified Nutritionists register and it will also guide you to a Nutritionist near to where you live.
?This is not a quick fix by any means, but if you persist it will slowly bring the rewards you seek and its great being AF free and having the gut/digestive issues under control.
I have to say though every once in a while we dine out and within hours I've realised that I've eaten something that disagrees with me. I bloat, my blood pressure increases from its normal of 126/70 ish to as high as 160/90 and I feel really ill. It takes about 5 days for it to return to normal and for me to feel fine again.
Good luck, let me know if I can help further.
John
dean0612 John5006
Posted
Hi John, thankyou for letting me know about the Bants website, i just briefly had a look & looks really informative so im looking forward to going through this later today.
?Im starting to notice with certain foods some aggreviate me more than others & surprisingly for me,its foods that i wouldnt think would. What i have found is that herbal tea's really help me for the short quick relief atleast. I use to drink far too much coffee (some days between 10-14 a day, just black or expresso's) but when it was bought to my attention, as it became the norm,my gp said to try cut these to a minimum. For the past 18mths all i drink now is, Camomile,Ginger & mint tea & plenty of water & i do believe my stomach issues could be worse if not for these, luckily i was told im ok to take these with my Rivaroxaban as previously thought couldnt. Thankyou for the info, i will definately be reading it through it later.