Anyone suffered from it? I have had tiny episodes most of my life and had my heart checked about 15 years ago, and they just said I had a slightly lazy valve but no treatment, until about five years ago when I was having trouble with fast banging heartbeat, so I was put on a very low dose of Bisoprolol which seemed to sort it. Fast-forward to four weeks ago when I had fast and very irregular heartbeat made me feel quite odd dizzy and out of breath when on for a few hours and the wife got worried and called 111, and they sent an ambulance anyway long story short I went with them under protest and got to the hospital, and they took blood/ecg etc and I asked if they would be able to treat me, and they said no they would just refer me, so I discharged myself. Yesterday I had another attack which when on for several hours, but eventually I was able to go to sleep, and today I feel wiped out again like last time but what I am concerned about is this just going to get more frequent as its very debilitating? I have asked the doctor to refer me back to the specialist but had a letter saying that it could be up to 47 weeks before I get seen so in the meantime I have upped the Bisoprolol slightly, but I am guessing I may need blood thinners and info from sufferers would be appreciated. Pedants are men who would appear to be learned, without the necessary ingredient of knowledge.
Doesn't sound nice at all mate but do think discharging yourself is shooting yourself in the foot. If it was my heart I would take anything and everything offered at the earliest opportunity.
Don't know if you've seen this TD or if it would be any use to you but I caught an advert for this on TV this morning. We have a blood pressure tester at home but this looks something different...... https://store.alivecor.co.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIk_ufnO6M8AIVx57tCh3YdQE7EAAYASAAEgJUE_D_BwE
No because the doc I spoke to said they would not treat me and just refer me to a specialist and I would have been sat there for hours and the wife was locked out of the house, apparently it's unlikely to lead to a heart attach, but does run more risk of a stroke. My wife a few years' ago was taken to hospital with a DVT and was sat on a trolley in agony for 8 hours, so you can see why i don't put much faith in them.
Sorry mate but 8 hours versus 47 weeks is a no brainer to me especially with an increased chance of a stroke or heart attack.
Have you some form of fitness tracker/apple watch by any chance? I wear my apple watch and use an app called "pillow" to monitor sleep patterns and heart rate during the night. Just may help with the docs so you can say what your heartrate was etc..
Yes have a cheap smartwatch, but they are not very reliable even the expensive ones, was talking to the paramedic about them, and he said he wouldn't trust one at all over the proper equipment.
There is an app called Kardia mobile that works with a little ECG monitor (via thumbs) that connects to a phone. It has a system for monitoring AF and because you have it with you means you can catch it when it happens. It just gives some extra information to the specialist. My brother in law uses this and was able to catch the AF when it happened, which was useful to his consultant. My brother in law started taking it seriously after he thought he had a migraine that turned out to be a stroke from a clot caused by AF. I have spent much of the last two years in hospitals that were treating family members. The opinions and advice vary widely between doctors, at least the different doctors often lead us to different interpretations of what they meant. I hope you don't end up feeling bad enough to need to go to hospital again, but if you do find yourself back in hospital I also urge for you not to discharge yourself.
Hi T D I have bouts of AF I've had numerous 24 hr monitors and have been breathless / dizzy at times I can be ok for weeks but then go into AD for 2 to 3 days I have found tea/ coffee dark chocolate was triggering it I cut those out and was a lot better, doctor gave me bisoporol to take when I needed them but that's about it ? I love my alcohol but have found spirits bring it on if I have a lot so beer / lager I stick with now .
Developed AF after too much paint spraying without a mask. Various tests at the hospital -slightly dodgy electrical circuitry and a leaky valve. So now take statins to control cholesterol - great, means I can eat as much bacon, chips etc as I want. Also on a blood thinner- edoxaban and viaxem for blood pressure. The danger with AF is a stroke - the blood does not flow properly through the heart so it can clot and then oops - you are a cabbage being fed with a tube. Modern blood thinners are fantastic - only last 24 hours in your system so if you have an injury the bleeding can be controlled. They also reduce the likelihood of getting severe covid - don't ask me why, they just do. BUT if you have an off and are unconscious it is important the docs know so they can scan your bonce for bleeds on the brain which are more possible when you are on thinners (blood not paint). I carry a card in my wallet.
My mum had irregular heartbeat, something to do with too much electrical activity in the heart After several treatments they got it sorted What they did was feed a probe from the inside leg, to the inside of the heart and effectively scarred the inside muscle to reduce the activity All on the NHS, it took a few years to sort out but she is doing very well now
If you dont already, tricky take 75mg aspirin a day keeps tbe blood thin.i had a heart attack aged 32 due to a blood disorder. I am 56 now and tak aspirin and 5mg ramipril daily touch wood i have been fine since
My Mum has it. She had the zapper thing to the heart done which wasn’t entirely successful as she still had the attacks. She’s on blood thinners and other heart medication and still gets the attacks every so often
Because I was proscribed them for an ongoing fast heart rhythm, they are not just for blood pressure.
Guys, I was told that Bisoprolol was a beta blocker ~ to slow the heart a bit. Like Baben and Tricky, I have AF (and have had since I was 58 ~ I'm now 72) There are several types, mine's electrical (like faulty ignition causing a misfire). I had a strong heart beat in my chest a few years ago but now it has settled down and I hardly feel it. The downside is I can no longer do heavy physical activity like running, cycling or mountain climbing as I get very short of breath. My heart has been scanned and it's fine as are my lungs. The doc thinks I did two much strenuous exercise when I was young (I used to race bicycles and do hill running). Here in the Borders there's a lot of retired rugby players and it's surprising how many of them have AF. I'm on blood thinners, BP pills and Bisop. One thing to watch with bisoprolol is, if you are on a dose of say, 2.5mg or higher, it can cause strong dizzy spells especially if you have crouched down and stand up too quickly. (hang on for the ride!). Not good if you are out on the bike. You may have to sit down to let it pass. To the younger guys ~ when I was diagnosed 14 years ago (with sporadic AF which is now permanent) my doc told me to expect a normal lifespan, just keep taking blood thinners, keep control of my BP and weight and keep active. So far so good. I enjoy motor biking and my wife and I have done a lot of European touring and will do more when this damned virus has fu!!cked off. The last tour was the Route de Grand Aples, the Furka & The Stelvio via the Amsterdam/ Newcastle ferry. The NHS don't seem to be able to look after people with AF on an ongoing basis, they just don't seem to be interested. I see a private consultant twice a year for 20 mins or so for a check up and he makes any adjustment to my meds (I consider the £100 fee well spent). AF is a pest because it can slow you down a bit but can be kept under control reasonably easily. Keep taking the pills and stick with it. Hamish.