Every now and then I suffer from a peculiar bout of fibrillation where a heat rises inside me coming up to my head, makes me dizzy, faint and nauseous. It builds up
slowly to every half minute or so. In the meantime, my heart is going crazy and the whole thing makes me feel really ill.
Two nights ago I had to go to bed at 9 pm because I felt so bad and all night my heart was in fibrillation and I had trouble sleeping.
Last night it happened again, so to combat the heat which seems to be the cause, I got a cold wet towel and wrapped it round my neck while I watched TV. I had to rewet it and cool it down a few times, but voila it did the trick!
I had a really good sleep and have woken refreshed.
Does anyone else have these awful sensations with fibrillation?
Sounds like the dreaded menopause. I have no way of knowing of your medical history or age. Medications supplements. Just a guess until more info .
good the towel helped I used battery operated fans I carried around will me.
Also vit b -d could be low they are responsible for running several systems in our bodies.
just in case have you had a chemo up for Adib.
Hopexxxx
Thankfully No. When I get AF I get cold and shaky. In the middle of my chest I get these pulses or firings. When these start to happen I know that AF is around the corner maybe that day or next and then one firing will acheive the AF. I pop a pill at this stage to correct it and if it dosn't correct after a couple of hours+ I have to get help.
Unfortunately I can't put it down to the menopause because I went through that when I was 32 years old and I am now 68! So that's a dim and distant memory
I had these unpleasant sensations occurring after my last ablation but they gradually went and nobody could really give an explanation then.
Do you have High blood pressure? Heart or Coronary artery disease. Abnormal heart valves. Heart defects you're born with (congenital)
An overactive thyroid gland or other metabolic imbalance. Diabetes? Exposure to stimulants, such as medications, caffeine, tobacco or alcohol.
just thinkin out loud . Mabe time to schedule a physical. That could be something as minor as vitamine defficency or something serious you catch early.
I do have high blood pressure but this has been medicated for 15 years. No heart disease but slight damage to a heart valve by my cardiologist has dismissed it as something not to be concerned about.
No heart defects except of course atrial fibrillation.
I have hypothyroidism, and have been for over 30 years (I believe that is what caused my early menopause) and I have been medicated for this also and recently tested it is fine. No diabetes, I have cut out all triggers for afib -alcohol, chocolate, coffee and I don't smoke. I take vitamin D capsules every 2 months and I have a very good diet.
My heart rate is very fast, usually around 139 bpm and it may that that's causing these flushes when it tries to reset itself perhaps.
Thank you for your thoughts, I appreciate "a second opinion".
If a cold compress stops you going into AF at night that seems the best solution but otherwise I would want to get the pulse down a bit and not have it going all night. Mind you when mine goes into AF it goes to 190's and once 240 thankfully in A&E awaiting the drip for the 194 pulse when that happened and I was totally cool and calm. Good luck with working out the best way to handle it.
You know what it's like, laying in bed in the middle of the night thinking the worst but I know that if I was taken into hospital they would probably do another cardioversion which wouldn't last anyway. So you just brave it out and keep the breathing exercises going. I'm not taking any medication for this, my cardio thought I was well enough to stop so I am hoping it's a passing phase.
I have refused a 2nd ablation for 2 years because the first one didn't help but I am now going ahead because not doing it is not getting me anywhere ie I am getting more and more AF and my life is at STOP overall. Something about the way you have worded your last reply makes me think you have had an abalation and come off tablets? Have you talked to cardio about your symptoms - if you could take an extra dose of something to stop being in AF overnight that sounds like a necessary plan. I was not told about 'pop a pill' until I have been to A&E about a dozen times and now that works normaly within 2 hours. Thankfully I sleep well although very dreamy which I am sure is to do with one/all the drugs but I wake with AF but then have trained myself to stay calm to avoid the dreaded A&E and amiodarone drip.
Just wondering if you tried meds for RA, MTX OR biological drug Humira or etanercept. They have helped many . See videos on you tube and ask your
Rhumy nor familiar with amiodarone drop . Do you mind telling me more about it?
I just read up on iv med for younAF,DOMYHEYNHELP,YOU,,
This was my second ablation, the first failed after leaving hospital. With Bisoprolol and Flecainide it lasted 7 months so my cardio took me first off Bisoprolol and then Flecainide. As soon as I stopped Flecainide I developed a flutter and then these flushing episodes.
The cardiologist at the hospital said the success rate was only 50 50 and I would probably need another ablation, which I really don't want to do. I'm fine with my fast heart beat, I can function normally and sleep well. It's just these unpleasant flushings that I are getting me down
I get the same symptoms when I am getting ready to faint. Sometimes a wet cold towel and lying down helps.
That's what I find, lying down helps, but do you know what causes this to happen?
and does it follow any particular pattern for you e.g. after eating or walking or sitting etc?
I think 139 bpm is very fast, Gwen. My GP said that she likes patients' bpm to be less than 100 as a general rule. I have a fast heartbeat but 1.25mg of bisoprolol keeps it low (between 60 and 70).
You may be happy with it running fast but perhaps that is what is causing the heat & sweats at the end of the day and in the night. So are you on any meds at all and any blood thinners?
If not I have to say if I were you I'd think about getting a second opinion regarding your heart.
Good that you can function normally - good luck sorting out a way of managing the flushing. My first ablation was given 60% success rate but it didn't thankfully Number 2 has been give 80-90 success rate. Not so keen on the 50/50 given to you.
Could be the wet towel stimulated the vagus nerve in your neck, which could have had the effect of causing the episode to terminate. Had a couple of docs when I was in a cardiology ward in a teaching hospital awaiting cardioversion come and ask permission to do some vagal nerve "exercises" on my neck. Said yes. They had fun manipulating my neck and nerve in various ways and watching the effect on the monitor. Unfortunately by that stage the manipulation did not work. But at least they had some practice!
If you put both your right index finger and the one next to it together and touch your neck and push gently just under your jaw line to the front, you should be able to feel the pulse and how the heart is beating. I always used this to determine the severity of the episode too
Initially my fainting was caused while working out at the gym and I was diagnosed with afib. I haven't been able to work out since because my heart rate goes too high. However, now I find myself faint or fainting when I have been i afib or an irregular heartbeat or too high a heart beat for too long, For me, it usually happens first thing in the monrning.
I am scheduled for my second ablation on 12/28 (called a convergent ablation) and hopefully this will be more successful than my first done in March.
After taking many many different drugs for a year and none of them every working, I am now on amiordone, which seems to be working best But I want to be off this ASAP as it can have some very serious side affects and I'm hoping if this second ablation is successful, I will no longer have to take it.
I will be very interested to hear how your convergent ablation goes on. I be live the success rate is quite high with this procedure.
Good luck and a very happy New year!
I believe you are right about the vagus nerve. I've been reading about it and the effect I it has on different parts of the body. I had never heard of it before!
I know that when I get these episodes I feel that I am burning up and then feel faint, so the cold wet towel was just what I craved.
I look forward to hearing how Susanne gets on with her convergent ablation and if hers is successful I may ask for the same procedure.