Charles, this is interesting. My GP has told me that I would not be considered for a pacemaker because this is only used for slow heart rates and mine is fast with arrhythmia . Yet you have a pacemaker and had a fast heart rate . I am still struggling with slowing it down - the amioderone is not doing it .
Well, turns out that the reason for my poor kidney function tests is the atrial fibrillation which is affecting the oxygen levels in my blood.sothe kidneys are not working effectively. Struggling at the moment - at night I feel the fibrillation more and this morning I was sure my heart rate was really fast. I even thought about contacting my GP but it's tricky since when I saw him last week he suggested doubling the amioderone from 200mg a day to 400 mg in two doses. I haven't done this because I am concerned about the side effects of this drug but it is obvious that it isn't effectively sorting my problem of fast heart and fibrillation. My GP also considered putting me back on Diltiazem which I was on from Octoberto January, before the cardiologist put me on the amioderone and bisopropil which I reacted badly to . But he seemed worried about the interaction between the Diltiazem and amioderone. I also take valsartan for my blood pressure. I am going next week for a second opinion with a private consultant at Glenfield Hospital , Leicester . Hope to get some help there.
When I was on amiodorone the Consultant ensured I had checks for liver, kidney and ? every month. I do not understand the lack of coordination between your GP and the Consultant it is foreign to me. Also concerned at the GP's advice given his stated level of knowledge.
If possible would recommend you seek advice from a "recognised" Cardiac consultant. Best of luck with your "new" consultant
I hope you get full and reasoned answers to your concerns. It really is not good enough to have to live with this awful health problem and not be able to find a solution or care plan in place,by GP or cardio doc. I can't get any discussion going because my Gps all 4 that I've seen over the past 4 years will not listen. I've ended up thinking that the side effects were due to being overweight and bad posture. Thankfully this site has reassured me that I'm not going round the bend!
I'm now cutting back on atenolol...50 down to 25 . For the past month...what a difference. More energy,my head is clearer,I can walk! However.ive been having,fuzzy heads,adrenaline rushes.and nervous feelings. According to stuff I've read online,it's very difficult to get off beta blockers. My BP seems ok...not exactly sure,buts it's much the same as before,110/79 HR 89! I'm hoping that I can get through and stop the atenolol completely. Who knows what to do after that!
have you seen the treatment for AF abalation using a freezing technique? It's carried out in one of the London hospitals,takes about 1 hour, 3 hours in hospital to check you out and then you're allowed home. Success rates are much higher...think it was over 80% as against 50 % using normal technique. Maybe you could ask your cardio doc about it. Good luck with the consultation. Let us all know how you get on.
Thank you for your reply. I have seen my GP today who fully understood tthe trouble I am in with taking Amiodarone. He has advised me to take half a tablet and will see me next week to check if my symptoms have improved. He is going to write to the Consultant re this and he has advised that a pace maker would be the solution to my problems. At last someone that seems to understand and advise.
Elizabeth - do you know which London hospital performs these freezing technique ablations?
Sorry but I can't remember where I read about it. I've googled for the info...not easy to find,but look at Barts hospital and London Bridge. I will continue to look out the info for you. Also chech through health boards online for info.
I was wondering if the Liverpool heart and chest hospital offer this treatment?
Let me know if you find out any info.
It must be 6 weeks since having the pacemaker fitted, what a difference it hands made, I feel stronger everyday and take my dog long walks around an lake twice a day, something a few weeks ago would have been unheard of,
I think part of this new strength is being off beta blockers part having a pacemaker
beta blockers are in my opinion a deadly drug for making excessive weakness to the whole body.
I was on amiodarone only for four months! specialist said the must not be taken long term.
So now off beta blockers,amiodarone,and Rivaroxaban as it made my nose bleed each day,on a different anticoagulant now and all seems well.
Hi, I agree that beta blockers make you feel weak. I was put on bisoprolol and felt very weak, and months later I came off them and was put on flecanaide which was just as bad. I was diagnosed with A-fib 4 months ago and they also found I had postural hypotension, blood pressure was 80/40 while in the hospital, and I nearly passed out. Looking back and going by my symptoms, I have had postural hypotension for a long time but going on the meds made it worse.
Charles, I am now on Rivaroxiban and been taking it for 4 months. How long was you on it before you started to have nose bleeds and was it bad? I am now waiting to see a cardiologist about possible ablation. Have you had this done?
Glad to hear you are now doing well.
Thanks, Elizabeth. Will have a search myself, too and report back if I find anything!
Thank you for your reply it's always good to hear how someone else
has found the Pace Maker helped just waiting to hear when.
I was on Rivaroxaban for about about 3-4months before the nose bleeds started, I said to the private specialist that I cannot go on like this. So he put me on predaxa
which he said I s a lower dose and I take 2 capsules a day that seems to have done the trick.
As far as ablation is concerned it is nothing to worry about at all you may as well forget about it.
I was given a sedative and they go into your groin and push this fine wire up your artery to the heart, in my case they knocked out two electric impulses in my heart and got those replaced by the pacemaker, I am 77. Now and feel about 50 it is truly amazing what they have done for me.
Thank you for your reply. I am on 20mg Rivaroxiban one a day. What dose was you on? I would prefer to be on a lower dose. In my local surgery they mostly give warfarin but I told the consultant at the hospital I don't want to go on it so he put me on Riva.
I had an angiogram 4 years ago and I suppose the ablation is similar. I hope I will be feeling a lot better if I get to have it done.
Could you tell me who decides for you to have the ablation a cardiologist or the electrophysiologist?
I was on the same dose of rivaroxaban, after having nose bleeds everyday
the cardiologist put me on predaxa, no problems now, he said was a lower dose than rivaroxaban, ablation ? I never felt a thing, dont even remember them doing it.
It was this cardiologist who said it needed a ablation as well as pacemaker, cannot say how pleased I am now at 77 I thought it was the process of ageing,but now I feel years younger.
BtW I refused to go on warferin all that mucking about every week to get it checked, Predaxa and rivaroxaban are both anticoagulents and are just as good as warferin
I've found the article. It was in the daily mail . Go online daily mail ...health there will be various articles come up. Look for...How a touch of frost ....atrial fibrillation. It gives a full account of one persons experience and it was done at St Barts hospital in London. It looks amazing,but I'm scared stiff and also I live out in the sticks in Cumbria. Hope this helps you.
Thanks for this, Elizabeth. Can understand your feelings, I have them, too! Beta blockers seem to be a no no for me, nasty side effects with all of them, and the consultant said an ablation would be the next line to take. I, too, live out in the sticks, in Lincolnshire. Perhaps you and I should go to Barts together and offer mutual support! Wonder if you can choose to go out of area?
You can choose to go out of your area. When I lived in Edinburgh I chose to go to Newcastle for a better prostate surgery than available in Scotland.
A friend in the Highlands asked to be referred to Kings College in London. They even paid his travel expenses and accommodation.
I actually spoke to Barts about a new blood pressure trial about four years ago. All the places had gone but they did offer me the chance of attending their Hypertension refferal centre. As I live in Sussex I did not take them up on it.
I thought you would be interested in the latest developments in my treatment. I saw a new consultant in Glenfield Hospital Leicester , which is a noted centre for Cardiac treatment. I liked him far more than the previous chap since he was easy to talk to and was happy to outline what further treatment he wished to offer. First, he was happy for me to stay on the Amioderone short term since he said it was the best anti arrhythmic drug but he wished me to start on digoxin as well. He explained that it takes 10 weeks for the Amioderone to get into your system . He wants to do another Cardioversion ( the first attempt in Burton hospital in December failed) shortly and I am going in a couple of weeks for a pre assessment Cardioversion appointment at Glenfield. All being well he said we will then have a window of opportunity to perhaps go down the pacemaker route after a simple ablation is performed. The drugs do seem to have slowed my heart rate down and the arrthymia is I think improved but I will know more when I have the next ECG. However, the Amioderone is causing me problems . I have suffered from Psoriasis for 50 years and have received a lot of hospital treatments including light therapy, methotrexate and ointments . For the last 6 months of last year the Psoriasis virtually disappeared which was amazing. But suddenly it has appeared with a vengeance , worse than I ever remember it. I saw my dermatologist last week who told me that beta blockers accentuate psoriasis but so does amioderone. I can't believe that the Bisoprolol , which I only took for 3 days in January and reacted so badly that my GP stopped me taking it ,is the cause. But Amioderone does impact the skin and apparently research has shown a correlation between this drug and a worsening of Psoriasis. Also,I don't know if anyone else can comment on this,I am sleeping badly. It takes me ages to get to sleep, and I dream very vividly most nights. It's extremely weird.
Stop Ameoderone it simply is a problem tablet.