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AFib questions
Good morning! I'm almost 66 years old, with infrequent AFib and on Eliquis. Sunday evening I had a spectacular nosebleed and went to the ER, where the attending physician inserted an epistaxis nasal pack (the kind with the inflatable balloon). I'm getting it removed tomorrow. What can I expect when it comes out--besides my own reaction of dancing gleefully around the office? Blood? Clots? Scabs? A genie? Thanks for your help!
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Hi @faith123,
I'm sorry to learn about your symptoms. As we grow older, the process is not always so idyllic, as is often portrayed! Events like the fracture and afib diagnosis can take a heavy toll on your emotions.
I actually found a published study that states,"Atrial fibrillation (AF) prevalence increases with age, making it the most common arrhythmia in patients older than 65 years." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4630199/
I'm tagging our volunteer mentor, Teresa, @hopeful33250 who also started a discussion, which I would encourage you to read:
Happiness a One Week Journey: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/happiness-a-one-week-journey/
@faith123, you mentioned you "don't like to be alone." May I ask if that's due to the fear of falling again? Or, as I can well relate to, you don't like feeling "lonely?"
Hello @faith123
I am sorry to hear that you are struggling with loneliness and health problems, that is a difficult combination. Sometimes the meds we take for health problems, like A-fib, can cause their own set of emotional symptoms as well. I recently spoke to a doctor about some problems I was having with a med that he had added to slow down my heart rate and he changed the med to another and many of the symptoms eased up considerably. I would suggest that you call your doctor's office and tell them how you are feeling, both physically and emotionally, and ask if there are any changes in meds that might help you.
In the meantime, please read through Happiness A One Week Journey, it is very helpful in putting into perspective many of the bumps along life's road.
Teresa
I am 75 and counting i am a bradycardia afiber
I have the same demons as most afibbers have
Anxiety. Anger. Depression . tenseness.etc.
I have had two ablations
One stent
One angioplasty
One cath explor
5 cardioversions
And im still alive and active
I eat only heart healthy foons and i pay attention to portionons
I walk walk walk and then walk again
I do not vegatate
I try to do any physical task between 8am and noon
I get out of the house daily to break up my day
I take pradaxa. Lovaza. Altace. Lipitor. Vitamin d. Qunol. And a multi vitamin
I have the normal old age aflictions
I have palpatations and skipped beats
The best thing that i can offer is you are not alone
Do as much as you can to set and meet gaols and feel that you are doing your best to meet them as best you can
Priortize and if your list is 10 items be satisfied if you do the only 3 as these were the most important on the list and revise the list for tommorow and begin the attack agagi and you will gain confidence and satisfaction
That brings strength and fulfillment
Try to keep the mind busy and thth will give you relief and calming
Besr to all
REK
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2 ReactionsInspiring !!
Do you take anything for AFib besides blood thinner ?
I am on Tikosyn and Eliquis. Think I am going to plan an ablation with Natale in Austin as soon as I can get in ( may take a while!)
Hate taking Tikosyn but it has worked to keep demon AFib at bay for a year .
Have been having lots of pacs lately - annoying -
Thank you for great post , Best , Didi
I also take eloquis 5mg 2x d and diltiazem240 mg1a day lipator and losartan
Thank you so much, @regshello. Wonderful insight! May I ask what brings you to Mayo Clinic Connect?
I only take pradaxa for blood clot safety and Altace is for blood pressure all else is not for gain I don't take a controllerRegards. Rek
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I was looking for education on several afib clinic sites and found mayo to be very in depth and in layman terminology
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1 ReactionWould love to have feedback from you A-fibbers. After several serious A-Fib events, having to have my heart stopped and restarted twice, being administered the "paddles" three times in the back of an ambulance, I wound up with a pacemaker and Rx for antiarrhythmic meds and beta blockers. All this started 1-1/2 years ago. The meds (or something) have resulted in the muscle weakness, some visual difficulties and balance issues that often accompany these meds as side effects. The effect on me seems much more sudden and dramatic that might be expected.
Although I remain fairly strong in some respects, I have found that I have zero strength when working with arms extended over my head, as in working on a high shelf or ceiling fixture. My arms, hands and eventually whole body tremble and shake and my arms fall with no ability to keep them raised. One doctor said this that it sounds like a cardiac issue, making me wonder if all my trauma has caused heart damage. Could this be attributed entirely to medicine side effects? Also I have read that this could well be a spinal issue. (I did have a compression fracture of L-1 vertebra two years ago.)
Has anyone had heart, medication or spinal problems that resulted in the kind of weakness I have described above? I am 80 years old, but this came on suddenly after the A-fib trauma events, pacemaker implant and start of the meds, all within a two day period.
Breathlessly awaiting your experience and wisdom. An echo ECG and treadmill stress test are to be scheduled soon.
This is a puzzlement, friend. And I think the doc is at least partly correct. Most events like these seem to be like a railroad turntable, just depending on which way the things are pointed at the moment. My cardi pointed out that my A-Fib and many others start with some interruption of the nerve, and a bad ventricle or atrial wall makes it worse, even to stop the heart, and that can bring on syncope, and shortly must come the paddles. Now, there are so many things that can start this ride, and most are so tiny they will not be spotted except by a highly skilled doc who works without a lot dependence on semi-automatic technology, but lots of street smarts. Systemic Amyloidosis. Injury. Long-past illness. Etc. Had an MRI done of your heart to check the A and V walls? Check your brain cortex by CT for protein amorphous deposits? Got foam in the urine? Do you bruise easily, especially around the eyes and the belly? Is there any kind of lesion around the L-1 area of the spine? Also, make sure they look for low voltage QRS on the R and L Ventrical beat cycles, little sawtooth tracings. Even the opening beat should be just one or two up and downs before relaxing, not a brief series of three or four jumps of various voltages under .5, which often start the AFib. Now, I am just guessing about the things I know about. I have an AV block, and the cardi says my AFib seems to stem from this.
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