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Paroxysmal AF

(40 Posts)
Luckygirl Wed 17-Oct-18 20:17:52

I have spent the day in A&E today having woken up with fast atrial fibrillation. Off I went with the nice para-medics, who are so cheerful and reassuring.

It did not stop for about 6 hours and I saw the consultant who said that I had PAF and I am now on blood thinners and bisopralol. He also said that my two previous collapses were probably cardiac. But they are now on top of it so that is a good thing. But I cannot have the pills make me dozy - have OH to look after and also GC and school pick-ups. We will have to wait and see how it goes.

The sweetener in this diagnosis is that 3 different folk at the hospital re-checked my date of birth as they could not believe I was 70!!! One said "I have never seen a head of hair (long and dark brown) like that on a 70 year old!" So it is worth being unwell! smile

Bridgeit Wed 17-Oct-18 20:41:21

Sorry to read this Luckygirl, but to be blunt if you carry on as you are you will not be able look after anyone, so sounds like a family chat is needed. Your hair sound lovely.

kittylester Wed 17-Oct-18 20:45:54

I'm impressed Lucky!! And envious!!

Seriously, things need to be sorted, don't they? I'm glad they have got to the bottom of the problem though as it must have been an underlying worry. Take care of yourself now.

Izabella Wed 17-Oct-18 20:49:06

You really need to take the medication. They are not necessarily making you tired. Your body has been stressed with the AF. which makes you tired. Reassess in 3 days.

cornergran Wed 17-Oct-18 21:27:44

Good to have a diagnosis, and the compliments. I have serious hair envy now grin.

Please take the advice and good care of yourself.

Marydoll Wed 17-Oct-18 21:36:57

I'm sorry to hear you are unwell, Luckygirl. Please take care of yourself, you have a lot to deal with. ?
Great complement about your hair!.?

nannych Wed 17-Oct-18 22:01:20

I have the same condition, Luckygirl. I take Warfarin and a low dose of Bisoprolol, which keeps me fairly stable. Took a little while to get the dosage right but fortunately no more trips to A&E. I feel confident enough now to cope with any episodes at home. I am sure things will work out for you. It is a shock when you first get the diagnosis but you will find this condition is manageable. You need to take care of yourself and the medication will help.

MawBroon Wed 17-Oct-18 22:03:56

I am sorry to hear this Luckygirl as if you don’t have enough to cope with!
The PAF drugs you mention did not make Paw particularly dozy but are I believe designed to slow you down - nature’s way perhaps.
But you must listen to your body and to the professionals and enlist more help.flowers

BlueBelle Wed 17-Oct-18 22:07:23

You need to take the meds Luckygirl it’s probably the illness that’s making you tired but even if it’s the tablets once you get used to them it may improve
Good luck

rascal Wed 17-Oct-18 22:20:45

Hello Luckygirl, sorry to hear your struggling. I too have PAF along with other heart problems. I found that the Bisoprolol made me feel I was struggling so they changed the prescription to 1.25 for a month which helped then I went back on the 2.5 Bisoprolol. You eventually seem to get used to them. I take Apixaban and Isosorbide Mononitrate too. The Consultant said he was training my heart, I hope it's paying attention! By the way I am young like you, the same age. Hope you feel a bit better soon. Best wishes. flowers

Luckygirl Thu 18-Oct-18 09:36:25

Thank for the kind messages. I am a bit familiar with PAF as OH has it as well as his PD.

I am on 2.5mg of bisopralol and 20mg of riveroxaban.

The latter has left me with big bruises where I ripped off the ECG pads - not sure if this is OK - might talk to GP.

The bisopralol seems to be OK. I took it for the first time last night and , although I had a restless night - not surprising after the chaotic day I had) I don't feel especially dozy this morning. The box just said take one tablet once a day, so I bunged one down last night; but now I have looked in the leaflet, it seems to want you to take it in the morning. I can't think it makes that much difference as long as it is every 24 hours.

Do you folks always take it in the morning?

harrigran Thu 18-Oct-18 09:46:22

Good that you have a diagnosis Lucky.
I take Bisoprolol as soon as I wake on a morning, I think it should taken at the other end of the day to other blood pressure meds.
I used to fall asleep again when I first started the Bisoprolol but it has settled down and causes no problems now.

Luckygirl Thu 18-Oct-18 09:49:24

Oh - that is encouraging harrrigran - I think I will continue taking it in the evening and discuss with GP when I see her.

EllanVannin Thu 18-Oct-18 18:30:36

I've had PAF for 28 years, though only diagnosed 12 years ago as I'd previously thought that it was part and parcel of the menopause. Same medication except that mine's warfarin which I take at night with Lipitor. It was when I had a really bad do in 2006 that I was diagnosed and had to spend just 2 and a half days in hospital for it to be stabilized.The only downside is that I have to make monthly or two monthly visits to the surgery for an INR check which I've done since 2007,but hey-ho a small price to pay going by everyone else's problems and I've had no more " turns " apart from a TIA which came and went without any damage done----though don't know when that had happened.

Fennel Thu 18-Oct-18 18:46:10

I've never heard of this, but do take care, Luckygirl.
Look after yourself first.

rascal Thu 18-Oct-18 19:25:29

I take the Bisoprolol in the morning. smile

midgey Thu 18-Oct-18 20:52:17

DH takes Bisoprolol, he had a bit of a problem with it (for the life of me can’t remember what it was!) and the doctor said he should take it at night.

Willow500 Thu 18-Oct-18 21:20:28

I have AF and take Atenalol and Riveroxaban - I don't know if it's the same condition. I do bruise very easily and was told it was a choice between having a blood clot to the brain with the AF causing a stroke or bleeding to death! Not very helpful really.

notanan2 Thu 18-Oct-18 21:42:24

Bisoprolol as others said is sort of designed to calm you down.

If you were doing so much that you cant do it on Bisoprolol then you were probably doing too much and living in an unsustainable way, so either you calm down or your body will object in other ways IYKWIM

Luckygirl Thu 18-Oct-18 22:05:59

Willow500 - cheer me up, why don't you! smile

I am on 20mg of riveroxaban - it does come in smaller doses and I am wondering if I should not be on so much.

grannyqueenie Fri 19-Oct-18 06:59:30

Lucky I’m sorry you’ve got this to contend with as well as everything else. I guess you’ll need to give it a bit of time to see how much realistically you can carry on doing. But I can understand your desire to feel you’re still able to live the the life you want to have with helping the family and need to have in caring for your dh. Although it might be time to reassess your day to day commitments..Good luck as you find a way forward with it all. Bet the hair compliments bucked you up!

Willow500 Fri 19-Oct-18 07:24:14

Sorry Luckygirl - that was my reaction to the docs remarks! I'm on 20 mg of Riveroxaban too - presumably its the best dose for us.

Luckygirl Fri 19-Oct-18 09:43:09

Right - 20mg it is! I am seeing GP in a couple of weeks so it can all be reviewed and bunged on my repeats list.

OH was (is?) a doctor. In the hospital a doctor came up to me to take history and asked me what had happened I told him that I had woken up in AF; and he said (in a very scornful voice) "How would YOU know it was AF?" I said that my OH was a doc and he had taken my pulse - cue very sheepish look on behalf of the doc - that'll larn 'im!

grannyqueenie Fri 19-Oct-18 13:46:15

grin lucky that’s the way to do it!!

EllanVannin Fri 19-Oct-18 14:17:50

I also have bisoprolol and spironolactone in the morning.