What the heck do I do?

Luckygirl3

I have no been given a GTN spray but have been put on ranolazine. It would be great to have some line of defence when it happens.

My GP was very clear with me Luckygirl, that if I get pain with the AF that I should go into hospital.. It does sound as though you need an angiogram and possibly a stent to put your mind at rest.. I am always a bit uncertain now when I get chest pains as I also have reflux and it's difficult to distinguish.. I do have a GTN spray..
It's not an easy condition to live with but having had the stents 20 years ago I am still here.. I wish you well..

Luckygirl3

I have no been given a GTN spray but have been put on ranolazine. It would be great to have some line of defence when it happens.

I have both, Luckygirl.

The GNT spray first, then a few years later, after a number of drugs, which were unsuitable, Ranolazine.

Hoping things settle down for you.

I have no been given a GTN spray but have been put on ranolazine. It would be great to have some line of defence when it happens.

Lucygirl, do you have a GNT spray for your angina?

The rule is, that you take the first dose, if that doesn't work, then a second. If you need a third dose, you need to dial 999 ASAP.

That's what I did twice and I was actually having a heart attack, although I didn't realise it.
The ambulance call handler will also advisel you to take a dispersible asprin (they tell you the dose), while waiting for the paramedics. So it is advisable to have some on the house.
On both occasions, that lessened the severity of my heart attacks.

(Ignore that rogue "a" 🙄)

www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/our-online-community

Luckygirl3 the British Heart Foundation has an online forum, that might help you as well.
Glad you're feeling a bit better ax

Luckygirl - life isn’t fair is it. We do our best to look after ourselves and it happens anyway 💙💖

Nice to hear from you for an update luckygirl You had us all worried!

I hope things calm down a bit for you and you enjoy your break

Good luck luckygirl

Thank you for all your kind messages.

I do not worry too much about the bouts of AF now that I have the right meds to slow the rate down. I hated it when it was going at 150, but the meds keep it below 100.

The problem that worries me now is the knowledge that I also have ischaemic heart disease, and that the pain in my chest is not indigestion but angina. I am not really able to judge at what point I should seek help as it is all so new to me.

I am sure I will gradually adapt and that things will become a bit clearer when I have had the angiogram. Fingers crossed.

Good to hear from you. I’ve been in permanent af for 9 years, other than about 4 weeks after a cardio version, I’m lucky. I don’t get palpitations but hills really challenge.
My mum had AF and did get awful palpitations. She was admitted a couple of times as a result but was advised not to over worry - she didn’t. We did
Get well lucky

Just a reminder to download the what3words app to your phone before you go away, then an ambulance can find you wherever you are, even on a mountain! Not that you will be on a mountain, but maybe one day.
what3words.com/products/what3words-app

Good to know you’re in less pain luckygirl, also that there is a knowledgeable, supportive friend. I’m sure a few days away will help, quiet walks by the sea with no hills sound to be just right. You know there are hospitals everywhere. For a few months after Mr C’s surgery if we were going to be away from home I looked up the details of the hospital closest to our location and made a note - just in case. Never needed them but it did make me feel better. If needed an ambulance will always find you. Please try not to fret. X

I'm pleased to hear that you are feeling better today.

Hamster read back and you’ll see there has been an update
It’s entirely up to you luckygirl but you wouldn’t be left in a bearpitif you arrived at A and E with a cardiac problem and you perhaps wouldn’t have to go backwards and forwards as they would be doing tests on the first visit to make sure it didn’t happen again but you did what you felt was right for you and that’s what we all have to do
Lets hope that was the last time you feel so bad but I do think your consultant needs updated about these episodes

Have a lovely break

I'm glad you feel better. Perhaps take care to drink enough water, eat small meals, maybe a banana and apricots (potassium), gentle walks.

Luckygirl13 - 👍

I'm seeing your message far too late to offer advice. so.... just wondering how you are Luckygirl and what you did. These things to process alone are extra frightening, but I do think you should go to A&E if it happens in future as I'm sure you wouldn't be left to fester

👍 Luckygirl3.

Glad you are feeling better, Lucky, and I hope you enjoy your little holiday. One of the best uses of GN, I think, is to offload anxieties in the "problem shared is a problem halved" way. 🌹

Thanks for updating us. Maybe you need to have meds adjusted or maybe, sadly, it’s just a reality check and you need to slow down.

So pleased to hear you are feeling better. Look after yourself. Your upcoming break seems like the perfect tonic.

I'm so glad to hear that the AF subsided and you feel a bit better. Nevertheless it was very scary. Just not knowing what to do is awful. Take it very easy today. You'll be very tired after your stressful night.
I'm sure your holiday will be fine and it's good that your friend will be nearby. Best wishes.

Than you all for your concern.

I took advice from a retired doctor friend and decided to stay put and see how it went, on the grounds that it was probably just angina plus AF. I was awake till nearly 3am, but have woken up and both the pain and the AF have subsided.

I am sorry to have loaded my anxiety on you all, but really appreciate your input. I am getting quite low about all this.

I am finding all this very hard indeed as this is a new diagnosis for me and, to be honest, it has rather pulled the rug from under my feet. This was not a diagnosis that I could have predicted as my lifestyle (no smoking, proper diet, daily walks) lulled me into a false sense of security that this was very unlikely for me.

It is exacerbated by the fact that I am now on my own and I have been used to having a doctor in the house. It feels very frightening to be confronted by all these new symptoms, and I have no way of gauging what is urgent and what is not. Part of me assumes that the cardiologist is not too worried, as he happily sent me home from the treadmill test with an AF rate of about 120 and with chest pain, and he knows the angiogram will not be for a few months. So .... maybe I just need to try and ignore it when the symptoms are bad..... not easy, I have to say.

It happens every few days and I could be in and out of A&E like a yo-yo if I rang every time. And I must admit that I am influenced by the fact that A&E here is a bear pit with long long waits and dozens of patients stacked up. Sometimes I simply do not feel well enough to face it.

I think yesterday's episode was precipitated by me walking up to the common, so maybe I just need to accept that I cannot go out walking till all this is sorted. It really is not a challenging walk and I went like a snail on the shallow slope up, stopping every few yards. I feel a bit trapped by fear of setting it off.

Tomorrow I am going to a few days stay by a beach - flat with no cliffs to climb and a flat walk from where I am staying - but a bit of me feels terrified that this is going to happen while I am away and in a strange place. My friend is staying about 100 yards from me so I will not be totally adrift.

Sorry to have loaded this on you all - it was not a good evening yesterday, and I am hoping for a reprieve today.

I came back to see if there is any news from Luckygirl. I hope she is OK.