Atrial Fibrillation - a Form of Arrhythmia

[ten0G]

  This would be on the Angry Thread, but I can't keep it anywhere as short as the other posts on there. 

I feel that my experiences regards the NHS approach to Atrial Fibrillation may be of help to others suffering the same treatment until fate intervened on my behalf, so have tried to provide a brief background. 

Following 12 years mostly on daily blood-thinner and betablocker after a mini-stroke (TIA - Transient Ischemic Attack), I went to my new GP several times last year complaining about the side-effects of the betablocker (sleepiness/drunkeness for about 4 hours after being taken).  I'd been aware of these effects for many years but my previous GP had never offered a solution.  My new GP referred me to the area Local Health Authority who arranged for me to see an expert following tests, etc. 

The "expert" advised that I could try living without it and see how I managed.  It was wonderful!  My GP and I monitored my blood pressure readings for a few weeks, he was satisfied there were no problems, and I returned to Japan at the end of August last year hoping for a much-improved life. 

Three months later an abnormally cold winter weather pattern caused the temperatures to plummet.  I started to suffer a variety of symptoms and my health deteriorated.  I started to take the emergency supply of betablocker the GP had given me but at the same time my ankles and feet began to swell so I stopped again and the swelling reduced somewhat.  The weather was very cold for December, on January 2nd I hoped it would be warm enough for me to go out to attend a clinic and receive some treatment.  In my mind I thought it would be a course of fairly simple medication. 

I left with two companions in a comparatively warm temperature of about freezing, with an occasional sprinkling of very fine snow.  However, I hadn't gone far when I started to lose control of my legs and lower body.  The further I went, the slower I became until I was paralysed from about the waist down.  I ended up being taken to hospital by ambulance in the evening, where I was initially treated as a stroke patient. 

I spent the first two days wondering if I'd ever walk again, while the nurses were very concerned about what parts of my body were still left and what parts were right!  After two days, I was informed I had no problems with my internal organs and I was transferred to the "Paralysed" ward.  I could walk a bit but my feet were three sizes larger and my thighs were enormous! 

My Doctor's English left a bit to be desired but it was apparently the case that I should have continued taking the betablocker instead following the NHS advice and dropping it.  I was put onto a twice-daily dose and advised that my heart had been abnormally swollen on admittance.  I was treated for peripheral oedima for 6 weeks.   Since leaving, I've been on an alcohol-free low-sodium diet and mustn't exceed 4½ grammes of salt daily. 

He said he thinks he can cure my arrhythmia (atrial fibrillation) which is what caused the mini-stroke in the first place.  I've yet to reach the target range for the aspects he's monitoring, but it's looking good so far.  I'll know more in a month's time. 

It's quite an effort to have to put up with the same side-effects twice-daily.  I am living in hope of being able to come off all medication by the New Year, but I've been able to achieve very little this year so far.  I am, of course, very grateful to the hospital staff for all their hard work. 

I'm not sure how close to death I really was.  The nurses seemed to be much more alarmed by my condition than my doctor, but I realised that probably the last thing he'd want to do would be to let on that I was dying.  Unknown to me, he had tried to make arrangements for me to be shipped home.  The weather however was far too cold for me to travel to the airport here, or from London in Britain so it didn't taken place.

All this is in complete contrast to the NHS simply saying stay on blood-thinner and betablocker for life, and I actually wonder if I shouldn't try to claim compensation, but being non-UK resident may be a problem. 

Anyway, if anybody else has, or knows of anyone who has, the prospect of life-time atrial fibrillation, then if this really works I'll be happy to provide more details by PM of what the items are that this Doctor goes by and what my NHS Annual Heart Reviews should have covered.

More news as I get it. 

[ten0G]

[smg id=28520 type=full align=center caption="Raccoon Dog"]

Readers knowing anything about Japan may be forgiven for thinking this is a raccoon dog, but it's actually a selfie of me soon after becoming ill, wondering where to find a stomach pump! 

Seriously, I started to go through a stage of feeling I was over-eating although I wasn't, and thought this fellow a very good representation! 

[Newportnobby]

In 1994 I woke in the night with a pounding heart so went downstairs for a cuppa and a ciggie thinking it might calm things down
Needless to say I ended up phoning the out of hours doc who told me to drive to the hospital as it would take less time than an ambulance trying to find me. I was kept in overnight while they reduced my heart rate from the 170 beats per minute. Ever since then I have been on meds and, apart from the occasional flutter, my heart has never repeated any fibrillation. I did read a pamphlet from the British Heart Foundation which recommended cutting out caffeine so ever since I've been on decaff coffee (it took a week of headaches to wean myself off it) and just felt so much better especially as, being a coffeeholic, I can drink as much as I want and still have no issues sleeping at night (and no, I don't wet the bed )
There's a huge discussion going on in the UK at present about the (over)prescribing of statins but I'm not at all sure I'd like to go without them

[ten0G]

I did read a pamphlet from the British Heart Foundation which recommended cutting out caffeine so ever since I've been on decaff coffee (it took a week of headaches to wean myself off it) and just felt so much better especially as, being a coffeeholic, I can drink as much as I want and still have no issues sleeping at night (and no, I don't wet the bed )

I find decaff tasteless so have never bothered, but I found that drinking coffee after dinner had an irritating effect on my brain once I'd started on the betablocker so I stopped drinking it. 

When I came off diuretics in May, I had what appeared to be a setback and tried coffee in the morning instead of tea.  I suddenly entered a phase where I was foggy brained most of the day so I went back to tea in less than a week. 

I am looking forward to some decent cups next year if I'm taken off the betablocker 

[silly moo]

I don't have anything like your condition but I suffer from an auto immune disease. I have found the health unlocked forum very helpful. healthunlocked.com  There are lots of different communities that cover a range of conditions. I find that the members of these communities often know a lot more about their ailments than the doctors do.

I helps a lot to speak to other people with the same condition as they know what you are going through.

I wish you all the best for the future.

[ten0G]

I don't have anything like your condition but I suffer from an auto immune disease. I have found the health unlocked forum very helpful. healthunlocked.com  There are lots of different communities that cover a range of conditions. I find that the members of these communities often know a lot more about their ailments than the doctors do.

I helps a lot to speak to other people with the same condition as they know what you are going through. I wish you all the best for the future.

Thanks SM, never heard of them before. 

Sorry to hear about your problem and hope you can manage it OK.