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Seniors Heart Problems - Atrial Fibrillation
My Experience With A-Fib - S.M. Female Age: 83
During a visit to my primary care physician about 7 years ago he detected atrial fibrillation and sent me directly to the emergency room. I knew very little about atrial fibrillation at the time and was very frightened as to what it meant as far as longevity, treatment, and the quality of my future life.
I was admitted to the hospital from the emergency room and taken to the heart ward. They wired me up to monitor my heart and gave me an IV with medication. I'm assuming it was one or more of the following, Diltiazem, Digoxin, and Warfarin. By the third day my heart rhythm had been restored to the point where I was to be discharged. Prior to discharge a doctor or pharmacist (I can't remember which anymore) came into my room with a TV and we watched a video on Warfarin, also known as Coumadin (blood thinners). After the video the doctor talked about the need for blood thinners because of the relationship between A-Fib and the increased risk of stroke, and other important information in regard to the drug.
After being released from the hospital I had to schedule weekly blood tests at the clinic to check the levels of Warfarin in my blood. If they are too low or too high I increase or decrease my medication. I now go to the clinic once a month instead of weekly. I have been taking Warfarin for 7 years and have not had negative side affects. Of course I do bleed easier so I take extra precautions to avoid getting cut.
Even though I take Diltiazem daily to control my heart rhythm my heart still gets out of rhythm now and then and I must return to the emergency room to be stabilized. Atrial fibrillation has not significantly altered my life or the things that I do. If you are newly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation I recommend that you stay positive as it is a very manageable condition.
My Experience With A-Fib - E.F. Male Age: 83
Although I've had several bouts of cancer, I always thought my heart was my strong point as my blood pressure and pulse were always excellent.
My symptoms of atrial fibrillation were fatigue, dull pain in my chest during exercise, light-headedness, and at times a racing heart or beating excessively hard.
My atrial fibrillation was discovered during a routine physical. The diagnosis was that my heart was in a fast flutter. I was referred to a heart specialist. After a stress test and an echocardiogram confirmed atrial fibrillation he started me on Warfarin and Metoprolol. The medication lowered my pulse but my heart remained in a state of fibrillation.
My fatigue and chest pain continued after taking Metoprolol. My doctor suggested he try cardioversion and told me it was a relatively safe procedure. Although apprehensive I agreed.
I was given light sedation during the cardioversion procedure similar to what you receive when you have a colonoscopy. I have no recollection of the procedure and felt fine as the sedation wore off.
The cardioversion was a success - my heart is back in rhythm and I feel better. After the procedure my doctor had me continue the Warfarin and Metoprolol. However, with my heart back in rhythm the Metoprolol was slowing my pulse needlessly and making me feel tired and fatigued. I was told to discontinue the Metoprolol. My pulse has returned to my normal range and I feel much better.
So far so good. It has been several months and my heart is staying in rhythm. I am still on Warfarin and expect to be so for the rest of my life. Warfarin hasn't caused any side-effects for me (though I do bruise easily). I have to have blood drawn every two weeks to check the thinness of my blood (INR).
My Experience With A-Fib - J.B. Male Age: 50
My first experience with atrial fibrillation was about 20 years ago. At the time I was under much stress, a smoker, and consumed three or more cans of caffeinated soda each day. At times my heart would go into what I would describe as a fast flutter that would last a few seconds. Had it continued I think I might of passed-out as it was hard to breathe while it was fluttering.
The heart fluttering fibrillation episodes ended after I quit smoking, cut-back on caffeine, and reduced my stress level. However, in the years that followed I was aware that my heart didn't feel right at times. Although I was aware of having brief episodes of fibrillation, I believe that I was having more problems with a-fib than I was aware of.
My symptoms of atrial fibrillation include:
- irregular heart rhythm (skipped beats)
- rapid heart beat (less often)
- slow hard beats
- weak floppy beats
- light-headed, off, not sharp
- mild pressure feeling in my chest, head, neck, ears
- dull headache
- dull chest ache heart side
- sleep difficulties
- breathing problems (mild)
From what I have read many people with atrial fibrillation (also referred to as a-fib) experience a rapid heart beat. For me this happens on occasion, but more often than not I have what seems to me a slow heart beat that depending on the fibrillation episode skips a beat every 8 - 20 beats, or when it's worse skips a beat every 1, 2 or 3 beats. There are also times when even though my heart is not missing beats, it feels as though it's not beating correctly or efficiently.
Stress and caffeine worsen the symptoms though at this point I am in some state of a-fib most of the time. I believe they refer to this as chronic fibrillation. When I'm having a bad episode of fibrillation it can affect my sleep in that each time my heart flops or skips a beat I become aware of it and wake up momentarily. This happens again and again until I'm deeper asleep. I may also wake me up early in the morning and find it hard to get back to sleep.
I have not seen a doctor about this problem for fear that diagnosis of a chronic condition will cause my health insurance rates to rise significantly. However, this is a risk I am willing to take and do not suggest it is the right thing to do.
For all of you suffering from a-fib, I wish you good luck, and hope your treatment of the condition is a success!