I know excatly how you feel , but i want you to take a deep breath and relax .i have had this since may of this year ,i am begining to live with this and there are many more like us .This is the best blog to be the member of you will find people here are friendly polite and helpfull .You really are here among friends , belive me i was a mess before joining here , this has helped me tremendously .so do not worry be gratefull that atlleast you found out now we just have to live with it , yes it has its moments but hey common that is life .

it is alos possibility that you may have the anxiety or panic attck and you are thinking too much into it , oh look who is taklking i have the same issue .but first you need to find out who your doc is going to be and then you go from there .

hope all works for you take care and God bless

ray

los angeles

Hi Jill,
As for support you have come to the right place. Welcome. We have all been scared and I don't say that we are hardened but we are here to help each other and this panel sure has helped me. Good luck.
Moysra.

Did they take an EKG in the ER and tell you that you had atrial fib? If so, you really need a cardiologist to manage you. My PCP missed it for months because I was rate and rhythm controlled. I so hope you can get to see someone. Maybe the ER would give the cardiologist the data off your EKG so you won't need another one.

I also suggest you take a deep breath and relax, because everyone here is dealing with the same thing, and I think most of us are scared to be honest, and trying to do the best we can. Welcome, and I hope we can help you.

Oops, just read where you did say you were diagnosed with A-fib. I know it's scary, but you really can learn to live with it with the right treatment. You need to be on warfarin for sure, and the good news is it's really cheap..I believe it's on the $4.00 list at Walmart. Please try and see a cardiologist.

BTW, a baby aspirin is not enough. At least take a whole aspirin until you can see someone. Baby aspirin is used as a maintenance drug for someone who had heart surgery, but surely doesn't do anything for people with A-fib....

Thank you so much for the replies. I'm trying not to panic. I don't think anyone around me understands exactly what I'm feeling.
What does the aspirin do, and why will it help? What is warfarin?
I had to go to a community clinic which is why I'm not real trusting of the doctor. I'm even afraid to eat, but force myself to eat something. The Dr. Wants me to do a fasting blood test in the morning to check my blood sugar.
As for insurance, I'm working on it. It may take some time so cross your fingers for me on that.
I'm afraid to take the double dose of diltiazem, but afraid if I don't. Catch 22 is what it feels like.
Thank you again for your support. I will try to calm down and take a deep breath.
Jill

What I do is read questions and answers from legit websites that help me relax and put it all in perspective. You DO need to see an Electrophysiologist type cardiologist though and probably blood thinners are a good idea. Read the below at least 1 time a day (from a few website Q&As):Motocat: Can you safely exercise with atrial fibrillation and resulting heart damage, how can you determine if the exercise you are doing is safe?
Dr. Lindsay: Patients can exercise with atrial fibrillation provided that their heart rate is controlled.
Dr. Van Wagoner: Stress is a risk factor for AF, perhaps due to increased sympathetic nerve activity. It sounds like stress reduction would be helpful, if challenging. If you are able to make time for exercise, this may help with sleeping and stress reduction. In a recent randomized clinical trial, short-term use of omega-3 pills did not help to prevent AF recurrence. As half of the recurrences occurred in the first two weeks of treatment, it is unclear if a benefit would have been detected with longer treatment. Omega-3 fatty acids can help to slow heart rate. If your resting heart rate is elevated, there may be a possible benefit.
The good news, he says, is that the risk of dying from atrial fibrillation is very low. In this study which took place over a 15-year period in women whose average age was in their early 50s, the death rate was less than one-half of one percent.
What is the take-home message? If there was one message I would want to take away from this particular study, it is that atrial fibrillation is benign and you can usually live a normal life. However, you need to be evaluated by a physician so you can get proper treatment and be assessed for associated risk factors.
Thus, there are 2 very important lessons to be learned. Patients with lone atrial fibrillation have a normal life expectancy, and they should be offered regular follow-up examinations to evaluate if and when they might be appropriate candidates for aspirin or oral anticoagulation according to current clinical guidelines.

Hi Petey and thank you for the info. I have been trying to read up but sometimes it stresses me out. This changes our lives. I have a daughter and her child living with me and I'm usually his sole caretaker.
Trying to sort through all the info plus some of the differing opinions.
Jill:-)

I had terrible Heart POUNDING for two weeks before I realized it was the Dilitiazem. We tried Verapamil, another calcium channel blocker and that caused pounding as well.

My cardiologist wanted to put me on anti depressants to stop the pounding and I refused. We stopped the calcium channel blockers and the pounding stopped. I have no idea why he did not tell me that drug causes pounding. The pounding made me insane.

That's when I consulted Dr. Google. Not too much but just enough.

I am on a beta blocker now and I'm OK but my heart rate is low anyway due to a sick sinus syndrome and the beta blocker makes it lower. So this is not a permanent solution but right now it works.

The pounding is probably from the Dilitiazem. Speak to your Cardiologist.

Good luck

Petey has the best info on afib on this site. I would look up some of his posts.

If nothing else Xanax can help calm you down so you can think.

I don't take Xanax. but have heard it helps some people. Afib is not a death sentence. You just have to learn to manage it, just like a lot things like BP and Glaucoma.
R2 D2

In layman's language, warfarin is a blood thinner, as strokes are much more prevelent in people with A-Fib. That's why I suggested a whole aspirin until you can see a cardiologist. I wouldn't advance right to an EP, because I seriously doubt at this point, without insurance, you are considering an ablation. You aren't going to need one before that. There are still people that believe an aspirin is a great help, but the truth is the other blood thinners are more effective. For now, it's your best solution until you can get an appt. The reason I told you just to see a cardiologist for now is that he can get you on the correct meds, and because you don't have insurance, EP's are high priced and I don't believe you need one just to get the A-fib controlled for now. They are going to want to try cardioversion first, along with meds, before they move onto an ablation anyway. I hope the info you get on this site helps you immensely. Petey has great cut and paste info (sorry Petey), but a lot comes from Melanie, and she is an expert, but we are talking here about someone who might not relate to the lingo right now, nor have the finances to see an EP right off the bat. It was months and months before I saw one. Baby steps with A-Fib at first.

BTW, I do take generic Xanax, and I swear it helps more than anything, but doctors are not quick to prescribe it, that I do know. It's used basically for severe anxiety and panic disorder, but you have to be your best advocate. Because it's addictive you need to decide if the symptoms warrant it, and it benefits you more then harms you. For me the benefits far outweigh the risks involved.

Well, that's why I was unsure if I wanted to double up on the diltiazem, what if that is what is causing the pounding.
I see, warfarin is like coumadin.
I'm just not sure on the difference of calcium channel blockers and blood thinners. Are both usually needed, or one or the other.
Thanks for all the info. Hope everyone is having a good day.
I went this a.m. and had the fasting blood draw. If misery loves company, I did get that. Met up with another man who also spent thanksgiving in the ER, they kept him six days, and he told me he's never had health insurance. His calmness on the topic made me feel like an idiot, so I need to chill out, things will work out.

Hi, I have had A-Fib for over 20 years with some Atrial Flutter that I had ablated 5 years ago. I was mortified when I started A-Fib, it wasn't a problem I thought ran in the family (until I went to a family wedding and found out that many relatives had it). Unless your heart rate is very high eg over 150bpm you can relax knowing that nothing is really going to happen.

The first year of A-Fib is very worrying as it is new to you and there is a long list of tests and medication trials to get the best result. I am still on baby aspirin, I know I will have trouble getting the levels right with Warfarin so I am steering clear for now.

I decided very early in my A-Fib journey that anxiety was a risk factor for increasing the irregular beats so I taught myself to stay calm as soon as it started. My early episodes were very high - over 150 as it was probably Atrial Flutter as well. I have a hospital bag back packed with all I need for overnight stay, a file with all test results. I now use beta blockers (Metroprolol) as soon as my irregular heart beat starts, take my blood pressure and pulse rate regularly and settle into rest time at home. If the episode goes on for too long (3-4hrs), or of the beat changes to something I am not familiar with, I take myself off to hospital for monitoring.

The information regarding A-Fib is extensive and the terminology is very confusing in the early stages. The important thing to remember is that everyone is different. I can take some meds that suit me, but have terrible side effects for others.

Usually you have a series of blood tests to check the electrolytes in the heart, an event monitor for 24hrs or longer and a stress test. I usually have an echocardiagram every 2-3 yrs to check on heart functioning.

A-Fib is a similar journey to medical conditions such as diabetes and leukemia. It takes some time to have all the tests done, ruling out other conditions, and trialing treatment that suits you. It really is a journey and much patience is needed. Keep as calm as you can, read to understand but to the point that you get too stressed and give yourself a few treats (not chocolate or alcohol) Be kind to yourself, keep up your normal activities. Know that in 12 months time you will have this condition fairly well controlled and you will have your confidence back.

God bless, Ruth

I think the beta blockers are needed to keep the heart rate low.. The blood thinner, is to prevent clots/stroke if you are in afib for a long period of time.

The first two times I went into afib, my HR was very high 190's.. definitely heard it pounding when I was lying in bed the second time.

This last weekend when it happened, the highest it went was 115 or 118, so I think that was because I was on Toprolol.

I think what others say about stress is a big factor, try to keep the stress low and that will help a lot.. although not having Health Insurance must be stressful as well. :-(