| Name | Elsa |
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| Location | Glasgow, Scotland |
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| Age | date of birth 12 Feb 1946 |
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| Diagnosed condition | Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation with Atrial Flutter |
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| Years with condition | diagnosed 1994 |
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| Frequency of episodes | previously daily, now 2/3 times weekly |
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| Duration of episodes | varies - shortest l hour, longest 16 hours |
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| Event preceding first AF | AF began with Hysterectomy surgery/loss of 3 units of blood during. |
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| General health | ex-smoker (stopped 8 years ago before AF began!) |
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| Current state | living with it - better than previously |
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| Triggers | caffeine; alcohol; spicy foods; heavy meals ; hunger; exertion (lifting anything heavy or climbing stairs); lack of sleep; overtired; bending over; being cold ; stress ;
resting after exercise; getting up from horizontal position. |
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| Preventions | have never known anything to actually prevent an attack coming on - it just happens! |
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| Current medications/side effects | FLECAINIDE 100 mg taken twice daily.(side effects have been increase in ectopic beats, tiredness and mild eyesight deterioration)
TEMAZEPAM 10 mg taken at night to aid sleep.
I occasionally take Diazepam 5 mg if AF gets really severe -it can calm everything down a bit and at least helps to avoid panic adding to the problem.
ASPIRIN (soluble) 150 mg taken daily |
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| Past medications/side effects | PROPRANOLOL taken for 2 years led to low blood pressure and bradycardia (my pulse went down to 36 beats per minute at one stage and I was admitted to hospital);
SOTALOL (made me very ill);
VERAPAMIL (didn't work)
AMIODARONE caused me to feel very ill with pins and needles in arms and legs and had breathing difficulties. |
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| History of surgery | No surgery for AF - only for other reasons (Hysterectomy; Hernia surgery; Gallbladder removed) I came round from Hysterectomy to find myself wired up to ECG as I had gone into AF during surgery. I had lost 3 units of blood during the surgery and have often wondered if that may have been a contributory factor to start of AF as I had never suffered from it previously. |
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| Future plans | Wait and see how things develop! I am disappointed that Flecainide does not actually stop me from going into AF - I just don't get it all the time like I used to. I hope I don't go into chronic AF as I don't think I could cope with that. |
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| Personal comments | My cardiologist told me that the digestion problems and feeling that a balloon is being blown up inside my chest when I am in AF is caused by the heart enlarging to keep the blood pumping around the body - when the heart enlarges, it presses on the diaphram and this causes the uncomfortable 'blown up' feeling and the accompanying belching. I have also had fluid in my lungs caused by rapid AF (l98 beats per minute) on one occasion.
AF leaves me exhausted - as if I've run a marathon. |
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| Check list |  acebutolol |  amiodarone (cordarone,pacerone) | anisindione (miradon) | | atenolol (tenormin) | aspirin | azimilide | | bepridil | betaxolol | bisoprolol (monocor,emconcor) | | bretylium | bucindolol | carvedilol | | cibenzoline | dicumarol | digitoxin | | digoxin (lanoxin) | diltiazem (cardizem) | diphenylhydantoin | | disopyramide (norpace) | dofetilide (tikosyn) | dronedarone | | encainide | esmolol (brevibloc) | ersentilide | | flecainide (tambocor) | gallopamil | ibutilide (corvert) | | lidocaine | mibefradil | metoprolol (lopressor,toprol xl) | | mexiletine | moricizine | nadolol | | phenytoin | procainamide | propafanone (rythmol) | | propranolol (inderal) | quinapril (accupril) | quinidine (quinaglute) | | sotalol (betapace) | tedisamil | timolol | | tocainide | trandolapril (mavik) | valsartan (diovan) | | verapamil (calan,isoptin) | warfarin (coumadin) | asthma | | diabetes | GERD/acid reflux | hypertension | | hypotension | hyperthyroidism | hypothyroidism | | adrenergic | vagal | familial | | idiopathic/lone | paroxysmal | permanent/chronic | | atrial flutter | cardiomyopathy | CHF | | PAC | PVC | SVT | | syncope | bradycardia | tachycardia | | heart block | myocardial infarction | rheumatic heart diease | | sick sinus syndrome | stroke | WPW | | electrical cardioversion | defibrillator | pacemaker | | ablation | bypass | maze | | Male | Female | |
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