Heart aflutter.....

[bevbodene]

Okay, guys. Something happened this a.m. that kinda scared me. I was sitting at the table, drinking my first cup of coffee & reading a book, when my heart began to flutter. I felt kinda light-headed and then broke out in a sweat. I've had the flutters before, but not the lightheadedness, nor have I broken out in a sweat. Has this ever happened to any one of you?

I know you guys are not doctors (well, maybe someone is), but I just thought I'd ask. My doctor told me that I would have palpitations for the rest of my life, so I try not to be too concerned when something like this happens; just pass it off as "one of those things."

I go to the doctor for so many different things ("for a hangnail", as one of my friends puts it), that I fear he's going to think I'm a hypochondriac!

Any replies will be appreciated!

Oh, by the way, thank you guys for making me feel so welcome!

 

[Granbonny]

Maybe the caffiene?

Maybe the caffiene?

Hi Bev..Don't be afraid to ask anything. That's what we are here for to give what advice we might know..Could it have been the cafiene in the coffee?...Other's will come along and give their opinions....Bonnie

 

[ALCapshaw]

Hello Bev,

Did you check your heart rate when this was happening?

If it reached the 150 to 200 range, most likely experienced Atrial Fibrilation. This is not considered life threatening as long as it clears up fairly soon (a few hours). Prolonged A-fib (days) can cause blood clots to form which IS dangerous.

I've had A-fib events after both my heart surgeries (CABG and AVR).
Also when pushing my exercise tolerance to the limit. Caffein is another stimulant that can cause A-fib events.

The simple fix is a regular dose of Beta Blockers. I get by with a small dose (25 mg of extended release Toprol) as long as I don't overdo it. When I know I'm going to exercise hard, I take an extra dose in the morning. Coumadin is also used for people who have regular A-fib events. This prevents blood clots from forming.

You may want to discuss this with your Cardiologist, or at least cut back on your caffein intake

'AL'

 

[Nancy]

Hi Bev-

Let me say one thing first, never, never feel you are a hypochondriac because you go to the doctor to correct some medical condition. People who have valve replacements are in a unique situation. They have serious heart problems, or they wouldn't have had to have heart surgery. Things will never, never be like a "normal" person (if there is such a thing). In my opinion, if you feel something out of the ordinary, always, always call your doc. Let him/her tell you that it doesn't need investigation. Your "friends" can't relate to what you've been through and are still going through. And if your doctor thinks you're a hypochondriac, let your fingers do the walking through the Yellow Pages, physicians section. Things with you guys are never minor.

If it were my husband having these problems and his doctor said something like what you heard, that you would "always have palpitations and not to worry", I'd make him exit that doctor pronto. That's outrageous. First of all you should be seeing a cardiologist who should do some investigation into just what kind of abnormal heartbeat you are having. Some of them are benign, and some are deadly. I don't think it's possible to sort them out without some scientific study on exactly what is causing the problem. It's bad science to assume that one heart rhythm is the same as another. My husband has had PVCs, afib, aflutter, beats that are too slow, long pauses, and beats that are too fast. He's even fainted. Finally he had a pacemaker put in.

Be your own best friend and call your cardiologist and get an appointment to see him/her. You may need a Holter monitor or event monitor to find out what the problems are.

Good luck

 

[McCln]

Bev

Bev

Nancy hit it on the nail. please make the appointment to see the doctor. My father had multiple problems related to drinking and diabetes. So never feel that you are taking up the doctor's time and effort. That is the doctor is there for, to make sure you are healthy. You go and make sure everything is alright. My cardio would rather me go see the doctor even if I have a running nose. So take care.

Caroline
09-13-01
Aortic valve replacement
St. Jude's valve

 

[John & Joann]

Hi Bev,

A couple suggestions:

1. Buy a good blood pressure/pulse kit. You will learn in a few days what is going on in general.

2. Go to your Doctor Monday. It may be palpitations, fib, flutter, or something else. You need to know how to react to these problems. 150 pulse is maximum that you should experience without medical attention. Maybe 1 to 2 hrs. in the upper 100 range would be ok, but not for very long.

This is a learning curve after the surgery. We have been learning for nearly 31 years.

John for Joann
Hot Western Ohio

 

[Johnny Stephens]

Hi Bev,

One sentence in your post is a red-flag for me:

I felt kinda light-headed and then broke out in a sweat.

This sounds like something you should get checked out PRONTO. I had one instance of flutter after release, and when I called my surgeon, the first question they asked is whether I'd been dizzy.

Mine turned out to be very easy to correct (my potassium turned out to be extremely low because of my diuretics) and I've had no flutter since.

Like John suggests, speak with the doc tomorrow.

 

[bevbodene]

Heart aflutter

Heart aflutter

Thank you all so much for replying. I have an appointment for this Friday to see my PCP. (He is also the one who monitors my Coumadin level.)

I guess it's better to be safe than sorry. And if they can't find anything wrong with me, oh well, it's better to know than to guess!

Thanks again for your concern!