Health Problems

TheNozz said:

Further follow up

So all blood work and chest X-ray from ER visit turned up negative for anything.

Got an echocardiogram Wednesday and this is the result sent back to me:
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That’s the basic summary, there are other values but there’s no normal stats to compare them to. But based on the summary, I’m assuming there’s nothing physically wrong with my heart.

My grandma, whom I live with, is reaching the end of her time with us and I suppose it could be triggering anxiety which triggers the AFIB, but the physical symptoms were there before any recent feelings of anxiety. Also, whenever I have an AFIB episode, the single unifying factor is that I was laying down or waking up from sleep when they occur. On the other hand, today is the first time I’ve had an AFIB episode since Tuesday, despite laying down several times and getting two nights of sleep with no incident.

edit: I suppose the only positive news in continuing AFIB episodes is they haven’t been nearly as severe as the first couple: they seem more annoying than concerning

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Izo said:

Try sleeping on your right side.

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TheNozz said:

I’ve had episodes triggered by side sleep regardless of the side I was sleeping on

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TomServo said:

I'll be honest with you bro. The night time waking up falling asleep is classic delayed anxiety stress.

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Izo said:

Sleep apnea? Obesity? Water retention (despite the basic echo, missing a lot of data)? Cafeine? Drugs? Food/water intake after 8? Tried sleeping inclined to rule out incompensatio (despite the basic echo, missing a lot of data)? COPD? Smoking? Massive alchohol consumtion in your lifetime? Sleep study? So many causes of AFIB or whatever is causing your palpitations.

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ToeMissile said:

Keep in mind that while weed and alcohol may help you get to sleep but they both reduce quality of sleep.

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ToeMissile said:

Do you at least get to rotate out to other shifts? I've only ever had to do swings over a few 2 week periods around 20 years ago - 1pm to 9pm.

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TheNozz said:

Im inclined and I want to believe it’s a form of stress or anxiety, but the physical sensation came before the mental anxiety I’m currently feeling(grandma had to go into hospital to have lungs drained of fluid yesterday and I’m sure that doesn’t help)

I sleep fairly well. I haven’t had caffeine since Sun the 20th(caffeine didn’t seem to provoke a reaction anyways)and I still had a higher heart rate than normal yesterday. I occasionally use weed from time to time, typically at night as a way to help sleep(I wouldn’t consider myself a pot head by any means), but I haven’t used weed since I think April 11. I haven’t been diagnosed with COPD ever( the chest X Ray from ER didn’t show anything wrong with lungs). I wouldn’t consider myself a heavy drinker, I go through periods where I drink more than usual(baseball postseason, holidays) but I typically don’t drink enough to have a hangover and the last time I drank so much I threw up was in 2014(my older brother ratfucked himself with booze and meth and he now has congestive heart failure).

I admit, I’m heavier than I should be(236 pounds 6’2”) but I exercise 6 days a week riding a bike. My average resting heart rate when not having an AFIB episode is around the mid 50s, hell it can sometimes get as low as high 40s if I’m very calm and rested.

I’ll keep y’all posted in case anyone else ever goes through this

edit: current heart rate is anywhere from 54-61 bpm

double edit: I haven’t smoked cigarettes since July of ‘23. Even then, I was a pack a week smoker and I went through periods of years where I didn’t smoke

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TheNozz said:

Update: spoke with the MD to discuss results of the Echocardiogram. So there’s definitely nothing wrong with my heart physically but I definitely have AFIB that needs to be controlled by medicine or by electrical cardioversion treatment. Its

what upsets me is he didn’t seem to care that my AFIB episodes are only triggered when I’ve been laying down (something that’s a common theme on the internet), but didn’t explain why

Apparently he wasn’t a cardiologist though and I’ll finally get an appointment with a cardiologist this week

in the meantime, I CANT exercise(ughhh)

The only good news in all of this is that if it’s just simple AFIB without a physical cause, it’s very manageable and shouldn’t have an effect on my lifespan

edit: I’m hoping this can be treated with the electrical method rather than lifelong medication because I need to move soon and at that point I’ll lose my insurance. The electrical method has a chance of fixing it long term if not permanently.

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Izo said:

You'll need DOAK for the rest of your life so clots formed bc of afib doesn't make it to your brain, emboli, giving brain damage. Unless you get surgery. DC is a temp for most, most with fast afib get beta blockers on top to keep it in sinus rhytm - and to take one extra pill if you do re-afib.
RFA is more of a long term fix, but even so many end up wirh re-RFA and pills to maintain..
Best you can do is get your fluids and weight under control. Listen to the cardiologist. It'll be fine, it's one of the most manageable conditions.

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