A Fib symptoms?

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debster913

debster913

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 31, 2005
Messages
1,117
Location
California
Hi, All!

Just popping in quickly to say hello and to ask a quick question: What does a-fib feel like?

I got my Holter results from the cardio last Wednesday, and he shared with me that I had a very minor bout of a-fib within the 24 hours I had the monitor. I felt nothing, so I'm wondering what the symptoms are. I know what it's like to have PVCs and V-Tach, but I have never felt a-fib, and had never been diagnosed with having it until last week.

Right now the cardio has me on two 81 mg. aspirin every night as well as 6.25 x 2 a day of Coreg. I see him again around Christmas for my follow-up.

Thanks for any experiences you can share!

Best,
 
Well my a-fib is a severly jumping heart and my HR went up to 150. I don't know if all A-fib has an accerated hr, but mine did.

I knew the moment my heart kicked into A-fib! It woke me up....and I started to sweat a lot. This is my experience.

Mileena
 
Debi,
While in the hospital I went in and out of A-fib several times and never detected it either way. Nurses would always ask me if I could feel it. I think some people do and others don't.

On the other hand, a month out I went into A-flutter and it was obvious to me because of the associated tachycardia (rapid pulse).
John
 
Deb, I've had it both ways. I've had it when my chest felt more like a washing machine with an unbalanced load in the spin cycle. I've also had it when it felt more like a very rapid, uneven pulse in my neck. I've never had episodes that were not extremely fast. I feel tired and short of breath if it doesn't clear up within an hour or so.
 
Debi, it must have been very brief and minor if you didn't notice it. I know some people say they can't tell when they go into A Fib, but personally, I know straight away when I've gone into it due to the wild, irregular thumping of my heart together with a rate of 140+ usually. Also my blood pressure drops quite a bit and I get very tired, unable to function at work. This is just my experience though.
Hopefully it won't happen to you again.
 
When I've had afib/flutter, I get very tired and sleepy - the almost falling asleep at work kind. The heart sensations feel kind of 'squirmy' to me. I described it to my cardio as a "bag of snakes wrestling in my chest." I wasn't painful, but it was a very odd feeling.

I've had it 3 times and the first two times I didn't correlate the symptoms. They told me after an EKG that I was in afib. The third time, I was able to tell them.
 
deb:

I get it both ways too. Sometimes, I think my chest is running a race with itself. Other times I get it and don't feel a thing.

My cardiologist gives every patient an EKG when they go for an office visit. Twice he has caught me in Afib. Last year I visited the Emergency Room for a non-cardiac problem. Again, they found that I was in A-fib but felt nothing.

Blanche
 
My episodes of a.flutter is very similar to what others have experienced.
With my first episode,I woke up in the morning with difficulty breathing,as
I got up I realized my heart beating very hard...it felt like drums within my chest,
and you could also see my shirt jump with the force of the heartbeats.
I was able to walk and get ready to go to the hospital,though I was SOB and
very high anxiety.. In the ER my rate was 220 atrial BPM.
With my second episode it was slightly different. I was awake when it began
and firstly I felt a moderate pain in the pit of my stomach,then my whole body was
covered in sweat(diaphoresis),thirdly the "drums" or chest pounding began. I knew.
It was back.I just wanted to cry- which of course didn't help.
With my last episode,I only had the chest pounding and it went away after 10-15 minutes.
I took metoprolol and ativan which was left over from 2 months ago...either it helped or it
went away on its own. Afterwards my cardio said I did the correct thing for my specific condition.
Also I was on coumadin at the time anyway,so that was helpful.

Gee,Debi...looks like I'm talkative today:eek:
Hope you have no more bouts of fib,and I have heard that certain types of fib arent felt and
go unnoticed by the person having them. Its good atleast that you and your doctor are aware
of them.
My best-Dina
 
Thanks for posting this Debster - I've been curious on this topic too. I've felt some 'odd' flutters here and there lately - more than usual anyway - but nothing along the lines of getting so tired or breaking out in sweats and stuff.

I just always called them palpitations but lately they have felt a little different more like a flutter than a thump. I have no idea if that is anything like a-fib, or tachycardia or throwing pvc's or maybe it's own unique thing. I'm going to have to learn the lingo!

Y'all gave some good descriptions/explanations so I have some idea what to look out for anyway. Thanks!

Rhena
 
Wildflower- I have noticed that we all have different ways to describe different symptoms.
And most doctors and nurses,not having experienced these symptoms before, can mistake
what we are trying to describe.
Now,I have been taught the lingo as a student nurse years ago,and it wasn't until I experienced
the symptom myself that I fully understood what it was like exactly. I remember thinking..Ohhh..so
thats what "diaphoresis" is like-I mean its not like a normal sweat,its an all over and immediate deluge!
Also,with me,I have also had the fluttery feeling,I think this comes from the atrium beating SO fast its like
the wings of a hummingbird..too fast to count.
Ok maybe thats too graphic-its giving me anxiety just thinking about it!
 
A couple of years back I had the left side of my heart actually vibrate and I felt very ill, impending doom, panic, but no pain.
With SVT there is a very regular FAST resting heart rate (120-170) that just won't stop soon enough.
 
Thanks Dina for that comment - nothing like first hand experience to really really know the lingo!

This is such an interesting journey -not one I would choose for myself - but who would? All that I've been reading on here for the last few months has been so helpful and most of the time it calms me down - sometimes it freaks me out - but most of the time I'm very comforted in knowing how many of 'y'all ' there are out there who have gone through so much and still around to help bring the rest of 'us' along the way. Thank you!

Rhena
 
Can calcification cause A-fib/flutter?

Can calcification cause A-fib/flutter?

Can the narrowing of the aortic valve cause A-fib or flutter? Is the occurrence of a fluttering heart a symptom that it's getting closer to AVR time, or are they unrelated problems?

Best,
Dianne
 
I don't feel mine, so I have nothing to report. They show it on the echo, so it must be there. Apparently, it's on and off, but I don't know how much on and how much off.

Best wishes,
 
After getting home from surgery end of sept. i woke up feeling alittle odd. I took my pulse and it was racing.I didnt feel anything different.(I had pvs before surgery so I know what that is like.) Until I tried to get up.Then I found I couldnt stand or walk from feeling light headed.(Had to crawl to the bathroom.) My home nurse came about 20 minutes later and said my heart rate was 150bpm( she declared me in a-fib) and called the ambulance.So other than not being able to stand (like thats not enough) I felt normal as long as I was sitting or lying down.
 
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