oldson
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Post by oldson on Apr 27, 2020 20:44:00 GMT
i would not be overly worried by the pulse rate, tbh. pretty sure its not overly accurate when in arrhythmia . mine would regularly go up to 240 bpm, actually almost every time. but of course it is not proper beats. the A&E doctors used to say to me that they were surprised i didnt faint, due to lowered blood pressure(where the heart is pumping with low efficiency). though i do remember once in A&E the doctors shouting at me to stay awake! i did not feel faint though, just really tired. i did used to get banging headaches with my arrhythmia, which came on instantly and they were horrible. in A&E their first priority was to bring heart rate back down, which usually involved an injection of some drug (cant remember) but it made me feel like crap for about 2 seconds. after that my heart rate would steadily reduce to normal. once that was done they used to inject a pain killer, which stopped the headache instantly. then it was a case of staying put for around 5-6 hours being monitored. usually meaning a long tiring night. hopefully all behind me now. But i did ask the doctor, who performed my ablation, what the chances were of a recurrence, "never say never" was the reply. so fingers crossed, its been 4 or 5 years now.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Apr 29, 2020 7:10:34 GMT
Blimey Simon. That is a fast quiver!
I think mine is (conveniently) set off by exercise. If I exert myself, I feel crap for a few hours. I just have to sit or lay down breathing is my main concern. It’s laboured at the top of each breath. Funny thing is that it’s less in the morning and worse at night.
In the meantime, I’m filming the family business videos for Helena so I’ve had to break up everything into smaller tasks for each day because I get exhausted.
So, I record backings on day 1. Record vocals on day 2 and mix wih backings. Add sound fx and extra tracks on day 3. Film the songs being performed to the tracks on day 4. Film other bits indoors on day 5 plus external shots. Assemble video on day 6. Edit and colour correct the video on day 7 and send it out overnight.
So the problem is keeping going! Although on most days I just work for a couple or three hours, I’m exhausted after it so it train wrecks the whole day!
I’m cutting back on one of the pills today to see if that’s causing side effects. (Doctor’s advice) That one is candesartan which could cause things like breathing difficulties etc., which is what I have. While cutting it, I have to monitor my pressure because it can go back up again if I stop drug treatment.
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sekar
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Post by sekar on May 30, 2020 19:09:17 GMT
Hi, Ian. Do you feel better ?
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on May 31, 2020 14:31:27 GMT
Funny thing. I have improved, thanks. Been through a series of discussions with a doctor on the phone regarding the tablets that I am taking. I might have had a bad reaction to one of them, which I’m now off. (Candesartan)
It may have caused my feelings of gastritis and wasn’t doing anything for my blood pressure. In fact, my pressure may have been rising because of it! So now I’m off that pill and cut the gastritis pills down as a result and taking less of another pill that I had to take.
Result, pressure is a bit lower now and I no longer feel so exhausted. Mowing the lawn easily now and not collapsing although I have to be careful because if I overdo something, it seems to set of an AF episode, where my heart fires off like a looney. Seeing a specialist for that at the end of August.
So it could have been a reaction to the drugs I was given. They’re not sure.
At least I’m not going into a faint as easily as I was before......
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Sept 6, 2020 18:25:29 GMT
Here’s a weird thing.
I got so sick of almost passing out while we were filming the music series that we made here at home during lockdown I decided to take matters into my own hands and if that was it for me, so be it.
So tired of fainting and feeling just awful all of the time.
So a month and half or two ago, I stopped all pills except for a blood thinner which is for AF. A week later, I was able to walk further than 100 metres to the post box and could start walks again.
Continued walking every day and got up to four miles with ease. Then we went to Bournemouth on the South Coast for a couple of weeks. Regular six mile walks. Also been eating no processed food or meat for some time.
I never told the doctor because he tells me off and talks down to me.
Result: dizziness gone. I could run. Walks were a doddle. I felt better.
Came home and decided that I would go back onto the pills one at a time. The first one I took was a beta blocker. Next day ..... dizzy. Came off it. Took a blood pressure tablet ..... next day dizzy.
I didn’t tell any doctors. Since stopping the meat, I’ve lost over a stone in weight and my blood pressure has come down.
Spoke to a specialist this week for the first time since coming out of hospital. He was delighted. He said I did the right thing by testing for side effects. He said that it did show in hospital that I am sensitive to beta blockers and that the blood pressure pills may be too much now because I have lost weight.
So no beta blockers, and half a blood pressure pill. Any more dizziness and I should stop the blood pressure pills.
Guess what, I got dizziness so now I’m off the blood pressure pills.
Blood pressure sits around 110 - 125 systolic and 65 - 75 diastolic.
Palpations stop when I don’t take pills and during that period, I had no AF.
Doctor suggested playing around with salt. I haven’t been having enough possibly and that might be causing an electrical problem in my heart. So it’s looking a bit better for me.
I honestly thought that was it and it was a matter of time before I had a stroke or heart attack.
Weight is down. 4 mile walks every day. No meat. A bit more salt. No pills except blood thinner. If AF episodes decrease, may come off blood thinner. Pressure is way more under control.......
And there was me thinking I wouldn’t see Christmas! Really, it was that bad. I didn’t let on. Thank goodness I got to a specialist in the end. At least he confirmed what I had been suspecting all along .... the pills to treat me!!
The doctor laughed when I said I’d thought that was it for me. He said we’re all going, he just tries to slow it down! He also said that it was a good idea to try and be more attuned to what the body basically tells you, through how you feel. My suspicions were right all along about the drugs but my doctor wouldn’t accept it. Even a small amount affected me and they just humphed at me. The specialist just said that they weren’t specialists and followed protocols without regard for the patient. How I felt was a much better indicator.
What a relief.
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Post by Mr Trev on Sept 7, 2020 0:59:44 GMT
Some good news for a change! I can only imagine the relief you must have from finally feeling "normal" again. On the other hand I don't think I can endorse the no meat thing. There is a reason why it's so delicious Sometimes I think doctors must get their salaries paid by the drug companies. I just quit taking some meds (given to me to counteract the side-effects of the other meds I'm taking). After walking around for 2 days feeling extremely lightheaded I checked my blood pressure. It was 104/60, stupid low for me, which explains how I felt.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Sept 7, 2020 15:20:13 GMT
Same happened to me. I was given pills to counteract other pills which caused my stomache to bloat and the pain ........
At it’s worst, my blood pressure was going to 90 systolic when I was passing out. I was so ill at those times, I couldn’t remember the bottom number.
Now only taking blood thinner for AF. Even half a blood pressure pill makes me feel faint. I think the weight loss has had a big impact on my pressure so the pills were in effect, becoming stronger.
I still get highs and lows as far as the pressure goes, but relaxed properly, I’m hovering around 117 to 125 mostly. At the age of 66, that’s not bad.
I’m very relieved at what the specialist said after I told him I’d stopped all drugs except the blood thinner! Any doctor I mentioned it to previously just told me off and said I was risking a heart attack (or their secretaries) but the specialist was delighted that I’d taken the initiative and tested for reactions from each one.
So really, the pills made me believe I was worse than I actually am.
Really, doctors need to advise more about diet and exercise. The 4 mile daily walk and diet has definitely brought me back and now I’m getting less AF episodes and palpatations.
Now I’m playing around with salt and potassium to see if they help the electrical system fir my heart. I may have had too little salt for a long time, which can cause irregular heartbeat. Having saud that, too much salt gives you high blood pressure!
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Post by ronzo56 on Sept 10, 2020 22:29:00 GMT
Glad to hear you are doing so much better. I had bit of a scare a couple of months ago. I keep passing out when I stood up. My systolic was 90. Had a video conference with the Dr. He thought that being retired might have caused my pressure to go lower, so he cut the dosage of my BP meds. Much better now. I occasionally will feel dizzy especially after sleeping. But feel pretty good. Can’t go for walks with all this wildfire smoke. I live in California and we are on fire up and down the State. Here’s to good health Ian!
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Sept 11, 2020 6:14:23 GMT
I saw the ‘red sky’ and smoke on the news here Ron. Looks dreadful. Really scary thinking that there are out of control fires going on close by. It looked dreadful on film.
My BP had been falling to 90 as well, which caused me to almost pass put at times.
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Post by ronzo56 on Sept 17, 2020 20:27:27 GMT
We are finally having a decent air quality day here. AQI is 56! It’s been consistently over 150 for days. And 250 or more a couple of weeks ago. We had a day about three weeks ago that was almost 500. Looked like fog. 2020 just keeps giving.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Sept 18, 2020 20:36:33 GMT
It looked terrible. I also saw the effects from a friend in USA, something like 200 miles away. He took video where he lives and the smog from the fires was there! In the UK, 200 miles is virtually up to the Midlands from the south!! I don’t think the world sees the enormity of those fires.
Also, what are the long term effects on public health? Must be terrifying to know that there is a fire going on that can’t be controlled coming towards your home. I can’t imagine it.
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Post by ronzo56 on Sept 25, 2020 21:59:44 GMT
I just crunched some quick numbers. So far in 2020 about 11.17% of the total area of England has burned in California. About 1/4 of our National Forest in California is gone. That’s unimaginable. We are fine here.
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Post by elysion on Apr 12, 2021 23:51:22 GMT
When I started reading this thread, I was a little worried after all. I am glad to hear that Ian's health problems are not as serious as they were at the beginning.
Good health is a priceless commodity. You realize that especially when your own health is not good.
Compared to others here on the forum, I am still young at 45. In recent years, I have also had to realize once or twice that I am no longer 20. Fortunately, I am so far healthy and have no serious problems. But I have become very aware that I also have to do my part for my health, so that it remains so.
In the still ongoing pandemic situation, I have drawn a lot of strength from regular, longer walks or hikes in the last few months. On weekends I usually walk together with a friend who is one of the few people I see regularly since last fall.
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