| Name | Anon |
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| Location | Leicestershire, UK |
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| Age | 63 |
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| Diagnosed condition | Paroxsysmal atrial fibrillation |
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| Years with condition | 7 months |
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| Frequency of episodes | with infection - 6 episodes at least |
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| Duration of episodes | 12-24 hours |
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| Event preceding first AF | Appendicitis |
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| General health | Generally good. Enjoy a glass of red wine. Non-smoker. |
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| Current state | After strong palpitations and weak pulse in late October after two chest infections, am being seen by cardiologist seven weeks earlier than scheduled check-up. Had rapid heart-beat for an hour or so last night. |
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| Triggers | Fluid on lungs and round heart after operation, chest infections and possibly whisky ( one glass only! ) |
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| Preventions | Would like to know what these are! |
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| Current medications/side effects | Sotalol, thyroxine, allopurinol.
Possible effect on memory and energy levels of Sotalol?
Was put on warfarin three months after the last episode of atrial fib. It has currently not stabilised at the magic 2.5 but am hopeful. |
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| Past medications/side effects | Atenolol - well-tolerated and effective at keeping blood pressure stable, but told in hospital that there are more modern beta-blockers ( was on atenolol for 13 years. ) |
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| History of surgery | Appendectomy last year. |
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| Future plans | To keep as fit and healthy as possible, to know more about this condition and what its implications are for the future. |
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| Personal comments | Was very shocked to develop this condition two days after a successful operation. My blood pressure dropped and fluid developed in my lungs which had partially collapsed at the bottom ( basal atelectasis. ) It is a horrible feeling to be desperately short of breath when you have led an active life and tried to keep fit! I struggled with central chest and throat pain for over five weeks, had deranged liver function for two months and ECGs showed nothing until the crisis came with pleurisy and an empyema and I had to have a lung drained - nearly 500 ml of fluid was extracted.
A doctor said that I was " one step from pneumonia ". I would dearly like to have another echocardiograph to see if there is anything else going on, especially as a young relative has recently developed mitral regurgitation and my father had a mitral murmur, but even though my previous one was " unhelpful " ( owing to fluid round the heart and I was allowed to go home with that!! ) my cardiologist seems reluctant, maybe because my stress test was good? So here I am, popping pills for England, wondering what the future is, and no one will explain why I got A-Fib. |
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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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