HIGH BP WITH AF

Any input greatly appreciated.

Recently my AF burden has begun to increase and I find I'm not coping as well with it.

A couple of concerns I have are sudden runs of a very fast rate...lasting around 60 seconds to 2 minutes, accompanied by nausea and dizziness and anxiety. I did have one that went for about 5 minutes...not AF as I know it (I'm very sensitive to my episodes and know when they start and end...usually 4-12 hours in duration) Sometimes I do go into AF right after.

The other concern is my BP which increases, and a couple of times went to 240/120.. which scared me to death. It did come down over a matter of hours
I have recently had my medication changed to Verapamil 180SR x 1 daily and Flecainide ,just 25 MG x2 daily.

Questions are is it OK to wait for my BP to come down and any tips on helping it to do that?

And what might the fast runs of HR be?

I spent the day in hospital yesterday which is something I don't want to do right now...

I was to talk to my EP re an Ablation but all is on hold right now due to the virus.

Thanks for reading

Kind Regards

Joy Win



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/27/2021 08:28PM by JoyWin.

What did the Doctors at the Hospital say about the high BP?

Without a recording there's no way for us to know what the tachycardia might be, but assuming it's a regular rhythm the most likely suspect would be atrial flutter. If often goes hand in hand with AF.

The BP could be stress, but 240/120 is more than stress and isn't something you can allow to continue untreated. That's dangerously high. To repeat Anti-Fib's question: What did the doctors have to say about it? And why were you in the hospital yesterday?

Thanks for responding.

Because I was in AF and my BP was high the paramedics insisted I go to hospital. I came home same night.
The Drs didn't really seemed concerned about my BP because it slowly came back to normal, but it does concern me, I asked the Drs a couple of times, "what do I do if my BP gets that high and he said just relax and wait for it to come down, it's probably because you are anxious about your AF" I denied this saying, iI have been dealing with AF for 20 years and this BP issue just comes out of nowhere. But really no answers from them.

1. They should had cardio converted you.
2. They should had given you a Rx for Valium to lower your BP along with BP drug increase and maybe increase your low 25mg dose of Flecainide.

You risked the virus by going to the hospital. They should had done something. At least an IV of magnesium which could had converted you.

I live in Los Angeles, hotspot, where unless I was on the brink of dying, I would not go to the ER. I feel for you. My BP and PVCs/flutter/possible AF is keeping me from leading a normal life. I am breathless after gardening. I canceled my ablation for this month because I fear being at risk for the virus. Not to say Natale would even fly to California anyway. So I am living with symptoms with some evenings very symptomatic to the point I daydream of going to the ER.

So I am glad you went to the hospital. Your BP was too high. It’s been 27 days and counting I’ve been stuck at home. The homeless here are a problem. I can imagine if they break into my backyard like my neighbors they would head towards my pond and grab all my koi. The homeless shelters are a breeding zone for the virus. My neighbor lost his shoes he left out last night. We hear gunshots and helicopters all the time. Two weeks ago a guy entered a local bank and threatened the manager he would cough on him. The adjacent streets were closed off and helicopters came along with many police. Today there was a sighting of a homeless guy walking and coughing Near a market on a busy street and helicopters came. It’s like a war zone with the gunshots. No wonder your blood pressure is high! Mine is too!

I hope you feel better.

Thank you to all who replied.

Yes Susan, I was unhappy going to the ED, but I had a mask and was in a reasonably protected area, however at my age and with my conditions I really don't want to go to hospital.
I usually ride out my AF at home until it gets so bad that I just have to go to the Docs.
I'm not usually someone who panics, I think its just a sign of the times.

It is a very stressful time, even tho here in Australia we seem to be doing OK right now. Of course we are heading for a long cold Winter so things may change. We have the usual bunch of people who wont stay home and don't practice social distancing, but thank goodness they are in the minority.
We do need to go out sometimes, to buy food, or get a bit of exercise. I'm trying to walk 5 days a week just so I don't go stir crazy

Keep safe and well everyone.