Re: what to do when you feel an afib episode coming up

[Guest guest]

> Hello

> What do you do when you are in a tram, bus or somewhere public and

> you feel you are about to have an afib?

> I take Tenormin mitis daily but Tambocor only when I am in afib.

But

> what when you are outside where it isn't possible to take your meds?

> I am so afraid that will happen to me.

>

> Maura

Maura, my med, toprol, is in the form of pills, so I just take them

then and there. I can swallow them without water. My internist had

a humorous fit when I did that in her office and she went to get me a

cup of water, but, hey :-) Note that with some meds you really do

need water to avoid problems, so ask your doc about if this is okay.

[Guest guest]

> Hello

> What do you do when you are in a tram, bus or somewhere public and

> you feel you are about to have an afib?

> I take Tenormin mitis daily but Tambocor only when I am in afib.

But

> what when you are outside where it isn't possible to take your meds?

> I am so afraid that will happen to me.

>

> Maura

Maura, my med, toprol, is in the form of pills, so I just take them

then and there. I can swallow them without water. My internist had

a humorous fit when I did that in her office and she went to get me a

cup of water, but, hey :-) Note that with some meds you really do

need water to avoid problems, so ask your doc about if this is okay.

[Guest guest]

> Hello

> What do you do when you are in a tram, bus or somewhere public and

> you feel you are about to have an afib?

> I take Tenormin mitis daily but Tambocor only when I am in afib.

But

> what when you are outside where it isn't possible to take your meds?

> I am so afraid that will happen to me.

>

> Maura

p.s. If you really need water to take your meds, bottled water comes

in mini-bottles of 8 ounces that would fit in most women's purses.

[Guest guest]

> Hello

> What do you do when you are in a tram, bus or somewhere public and

> you feel you are about to have an afib?

> I take Tenormin mitis daily but Tambocor only when I am in afib.

But

> what when you are outside where it isn't possible to take your meds?

> I am so afraid that will happen to me.

>

> Maura

p.s. If you really need water to take your meds, bottled water comes

in mini-bottles of 8 ounces that would fit in most women's purses.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 7/4/2004 7:39:07 AM Pacific Daylight Time,

maura@... writes:

> What do you do when you are in a tram, bus or somewhere public and

> you feel you are about to have an afib?

> I take Tenormin mitis daily but Tambocor only when I am in afib. But

> what when you are outside where it isn't possible to take your meds?

> I am so afraid that will happen to me.

>

>

Maura,

This has happened to me countless times over my 20+ year afib career: in the

middle of public speaking, in the middle of a musical performance, taking a

hike around a lake, shopping in a crowded store, etc. I can remember on one

occasion while waiting in line in a crowded supermarket, I was feeling so dizzy

that I thought I was going to wind up on the floor at any moment. A helpful

thought occurred to me: at least there are lots of people around to help if I

collapse! I realized at that time that having afib in a public place is

probably safer than having it alone at home. Or perhaps I should say that I

should

feel more secure about having afib in a public place. I know after 20 years

of afib that it is not " unsafe. " It obviously will not kill me because here I

still am.

If you do have an afib episode in a public place or at an inconvenient time,

I would just try to stay calm in the knowledge that afib won't kill you. Then

you should try to take the Flecainide as soon as you can, perhaps when you

reach home or a convenient place. All of the meds, including Tenormin, take an

hour to an hour and a half to be effective anyway, so immediate help from meds

is not possible unless you are in a hospital and having IV infusion.

I understand the panicky feeling when an afib episode is about to start

because that was the story of my life 20 years ago when my afib began. Now I

just

go about my life as usual if afib strikes. I'm not happy, but I also no

longer panic or even feel anxious about afib. There's nothing like experiencing

20+ years of afib to make you realize that it's not a killer, that you will

survive.

Good luck,

in sinus in Seattle