How is your day going?

Thinking of you @Amberpearl, I'm glad you've got your bloods results but sorry you're feeling stressed and upset/scared.

As a cardiology patient myself in 2022-2023 (and previously worked their, only briefly/Bank work, c 12 times over the last decade), I found their knowledge and skill extremely reassuring but that doesn't really stop the fear completely when it's our heart.

It's good that your BP and pulse have normalised and very good that your other blood results are normal (kidneys, liver, thyroid and diabetic test). I hope your scan gets arranged soon and that you feel things are more stable once you start on your blood thinners too.

Take good care 🫂.

Dear @Amberpearl,

I'm sorry you feel so lonely and so stressed but AF will not cause you to drop down at any moment.

Please, I urge you to ring the AF Association today; they're on 01789 867502 (think they're in Stratford-upon-Avon). That's the Helpline number for AF patients. They're open from 0800hrs to 1730hrs Monday to Friday.

They will let you talk through your fears and concerns and they will help you.

They're closed at weekends but if you rang at weekend and left a voicemail with your name and number then someone would ring you back at weekend.

Tracey is the Patient Services Manager there who you'd probably speak to. I've rang to double check they're open today - they are and Tracey is on duty but is in a meeting from 1045 to 1230, so you'd get her before or after 1230 if you choose to ring.

I hope you do ring @Amberpearl; your stress level may be greatly reduced if you speak to someone who can really help you understand it better. Anyway, take good care and I'll just leave that information with you in case you want to use it. Very warmest of wishes ✨️ 🫂.

I do hope you'll feel up to ringing them @Amberpearl. I have no doubt at all that they'll help you. Because they want to, as doctors do too. They've not trained for 7 years plus to cause us harm.

Good luck to your friend if she believes only in homeopathic care.

If I hadn't have had antibiotics in Dec to Feb for double pnuemonia I wouldn't be here now (sepsis). So I, personally, thank God, or whoever, for our medications and the expert care we can get.

Homeopathic treatment didn't help my mum recover from two different cancers either - conventional medicine did though like surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

I have no truck with people who try to persuade others of potentially unsafe treatment and interventions: no patience with them whatsoever. OK if they want to limit what they have for themselves, they can take their chance. But complete nonsense in my humble opinion (sorry, but not sorry - I don't tend to mince my words!).

Finally, beta blockers restored my BP and pulse (which was 145 per min in Dec). And I've seen it in my nursing career (including the huge work done in evidence-based trials to get drugs approved) with very many positive outcomes including much longer lives!

Do what's right for you @Amberpearl but I'd say please, just have an open mind and seek out the right people to advise you like cardiology, your nurses, the AF charity. Lots of warmest wishes to you and 🫂.