Hi All,
I posted here several times about my struggles with AF back in 2016/17. I managed to go 7 years symptom free but after a particularly tough year I’m now struggling with another one

I became a new Mum in March 2024 and struggled with my mental health after a particularly traumatic birth and recovery. Then, when my son was just 6 months old, my father passed away suddenly at the age of 69 due to a brain tumour. So 2024 was a challenge to say the least!

This AF started rearing its ugly head towards the end of the year and in December I was prescribed diltiazem, which worked well apart from having to put up with some occasional intense itching! My son started nursery at the beginning of this month and brought home a tummy bug which took me out - I was nearly at the end of my course of diltiazem at this stage and with the constant loose BMs that come with a bug I decided it was pretty much useless trying to keep it up for another week so I stopped and everything was ok for a week or so. Then, earlier this week, I had a bad bout of constipation and the familiar ache returned. And now this morning I’ve experienced sharp pain and blood in my BM

I’m just looking for some support really, it’s just so hard. I’m trying to hold on to the fact that I did heal before but it just feels like one thing after another at the moment. There were no doctors appointments left today but I’ll phone first thing tomorrow. Maybe they’ll prescribe another course of diltiazem. Last time I wasn’t given any cream just fybogel to keep my stools soft and it took pretty much a whole year before I was pain free. The thought of going through it again is just awful.

For info I’m 36 and live in Scotland

Sending hugs to you all