Just Diagnosed with AF - 37 male, otherwise healthy!?!

[MarkoVan]

Hello forum

Had AF for a week now - bit scared, have to wait two weeks for the echo-cardiogram but praying it clears before then - does it clear itself in most cases? I'm really not looking forward to the next two weeks!

kindest regards

mark

[fallingtopieces]

Who diagnosed you? your GP? or did you go to A&E? Have you seen a cardiologist or EP yet? and have you been given any drugs? My last PAF only lasted 90 mins so I was lucky but others on here have longer lasting AF.

Have you tried doing lots of hard coughing?- it's worth a go as it has stopped mine before. or.. taking a deep breath in, holding it with inflated chest then pushing it out slowly. Stop if you feel faint though.

Can you get hold of magnesium supplements? capsules or powder. if so, try taking a large dose, 1000mg or more, it can't do you any harm, only good, so don't worry. It have been known to revert AF back to sinus rhythm and it is often given intravenously to convert AF . It could make you rush to the loo so be at home for the few hours/next day after taking.

Pat.

[BobD Volunteer in reply to fallingtopieces]

Much as I might agree that magnesium can in some case be helpful I would stress that it is dangerous to take non prescription products without at least discussion with a doctor. There can be good reasons why you shouldn't and we lay people are not qualified to comment other than to state our own experiences..

Bob

[Hidden in reply to fallingtopieces]

Please be aware that large doses of magnesium can be harmful and could in fact cause an irregular heartbeat. Do not self medicate at this stage. Sandra

[Mamamarilyn in reply to fallingtopieces]

Supporting comments already made. High dose magnesium can be harmful....the recommended daily dose is 250mg.

[Kjporten in reply to fallingtopieces]

I agree with the advice here. Find a good cardiologist who specializes in afib. It is a progressive disease, get informed while you are young and you will live ling and healthy!

[Christo4]

Hi Mark.

Please don't be scared you will be ok what you could do is have a look around this site you will see FAQs on the right of this page we all started not knowing much, we end up learning a lot about AF info is everything.I've had the same scan as your going to have you will be fine in the mean time try and learn as much as you can.

I'm sure others will post to you.

Christo

[rosyG]

Hi Markgoater,

Sorry to hear you are having a bad time- you will get lots of experienced advice from the volunteers on here- I just wanted to say it's best not to take supplements without medical advice as they can work in different ways-

please don't worry about the AF - you will be able to get expert help and have the strength of youth on your side!!

best wishes

Rosemary

[Beancounter Volunteer]

Hi Mark and welcome

Scared is normal, we have all been there, it's the feeling of being told that there is something wrong with your heart when you assumed it would work forever.

Can I reassure you that it will pass, you are feeling at your emotional low right now, and it will get a lot better.

Read lots about AF especially the AFA website, knowledge is king and the more you know the better you will feel.

Please don't take any non prescription drugs at this stage, make sure that you liaise very closely with your doctor and Cardiologist and discuss with them anything you are thinking about. They may be useful, but then again they may not be and this is not a time to experiment if I may say.

Ask lots of questions, that's what we are here for, and we all suffer so we have been there, done it, and got the stories to prove it

You will feel better soon,

Be well

Ian

[Hidden]

Hi Mark,

So sorry to hear you have got this darn thing, we're all in the same boat - some people's AF terminates by itself and others need intervention but don't worry either way, it feels awful but you do get to the stage where you just grin and bear it when it happens. You're young and healthy and that will be a huge bonus. I hope the doctors get you back into a normal heart rhythm soon and don't be afraid to ask them about what they plan to do and what advice they would give, knowledge really helps! The AFA website, as has been said, is a really great resource and tells you loads of useful information.

Take care

Lis

[Jason1971]

Hi Mark, as lots of people state try not to worry. I know this is probably a hard thing to do at the moment, but like so many people also state you're not on your own. Check out the AFA website, as there are many good articles on there, that should give you an idea of what questions to ask when you have your appointment. My AF didn't subside until I was placed on medication and I wasn't much older than you when I first noticed I had it. There is lots of great advice on this site and from a personal point I have found lots and lots of it useful. However, as you will also read from the many posts we are all different with our AF. Some people have other medical issues as well as AF and as a consequence of these, their symptoms may differ from yours. The best and most common advice is as lots of people have stated ask to see an EP. These guys are experts in AF and will offer the best advice and guidance with your treatment.

Jason

[jeanjeannie50]

Hi Mark - Are you feeling any effects of your AF e.g. can you feel your heart racing, doing a strange beat, is it making you feel tired or do you still feel ok?

Yes, paroxysmal AF (when the heart is racing) usually clears itself, however it can return at a later date (this is what I have), but some people have a persistent erratic heart rate. So many people have this condition, some are totally unaware of what their heart is doing and other than feeling tired at times can carry on as normal. Falling to pieces has given you some good tips on procedures that may halt your AF. I would also suggest avoiding any artificial sweeteners or food additives - doing that really helped me.

Some people swear by taking magnesium to help with the condition, but as others have suggested I'm not sure a large dose is advisable right now. However if you are NOT taking any medication at all at this stage (even for other health conditions you may have) I can't see that that taking the dose as suggested on the bottle of magnesium would do any harm. I would be very cautious about taking a large dose. When I used to take magnesium regularly it made my stomach really sore, took me a while to work out what was causing the soreness and I had to stop using it.

Don't panic AF is really quite common, as you talk to other people you will probably be amazed at how many do. For instance I discovered two of my neighbours have it, also several work colleagues.

We are all here to support you, so fire away with any queries that pop into your head.

[jondeanp]

Mark,

I'm 45 now, (was 44) in December when i had an episode that got diagnosed as AF. My GP sent me to the hospital where i was monitored further and given drugs to control it. This was within 4 days of it first occurring

I was sent home the same night, but continued in persistent AF until a cardioversion last month. This went well and i'm due for a review next week to see if i can come off the drugs

My wife works at the hospital where i was treated and knew the AF specialist nurse who explained a lot to her before i was treated and before i found this website so i had some early reassurance

Try not to worry. For me it was/ is an inconvenience as i was fortunate to not have any strong symptoms that affected my normal activities although i have had to curtail my road running for the time being. That was one thing that i didn't want to push to much

[MarkoVan in reply to jondeanp]

Hi jondeanp

May I ask, did you have to go on warfarin or any blood thinners for a period before and after? I hear it's pretty nasty stuff, but a necessity.

[jondeanp in reply to MarkoVan]

Mark,

Yes I was put on warfarin. Some people are at a higher risk of getting blood clots which can lead to a stroke. I was classed as very low risk, however the warfarin was deemed a necessity prior to the cardioversion as a precaution.

The warfarin is dosed and monitored weekly to get you in the suitable range for the cardioversion. I had no issues with the drug, although apparently some do. There are newer alternative drugs that I was made aware of but I chose to try the warfarin.

The only nasty thing I found about warfarin was the limit to 2 units of alcohol on a night out, however I believe that is still probably the case on other alternatives

I'm still on warfarin 4 weeks now since my cardioversion, but I'm hoping that after my follow up review next week I can come off the drugs. Fingers crossed. The reason I'm still on warfarin is so that I can be whipped in for another cardioversion if my AF returned without going through the dosing process

[Beancounter Volunteer in reply to MarkoVan]

Hi Mark

Don't believe all you hear about warfarin, or any of the newer anti-coagulants, mostly here referred to as NOACs, it's not "nasty stuff" at all, but actually for the great majority of us,(and nearly all of us will be on one or the other) it's simply a non event.

If you are on warfarin, the only pain in the derriere is the blood testing at first until they have stabilised your dose and yes you have to give up cranberry juice but nothing else, and yes you will bruise more easily..

If you are on a NOAC then it's a daily or twice daily pill and nothing more to be honest.

Yes for a lot of us it is a necessity, AF due to the irregular beat can cause clots to form in the heart and if they break away and move around the body then stroke is the big risk, and usually the worst kind of strokes as well. However at your age, it's probably unlikely you will need to be anti-coagulated, and you can google CHADSVACS2 which is a test to check your stroke risk.

Be well, but above all be knowledgable

Ian

[hobbledehoye]

Dear Mark, first & foremost don't be frightened. Secondly, DON'T TAKE ANY MEDECINES OF ANY SORT UNLESS PRESCRIBED FOR YOU. Thirdly, when you see your doctors, have the confidence to talk it over as thoroughly as is necessary for you to clearly understand - on no account are you to feel guilty or foolish in doing so. Also, as suggested by an ex-cardiac nurse on this site, like me you may find it sometimes helpful to calm fluttering by breathing out through a closed airway (close mouth, + nostrils if necessary). Have also seen a sipped iced drink found helpful. Good luck. Like plants, the body WANTS to live, you know, not die! Best wishes.

[MarkoVan]

Wow - thank you all for your words of encouragement and advice, I'm overwhelmed with the response. My AF was confirmed by my GP and the doctors at the local hospital. Its still going on and its still uncomfortable, but I think my body is getting a bit more used to it. I've read a safe level of magnesium is 300-500 mgs so might give that a go, and I'm trying the coughing idea now. Funnily enough every sneeze I've had so far, part of me hoped it would shake things back in sync!

[rosyG]

Hi again markgoater,

Another thing worth trying is to stop all caffeine- whilst there is debate about whether it's a trigger for AF, I have found the AF has been less vigorous since cutting it out.

Also, when I had a heart scan recently, I had to stop caffeine for 24 hours before hand so they must find it has some effect

[MarkoVan in reply to rosyG]

Hi Rosy, I think Caffeine may if had a part to play. I never drink it normally but had a good few that week and a pretty strong coffee on the Saturday that it may have all started. (Combined with late nights, celebratory night out, and charity football match the next day). Coffee, booze and exercise now all off the menu.

[jondeanp in reply to MarkoVan]

Mark, I believe my AF was triggered by either caffeine, stress/ anxiety (racing to get to a friends christening), sleep deprivation or a combination of the above

Five days before my AF started I had ran 8 miles and felt quite exhausted at the end. Maybe I hadn't replenished my body sufficiently after or even before the run

I'm certainly looking forward to getting out for a run again, but will take things very easy and monitor my progress for any signs of anything unusual

[rosyG]

well done!! get as much sleep as you can too!

[fallingtopieces]

I can't believe all the hoo-ha over my suggestion of magnesium!!

However, taking in high doses is completely legitimate and well proven. There is little point in taking a low RDA dose.

Please read up on it, do your own research, just type 'Magnesium for AF' into google and you will find many professional endorsements and studies from all over the world as well as individuals with their own reports. Look at the site 'AFibbers'.

My experience is only mine but it is first hand because I actually take it, not sure about the source of other comments though.

(Harmless Milk of Magnesia, is magnesium and that used to be given to windy babies.)

I wouldn't expect anyone to blindly take magnesium or any other supplement, even probiotics, without it being their own well researched decision.

Some people will follow the, 'Ignorance is bliss', approach to their condition and blindly take what they are told and others are far happier following the, 'Knowledge is power', path, making sure they are well read and having the means to take their Heart Rate and rhythm whenever they feel the need.

Beware the icy drink though. An icy drink caused my scariest AF episode. Of course the opposite could apply to someone already in vagally stimulated AF as the ice aggravates the vagal nerve, but be careful.

Anyway, the fact that we're all still alive and commenting on here is evidence that you can live with it!

Good luck Mark.

[rosyG]

Hi falling to pieces!

I think it best to proceed with caution - for example, in A and E I was given potassium to drink when in AF as mine was seen to be low on the blood test- however, I was advised not to take a supplement on discharge as too much potassium can also cause arrhythmia. When someone has just started AF it is not a good time to be experimenting without medical advice- however, if one wants to look into these things when not under duress, and finds properly researched support for various foods/supplements etc then that's up to the individual! I know you wouldn't want to give advice which could possibly make a situation worse!

[fallingtopieces]

I'm wouldn't recommend anything to make a situation worse so don't worry.

I'm also not sure our medical profession in the UK ever does advise taking supplements yourself. It seems to happen in the USA and other countries though. That's probably why it's the American hospitals and AF websites that have all the research and cases of supplementing with magnesium. The high doses are because only a small amount is actually absorbed. When magnesium is given intravenously in hospital for AF and other heart issues it is absorbed differently.

If you're up to studying involved medical reports on the subject, there are plenty online. It's all very interesting and makes sense.