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I am having daily episodes regardless of what activities I'm doing etc. I often read of people having AF one a year or every few months....is daily a really bad sign? (I'm 49 with no known underlying factors.
Also aside from bloods for thyroid diabetes and anaemia, an ECG, 48 hr monitor and a heart ultrasound is there any other test I should be pushing for?
With thanks
This is about normal for many people in fact some are permanently in AF. If the treatment you have so far had does not help your symptoms then you should ask to see an electrophysiologist who is a cardiologist specialising in arrhythmias.
I am on persistent AF (ie 24/7).
Thank you for replies so far. When you say daily or even constant a-fib is not unusual, do. You mean without medication or can I expect it regardless? I'm only in my 40s-I absolutely can't go on like this.
I don't have any medicine yet - seeing cardiologist later this week.
I am on Bisoprolol and Digoxin (both for rate control) and warfarin as the Anticoagulant. Previously switched from Apixaban so as to have an ablation. I am not on any medication to control rate. In MY case my EP took me off flecainide 7 or 8 weeks after starting it since I had a cardioversion and I only lasted in NSR for just over 24 hours. He said no point taking it for no or minimal affect. Awaiting a second ablation.
hi, how long do your episodes last, do you have fast heartbeat with symptoms?
scottishmuppet I forgot to mention I found flecanide helps.
Hi captainKFF - some episodes are minutes long others several hours. Record breaker was 26 hours at the weekend but that was a one off. I have a low resting HR and the maximum I seem to reach is about 80bpm which feels fast but I know isn't really. For me the real bugger is the irregular beat and the sheer force of it - literally feel my arms shake.
I think the problem is that you haven't seen the cardiologist yet so don't know what medication or other treatment may suit you. Try and hang on in there until your appointment- have you been an athlete previously?
Hi RosyG no not an athlete just a busy ordinary sort of person - mum to twins, work pt from home. All quite unremarkable and clean living 😊
Try to avoid medication as long as you can. Some people think supplements help, such as magnesium. You will see lots of posts on this. Sometimes the vagus nerve has an influence. I have been going to a chiropractor and he uses a device called a scenar. He has adjusted my neck and back and the scenar device is supposed to impact the nerves. AF is so unpredictable it is difficult to know what helps. This is the first time this chiropractor has had a patient who wants to see if what he does can help. So I am an experiment of one. So far, I am reasonably sure it has helped me. But only time will tell what the long term impact will be. I am still having treatments. I do not take any medications for any health issues including AF. I tried medications, two and one half years ago, for AF and they made it worse. If you want more details, send me a message and I will give you more information.
Hi EngMac
I have ignored ocassional irregular heart beat for many years, meaning no meds, until the episodes became more often and prolong.went to see Cardiologist,after number of tests, Bisoprolol has been prescribed.I have taken it only as PIP, helping to return heart beat to normal. Every 6 month on my check up,Dr.was not happy with my med. "schedule ".I explained, that after taking every day, it reduced BP much ,that make me feel weak. Therefore,I still taking it as PIP. Eventually, cardiologist has agreed on it and prescribed anticouggalant as a must to prevent stroke. In order not to have arrthytmia for long, and in case Bisoprolol as PIP do not help, I am taking 25 mg. Flecidiane , that as a Amidorone that has been prescribed previously, helps to stop arythmia, but make my over all physical conditions awful. Cold, headache,weakness,depression,etc. Anyway, here is the choice .to take, or not to take.
Still, everybody have different approach , and should be tested themselves. The chiropractor's approach is very appealing and would be interesting to know the impact of scenar??
Thank you for your post
I live in Canada and here the first visit to the chiropractor is free. Over a number of appointments, he adjusted my neck and back which were out of alignment. My wife tells me my posture is much better and I no longer snore at night. I can also now turn my head left and right the correct amount whereas before I could not. Now I can often stop an AF episode if I stand up just as it starts or if I put pressure on the back of my neck. When I first started receiving the scenar treatments, if I sat in a chair the wrong way I would go into AF which would stop if I stood up. This cause of AF seems to happen much less frequently. I also seem to get AF if I don't have food in my stomach. If I eat more frequently, this seems to help; and if I eat some food before I go to bed, I have less chance of getting AF at night which was the time I would get it most frequently before. I think something has changed; but why or for how long is anybody's guess. With AF, it seems trial and error solutions are sometimes worth the effort. Maybe you should visit a chiropractor to see if this could help you. The vagus nerve impacts many organs; and if the spine is out of wack, adjusting it could be beneficial. My bother-in-law has diabetes. A chiropractor told him, if he adjusted his back, his sugar levels would be greatly improved. The chiropractor did his thing and now his sugar levels are greatly improved.
Suggest you try and get some regular, gentle aerobic exercise - a daily mile would be a great start, more if you can do it. Perhaps get a fitbit or something similar to help motivate yourself. It is your life and you must look after it. Good luck. Ian
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Long episode of AF
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