Getting back to a high level of activity after cardioversion.

[Stannard]

Hi Yan, just stumbled across these fascinating posts. For twenty years I have been a competitive cyclist in road races and trials (and the young lady who died in the London Marathon sometimes attended my spin classes at our local sports centre). My heart flipped into AF 6 years ago for no reason - my mom had it and she did no exercise and my brother has it and he does zilch exercise so in my case it must be hereditary. 6 weeks later a cardioversion cured it. I stayed on bisoprolol for a month then consulted my specialist and said I'm coming off all drugs; he said at your own risk and I picked up courage and got back to serious training building confidence all the while and competed at national comps until last year when it flipped again on bonfire night after two pints of beer ( I don't drink) encouraged by two of my sons. Cardioversion 6 weeks later and back to normal!! So overjoyed immediately took myself off bisoprolol and warfarin and it flipped back again after 7 days. Ate humble pie and had another cardioversion 3 weeks ago and am on 100mg Flecanaid twice a day plus Apixaban which I probably don't need. I still take my 6 spin classes a week mostly off the bike at Lutterworth Sports Centre while I slowly gain confidence again, plus the day job. I took the heart rate up to 60% today for 10 mins on the bike and will stay on Flecanaid for as long as they tell me and over the next few months will slowly pick up the pace on my HRM and will skip the racing season for 2017. I believe that the body will adjust to the drugs - not performance enhancing I'm afraid- and I will see how much my working heart rate has reduced ( between resting and max) I am also spooked about taking the HR up too high; but let's see how we get on. I have the utmost respect for my cardio specialist at Glenfield hospital, Alastair Sandilands- a kindred sporting spirit. Thanks for your posts keep in touch. Best regards Richard (the Spin Dr)

[Hidden]

G'day Richard the spin Dr,

Well, no surprises there then - that's what I'd thought and I'd only got to line 6 of your post. !! By line 12 I was gobsmacked, stunned ....total madness I thought.

This AF thing is a bloody mongrel, sorry you've got the genes that give you a birthright you never expected - me too - but you've just gotta respect this thing, and the drugs you're on. You aren't the only endurance athlete with it, and you ain't gonna be the last ( Australia has produced Olympic grade cyclists who have it). I've seen it somewhere where some RAF fighter pilots get it. On occasions it can kill but more likely as not you'll get a stroke especially if you stuff around with the drugs like Warfarin and Bisoprolol. (My very own personalised 'dirty drugs').

Dunno about flec - don't use the stuff but Bisoprolol is aimed at controlling the heart rate - so if you go cycling way your heart rate is gonna go up, well try too, and the Bisoprolol is gonna try and keep it down, well - something is gonna give eventually. I believe that young lady who died in the London Marathon had AF, but she might well have had other medical conditions too.

Yeah, over time your body will get used to the drugs, yep, with or without surgical intervention you will get your life back but its fair to say it just won't be like it was. I was aged 65 when diagnosed 7 years ago, been on Warfarin and Bisoprolol ever since, ( and will be on them for life) AND for the last 6 and half years I've watched my food intake as food was a trigger for sending me into AF, I'm now 72, still working driving buses 30 to 40 hours a week, still pass my annual PCV drivers medical, manage to handle passengers baggage as my work is in the tourist industry and most of that is over 15 kg., I still galavant along, up and down the Cornish South West coastal path, including serious heart pounding stuff from sea level up the rugged path at the cliffs at St. Agnes - no sweat.

My grandfather died from a series of strokes, there is nobody alive nowadays who can say whether these arose from AF. My second cousin (fathers side) had AF, I have AF and my daughter (age 34) has had AF diagnosed (she was 30 at the time) but hers was associated with her two pregnancies. Now she has stopped breeding - no more AF - yet ! She does Thai Kicking Boxing for her 'jollies' - no more AF - yet ! So, in my case there seems to be a genetic predisposition to AF. not unusual either !

I monitor things with my fitness tracker (certainly not medical grade) and it keeps me informed - at times I can push my HR up to 130 - it might be more, it might be less but that's a guide anyway - ( when diagnosed my HR was clocked at 160), and it drops back to normal (around 67 to 69 BPM) in a very short order of time. I'm not worried how accurate it is rather use it as a trend line but with the knowledge that if my raised HR doesn't recover as I would expect AND if I felt crap all at the same time then I'd give the paramedics a call. Its all about pacing your self and your heart. When I feel weary, when I feel the Bisoprolol is having too much of its wicked way with me then I relax, yeah often have an afternoon napette for an hour, just depending, might just watch cricket on a sport TV channel.

May the force be with you.

John

[Pikaia in reply to Hidden]

Great reply, lots of good advice in there. I've also added 'napette' to my lexicon

[CDreamer]

You may find this thread of interest regarding growing evidence of the effects of endurance exercise long term.

No exercise bad - extreme exercise also bad.

healthunlocked.com/afassoci...