I had second ablation last August and apart from two AF episodes in the first few months have been fine. Slowly came off all medication (except Apixaban) and been without any for a few weeks now. I fully participated in a yoga class yesterday for the first time as I had been doing 'sitting down' exercises. Almost as soon as I finished had lots of ectopics then today went into AF. It's coming and going but definitely there. Blaming all the scrunching and stretching of yoga as that always set it off before the ablation. Maybe coincidence but it's odd. Just wanted to vent really, and looking for a bit of sympathy! feeling very sorry for myself!
Return of AF feeling so down. - Atrial Fibrillati...
Return of AF feeling so down.
Written by
blackcat123
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29 Replies
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BobDVolunteer
((((( ))))) Sympathy given.
Aw, sorry you're so down. At least it's coming and going, not just coming. X
Sorry to hear that. I've just had a long swear for you, so you should feel a little better now!
Interesting that you feel the yoga class may well have set it off, perhaps no more scrunching or stretching of organs for you now!
Big hug.
Jean
That's a disappointment and a blow for you. Just when things were going so well. Maybe if you are sure it's the scrunching during yoga and you have a history of that being a trigger it may settle if you now stop.
Fingers crossed for you and sending a hug to help. So sorry you have had a resurgence and hope it was a blip. X
Thank you for the replies and sympathy! I think I was daring to believe that I might have at last been "cured"! It's the thought of trying to find some medication that will control it. I was on flecainide for 3 years and it never controlled the AF but was told "Well you might be worse without it"! (By my gp!) I doubt that very much as it only continued to get more and more frequent as time went on anyway. Oh well, the journey begins again I suppose.
Judie.
judie I have vagal AF at night time only but my heart did start to beat irregularly when I went back to swimming and started to swim on my back- it stopped as soon as I turned and swam on my front= it may be the yoga stretching has a similar pressure on the heart- just guessing!!
Rosyg hi, when you say cavalry af what is that? I get tightness around the top of my stomach just under my breasts. Also my heart does seem to race when I'm laying down at night. I had a second ablation 30th June last year and had af two weeks ago but only for 4 hours. I'm on flecainide but no beta blockers as they drop my blood pressure. Just wondered if I had vagal af as always got this tightness.
I don't think vagal AF involves tightness- think all AF could do that as breathing is affected if symptomatic- vagal AF is when the Vagal tone changes- e.g. when lying down at night, during sleep and after heavy meals. (some people try having small meals and sleeping propped up) hope you feel better soon
I find this very interesting Rosy as I have had AF for approx 5 years. It has always started during the night. Had been clear of any symptoms from Aug until just before Christmas; then things changed. Started getting flutter type symptoms during the day - put it down to Stress. Continued on and off since then, but the consequence of this is that I can't lie down (even with back of bed in quite an upright position - electric bed) so have taken to sleeping in the chair so I can keep my legs lower than my main body. This seems to work. It is not AF as doesn't last very long, and once I stand up or walk around it goes, it is not affected by exercise. Very strange compared to the AF I have expected over the years. I am on Thyroxine 100microg for underactive thyroid, Bisoprolol 10mg and Rivaroxiban (sorry about spelling) 20mg. I have also had acid reflux and last month was put on Omeprazole. That has helped a bit with rumbly tummy, which often used to set off my AF. Am due to go and see a consultant in April. Don't want anop if I can possibly help it. I live in England.
Hi,
Yes I sleep at 45degrees! If you have vagal Af you may want to discuss meds with your doctor as beta blockers are not good for vagal AF see Dr Bogle's blog ( he is consultant cardiologist, head of medical eduction- at our Trust,I have just been diagnosed with Hashimoto's (underachieve thyroid) don't need meds yet, but have had a few flutter like eps since being diagnosed this year. You could get your meds checked for that too as if too high will be factor.
P s to last reply. See if pulse is regular or not. Can’t say not AF just because short episode but may well to flutter or just tachycardia connected with thyroid. Does sound like my experience this year.
in reply to blackcat123
Flecainide doesn't work on me either, in fact it makes things slightly worse. I'd ask for a change when I was put on it. I had to try 4 different drugs before we got one worked properly.
Anyhow, hope you're AF just goes away again and it sounds like you might be best giving up the yoga, or doing it differently? Never done yoga, so can't imagine what the link is.
Flecanide/Sotilol etc., took them both amongst others over 20 years and sadly in some cases they can make our condition worse and I found that they were good for about a year and then the condition would present again, the best one I have ever had is Disopyramide, only stays in the body 12 hours, I now take 2 per day and 1. x Bisoporal 5mg and together with a pacemaker I have been A/F controlled (not cured) for 2 years and it has been heaven. I hope you can find your drug combination to keep your condition in a dormant state too.
I don't know anything about yoga but there are some position that are very bad for blood pressure something called (downward dog) if you Goole it there are a few articles on this subject maybe this could affect your AF just a thought.
Oh no, how horrible!
I really do send sympathy and empathy..
I too have suffered with AF after yoga before my ablation.
Like you I waited a good while before starting it up again and only now go to very gentle classes as I believe too the ❤️ Does not like the "scrunching" I still can't lie on either side at night either as I can feel it wanting to "kick off" !
Hope it all settles down soon.
Thinking of you
With good wishes
Sarah
I certainly know that feeling!
It may settle and I think there is something in what was said about some positions.
Have you tried the valsalva manuevre? My AF is coming and going but certainly last night it worked very quickly to put me back into NSR.
How exactly do you do the valsalva manuevre?
Exhalation against a closed airway - I use a syringe with plunger removed - blowing into a balloon or just pinching your nose would do it.
Immediately after I lie down on the floor - then get my husband to quickly raise both legs in the air and stay in that position for 2-5 mins. Then stay still. Often, not always, AF converts to NSR within 15 minutes. I then sta y sitting with legs higher than heart for about 30 mins and I then I usually recover very quickly.
There are other methods - such as putting your face into iced water - diver's response but it's usually too much bother to go get the ice - LOL.
Best wishes and don't despair.
I really sympathise. Were you doing inversions ? Have you tried Hawthorne and magnesium. Thinking of you
My AF started about the time I was doing basic yoga stretches on a daily basis. So who knows? Coincidentally, there are yoga exercises designed specifically for arrhythmia sufferers - I`ve tried them, but to no avail. It seems that once AF gets into the system, it`s there to stay, short of being fortunate enough in having an ablation that works.
The above advice is good - stop the yoga permanently and anything else that is a trigger. Unwanted lifestyle changes have to be made for many ailments - AF included. It could be worse. And there`s always the possibility of a pacemaker. (see my earlier posts) It doesn`t have to be `pace and ablate`. I have the `pace` without the `ablate` and it`s "cured" me. It`s worth looking in to.
Hello blackcat,
Poor you. Big dose of sympathy heading your way. I am in a similar position.
Maybe it might help to think you are lucky to have found a trigger and can avoid it. I am beginning to realise this can be a long journey. Most ablations concentrate on isolating the Pulmonary Veins, but research shows that with long standing AF, other areas can be targeted and second or third ablations in those cases have better success rates. So there is hope! My EP says sometimes people just "turn a corner" and improve...
If you are interested in the technicalities, this is an interesting article (2015) talking about all the areas in heart apart from PVs that can be ablated. Might be too much information...
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
Very best wishes to you you, fellow sufferer.
Thank you all once again for the sympathy and the advice. I can't begin to tell you how much it helps being able to "chat" with others who understand how you feel.
I don't know whether or not it was a coincidence that it began after the yoga but you can be sure I will avoid it from now on! I'm still hoping that even if AF has reared its ugly head again it may not be as bad as it was before the ablation. Time will tell.
Judie.
Sorry to hear this blackcat, hopefully it will pass. Speak to your EP if possible.
Demonstration of valsalva on SVT - I notice they use a syringe with plunger in it -
It is mostly effective for AF started by SVTs - which mine mostly is these days.
How do you know if the AF is caused by SVT? I'm awaiting the results of an echo and 24 hour monitor - could the doc tell from this? I have tried pinching my nose and 'pushing', with no results, but perhaps blowing through the mouth into something resistant would be better than that. Best wishes, Wendy.
Yes a doctor should be able to distinguish SVT's on an ECG.
My AF starts with Atrial Tachycardia - i.e. I feel my heart beat very fast - then go into AF.
It doesn't work for me every time but it often does.
My EP says it is more effective for Atrial Tachycardia.
Always worth a try and that is what the paramedics got me to do.
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