although i have had paf for quite a number of years aprox 10 i am interested to know what you do when you are in paf.me i just wait it out praying that it will come back to normal.i try various things like having a cold shower /sucking an icecube .i also sit and bear down really hard as though going to the toilet .in each of these instances it has worked but not on every occasion.does anyone out there go to a@e or to their doctor.i used to go to the gym which i loved but gave it up due to paf i have hadone ablation now waiting for 2nd do you feel that weight is a big issue in all of this xxxx
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Tut7iFru7i
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I can't comment on the first part of your post as my episodes only last a maximum of 4 minutes at present so I just breathe deeply and hope for the best. With regards to excess weight, I was very bluntly told by a cardiologist to lose mine as it is a risk factor. I still go to the gym but am just a bit more careful with what I do. No heavy weights and keep heart rate to a reasonable level.
I was keep going to the A&E at first but it was a waste of time, they said I should only go if I have chest pain etc. Mine was happening every 8 days and lasting for 2 days but now it is every 4 days and lasts about 36 hours. I just do what I normally do and it will go back to normal.
To my knowledge (I'm not always symptomatic and have paroxysmal AF) I have experienced 3 really bad episodes of AF. One I dealt with by taking an extra dose of bisoprolol - which I don't actually take any more - and going to bed; on the other two occasions I went to A&E and both times I was sent there in an ambulance by a medically trained person (a nurse and a GP).
I think if you have a very high Heart Rate and/or chest pains then going to A&E is wise, but even medically trained people seem to give different advice. After my last stay in hospital I was told to go to A&E if the episode lasted more than 2 hours, but other people here have been told differently.
Certainly adopting a healthy/healthier lifestyle can only be beneficial. Keeping one's weight within the recommended BMI was definitely one of the things emphasised at the AF Assoc. Patients Day in October and of course eating a more plant-based diet, daily exercise even if it's just brisk walking, cutting down on alcohol and quitting smoking are all to be recommended too.
If you feel your Vagus Nerve is playing a big part in your episodes starting, you might want to try lying on the sofa and focussing hard on a regular heartbeat recording, it worked for me in 20 minutes the last time I had an episode.
As far as A+E are concerned, apart from during my first couple of big episodes some years ago, I've never been since, as it's always very inconvenient and I'm not sure what it adds, except maybe some reassurance.
My cardiologist has said that I can wait up to 48 hours before seeking medical involvement (I think that's to do with the issues around cardioverting beyond 48 hrs). So, I come at it from that direction. Instead of making some difficult judgement about whether it's bad enough to warrant a trip, I stay at home until I get anywhere near 48hrs, which, thankfully for me for now, is never.
Given that I'm in the North, so my local hospital is miles away through loads of traffic, is chaotic and ramshackle and gives people diseases they didn't have I would only go in an emergency.
(A post on regional / postcode variations in facilities has been pending for a while...)
I've had PAF for 4 years now. The last one I had lasted 28hrs. I used to get them about every 4 weeks lasting about 5 hrs, now it's just hit and miss when I get them and anything between 30mins and 4 hrs. I splash my face with cold water, have a really cold drink, cough really vigorously but nothing moves it so I just bide my time till it decides to do one.
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76 years old with A F
apixaban and hematuria 
shortness of breath
3% Afib burden and proposed medication
