Posting for the first time,

[Girtygirl-1]

Greetings to all. I've been reading posts for a while and finally decided to jump in with a few questions. I was officially diagnosed with Afib in April of this year. I think I probably may have had it longer, but just thought the occasional shortness of breath was due to having asthma or not training hard enough. I have been doing triathlons, but changed to the aquabike (swim and bike) as I was too short of breath to run. I swim competitively as well. I am a 70 year old female and not ready for the rocker! I still swim at this time, but have decreased biking and no running. I have a good group of cardiologists that ran tests to confirm Afib as well as Aflutter. Now I'm scheduled for a cyro ablation Jan.5 2018. I had two cardiofversions which only lasted 2 days-1week (felt great while it lasted).

Questions: what does an Afib episode feel like? Should I expect to have more than one ablation as I seem to be in Afib all the time? Even if the ablation is successful will I ever be taken off blood thinner (Eliquis)?

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas🎄

[Hidden]

Well done you! A Bruce Protocol treadmill test showed that exercise causes my heart to flip flop between fibrillation and flutter. Power output on a bike dropped 8% to 10% and running was too uncomfortable. I suspect that we long-time cardio bunnies have adapted to AF over the years and don't notice it that much. I was told by an EP that at 69 an ablation was unlikely to be successful.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Er WHAT!

Could you rephrase that perhaps John-Boy. Age as an isolated determinant of ablation success? I don't think so.

Perhaps the EP was implying that at 69 you had likely now sustained too much atrial damage from your cardio work to make it likely ablation would work.

Too much exercise is bad for some of us, me included.

Bottom line, plenty of OAPs like me will have successful ablations.

AGE PER SE IS NO BAR TO ABLATION.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

No his view was that at my age an ablation was unlikely to be successful, not because of any damage to my heart. He saw me after another EP had prescribed dronedarone that gave me pulmonary toxicity and during that period I had full body CTs, echocardiograms, multi-lead ECGs, Troponin and arterial blood tests that are part of my medical records to which the second EP had access. This was an EP who carries out many ablations but told me that he wouldn't have one himself. So no offence Badger but that is what an EP told me and I'm not going to rephrase it. If other people are happy at 70 and beyond to have ablations that's fine and if they are successful that's great.

[Hidden]

Welcome to the forum Girty

1. What does AF feel like.? Well how long is a piece of string? Many, and of course we don't know how many, are unaware. Some are highly symptomatic, breathless, chest pain, pre-syncope. Many, possibly most, experience discomfort of varying degree, dependent on psychological make up. AF engenders anxiety in some , particularly in the early days and anxiety prolongs episodes.

2 More than one ablation? Depends on the amount if any of atrial substrate, the skill of the EP and how agressive she is at the initial ablation. Also whether we are prepared to make lifestyle changes, including cutting right back on damaging endurance training.

3. Stop the AC? Definitely not if you live in the UK. In North America and particularly the United States of America I am told, possibly yes. Some say the Yanks aren't up to speed yet. I couldn't possibly comment.🙂

By the way, stop with the "blood thinner" stuff. It's doing Bob's head in!

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Hidden]

Yes there is no evidence to suggest that successful ablation removes stoke risk so here in UK and most of Europe ANTICOAGULATION is not generally stopped (unless there is a serious side reason so to do. )