Many of you regulars will know that since my last ablation in 2008 I have been free of AF although I have had some other arrhythmias, mainly ectopics and two periods of atrial tachycardia. I know that I have represented a beacon of hope for many.
Last weekend was rather stressful for a number of reasons I will not bore you with and I admit to not feeling myself although couldn't put my finger on why.
On Monday afternoon I had my usual 1/2 hour sitting outside my wife's smoking room (summer house ) in the sunshine and being wary decided not to have my usual small glass of our delicious English wine so drank a can of 7Up straight from the fridge in the summer house (Got to keep the wine cool !) Ten minutes later I walked back to the workshop to finish a small job and bang! Heart racing dizzy, etc so back into teheoffice and trawl through the desk looking for my kardia. Miracle the battery is still good,. App is different since I changed my phone about two years ago so puzzle over that and eventually get a very ragged trace --possible AF. I bloody know that! Do usual valsalva etc and search for propafanone and pop a 150mg. !/2 hour later pop another and rate comes sdown from 170+ to a steady 120 so atrial tachycardia I think. Skittles that evening was ingeresting but we won outrmatch and I had one of my highest scores probably becauase I didn't care.
Rode it out through Tuesday which went ok and by now taking 150 mg Prop three times a day. and steady at 120 bpm +/- 5. Wednesday morning e mailed my EP in London and phoned GP to get ecg done which we e mailed to London confirmed A Tach . kardia unclassified. EP asks if I want him to ablate it and agree ., wating list four to six months. In the mean time arrhythmia appears to have degenerated to AF but kardia only says possible. Feel pretty bad as you will all know and slightly miffed that after all this time the beast has returned. Knowledge is power but heck it doesn't always help.
Seeing my Bowen man at lunchtime for my back and maybe he can calm the vagus nerve but if not I think hospital may loom.
Now again some may recall that early last year I was AWOL for a couple of weeks and didn't ever say why. That was because what happened to me was so rare that even Prof Camm has never seen it in 50 years despite it being in the text books. When they caradioverted me for A tach back then I went into something called PEA or pulseless electrical activity. In other words the ECG machine shows all is well but the heart muscle is not responding.,so there is no output. It ust have been a real "Oh sh*t " moment for those present but three and a half minutes of rib cracking CPR and direct adrenaline injections brought me back from the brink. The next few weeks were painful and boring as they went through loads of tests trying to find why it happened but my own theory was dehydration. I had been in a hot MAU for 24 hours and nil by mouth for about eight when they took me down for the CV and I was already a bit light headed. You can see therefore that I am now in something of a quandry as my pervious solutionsare not so attractive. I stress that PEA is VERY VERY rare but you do sign for it on your consent form and remember you are in hospital so the best place. I suspect it would be my fate if it happened again but right now I am a little pre-occupied so if I am not my usual helpful self please accept my appologies. Normal service will resume as soon as possible.
Bob
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Oh Bob, my first reaction was b*##@r that! After so long, it must have been a ‘quare gunk’ - as we say in NI - after so many good years. I’m really sorry to read that you are dealing with the beast again.
It sounds as if you have a good team looking after you - any chance of a cancellation to get treated more quickly? Well done for going ahead with your hobby in the face of this devil of a condition - you won - in more ways than one.
I hope this is a temporary set back and another procedure can help you.
In your position I would think about the AF free years you have experienced since your previous ablation and tell yourself that is something you may not have had.
Wishing you well...
Now’s the time to follow your own advice and take it easy until you get back to normal. All the best Bob.....
S*ds law I am knee deep in engines at present FJ so time for my boys to repay some of my investment in them by stepping up to the plate. They think I do it deliberately as last time the Skyline engine needed rebuilding I was in hospital and they had to do it themselves with loads of texts and phone calls for advice.
It always happens at the most inconvenient time doesn’t it Bob, my last trip to resus was exactly 4 hours after picking up the keys to our new house, and just as I started packing up the kitchen cupboards.
Was kept in hospital for 5 days, (heart failure they said) but in that time my sister in law and daughter in law finished the packing, so not all bad!
Hope you are feeling better soon, we miss your words of wisdom when you are not around.
Oh Bob what a stress for you, so sorry you are going through this. Lean on us now as we have leant on you. The medics will get you back on track without a doubt. Hang in there and take good care, no bothering about others for a while please. Best wishes and hugs x
....sorry to hear that Jean reading about yours and Bobs latest experiences gives me more incentive to stick rigidly to my new lifestyle it the hope of subduing P-AF .
(get thee behind me that 3 year old bottle of wine lurking in the garage and the lovely cake I have made for my grandchildren)
We are all having typical AF/AT episodes where we get lulled in a false sense of security only for the ba@t@rd to creep up on us.
For the past 4 or 5 days I haven’t even had ectopics. Then yesterday afternoon, bang of it goes again. Then it is mind games until the welcome equally unexpected NSR returns.
So, not to be left out, you've joined myself and Bob!
What is it with this time of year? Last Oct/Nov my heart kicked off just the same, after behaving all summer! Have you reverted to sinus yet? Hope you're soon well again. Keep in touch.
Yes Jean fortunately I reverted to sinus later yesterday evening.
Although I have now had about 4 episodes since my last ablation they have all been relatively short lived although it never feels like that at the time. PIP has worked each time but try as I might to be positive I still go into panic mode and get the bad mental feelings each time.
Chinese medicine recognises change of season as a large factor in health. Western medicine does not. We are animals. Declining light levels and changes in temperatures are bound to affect us . I always feel worse in autumn and again in spring. Hope you get better soon.
That's interesting and something I've never thought about before. I wonder if there's a way we can get around that. Will be googling to see what I can find.
Remember my EP told me exactly the same thing 5 years ago.
About 18 months later, following one of my many cardioversions, the then new top dog at the hospital in arrhythmia management suggested all was not lost and that it was worth revisiting my treatment plan
He then started the second phase of my ablation journey which whilst not stopping the episodes completely has resulted in a significant reduction of my AF attacks.
With new technology maybe, depending on your particular complications, it is worth being referred again.
I can’t help thinking that maybe you are affected by the post code lottery of NHS treatment.
Oh poop. So sorry you are in the throes again. I think this time of year seems to drag many people into a vulnerable state healthwise. Do hope things settle very soon. Your posts are always thoughtful and insightful. Thank you
Oh dear, I can see why you are 😰, never mind 'not your usual self'. I am wondering if, considering your previous drama, they might not fit a pacemaker/ICD first? I was told I could still have an ablation with a pacemaker. Whatever, I wish you all the best with your treatment and big hug to Mrs Bob, I've been in a similar situation - all turned out well for us but horrible while it lasted.
Hi BobD I am so sorry to hear you are ill again. I wish you a very speedy recovery and hope they get you sorted out sooner rather than later. Best of luck. Laura
Oh Bob, even in this present challenge you are still educating me! I never understood PEA till now and that is a pretty frightening and rough thing to go through- but you went through it and triumphed. I do hope you don’t have to go through that sort of thing again. I am very sorry this rhythm issue is making a fuss right now and trying to kick up again. I wonder a few things: Was your rhythm possibly acting out before you noticed? Would the wine have helped to keep it at bay? Can you just go on in to the hospital now to calm my nerves about this? (Maybe they will jump your ablation date up). Will the back rubbings help? From your postings, I know you to be tough, realistic and resourceful but it’s also ok to 🤬. You will get through this and you will definitely be ok. You have a lot of teaching, education, and supporting left to do. Thank you for “coming clean” - following with healing hugs and keen interest.
Bob,you will bevin my thoughtsand hope you are back on track soon.I may not be able to follow forum this weekend as going away but will keep sending positive thoughts.You are an inspiration to many of us,and I really appreciate your honesty and support.
Get wellsoon xxx
Well Bob, what can I say? Just so sorry that the Beast has returned after all this time.
Re your last DCCV, I certainly think that dehydration has alot to answer for. In the past I have often been NBM for a prolonged period to the extent thst I've had blistered lips and felt v.dizzy prior to CV. Indeed after one of mine CPR was briefly started....nothing like yours though! Just a sore rib cage.( I wondered why I had a full team around my bed when I came to ??)
We may well be having our next ablations at the same time.....mine is due 4/6 months time. We will be able to compare notes 😁
So sorry to hear all this, Bob. You are indeed the 'main man' on here. I know that I wouldn't be half as positive, if it were not for all your support and chilled advice. Best wishes to you for a quick return to 'our normal'.
So sorry to hear of your' relapse', Bob, and really hope you'll be back in NSR very soon, if you aren't already. Your post is a timely reminder to never take being AF-free for granted, no matter how long it's been.
Do you mind me asking, did you have the Propafenone to hand after being prescribed it when you had the previous episodes of atrial tachycardia recently or did you keep it for a 'just in case' situation? I only ask as I took all my unused meds up to my local pharmacy to dispose of a few months back and I'm now wondering whether I should have held on to them for a while longer (until they were out of date).
Anyway, I wish you all the very best for the best possible outcome and thank you again for all the help and support you've given to all of us over the years, it's your turn now to be on the receiving end and take it easy for the time being. Best wishes, Kate x
All the very best to you. I avidly read everything you post on the forum so hope you will be back to your usual informative and helpful self really really soon! Good luck!
You always give good, sound, practical and sensible advice so i guess you are well placed to know how to deal with this setback. I wish you well and hope normal (ish) service is resumed soon.
So sorry to hear this Bob. You are such a legend around here. I can’t help but think AF is like Hotel California- “you can check out any time you like but you can never leave”. Sending big hugs your way xx
So sorry to hear of your recent problems Bob & after all this time the beast has returned. As you always say AF is such a mongrel condition & can return at any time.
You are so inspirational & your advice is always one of the best, whilst your sense of humour lightens the day when we are feeling scared!
Anyway now it’s time for you to sit back, take it easy & let everyone one else look after & cheer you up 😉.
We are here for you too if you want to let off steam, as we AF’ers know exactly how you are feeling.
I'm so sorry to hear that you've been experiencing those symptoms Bob, it's so horrible to feel unwell & concerning too. I hope that you & your EP will have this resolved as soon as possible for you. Until then take plenty of rest.
I feel so much for you it must have been such a shock to be sort of back at square one.
As you know I was rather cocky after my last ablation only to find that the beast keeps rearing it’s ugly head every now and then. The latest relativity short episode being yesterday evening after a brisk walk. Not so much of the brisk maybe next time.
You have always been a beacon of positivity on this forum and I am confident that you will be getting swamped with good wishes vibs as other regulars read your tale of woe.
What a bummer Bob. We always say how heart issues can affect absolutely anyone at any time. I guess this just illustrates the point. I hope you feel better soon.
Darling Bob so disappointed to hear this....Keep strong Cx
Sorry to hear your news - hope things settle soon. Regarding soda, I did read an article some time ago that even soda in toothpaste can cause HR to increase - I was using arm and hammer at the time which is high in soda, so stopped using that.
Thank you for sharing BobD. I hope that by writing it all down you will feel a little better. You are now a rare jem! so keep letting us know how you are getting on and hope you will soon return to 'normal'.
This rogue is really a BEAST lying in wait all the time ready to strike. Positive thoughts to you both Bob & Jean may you both improve & be back in that wonderful NSR that we all love 😋
Thanks for sharing the details. I always wonder if ectopics always lead to AF sooner or kater. I have never heard of a PEA, odds of it happening again must be slim. Lightening and all that. Keep us posted and virtual warm hug.
You are such a dedicated member in this forum ,thank you for all your help
I just want to mention in relation to the prprafenon that if it didnt brink the heart back to s r after the third dose no point to take more ,I developed second and third degree heart block as a result of taking prorafenone and my heart stopped for few seconds but thankGod i was in the hospital on heart monitor
Get well soon and will be looking forward to see your useful posts
Oh shit BoB I thought you were the beacon of light as far as ablation was concerned and that it is indeed a cure at least for some
I wish you a quick recovery back to normal as AF will allow
It sort of reinforces the report John MandrolaMD did some time back that life changes and putting a pair of training shoes on for light exercise and keeping weight down
Is indeed the best course of action to manage
AF in the long term rather than the big hammer treatment
Just my thoughts
You had 8 years free of AF which is huge so clearly worked for you
Sorry to hear your news - hopefully your EP can help or it settles down on its own.
Bob, can't believe it, and you only gave me your advice the other day. I'm so sorry I bothered you. You are our steady calm voice of reason and I sincerely hope you get sorted out, again. Do please let us know how you get on. Debbie. x
Very best wishes Bob.You are such a dependable source of well informed and balanced help and advice to this group., and I hope will receive all the help and advice you need from others at this time. Kind regards to your family too. Be well x
Just leaving my best wishes for an AF free future for you again sometime soon Bob. Skittles aside I reckon the number of responses to your post must put you in the Guiness Book of Records. Shows how much you are appreciated by us all.
Sorry to hear this Bob. You are such an inspiration to the forum hope this can be resolved soon
This must have come as a nasty surprise after being free of AF for so long. At least you had the expertise to do all the right things and get the ball rolling. Hopefully all this will get sorted out as soon as possible. In the meanwhile take it easy.
There's a top bloke who posts regularly on here, and is respected by so many of us for his sensible and pragmatic advice, and humour, and race car snippets.
He often mentions 'chardonnay', just saying..
Hope you are quickly back to the best 'normal' that you can be.
Look after yourself. And you, too, Jeannie, another calming voice to many who find this forum indispensable.
What a pain in the proverbial. Re previous rare complication. At least if/ when any further intervention the team will be ready for your idiosyncrasies!! They will no doubt be aware of your dehydration theory ( I blame it for many of life's issues and drink a lot) and take steps accordingly.
Taking your own advice is incredibly hard but I think you of all people may be able to.
Thinking of you as your common sense approach helps so many.
Good luck Bob. Keep us posted if you can. You are so helpful on this site we need you to stay well😉x
Oh Bob that all sounds very scary for you. Take care wish you much better soon. Sue x
I can’t begin to tell you how amazingly helpful I have found all of your advice. When I first found the site, it was your commonsense replies to others which made me take a deep breath, say ‘ok Pat, this is a nuisance, but of itself will not kill you’. I’ve started losing weight, got lots of tools in my armoury for dealing with ectopic etc, know what I need to do if I get further attacks and have read many interesting articles, largely thanks to you. You are always there for us and I believe I speak for many when I say that we want to be there for you and wish you all the best.
Thanks for enlightening me and peeling the scariness away.
How good and brave and stoical of you not to burden others and to take your role on this group so seriously. Very thoughtful but you too deserve support. I’m sure this blip will pass and you’ll be back to sipping wine again in the sunshine. The body is a very finely tuned beast isn’t it but with hugecapacity to heal itself. Thoughts and prayers with you
What a pain in the a**e, I hope things settle down for both you and Jean as you are our leading lights on this forum.
I remember my EP saying he estimated 10 years AF free if everything went well, so it's been 10years since your last ablation, hmm seems he could be right.
Oh Bob: It's the 7UP. It'll get you everytime! I like having you around Bob afterall, you were my 1st (and I say that with the utmost respect to the Mrs.) Take care of you Bob and it sounds like you're in the best of care. All the best.
As a relative newbie to the group I already understand the impact and importance you have to all of us. Your knowledge, patience and kindness is appreciated and I can only hope your setback is short, recovery is swift and that you are back st the helm very soon. All positive thoughts being sent your way.
Oh Bob, I feel for you. Take it very very easy and don’t be tempted to do more than you should. If you are very lucky it may pop back into rhythm like mine did. It’s so frustrating especially when you thought you had kicked it into touch. Your in good hands, all the best to you. By the way I experimented with a glass of wine when I was in Atrial Tachycardia and it made no difference at all but we are all different.
Didn't realise that the cessation effects of English wine were so severe. Ah well, give it time. Unfortunately you may have to miss the Xmas shopping experience.
Oh goodness I'm sorry you are going through this again. In many ways you have been our saviour on this forum so let's hope we can help and encourage you in all ways we can now it is our turn. Good luck and feel well soon.
Hi BobD, so sorry to hear you have been feeling so poorly and I hope you are on the mend. You are alway here to help us, take care and wish you a speedy recovery.
I hear you are on a waiting list for an ablation. Clearly you have limited knowledge about what this can involve, so I thought you might like to read a couple of factsheets about preparing and recovering from an ablation.
If you think you need any further help or advice, please don’t hesitate to get back in touch. As you can see, there are 1 or 2 folk in the forum who have a modicum of interest in your wellbeing.......
The first one is pretty good but the second one is crap, but you still might find some interesting tips! Perhaps you would be good enough to keep us abreast of your progress.
Can I also respectively suggest that it might not be a good idea to resort to expletives should you decide to respond to this post.
Good to meet another Lazarus! I had a myocardial infarction in 2014 in the clinical room at work and subsequently had a cardiac arrest and was apnoeic and pulseless for 10 minutes confirmed by paramedics and a cardiac monitor. (Mine was not PEA)
PEA is a fascinating phenomenon that used to be called Electro-mechanical Disassociation. There can be a completely normal ECG and heart trace but a very dead patient. There have been cases reported where this has persisted for two hours plus. As I'm sure you know this is why an ECG is not part of brain death criteria!
Oh bless you Bob. You can see by the amount of replies that we see you as the AF Guru and we will all be taken aback by your news.
This mongrel illness certainly takes no prisoners but I am sure that if anyone can come back stronger, it will be you.
Do you think the drink triggered the AF. I must admit that I do check all soft drinks for hidden caffeine and have found Fever Tree Ginger Beer to be ok for me.
Sending lots of love to all of us with this condition.
After going into fast AF at precisely 9.45pm yesterday, I can now add another thing to my List of Triggers... tribal dancing while singing a Zimbabwe song in the choir. No more tribal dancing for me. I'm genuinely gutted that the choir leader has forbidden me to join in with any choreographed songs and I'll have to sit down on a chair while everyone else is having fun with the rocknroll/hulahula/Greek dancing etc.
Oh Bob my Af hero so sorry to hear this and so pleased you have shared this situation. What a trial and we are always disappointed to say the least when we have a few blips. I never take it for granted and thankful for every day that the beast is tamed and we are allowed to carry on and feel normal. You are such a positive light and the Oracle so good to us all reassuring and kind. So I am sending all good wishes and please continue to update us as we want to know how you are....sharing is caring. Need you back asap but in the meantime you come first and get back on your feet. Sending a virtual hug regards Chris x
Even though I’ve only been around these boards for a short time, I already know that you are always there to lend a helping hand. I believe this is a temporary setback and I’m wishing you a speedy recovery in no time flat !!!
Dear Bob - clearly we'll be hanging close to hear updates; hoping that the best possible outcome may arise for you. And in the meantime, feel the support of this community that you yourself have inspired! Susan Marie from Ojai
Just re read my response to you earlier today regarding PEA. Very rudely, I completely failed to wish you all the best for your pending ablation, I'm sorry the black dog has reared its ugly head again but you'll beat it again too. PEA is incredibly rare as you say. What a story to dine out on though!
Have been too busy for the forum recently but heard you had back-tracked from Flapjack- very sorry to hear what happened and also about the episode when being CV I do hope you are in NSR now but ,if not, that it is just a small area that needs touching up- very likely as you know.
Look after yourself and let us know how you are please
Wishing you all the best, thank you for always offering such informative, helpful advice. Hopefully it will be a minor ‘blip’ and you will be AF free again soon. Best wishes.
As you know, I’ve had the icy drink effect too. For a long while afterwards I was very wary drinking anything cold but I’ve become a bit complacent of late. Your situation has just given my complacency a kick Up the backside.
Just read this - makes some of our stories rather insignificant, Bob. Please look after yourself and fingers crossed that everything will be sorted out very soon. You are 'the main man' on this forum and sometimes I think it must be almost a full-time job. I hope that all these replies (including mine!) demonstrate just how appreciated you are.
Hope to hear all is well for you soon. All these comments just go to show how highly we think of you. Your words of wisdom certainly have helped me in the past.
I am so sorry you are going through this Bob. You were a great help to me when I had so many problems post ablation last year and thank you again for that. Although my own heart is now miles better than it was - no comparison - it is still not ‘normal’ and I drop in and out of AFib fairly frequently but the ectopic have pretty well gone. I am so grateful to have had the ablation done and for all the support I have received AFib can make one feel a bit anxious which I suppose has to be normal because the body knows something is not quite right. They are so good nowadays at dealing with things and I am sure that now they will be even better than they were when you first had your procedures done. Techniques are improving all the time. Good luck and thank you.
We all need to know that beacon of hope is there to grab on to especially during the darkest hours of the beast that is AF so hurry back Bob in good health. We need you're calming influence us newbies 👍
Be better soon Bob. I always look for your kind words and wisdom when I go on this site. Sending warm thoughts to Jeanie and Pete as well. And Thank You from all of us across the pond. We need you!!!
Jeannie and Pete, my thoughts go out to you aswell as to Bob. We AFers really do have to learn to live in the present moment and to appreciate the good times. Just as long as we dont get stuck in an AF moment of course!
I really hope you both have access to expert advice and that you feel looked after. X
Sorry to hear Bob. Keep the faith! Jeannie and Pete too. Agree strongly about the seasonal thing. 20 years and 50 episodes of PAF here and still never an episode in July, Aug or Sept - mainly Sept to Nov and Mar - April - fingers crossed at mo!
I'm relatively new to this forum (and to this beastly AF) but already I have read many of the wonderful contributions emanating from Bob's keyboard. Get well soon, cobber! (Actually, Australians never really say "cobber" but the sentiment is the same). Your knowledge and writing are an inspiration.
Oh, crap on a stick.
So sorry to hear this Bob, but at least you have open lines of communication with your EP, and steps are being taken to get you sorted.
Sorry to hear of your scare. Hopefully all will be well soon. Thanks for telling us all in detail. I am sure it will be very educational for some of us and thanks for all your help in the past. Wishing you well. Sigrid
Hi Bob. Sorry to hear this. It was the first post I saw on rejoining the site, so I was disappointed to read of your situation.
I rejoined just to apologise to you. I was very unpleasant to you some time ago, and subsequently left the site. I realise that this was unkind and unnecessary and I hope you were not upset by it. Please accept my apology.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
I am so upset for you. 
Rivaroxaban and teeth cleaning
It's 3.30am!!! A dark time (literally) 
