My problem with atrial fibrillation began 12 years ago. Since that time I discovered I have a sensitivity to caffeinated beverages. Heart beats would be out of rhythm for periods of a few minutes to a few hours after drinking caffeine leading up to the my arrhythmia. I am very fit for my age, I play tournament and league tennis year around. I have never experienced Afib when I was doing physical activities to stay in condition for tennis. In all the years I have been playing tennis I only experience Afib twice, the first occurrence was 4 years ago where I was hospitalized and needed to have my heart shocked back in to rhythm. I last episode Afib episode was last Sunday while I was play league tennis. Last weeks episode was very different I had wide complex tachycardia. I was experiencing very high heart rate of 210 bpm and very low blood pressure. I was shocked back into normal rhythm within minutes of my arrival at the hospital. The doctors said that the anti atrial fibrillation drug I have been taking for 4 years can stop working and can even be the cause of arrhythmia. Has anyone had similar experience to mine? I have been scheduled for a Cryo Ablation in April. What should I expect in terms afterwards?
Living with My Afib: My problem with... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Living with My Afib
Was this Flecainide induced atrial flutter? What meds are you on now?
Hi Oyster,
Yes to your first quiry, and I am still taking Eliqis 5
I only ever took one tablet of Flecainide (as pill in pocket) and that put me in to atrial flutter around 140 bpm. This reverted spontaneously to sinus rhythm after 8 hours.
Flecainide is often prescribed with a rate control drug such as a beta blocker or digoxin to prevent, or reduce the rate of, flutter.
Is that Eliquis twice daily?
The link below leads to one of the AFA many useful factsheets
heartrhythmalliance.org/res...
There is a temptation to do too much too soon after ablation, especially if you feel well and are usually very fit, like yourself. Some get away with this, as I did the first time. Some regret it. There seems to be a consensus here that many EPs do little to discourage an early return to the gym, club cycling or tennis court, which can compromise the chances of success of the procedure.
May I ask who is doing your ablation?
Flecanaide is a rhythm control drug.
It certainly is. Only a rhythm control drug could, normally, induce atrial flutter in this situation. You misread the post, easily done.
A. Singh, with premier Cardiovascular Institute in the States, Ohio.
Ah. I wondered whether your screen name suggested you were in Europe.
I only take 1 twice daily.
What your doctor said abt the pills can be very true. Ablation is a much better choice.
A-Fib is VERY common amongst the very fit athletic people.
Caused by long time stresses on the heart. Often there is very little than can be done, and this is a big problem for those who are used to energetic sports or keeping fit at the gym etc.
There are many threads on this forum on this subject.
If you cannot trace them just come back with a Private Message or a reply and I will dig out the details from my files on this subject.
Dick
That might be too pessimistic. Many athletic people are able to return to energetic sporting activity , though perhaps not so full on if they are wise, after ablation.
And, separately I think it would be wrong to say that AF is very common in superfit people. I believe only a small minority will develop AF. One could reasonably argue that those athletes who have a family history of AF, have a history of hypertension and are naturally anxious, are perhaps a subset more likely to develop AF.
I am glad you mentioned high blood pressure, mine was creeping up and a year ago my GP suggested next time I come in to the office (6 months) if my BP is still elevated he said he would prescribe medication to help control. I stepped up my fitness routine and now as of last week, at the cardiologist’s office my reading was 110/78. I thought that was rather good considering in stress of the upcoming treatment and my age, 69.
Hello to everyone.
I see mention of caffeine in the threads - and that was the very first thing that I was told to avoid when the AF started - so easy !!! We are all complex beings and are affected in different ways but I see there are common threads for us alI.
I have had AF for about ten years and was on metoprolol but this became less effective with occasional faints - so I was switched to Flecainide which promptly caused syncope with blackouts and stoppages of up to 14 seconds! (My GP said he had encountered other problems with Flecainide).
Anyway - Pacemaker installed!! and since then I have been on Bisoprolol with no problems at all apart from days when the AF was bad. However, following a TIA I have been switched from aspirin to Edoxaban and all seems well - BUT I was told to drop the Diclofenac.... and my joint and muscle pain have returned with a vengeance and is not sorted by the prescribed CoCodamol. I am anxious to know whether Diclofenac really is contra-indicated as I was told, or not; Has anyone else come upon this problem?
Hi Q, You had a rough go of it. I was advised on my visit to my cardiologist last week that the ablation technique is only 70% effective and will need to be repeated if my Afib returns. The Doctor also said if Afib keeps returning I will be a candidate for insertion of a pacemaker.
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but isn't a wide complex tachycardia from the ventricles not the atria??
I found this table in the journal Cardiovascular Medicine
Table 1: Wide-complex tachycardia.
Regular QRS complex
Monomorphic ventricular tachycardia
Origin from LV / LVOT / RV / RVOT
Supraventricular tachycardia
With aberrant conduction in bundle branch block
With aberrant conduction in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
Irregular QRS complex
Polymorphic VT, torsades des pointes
Atrial fibrillation with bundle branch block
LV = left ventricle; LVOT = left ventricular outflow tract; RV = right ventricle; RVOT = right ventricular outflow trac; VT = ventricular tachycardia
++++++++++++
I hope this helps. I’m not a doctor but to me it looks like some variants of AF and SVT (including AFL presumably) are classified as types of wide complex tachycardia.
Hello Juggs, the ER doctors thought my arrhythmia was so severe that it appeared to be V- Tachycardia. That’s what was written on my discharge papers. Thanks for your input.
Now I think many of us will be confused. You are clear about having AF. Are you saying you also have ventricular tachycardia, or rather that this was the initial assumption when you had your DC shock? Did your EP subsequently confirm the ER diagnosis of VT, rather than SVT with aberrant conduction.
It was explained to me by the ER Doctor that long term use of anti arrhythmic drug, my case Flecainide, can cause Afib.
There are arrhythmic episodes that are so violent that they can appear to be V-tachycardia. Yes, you are right it sounds implausible but that’s what it written on my Discharge paper:
Reason for hospitalization- principal problem:
-wide-complex tachycardia (HCC)
Active Problem:
Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (HCC)
There will be tests I need to undergo before the ablation procedure. This is it so far.
I will most definitely make my cardiologist explain the dichotomy on my discharge report.
In the run up to your ablation, it might be worth looking at lifestyle changes you might not have already made, which can impact AF. Can I suggest you start a new thread which would be likely to attract responses from those interested in triggers for AF, nutrition, hydration, exercise, magnesium amongst others.
Second Ablation in my four year journey with AFIB 
Does AFib always present with an irregular ventricular rhythm?
Pacemaker for AFib
WHAT ARE YOUR AFIB TRIGGERS?
Stop afib. Org
