Permanent AF

Was told by my EP that I was going into permanent AF and that I would feel worse for a month before I got better. That was last November and although I have two or three episodes a week they haven’t joined up yet!!

Di

[BobD Volunteer]

Odd comment. My understanding is that AF only becomes permanent when both doctor and patient agree that no further intervention is appropriate.

[Hidden in reply to BobD]

I agreed with him. He knew I didn’t want an ablation.

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Hidden]

Each to their own. Out of interest why not?

[Hidden in reply to BobD]

75, not very good with anaesthetics. Asymptomatic once episode established.

D

[Paulbounce]

This one is a tough one to call Di.

Some say going in to permanent afib is a blessing in disguise. It`s unlikely to affect you like afib that there`s one minute and gone the next - your heart and body often adjust to permanent. However it sounds like you are not in permanent afib.

You wrote

......although I have two or three episodes a week they haven’t joined up yet.....

TBH I don`t fear permanent afib. As long as my heart is fairly healthy I`m cool with it. It`s not perfect, I know, but it won`t affect my life that much. I`ll add I don`t want to tempt fate - I`ll keep my fingers crossed about that one.

Bob wrote

......My understanding is that AF only becomes permanent when both doctor and patient agree that no further intervention is appropriate......

I totally respect your opinion Bob. However I`m not sure I totally agree. We all listen to our doctors advice - of course we do. The reason I`m not sure is because most patients take the doctors advice (myself included - most of the time) and don`t question it.

....when BOTH doctor and patient agree that no further intervention is appropriate.....

The key word here is BOTH - often it just comes from the doctor. As patients we accept what a doctor say`s. This is just my opinion of course and could be totally wrong. I think that afibbers should always look out for new treatments and never accept the full discharge route.

Enjoy your day Di and Bob.

Best,

Paul

[Hidden in reply to Paulbounce]

Maybe I misunderstood the EP when he said an option was to go into permanent Afib. He discharged me as I didn’t want an ablation and I am assuming my episodes will join up and I won’t experience the heavy beats I get at the start of an episode. My pulse is rarely over 60 normally.

Di

[Paulbounce in reply to Hidden]

Sure Di. At the end of the day your EP is best to tell you the treatment options that might be suitable for you.

Just as matter of curiosity why would you not want to have an ablation ? Some people swear by them and others don`t want to touch them. It`s likely to be a route for me at some point. I would like to wait a few years though - personally I think the success rate will be far better.

Best,

Paul

[Hidden]

I’m not very good with anaesthetics and like you I would prefer to wait a while. When I read of people on here who have had multiple ablations, why would I want to do that to my heart.

Di