Hi, just thought I'd introduce myself. Just a week a half before I was due to go on holiday with my 3 children, husband and in-laws, I had my first ever 'episode' of AF. I was told by 111 to go to hospital (3.30am) after answering all of their strange questions. I woke up and knew straight away my heart wasnt beating properly. After about 45mins of being freaked out, woke my husband and then was told to go and get checked out at A&E. They did an ecg which showed the arrhythmia, after an hour or so of my heart racing to about 150bpm they gave me Flecainide, normality resumed and I went home. GP told me I shouldn't be going on holiday but after a cancellation appointment for an echo, which was fine, I went in holiday anyway.
Was put on Bisoprolol and apixaban but dont have an appointment with a cardiologist until the end of July.
A few questions though:
1) will I be on this medication for life??
(I'm 41 by the way with no pre existing health conditions)
2) will this 'definitely ' happen again? I feel like I'm waiting for it to!
3) can I run?
4) does anybody wear a garmin HR monitor watch? Mine shows weird HR spikes maybe once or twice a day, for no apparent reason. Wondering if these are AF or a faulty reading in my watch? I had read it can last seconds to hours/days
Sorry for the long post, just feel a bit lost. Have been given this diagnosis which I had no prior knowledge of, and it scares me! But I feel fine. I'm scared to exercise though, scared to drink alcohol and caffeine! The night it happened I hadn't had any alcohol but have had nights since where I've had say 2 bottles of beer or a glass of wine and been fine.
Sorry again for the bombardment of questions, I just feel like I have so many but no one to answer them.
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Rachylou
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Hi! I can relate, I just turned 50 and had my first bad bout with a fib 6 weeks ago.. I just today went to see an Electrophysiologist and we discussed an ablasion, I feel very confident that this is going to work, every thing else about my heart is fine.. My hr was up to 250, the scariest thing I've ever felt.. my advice is to find you an EP and take all your records and get his/hers opinion for sure, it will give you piece of mind.. this totally sucks and it's really scary but it the ablasion works you wont need any meds afterwards 😊
This simply isn't true for everybody, some find it a trigger others don't. My consultant is fine with me having caffeine and alcholol, just in his words, not 30 expressos a day!
Sorry to read of your distress, but, welcome to the club anyway.
Firstly .... and don't ever forget it ..... do keep calm and carry on.
I was 65 when mine first started, after what I considered to be a healthy and active life style. Much depends on the precise diagnosis, mine is paroxysmal AF. So you need to get onto the Atrial fib Assoc website and explore and get in your mind what all the different terminology means. No need to panic at all these fancy names unless you have to.
I prefer not to answer the questions you ask as I'm not qualified.
I have a Garmin Forerunner 35 and use it to monitor my heart rate and have the alerts set for a minimum of 50 and a maximum of 100. I do that because my HR often drops to 46 and pitches up to 100 or more (100 is the maximum recommended HR value).
My AF is seriously affected by food. I can drink alcohol (beers, wine and G & T) and coffee without any impact at all. But I have cut back seriously over time.
Food for me is the problem, not just food per se but the ingrediants, especially unidentified additives and preservatives which food manufacturers liberally toss into their product.
I very much manage my own destiny and seriously monitor my food intake. I consulted a Nutritionist originally who was a massive help. I am revisiting this course of action soon as food is beginning to kick AF off.
Looking back over the years I have stayed on my party bag of drugs, maintained a gluten free, wheat free and oats free discipline, and other offensive food to and have had only one AF event since April 2015 ... and that was in Feb 2018 sleeping on my left side. Heart tried to break out.
All that said food is now becoming a problem again and fortunately doesn't or hasn't yet kicked me into AF so its back to a Nutritionist.
Don't be scared .... do be food and alcohol and beverage aware. Consciously experiment with these things to see how it affects your heart .......... it may not. It doesn't for everyone. The link here is the Vagal Nerve, in its simplist form, it is a nerve in the central nervous system which influences/controls the heart and the digestive system. Without giving yourself the frighteners do try and follow posts on here, do try and research things (like vagal nerve) and educate yourself as much as you can, again the AFA website is a good start point. Stay with posts on here and the one thing you will learn is that this monster manifests itself in all of us in so many different ways - its a hydra-headed monster. Are you an exercise type person, running, cycling, gym work outs if so you need to get some advice, and if you haven't yet do get a referral to an Electrophysiologist (EP), a cardiac consultant who specialises in the electrical activity of the heart. I am assuming you have had an Echocardiogram ( not to be confused with an electrocardiogram).
Any cardiologist is good BUT an EP is perfect. Again the AFA website is a good place to start searching for one near you (I'm assuming you are in Britain).
May the force be with you...... on your AF journey.
I notice that you avoid oats. I didn't realise they were a potential problem, and I eat loads, so you've got me worried! Do you have any evidence I could look at?
Thing to remember is our bodies, in all their glories, appear the same, externally and internally ............. but nothing is further from the truth. In my case I started eliminating gluten, then wheat and as a natural progression I found I was not responding well to oats and oats products. It came to a head one afternoon when my neighbour insisted I have some of her oat biscuits. Hell was I ill. So I experimented with oats products and got similar reactions. I cut them out and all was well.
Not all of us will react the same way to gluten, wheat, barley or oats. We are all different. So whilst oats are now out of order for me, it is perfectly feasible that you won't be affected by them at all.
Another example of the fickleness of food and diet is that I can eat hard cheeses without an issue, soft cheeses affect me adversely and I feel quite ill.
Hope that helps you, whatever works for you at the moment, stay with it, don't change because of my reaction to oats. If you find that something doesn't work for you then seriously review it.
Glad to help out .... thing is AF is like a beast of burden and is all things to all people.
Be patient, read all you can from people who post on here and let your brain be like a sponge ... suck up the info, and never be afraid to ask questions - nobody is gonna laugh at you. I go back on here years and a couple of guys who helped me incredibly were BobD and MarkS and they are either active or lurking on here depending on their commitments.
My first and only attack of AF occurred in my 50's whilst at work and involved a night in hospital to get my rhythm back. I was put on 50mg flecainide x2 daily and haven't had another attack since and that was 11yrs ago! I get occasional ectopics but drink caffeine maybe 2/3 daily and alcohol in moderation mainly on hols and special occasions. I was told that I would be on flecainide for life and am happy to do so as it seems to be doing the trick!
Hi Rachylou, well done the first step I suggest is to learn more from searching past post tags here e.g. AF triggers such as cold fizzy non-alcoholic drinks and going to bed after a big meal. Many of us have reduced anxiety by the excellent comments of some contributors. You need to learn as much as you can before you see your cardiologist, so you have the right questions ready. I would also reduce stress, exercise, alcohol and caffeine until you feel more stable as the prime aim is to stop the AF dead - it is commonly accepted that the more AF you get the more you will get. Avoid the trap of thinking you can't change your lifestyle, it is possible and it can bring unexpected benefits! Of course you can probably go back to old routines slowly, once you feel the AF is under control. Good luck
Thanks for the replies everyone!! 🙂 this website/forum has been very informative.
It was paroxysmal AF that I was diagnosed with and it was an echocardiogram that I had. Was told by GP to make an appointment with the cardiologist, no mention of an EP, will definitely ask about that when I go. The exercise thing is important to me but i did used to do a lot of high intensity exercise which I am very wary of now, as I appear to be checking my HR constantly 😩 I went to the theatre the other night to see my daughter in a performance and sone vigorous clapping sent my HR up to 156!
Will keep reading posts on here to get myself more AF up to dat with terminology and such.
Hi and welcome. The more you know the more you will feel in control. I have been controlled with low dose flecainide and have only had 1 episode in 8 years (that was 6 years ago triggered by a viral infection)
This is a very supportive group and a lot of us try to practice mindfulness and breathing exercises ( the vagus nerve can be influenced this way)
Remember that this group includes folk who have had a rough ride and those with paroxysmal AF and doing well may not be the majority as tbey are healthy and don't need to visit.
You will learn a lot from the forum as it has many well informed and supportive people.
Many of your questions will be answered by going to the AFA Patient Resources and reading but here is my take on your questions:-
1). Perhaps. Depends upon circumstances. Firstly there are underlying causes of AF in some people such as thyroid dysfunction or diabetes so one of the first tests is to have a thyroid test which if you haven’t had already, can be done by your GP. Assuming that is all clear - you have had an echo which was clear so if you are considered to have Lone AF = AF with no known underlying cause then you will be assessed for a need to take anticoagulation which is really the only therapeutic treatment for AF and considered a prophylactic for an increased stroke risk. There is a link to a questionnaire on the AFA website which you can do for yourself. If you score 0 and = unlikely you will need anticoagulation. All other meds are to treat symptoms but some of those meds are not desirable long term so you would need to talk to your specialist cardiologist.
Many people find that making certain lifestyle changes is sufficient to prevent further episodes of AF whilst others need stronger interventions so every case is different.
2) No, can’t say it will definately happen again, but it is likely. Good idea to note what you did that day - what you ate, drank etc. Some people are able to identify triggers - the most common is stress. Manage your stress, sleep, nutrition and do moderate exercise and you may never have another. Or you could do all that and have more and more episodes. The only certainty I have learned with AF - is that there is absolutely no certaintity and what works for one , doesn’t for another.
3) Yes, many people with AF run, cycle, climb, walk, sail, ski go on holiday. Rule of thumb - keep it moderate - check your tolerances by monitoring your HR and don’t push yourself and remember that over exercise IS a stress to the body so keep it moderate. Elite athletes are far more likely to develop AF than us average folk, but they still will have a longer life prognosis.
4) It is common to have HR spikes, especially if you are prone to have AF. My HR this week ranged from 47 - 167. A more helpful, I have found, indicator is watching your HRV which will indicate how well or not you manage your stress levels.
You may find the book ‘The Haywire Heart’. Written by a cardiologist and athelete very helpful.
There are many things you can do to help yourself which you will learn for yourself but for now deal with the shock and the immediate concerns.
You are in good company here with many fellow travellers. Very best wishes CD.
Seems like you are going through the utter panic we have all had when we first learnt we have afib. Don`t worry it`s happened to the best of us heheh.
First off - afib isn`t go to kill you. You stand more chance of being struck by lighting than you do from dying from afib. I`m not saying it`s not serious but if / when you have another attack try and remember that.
Q) will I be on this medication for life??
(I'm 41 by the way with no pre existing health conditions)
A) Who knows ???? Maybe yes maybe no. However I truly believe the advances in medicine for afib are going at a rate of knots. 3 to 5 years will see a far better treatment and at 41 YOU will a part of it.
Q) will this 'definitely ' happen again? I feel like I'm waiting for it to!
A) Probably - but again who knows. However the good news is Flec put you back in rhythm before. It worked for you and might help keep the afib at bay.
Q) can I run?
A) I`m a firm believer that exercise helps afib and keeps your heart healthy (of course). Best talk to your doctor about the level of training which will be best for you.
Q) does anybody wear a garmin HR monitor watch? Mine shows weird HR spikes maybe once or twice a day, for no apparent reason. Wondering if these are AF or a faulty reading in my watch? I had read it can last seconds to hours/days
A) The Kardia monitor is recommended by many as a good way to monitor your heart. You are right about afib lasting from seconds to days. Another 'who knows'.
As for booze and coffee ? Different people have different triggers. For some having one drink kicks starts - for others a couple of beers are fine (me included). However binge drinking is highly likely to put you in afib. The latest research seems to suggest one coffee won`t have an effect. There will be triggers for everyone but these differ from person to person. If you work out what yours are try and avoid them.
The good news is at 41 there will be new (far better IMO) treatments coming up for you in the future. Research and make sure you are a part of them
Enjoy your day.
Best,
Paul
PS - just picking up on Carneuny`s point about answering your questions. He is 100% right that we are not doctors. I have tried to answer them but I`m not medically trained in anyway - my answers are just a layman`s opinion. Always check with you doc to be sure.
Wow! Thanks again for all the responses! Overwhelmed by the warm welcome 🙂
I completely understand not to take any if this as medical advice, just interested in peoples experiences and journeys.
I am in the uk also.
Was slightly unnerved by being put straight onto apixaban 🤨 but will see what the cardiologist says. Yes it was a relief that the Flecainide restored normal rhythm so I know it works!
Oh, was also told I will be able to have a 24hr ecg but not sure if that will show anything??
Taking up Paul’s point - many of us have bought our own ECG mobile device simply because you can use with a smart phone and many people with Paroxymal AF find the difficult bit is they wear these monitors and often nothing shows up. The Kardia won’t pick up everything but it is useful for picking up AF. Available on-line and Market Place sites and approved by the AFA who helped trial it.
There are other devices, but this is the one most commonly used.
Check compatibility of kardia with your phone. Someone here was going to check to see if mine (galaxy j 7 v)though not listed as compatible actually would work....still hoping to hear from him
>> as has been said the folk aren't medical experts on here. I am 52 now, had an ablation and am currently not on any drugs 4 months post operation.
2) will this 'definitely ' happen again? I feel like I'm waiting for it to!
>> it may, it may not! I saw my consultant last night to get signed off and he said it's so unpredictable that the more and longer he works in this area, the less he wants to try and predict what will happen to one person! I did start to keep a diary to try and find a trigger. In the end I decided I had no specific trigger. Coffee and alcholol maybe fine, and I certainly have no intention of becoming a monk and giving up everything I enjoy.
3) can I run?
>> Yes, IMHO and with the caveat above. Keep an eye on your HR, if it suddenly spikes high, that is a sign of A Fib and I'd personally pause and see if it drops before continuining. This article is interesting
>> Yes I do 24x7, the free Cardiogram app is useful for some deeper analysis. For me sometimes the Garmin picked up the higher HR when in AFib, other times it didn't. I ended up purchasing a Kardia device which I used in conjunction with my diary to try and spot triggers
Hi Rachylou, welcome to the club! I cannot add much to the above replies I'm still getting my head around this condition myself. My ten cents of advice dont trust your garmin watch unless you are using a chest strap monitor linked to it. Bonne chance.
Hi Rachylou , sorry that you have had to joing our club.
Personally I think that your GP was wrong about telling you not to go on holiday, I have been on holiday with my family several times whilst being in AF. For some people in permanent AF, how would they ever go on holiday?
2) will this 'definitely ' happen again? I feel like I'm waiting for it to!
Try not to worry, for some people it can be a one off event
3) can I run?
yes, but endurance athletes (runners, cyclists and fighter pilots) are prime candidates for develoing AF
4) does anybody wear a garmin HR monitor watch? Mine shows weird HR spikes maybe once or twice a day, for no apparent reason. Wondering if these are AF or a faulty reading in my watch? I had read it can last seconds to hours/days
My fitness tracker gives some silly results when I have palpitations, showing HR up to 240 bpm, so I ignore these and reach for my Kardia monitor (well, I used to, but I became obsessed with it, and for me it caused more worry) I also have short runs of SVT (super ventricular tachycardia) where my heart will race for 2 to 30 seconds with no obvious cause) As an afibber you may be like many of us that feel every bump and flutter of our heart now
Hi there and welcome. I was 41 also when my AF started, I started taking flecainide twice a day 2x50mg and still do 4 years later, though I've now reduced tablets to 1x50mg before bed. I ran the London marathon the year after I was diagnosed and took up triathlon in 2017. I still drink alcohol. I did not have an ablation and take no other medication at the moment. I appreciate that everyone is different and anything can change but for me at least I found exercise really helped me and I continue to lead a normal life. Of course I am aware of it sometimes but I listen to my body and I believe that moderation is key in controlling the symptoms. I hope that this gives you some reassurance that it's not all gloom and doom. Take care, Ian
Welcome, as you can see from all the replies, every one is different, but we all get on with it and you must too. I’m 75, having episodes 2 or 3 times a week but life is good!
So glad you went on your holiday anyway! Go girl!
Di
“A few questions though:
1) will I be on this medication for life??”
Impossible to say at this stage. Maybe you just had what is called a “lone episode” and won’t be troubled again by it. If you have PAF it may (or may not) be possible to resolve the problem with lifestyle changes. You would need to see an EP to get a more informed opinion. You will need to have an ultrasound scan of the heart if you haven’t had one already to garner more information.
“2) will this 'definitely ' happen again? I feel like I'm waiting for it to!”
Not necessarily. I had an episode at age 39 and didnt get another one until last year (I’m now 64). Whilst it isn’t possible to predict, you might get some sort of probabilistic estimate.
“3) can I run?”
Check with the GP, but in general this shouldn’t be a problem. If you are overweight, deal with that as a priority. Cut alcohol to no more than a few drinks per week- if drinking alcohol causes ectopics stop drinking completely. Eat a perfect diet. Studies show that moderate amounts of coffee are not usually a problem.
“4) does anybody wear a garmin HR monitor watch? “
Get a Kardia from Amazon (about £100). This is approved by the British Heart Foundation and many GPs.
Good luck!
• in reply to
You need an iPhone or an Android phone with the Kardia.
You've had some excellent responses from other members. All I want to say is my sister had a few AF attacks when she was in her forties, she totally ignored them and didn't go to see her GP. Refused to acknowledge it at all and would you believe after a little spate of them she had no more (now almost 60yrs old).
The mind is a very powerful thing, far more responsive to our thoughts and feelings than we ever realise! If you are waiting for another attack, well I'm sure you're heart will oblige. My advice to you is not to dwell on this one event, carry on living as you were before, but please do not eat any food, or drink that contains artificial additives (especially sweeteners). Also, If you can, cut down drastically on your sugar consumption and drink plenty of water as dehydration can trigger AF.
I've had many ablations and numerous electrical cardioversions and only wish someone had given me this advice right at the beginning. Don't go rushing off to see an EP (heart rhythm specialist) after just one attack. Some EP's (mine included) are only interested in performing ablations and you are nowhere near the stage for that.
After my first PAF attack I was totally ignorant of anything to do with the heart, but when in A&E afterwards and they wanted to prescribe beta blockers like Bisoprolol I refused to take them constantly and agreed to take them only if I had another attack. I'm very anti pills believing they can help slow our heart rhythm, but could possibly slow down other parts of our body organs too. However, we must all make our own decisions as to what we will do with regard to medication.
Now, just look at this pendulum I'm swinging in front of you. You are not going to have anymore AF attacks and you are going to eat and drink as I've advised and enjoy life as you did before. You are not going to dwell on this one off attack.
Since you are so young, you might be able to keep this at bay without medications. Try this:
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After 9 years of trying different foods and logging EVERYTHING I ate, I found sugar (and to a lesser degree, salt – i.e. dehydration) was triggering my Afib. Doctors don't want to hear this - there is no money in telling patients to eat less sugar. Each person has a different sugar threshold - and it changes as you get older, so you need to count every gram of sugar you eat every day (including natural sugars in fruits, etc.). My tolerance level was 190 grams of sugar per day 8 years ago, 85 grams a year and a half ago, and 60 grams today, so AFIB episodes are more frequent and last longer. If you keep your intake of sugar below your threshold level your AFIB will not happen again (easier said than done of course). It's not the food - it's the sugar (or salt - see below) IN the food that's causing your problems. Try it and you will see - should only take you 1 or 2 months of trial-and-error to find your threshold level. And for the record - ALL sugars are treated the same (honey, refined, agave, natural sugars in fruits, etc.). I successfully triggered AFIB by eating a bunch of plums and peaches one day just to test it out. In addition, I have noticed that moderate exercise (7-mile bike ride or 5-mile hike in the park) often puts my Afib heart back in to normal rhythm a couple hours later. Don’t know why – perhaps you burn off the excess sugars in your blood/muscles or sweat out excess salt??
Also, in addition to sugar, if you are dehydrated - this will trigger AFIB as well. It seems (but I have no proof of this) that a little uptick of salt in your blood is being treated the same as an uptick of sugar - both cause AFIB episodes. (I’m not a doctor – it may be the sugar in your muscles/organs and not in your blood, don’t know). In any case you have to keep hydrated, and not eat too much salt. The root problem is that our bodies are not processing sugar/salt properly and no doctor knows why, but the AFIB seems to be a symptom of this and not the primary problem, but medicine is not advanced enough to know the core reason that causes AFIB at this time. You can have a healthy heart and still have Afib – something inside us is triggering it when we eat too much sugar or get (even a little) dehydrated. Find out the core reason for this and you will be a millionaire and make the cover of Time Magazine! Good luck! - Rick Hyer
Hope it works out for you. If you find this works, or doesn't work, let me know. If this forum isn't available then email me at RickHyer@outlook.com. I would love to see how you do. Doctors seem to believe me, but then say "But the Afib trigger is different for everyone". Not sure if I buy that - our bodies pretty much work the same, unless medications are introduced, then who knows. - Rick Hyer.
Hello! I’m 39 and had this exact experience at Christmas. Only after returning home I began having episodes every couple of days... they would last maybe an hour or so then I’d convert back to sinus rhythm. My dose of Bisoprolol was increased a little and that seemed to help. But I find I get strange palpitations or missed beats and I can turn over in bed at night and feel a strange whooshing sensation and sort of know I’m in AF only the medications are keeping the rate lower - still feels awful sort of breathless. It’s been 6 months of this almost weekly and I’m not sure what it means for the future!
I’m fascinated by the info here posted regarding sugar. Last year I was in the keto diet and felt great. I began introducing more carbs/sugars back into my diet and that was when I experienced- now I think about it - my first af episode. It wasn’t something I could ignore, my bp was 230. I’m having so many side effects from the Bisoprolol tho right now that I would like to try reducing sugars again.
My electrophysiologist has recommended ablation but I’m unsure!
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