1st time poster

[Sunny_3756]

Hi all this is my first post. Been reading your blogs for a couple of months now. I been on atenolol for hypertension for about 6 yrs. I was diagnosed with afib Nov 2018. The day it happened I had just finished cooking dinner & had felt my heart pounding really hard. Didn't want to alarm my family so after dinner I calmly asked my son in law (who's a firefighter/EMT) as they were leaving to check my pulse rate. He checked it & said my heart rate was pretty fast & I had a irregular heart beat. He asked me if I was having chest pains or feeling dizzy. I responded no. He said if I felt the same by the next morning I should get checked. After they left I decided to go to my clinic which stays open til 11 PM daily. When I got there, they took my vitals & ordered a EKG. Thought the doctor would say it was anxiety ( which I suffer from periodically). Turns out I was in afib & he immediately ordered an ambulance to take me to emergency at hospital. Never been so scared which may have added to my already frightened state. To my dismay was I hospitalized for 5 days til my heart rate came down. Was put on metoprolol & xarelto & instructed to meet with a cardiologist. Couple days later meet with cardiologist who seemed very confident that I should start with the pill in pocket approach. Changed my meds to metropolo 100 mg twice a day & diltiazem 30mg as needed. Still felt symptoms frequently & became a slave to my blood pressure monitor. Felt very depressed & at same time don't want to worry my family. A couple months later went back to same cardiologist who ordered a EKG which was NSR & asked if there's something else I could do to stop these episodes & he said my afib was the least critical. Encouraged me to seek second opinion so I did & when I got to my appointment with another cardiologist & they did a EKG I was in afib. He put me on amiodarone 200 mg & continued the diltiazem 30mg as needed. He said the amiodarone was to prime me for the cardioversion. He then scheduled me for a cardioversion a week later. On that scheduled date a echocardiogram was to be performed, thereafter would have a the cardioversion. Well when I got there though they did the EKG & I was in NSR so the cardiologist canceled both the echocardiogram & the cardioversion. Said I'm good to go. Meet with same doctor 3 weeks later & EKG showed I was in NSR. So my question is do u have to be in afib while they do the cardioversion? I still suffer from afib a 4-5 times a week. Sorry for the long read.

[BobD Volunteer]

Cardioversion (DCCV) is an elctric shock treatment to "re set" your heart and return it to normal sinus rhythm so is not appropriate if you are already in NSR. It is not a cure for AFmerely a form of treatment.

Please go to AF Association main website and read all you can to get more information on this and all other aspects of the condition,

[Sunny_3756 in reply to BobD]

Will do. Thank you.

[JaneFinn]

Hi Sunny and welcome to the forum

Bob’s already answered your question about the cardioversion and given the best advice any of us can follow when we’re starting out on our understanding of AF, which is to read up on the AFA website: heartrhythmalliance.org/afa...

Hope you find that sheds some light. It’s been a lifesaver for me, as has this forum!

I feel for you with what sounds like a rather ‘unjoined-up’ medical care so far. And the anxiety that all this heart stuff provokes- let alone trying not to worry your family.

The good news is that although it sounds like you’re going into AF several times a week, you are also converting back into normal sinus rhythm (NSR). A cardioversion is only needed when you don’t go back into rhythm.

I’m interested in what their plans for you now are? It sounds like you are too symptomatic to just carry on like this and have any quality of life. And have you now been taken off the amioderone, as it was in preparation for the cardioversion?

Personally I’d read up all I can, as Bob suggested, and then (once I’m armed with knowledge!) see the cardiologist again to discuss what next. Hopefully the second cardiologist you’ve seen is a rhythm specialist, or EP? They are the experts.

Very best wishes - and do feel free to ask anything on here x

[Sunny_3756 in reply to JaneFinn]

Hi Jane. Thank you for your reply. I live on Guam & although we have cardiologists on island we don't have a rhythm specialist or EP. Currently relying on the doctors here & thus far none have mentioned any other treatment besides PIP. During my last appt with my cardiologist I told him I was concerned with the amiodarone prescribed because of what I've read so he lowered my dose to 200mg once a day instead of twice & said to continue on it for 3 more months. Thereafter he'll reevaluate. Truth be told while on amiodarone twice a day my afib symptoms weren't as harsh. Just concerned about side effects I've read about. I have a appt this week with my GP, sure he'll order a blood test which I hope will be okay. Just hate going though my episodes. Cuz it takes days to get over it mentally. Again Jane thanks for your reply.

[wilsond in reply to Sunny_3756]

Hello Sunny,it's good news in a way that your heart resets itself back into NSR. CV is used for when it cant do it by itself.

There are other ryhthym control drugs besides amiadarone which are better for long-term use. Also maintaining good diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables,losing weight if need be,stress reduction. All help reduce our AF burden. As Bob said our leaflet is really useful to read up on.

Hope you get settled down soon xx

[Sunny_3756 in reply to wilsond]

Hi wilsond. What other rythm control drugs for long term use is recommended. Would like to read up on it & mention it at my next appt. In addition to amiodarone 200mg daily, failed to mention initially on my 1st post that the last cardiologist also prescribed Irbesartan (generic for Avapro)150 mg & Chlorthalidone 25 mg. I also take diltiazem 30 mg as needed when my hr starts racing. I went from taking 1 medication (atenolol 100 daily) to all the above. I know I need to get as much info on this condition. I so appreciate your input. Take care.

[wilsond in reply to Sunny_3756]

Hello

Rythym control for me is Flecanide,rate control is bisoprolol.I take mine as soon as I feel episodes coming on,but was originally on 100mg a day of Flec and 5 mg biso.

Many people here have been on these drugs for a long time.Some prefer to go down the Ablation route or cant take the drugs for some reason.

There are other drugs too,amiadarone seems to be prescribed as a preparation drug for interventions like cardioversion or ablation rather than a forever drug.

I think dronedarone is an alternative,but sure others will add in to your post!

Keep well

[Sunny_3756 in reply to wilsond]

Thank you for the information. So appreciated.

[Hidden]

Try this and you might be able to stop your Afib:

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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?? I also found that strenuous exercise does no good – perhaps you make yourself dehydrated?? 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

[Sunny_3756]

Thanks for the info. And yes it won't be easy but when I'm going through my episodes I'm willing to give up anything to make it stop cuz its terrifying. Been so blessed to have found this site & others who understand & share their experiences & what's worked for them. Again thank you.

Take care.

[Anita5858]

I am on Xeralto 20mg for a year now and the only side effects are that one bruises easily.

There is no antidote if one starts bleeding, so one have to be very careful. I would rather get a few bruises than a stroke because of AF.

[sleeksheep in reply to Anita5858]

I had an incision while on Xeralto and they just inject adrenaline around the wound site and the blood flow reduced quite quickly.