After 3 month wait I went in today built myself up for my first cv came out of anaesthetic they said it worked on first go I actually cried I was so grateful wanted to kiss them all. I could actually feel difference. Then got back to ward was having a cuppa and thought ohh no I can feel it again my hearts pounding. I put Apple Watch back on popup came up stating I had af!
Had ECG done and doctor confirmed af is back.
I had thought it would have worked and eventually come back not within the hour!
Has anyone had failed cv then it’s reverted back to rythmn miraculously or am I just wishful thinking.
How long did anyone here wait for next step after failed Cardioversion? As in waiting see doctor then wait for ablation. So devastated as think I’m going to have to cancel holiday to USA as won’t get insurance whilst awaiting treatment doubt it will be sorted by February.
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Janelr
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You may not realise but things are not as bad as you think. You were able to be put back into NSR even if it was just for an hour so that means that your AF is not permanent and that an ablation may well be the answer for you. Think how bad you would feel if it hadn't worked at all and they told you there was nothing more they could do for you.
Yes there are a few steps yet to go through but there may be success in due course.
From anecdotal evidence the next step may be a second DCCV aided by amiodarone in a month or two to see if that holds for longer before going to ablation but of course we are all different and there is no solid protocol for anything AF.
Oh thanks bobd will have to read up on that with Amiodarone. The doctor did say it’s a plus that it did hold for a little bit which I think he said it shows them it’s a positive.
Ha I even asked is it because I coughed a lot in recovery he assured me it wasn’t.
Yes great advice from Bob as ever, I was devastated in March when I only lasted a few hours then back into persistent by afternoon. Now I am 4 5 months post ablation and still in NSR. They recommended Amioderone to me, but then managed to get in to an earlier ablation so bipassed needing that too.
Still getting some ectopics but starting to feel strong again now xw
It's good news it worked for a short while. I've had 3 CV's and went back into afib pretty quickly after the first two. It must be about 7 / 8 months now since the third one and I'm still in sinus. I think taking Flecainide this time has nailed it and kept afib at bay. Something to discuss with your doctor ? Certainly worth enquiring about.
Jane - it will take a few months to be referred. You need to make an appointment with your cardio to refer you for another CV. Ask him about Flecainide - you'll most likely start on a small dose for a month or so and increase it to 100 mg twice a day. When it's in your system then they spark you.
It's worked wonders for me. It might not work for everyone but there are many on this forum who are afib free years later after this combo.
Re your travel insurance, from your post I understand that you are waiting for a follow up consultation. That should not affect your insurance at all. It is only if you are put on a waiting list for a procedure that it might affect it. So, depends on wait times!
With our travel insurance, just being under the hospital with a heart condition made a difference. As we had booked and paid for the holiday, the ins.company said we could still travel but husband would not be covered for anything connected with his heart whilst we were away. On another occasion, when we tried to renew our annual holiday policy, because he was waiting for a consultation re his af, they would not even give us a quote. Always worth checking with your insurers especially as you are going to US where treatment costs are so high.
Yes, I know what you are talking about. I have spent days on the phone trying to get insurance and responding to the same questions. It is a chore but it is well worth trying all the insurers that have been mentioned on this site. Look under Search.
I'm a new afib patient. After 2 months of afib, I was able to get an appointment with cardiologist. He said I needed to go to the ER to be admitted to hospital for a few days. There I got cardioversion, echocardiogram and angiogram. He said that the cardioversion was successful, but when I saw him in 2 weeks, I was back to afib. I knew it even before I had the second appointment. But he had me make my next appointment in 2 months.
I just don't understand what's going on if afib comes back. Doctor doesn't seem that concerned maybe? But I'm still on cardizem to slow my heartbeat. It still goes up to 140 even when I'm resting.
I'm wondering what we can do, or what our outlooks are, Janelr.
I sure would love to have normality again.
By the way, my afib was started from an extremely stressful experience in the hospital when I had colitis real bad. The doctor misdiagnosed me as going through cocaine withdrawal!! I NEVER touched illegal drugs of any kind! But I guess my agony with the colitis resembled withdrawal symptoms. They never talked to me about it. They just let my lie in the bed for 3 days without pain meds, crying in agony. Then I got severe chest pains that they ignored. Cardiologist said the pain was my heart and the hospital staff did not treat it. I got hair follicle analysis to prove I was not on any illicit drug.
I just had to share this because my afib came on suddenly from the shock of so many days in pain. I'm devastated that my heart now has become enlarged - heart failure - along with afib.
Does anyone know if we can go back to normal?
Janelr, I am following your post. Thank you for starting it.
That's a real issue, Janelr. The breathlessness and tiredness really cuts into your day. My boss says the same thing as you do - that it's very important to be positive. I wish I had an answer for you regarding if we can get back to normal. From what I hear, some people do.
I'm hoping someone will respond to this post who has some good insight as to the possibility of getting back to normal.
The success of getting back to "normal" hinges on NOT getting to the persistent stage. And if one gets to the persistent stage, getting back to normal depends upon how many months one is in persistent. Generally, one should not be allowed to remain in persistent up to a year, and only 6 months for the pulmonary veins plus up to 4 rotors at the six months stage. Persistent AF beyond a year becomes very problematic to ablate.
You can tell way my Herat is thumping. Apple Watch shows it too.
Once things settle down for you, give this a try - works for a lot of folks:
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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 (this is why all doctors agree that afib gets worse as you get older). 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 (afternoon) 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??
I'm pretty sure that Afib is caused by a gland(s) - like the Pancreas or Thyroid - or an organ that, in our old age, is not working well anymore and excess sugar or dehydration is causing them to send mixed signals to the heart - for example telling the heart to beat fast and slow at the same time - which causes it to skip beats, etc. I can't prove that (and neither can my doctors), but I have a very strong suspicion that that is the root cause of our Afib problems. I am working on this with a Nutritionist and hope to get some definitive proof in a few months.
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
PS – there is a study backing up this data you can view at:
I had a failed CV last December it lasted 9 days before going back into AF but my cardiologist won’t give me another CV or ablation and has in fact discharged me on bisoparol, ramapril & digoxin for the foreseeable! I just feel abandoned lol but have to just get on with it. I hope you get more support and are able to enjoy the trip
You say cardiologist and not EP. Did you ever get to an EP? Were you told why you were not offered an ablation? So your course is now to reach permanent AF and you are agreeing?
Last December means you have been in persistent AF for a year or longer which means that you are in long standing AF. Should you go privately for an ablation, your case will be a bit complicated . Sad, sad that you were abandoned.
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