Daily reminder

[6TIMES]

Hi to you all and I hope that you have a good day. My question is this. Does a day ever go by without thinking about this AF as it doesn't for me and I'm really fed up with it. You get up take the medication and that's the start of it. Just one day without thinking about it would be good. Sorry moaning over

[10gingercats]

I felt like that when it all began many years ago.Once I was diagnosed,which took some time in my case, and I was given meds.I tried to forget about it and get on with life.Sounds like I am shining my halo but that is not the intention.

[sotolol]

Hi after a while you get used to the tedious drug sorting and taking. But a small price to pay. After a while it becomes part of your life. It’s not so prominent. BUT it takes time. Cut yourself some slack and it will come at your own pace. Take care.

[Jalia]

After 27 years from my diagnosis I can assure you that your time will come 😃.....AF will always be in your life, just don't let it become your life.

[Finvola]

At the beginning I thought of little else! When Flecainide stopped my PAF episodes, I still waited with baited breath for it to start again. Gradually, though, I had whole days when I put it behind me but the tension and waiting were still there.

What helped me most was a conscious decision a few years ago that my AF will return but when it does, I’ll deal with. (I hope these are not just strong words and that I’ll be big enough to do so 😀)

[Ianc2]

I have had it for 20 years, done everything that I and the doctors can think of, had all the pills , cardioversions, mini maze and an ablation. The source of the errant signals is in a part of the heart where the wall is very thin, hard to get at and close to important nerves and arteries, with a one in three chance of going badly wrong.

I have accepted that it is not going to be addressed surgically and have addressed my lifestyle accordingly and tried to get all my known triggers out of my life, get my weight to where it should be and only drink a tiny glass of port on high days and holidays. I am retired so I have the great gift of time, which I use to plan what I an going to do next.

If it is a fine day I am out the door like a rocket and off for a good walk, with a cup of decaff half way round, and a good set of stories as I walk along. If it is a wet day, all the waterproofs go on and out I go and usually don't get very wet. If it is horrendously wet there are always cleaning and painting and 'jobs' to be done.

In the evening and weekends there are waltzes and quicksteps and foxtrots and tangoes and sambas and rhumbas to be done, before you start on the line dances and the sequence dances. All good indoor stuff. I draw the line at Zumba though.

This is probably the worst time of the year. It is dark and dismal and gloomy. But the light nights are coming, the sun returns and brings light and warmth, The daffodils and the tulips bloom . The holiday companies start bringing out their ' last minute' offers. Here we go again, another year to enjoy.

[Finvola in reply to Ianc2]

Good for you!! ❤️

[sotolol in reply to Ianc2]

Wow lanc2. That’s the life that sounds brilliant. I do that but with my daughters family dog who has been a total therapy dog to me. I wasn’t going out as I was becoming too sad. My daughter got a puppy.... why? She works and granddaughter is at school husband works. Then she said best part mum you are taking him out😩. Best kick up the derrière I could of had. So waterproofs are part of my life after pill sorting. Your daily routine sounds brilliant .... and yes WE HAVE. Been given the gift of life. Sadly my son wasn’t. Bless you. You seem a determined person after all you have been through. Still smiling too. 👍🏻

[PhyllisK in reply to Ianc2]

👍👏👏

[Steve101 in reply to Ianc2]

What a brilliant attitude you have!

[absolutepatsy]

Sadly for me the answers no, because I want to read everything daily in case a magic cure is found and I don't know about it. Feel free to have a moan, the wonderful people on this forum are only happy to listen as we all do it.

[7164]

Sadly for me 18 months into symptomatic Af it still dominates my life. What to do to stop it etc plus the monkish lifestyle 😞

I live in hope though. Drugs not working and anxiety high. Ablate or not is the question

Rod

[Ianc2 in reply to 7164]

I would ablate if I could, without a backward glance. Monkish lifestyle? One of my neighbours asked if I was getting a rebate on my house rates. "No", I said, " Why is that". "You are never bleeding here" he said.

I am getting old . I have places to go, people to see, things to do. I am going to go where I can, when I can, while I can.

I will hunt down last minute deals, special offers and late cancellations. I will keep moving, exercise regularly and get out and about no matter what the weather. You only get one life - enjoy it, embrace it and make the most of it. Live long and prosper.

[sotolol in reply to Ianc2]

Good advice

[sotolol in reply to Ianc2]

So true. My brother sister best friend of 53 years died last year a another sister year before that. I don’t want to sound rude or hurtful but I know my son would of had AF in a flash and still be alive to watch his baby then .. grow up. So yes one life - I remember in Clint Eastwood film he said .. you either get busy living or get busy dying. I’ve had enough of the latter. So embrace everyday and take the time to stand breathe and stare at all the wonders. I’ll shut the F lip up now.

[sotolol in reply to 7164]

I have that same question. 😕

[Brizzy5000]

I have been AF free for nearly 3 years now after my ablation but I can honestly say that even now AF is there in the back of my mind always after years of suffering with it, I think it will always be there but I don't fret or worry anymore

[Sfhmgusa]

I used to worry a lot Not every day but... always on important ones 🙁 I worry that af will spoil events like family get together a walks etc etc however had a long 20 hour episode on this Christmas Eve which is a big celebration in our family and I thought dammm it!! I am not going to be defined by this thing! So pressed on had a great evening ...and an early Christmas present of NSR at 3.00 am on Christmas morning. Having done this I am a bit more “ it happens .. it happens” I think my important thing is anticoagulant as long as I remember them each day it is like aircraft turbulence ..scary.. uncomfortable. But ultimately very rarely life threatening

[Kristina012]

Unfortunately, my life is all about AF. My life changed one day and never will be the same. After multiple cardioversions, cardiac arrest and an ablation, I am still on the same page. I wake up with thinking about AF and go to bed with thinking about AF. Every day!((((((

[sotolol in reply to Kristina012]

Oh Kristina012 I feel your pain. If you are the person that worries then that’s who you are. You are not wrong it’s just you.

I have no advice except don’t put should’ve and shouldn’ts on your self. May be a hobby or something to give your brain a rest. Easy to say I totally get it. You have suffered a great deal and therefore it’s there in your mind 24/7. Rant on here all you like maybe to off load may help. Go easy xx

[Louisep1958]

Not a day goes by without me thinking about it either. I have symptomatic permanent persistent lone AF. I have had 2 cardioversions. and in December 19 an ablation. I now am enjoying feeling really well and energised. The worry that I may not feel so energised in the future due to AF. stays in my daily thoughts but for now I try to live each day at a time as 9 weeks since ablation is very early days.

[7164 in reply to Louisep1958]

My fingers are crossed for you 😊

[Smokie2D]

It may always be a little voice in the back of your head. As days pass into weeks, and in my case months, years. It sometimes becomes louder and sometimes almost shuts up. This depends on how things go.

One way is to use a weekly pill tray. So once a week you prepare your pills, and reorder at need. The rest of the week it becomes routine, almost like cleaning your teeth. Its helpful because sometimes I wonder if I have done the needful. Quick check of box and my minds at ease again. Also other can check if needed

So its a choice to either listen and concentrate mostly on that and be stuck always worrying. Or its no worse than yesterday so I will get on with my day. To be truthful I don't make promises to do things. I was advised by a pal who is worse off than me to A, B, C it!.

A is stuff that I really want to do that day, B is stuff I really should do and C is everything else! A good day is if I get to the end of C. Bad day is not getting to the end of A. Take your time so that there is no rush and learn Manyana.

Sorry to preach and sound affy, ( awful) . Everyone's road is unique to them, there are similarities and we can share that.

I hope that your days become easier.

[Smokie2D in reply to Smokie2D]

In fact I just had to go to the pill box and check that I had already taken tablets! Getting dippy!

[sotolol in reply to Smokie2D]

I do that. So I’m dippy too and dopey.

[Smokie2D in reply to sotolol]

365 days, 366 this year, its easy to slip up. Slightest change of routine and if your busy...well that's my excuse!

[Morzine]

Oh of course it takes over we’ve all been you......it does get easier trust me you will get used to it I don’t now how it happens but that old saying “time is a healer“ doesn’tonly relate to bereavement, it relates to lots of life’s hiccups. This is really a hiccup in the great horizon of your life, there’s much more to life than this and time will kind of calm the constant thinking of it.

I was so glad for this forum when it hit me may 2018.....I fekt my life was over.....and I think it made me avoid any social life I had before,I remember clearly we attempted to take camper to Italy , a short trip as I live in France and I fektscared goung off to shower block alone....positively hated sitting in a pizza restaurant, I fekt in a panic.....my pulse I took umpteen times a day as well as a gadget I bought to take my pulse.

I had an ablation.....can u have one maybe? I do think that helped calm my mind.

I think also on this site you get to realize folk live normal lives, it gave me confidence knowing that.....hearing folk did long haul , made me decided to go to Australia last October.....I think less and less of it, and I think hearing in here how folk cope my mindset now is if it happens it happens, it won’t kill me, it’s unpleasant but hey ho ,it will soon be over..........having said that if my heart jumps and jitters around my fingers are straight in my pulse....it’s like an auto response !!!....

So in answer to you question......I guess it never ever truly departs your brain somewhere, but you manage to slot it into a box-in your head , store it and not worry about it........if your heart jumps and splutters a little bit, of course we all pay attention to it, but you get to know those things aren’t AFib, ......

Chin up......

Try and do stuff, the more u do and afib leaves you be, the more I feel it’s not goung to intrude,

Sue

[Hidden]

Yes it is always on my mind starting with the meds every morning along with BP reading and wondering about the low HR in the 40s.

Of course it's on my mind.

But the others here seem to have the right attitude. Go on and live life as best as you can. Try to not let it control you. For me so far it has been meds and doctor's appointments along with getting them to listen.

Good luck.

[sotolol]

I understand your hiccups. But bereavement is not one. Grief destroys your soul. Time does not heal it either. It gets worse. All time does is allow you to get used to your now new normal way of life missing all the family you once loved and still love. Af is not like that. It’s not a death sentence.

I hope you continue I. Your positive way and enjoy life. God bless.

[Thomas45]

From the first episode 25yeats ago for about 9 years my AF went untreated. From then until 4 years ago Flecainide largely kept me from going into AF. Yes, I had infrequent episodes, normally in the evening, when I could sleep AF off.

Then 4 years ago I was found to be in. Persistent AF, which I've agreed with my GP is Permanent AF. My only treatment is an anticoagulant, Warfarin being my choice.

Apart from permanent AF, I've been asthmatic for 46 years, have a benign enlarged prostate, and have lymphoedema in my lower legs, so I wear just below the knee open-toed compression socks.

I used to think about AF a lot between those years when it was erratic, that's between 17 and 15 years ago

I was reminded of AF when my heart rate went over 200 during a hospital operation to remove my appendix, after which a well-meaning hospital doctor prescribed me a beta blocker from which I had a rare side effect, exacerbation of Asta, and a very rate side effect, urticaria, which I still have 2 years later.

I don't think about AF at all,

,except those times I need to do risk assessments of planned actions., E.g. before I decided to walk 5 miles in the French countryside rather than wait 3 hours before a bus.

[SJB1234]

Yes I feel like that every day. Had my second ablation end of August last year, took amiodarone for 3 months which I was in NSR now I get AF for about 5 minutes every other day, so I now worry if the ablation has worked or not, so everyday you wake and think is AF back rearing it’s ugly head.

[Hidden]

Same with me- tend to check when last episode was and whenever I congratulate myself on being AF free for a while another episode! i'm getting better at the medication and last eisode lasted under an hour and not incredibly fast so can't have done much damage! A good excuse to take a rest!