A recent post has made me wonder how much living an exercise driven “healthy lifestyle” v someone living your average existence, still eating what they want, drinking coffee, alcohol, smoking etc and how this affects af.
I’m especially interested to hear from people who’ve had an ablation and how they feel their lifestyle has effected their recovery and need for a second or third ablation.
The intention of this post is not to judge anyone or say which is right or wrong. Just purely to get peoples opinions on how they feel lifestyle effects Af and in particular ablation recovery and subsequent need of a 2nd or 3rd.
Thanks guys 👍
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Elli86
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Well, I guess I was living a healthy lifestyle when I had AF. I didn't drink coffee or alcohol but lots of tea, ordinary in the morning, decaff in the afternoon. Not a lot of exercise but normal pottering with the occasional trip into town. No supplements apart from the D and B vitamins I got from Tesco. Have never smoked. I didn't eat ready meals, just mostly frozen chicken and peas, 2 pints of milk a day, Ryvita multi grain, very little sugar or Flora margarine, almonds, oranges and bananas . And I took anti-coagulants, 1.25 mg bisoprolol nothing else. That didn't stop me spending 60 hours a week with AFib
Since the ablation I am still eating and drinking the same things plus brazil nuts, walnuts and peanuts but have added more Vit D and magnesium, Omega3, Vit C with Zinc. Are they doing me any good, I have no idea! I have had no more AF at all.
What could I have done to stop the AF before? I don't honestly think that anything would have helped. It stopped and started like clockwork and I had no idea why.
Thanks for your contribution. I totally agree it’s incredibly hard to get to the bottom of what’s causing any one particular persons af, however I do think that you can do many things to put yourself in the best position to give it the boot and hopefully keep it there. As I said to buff this mindset is compounded in the book the afib cure. Have you read it? They suggest being incredibly strict with yourself as well and keeping on top of all your bio markers so you know where you need to tweak in future. I personally feel this is the right approach and am curious to see how many people agree and if anyone has found success using this method.
You should read the book the afib cure physalis it explains it in better detail than I ever could. I’m pretty sure someone posted the page on here at some point however I can’t remember who it was. If you search for bio markers in the search bar it should come up 👍
"Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice and an important contributor to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality." So much for ablation is just for quality of life!
I'm not sure how the ordinary person is going to get access to these biomarkers
They’re just blood tests physalis. Most of them are standard ones you would have done during a routine blood test but some you have to ask for specifically. You may not be able to keep track of everyone they suggest but as many as possible is ideal 👍
I'm afraid I disagree with that idea. Diet is a bandwagon in my opinion. Every chronic disease has a fanbase advocating some sort of uber strict dietary protocol. They are all still mostly sick. Just miserable too because they can't eat good enjoyable food.
I am hypothyroid as well as in persistent AF. When I first got AF I was slim, active all the time, fit and eating a good home cooked mostly organic diet. When my AF started it would be very violent and last for 18-24hrs or so. I never went to the hospital. GP said there was no point. So I decided to try to fix it myself. I read about it and cut down on caffeine by only drinking decaf (steam process not chemical), being strict with diet, cutting down this and that. Going low carb. Cutting out commercial shampoos and conditioners, deodorants, anything that might increase the chemical load. Still that AF came out of nowhere when it felt like it. I continued to exercise as before, which was almost every day.
Then as menopause starting to approach, it showed my thyroid to be struggling (although I'm sure it was for a while before but I managed to keep going). From that point on I lost all energy. It's impossible to exercise or even walk much due to the incredible pain in my feet and legs. I'm now fat and miserable and eating a much worse diet for comfort. I take all the thyroid recommended supplements, ie B12, Vit D, Ferritin and Vit C. I have tried a few heart specific ones but they made no difference. I keep my eye on my magnesium level.
My thyroid condition has blighted my life for 9 years. AF came along in there somewhere and became persistent in 2019. I much prefer the persistent. I can't feel it most of the time. I take 2.5mg Nebivolol beta blocker and Apixaban. Cardiologists freak out about thyroid. They think a low TSH means you will have AF. They know so little. TSH is a pituitary hormone and no use to monitor on at all. Instead the heart needs a decent amount of T3 hormone. I now treat my thyroid myself with the help of a private endocrinologist for private prescriptions because the NHS won't give me what I need. They have a one size fits all pill for hypothyroidism called Levothyroxine. Fine if it works for you, but thousands of us get no better on it at all. We need something the NHS won't let us use. Since taking this privately paid for T3, my heart feels much more comfortable most of the time. I am slowly starting to get my legs to move a little better. It's early days but I'm hopeful.
For me. none of the supplements or dietary changes or weight loss made any difference to the AF. Neither did weight gain and a deteriorating diet due to misery.
I'm now on HRT and feeling much better from that point of view and T3 and starting finally to feel a bit better from that perspective too. AF runs in my Dad's side of the family. I think I inherited it and the poorly performing thyroid gland helped to enable it to get set in.
If I can reach a thyroid status where I have energy again and can walk and exercise and feel good about myself again I will look carefully at the option of an ablation or at least another cardioversion to see if it would stick. Otherwise I'll have to put up with the AF, but it's way less troublesome then being stuck in a hypothyroid state for years I can affirm. It's hideous the little our current day doctors know about these mainstream hormonal imbalances that throw us for a loop.
Sounds like you’ve had a tough time of it and I’m sorry to hear that.
To be honest i wouldn’t consider healthy eating as a diet myself. All your doing is cutting out the rubbish and eating everything else. There’s no strict routine to follow in terms of what you can eat. You just eat natural food and that’s about it. If it grows or breaths then it’s good to go pretty much.
There’s plenty of enjoyable food to be had without having to ram it full of sugar and atrificial rubbish trust me.
The majority of us are just addicted to sugar but once it’s out of your system within 4/5 days you don’t crave it anymore and start craving good natural food. Ive eaten healthy for donkeys years now and I can assure you I’m not miserable 🤣 maybe the Mrs wouldn’t agree 🤔.
Unfortunately just healthy eating, in the majority of cases, is not enough on its own. From what I’ve read from various sources but also in the book the afib cure it says to use healthy eating together with stress prevention, making sure you get plenty of good quality sleep same time every night, good exercise daily and accompany all this with an ablation if it doesn’t work on its own.
As I’ve said in other comments on this post, I’m well aware that this will not work in all cases and some people are just unlucky with their genetic makeup. But I would argue that if followed strictly and coupled with an ablation carried out by an experienced and competent EP that you can rid af in a good percentage of cases, if not the majority. I don’t know this too be 100% fact but there are plenty of examples. Don’t tend to see 100s of them on sites like these unfortunately as it skews heavily to the negative as people don’t seem to stick around for long if they’re ok or don’t ever end up finding sites like these as they don’t need too.
I’m on my way to testing it first hand to be honest and I’m fairly confident I can prove the theory correct but who knows? 🤷♂️
Fish occasionally, no eggs. Yesterday I had a banana, orange and apple. I read that oily fish contain Omega3 so I thought I'd take the tablets instead. Because I have my food delivered once a fortnight, getting fish or more than four bananas is difficult. Today I will have one of the four peaches I bought. I'm not going out at the moment, not until the Covid figures go down but have got my booster vaccine next Tuesday.
I am trying to lose weight so eating a restricted diet helps with that. It's not fast, no more than a pound a month since the beginning of the year.
My AF is affected mainly by stress, infections/viruses and overworking my heart as far as I can tell. I eat a fairly healthy diet limited by my digestive issues but I don’t exercise enough. The only supplement is vitamin D. I drink very little alcohol, weak tea and one strong cup of instant coffee in the morning, don’t smoke and never have. i try to avoid stress and remind myself to ‘keep calm and carry on’ when it is unavoidable. I had one ablation and don’t feel I need another.
Not what you asked but I think people can try too hard with AF. If you are trying to maintain a previous level of fitness, take numerous supplements, eat food you don’t enjoy while cutting out everything you do enjoy etc etc you are focusing on the AF and possibly setting yourself up to fail. As Physalis says there’s no reason to it and if there is it may be in your past, so too late to change. I can understand and sympathise with people who have an unbearable burden of AF trying everything possible but I still think relaxation is the better way to go.
I do think you can be relaxed mentally but still be very strict in your routine to rid af. I meditate daily so my mental mindstate is pretty good but I’m also determined to be rid of af.
Does relaxation help you personally mav and how do you go about it yourself?
Af doesn’t control me as I lived a healthy lifestyle long before I was diagnosed with af anyway and would continue to do so if I hadn’t been diagnosed.
I don’t personally feel the need to fill my body with anything that’s known to not be of benefit too it. I don’t need the kick from coffee, the drunken haze of booze or the slight satisfaction from eating junk food.
We are all different and each to their own. But I’d personally much prefer to enjoy other things that don’t require me to pollute my body 🤣
I do think that in a few hundred years people of the future will look back at us and say what the hell were they thinking. They knew booze, fags, drugs and junk food was terrible for them but they did it anyway. There are countless examples of this in human history. But that’s just my opinion for what it’s worth.
I was initially diagnosed with paroxysmal AF which developed into persistent. It seems to be well controlled with metoprolol but I do not have normal energy and tire easily.
I am 74, had a healthy diet and exercise program (running and weights). I am surprised I have AF. Due to a family history of heart disease I expected issues, but not an abnormal heart rhythm because of my aerobic activities.
It is great that AF doesn't control you. Good luck in the future.
I think there are a huge number of variables that go into causing and dealing with af 100%. I do personally however feel that healthy living is a core component in getting rid of and keeping at bay af. I thought this prior to reading but this is compounded by the book the afib cure. Have you read it?
There was one thing that made a difference. Something happened that I was really pleased about and I kept on being pleased about it. My AF held off for seven days.
Maybe it's got something to do with mood, not food at all.
No, but luckily I don’t really care about getting rid of my AF as it doesn’t give me a lot of aggro, much less than my IBS which really is a pain - literally, and does mess up my life sometimes. As I said, trying to ‘beat AF’ is a huge challenge for anyone and much more so for me with my comorbities so I’m doing what I comfortably can and concentrating on what’s more interesting to me personally.
Ibs is nasty. I have a couple friends and family with it 😬 not nice! I have digestive issues as well personally but not too that level thank god! 🙏
What makes you stick around here if your af isn’t much of a problem for you then if you don’t mind me asking? I suppose if it doesn’t bother you and doesn’t stop you living the life you want to live then being rid of it wouldn’t be at the top of your agenda understandably.
Unfortunately for me it does affect me massively and stops me living how I want to live so it’s right at the top of my personal to do list 👍
I fully understand your attitude to your AF and wish you all the best in your challenge!
The reason I stick around is partly to keep up with developments - scientific and personal interest because there is a genetic element to my AF, partly to gather first hand pacemaker info because if my AF ‘turns nasty’ a pacemaker is my next option as I’ve discounted taking Amiodarone for life, and partly because I like to be helpful and I enjoy analysing the problems people have and as an ex teacher I like explaining things and giving advice! There’s also a social element because I care about how other ‘regulars’ are getting on, also it’s great when someone who was posting frantically about their AF for weeks comes back to say hi and goodbye because they’re doing well 💜
That’s fair enough. Sounds like your reasons are more for other people than yourself which I most definitely can respect. I don’t suppose many people do it so more power to you and long may it continue 👍
I was just curious as you said your symptoms don’t really bother you so I felt like being nosey 🤣
I actually think that being happy and content is as important if not more important than healthy living when it comes to health in general and that those of us who are what I call " achievement junkies" ( and I include myself in this category) can do ourselves more harm than good with our goals. I have just come home from the clinic (Sat) with my 2nd replaced hip. Tues morning I went into afib. I am pretty sure this was from doing too much , setting over ambitious goals for moving around instead of taking it easier. By going into afib my body forced me to rest and stay in bed. This hip op has been more tricky than the last and I have to reduce my expectations in terms of how quick I recover.
I haven't heard anything about my hip op but it ought to be soon. He said 3-4 months which will be up on 7 Nov. I've told myself it's not going to be an awful lot of fun but it won't last too long. Good job I'm not an "achievement junkie" or I would be constantly disappointed.
I do hope you get it soon. This second one has been more difficult and that is not something I had really contemplated. There was a complication which I need to get a better explanation for and the surgeon was adamant I had to stick to the walker or 2 sticks for at least a month whereas last time I was down to one stick after 3 weeks and in the house I could walk with no support at 4 weeks. I am in more pain as well. I spend a lot of time sleeping. I just have to be more patient!
Hiya,
In brief, paroxysmal AF diagnosed in 2010 ( aged 65), sedentry lifestyle both past and present. No ablation. No great lover of exercise. Food usually triggers digestive issues which can trigger AF. Nowdays I follow a Nutritionist inspired diet and try and moderate my lifestyle although I am still working driving buses ( aged 77). I still drink alcohol, beers, spirits, red wine, regardless of my medication. I regularly get 'wobblies' throughout the year and my last major AF events were February 2015 and April 2018.
I still drink tea and coffee. I have been added salt free for about 20 years, maybe lomger, and added sugar free for maybe 4/5 years.
Don't forget genetics. My paternal side of my family seem to have died from strokes and have definate evidence of AF, the latest being my daughter who, during two pregnancies developed AF. Since she stopped breeding no more AF.
In a nutshell, I have made very few concessions to either AF or my party bag of drugs. What I have done is run my life and lifestyle with as much consistency as possible and have also benefited from a sound gene pool - my paternal grandmother lived to 102. Stopped smoking aged 95 and stopped sherry drinking from tumblers a week before she died when she lapsed into a coma.
Sounds like your grandmother was made of tough stuff mate 💪 I’ll be happy to make it to 75/80 at this rate to be honest 🤣
Sounds like you also have history of heart trouble in the family as well though. As far as I’m aware I have no family history of heart issues at all according to my mother and she’s got the memory of an elephant 😂
Your doing pretty well still working at 77 though 💪 you must be made of tougher stuff yourself also. With af as well. I’ll be happy with that myself 👍
I wasn't in the best of health before I suffered atrial flutter I drank way too much booze, coffee didn't have a regular sleep pattern and stopped jogging, plus I was 3 stone overweight, I think it was partly due to lockdown.It was a shock and I'm sure it contributed to it.
After that while waiting for my ablation I gave up booze and caffeine which I don't miss.
I took it to the extreme and ate like a rabbit for months, I'm a lot more relaxed now and I take supplements. Had my ablation over 3 months ago and I'm still not 100% but I'm getting there slowly.
Hopefully if I can keep positive and busy my recovery will continue to get better. My mind tends to wonder to thought's of what if's so I have to change my mindset!
How are you feeling 3 months in after ablation? I had mine 6 weeks ago and still not great but hopefully will get better over coming weeks.
Like you I’ve given up all junk food, caffeine, alcohol for sometime now. I personally feel like it’s helping.
I’ve read quite a few comments now about people saying they’ve stopped all caffeine/alcohol etc and it’s had no affect. Which actually made me write this post. I don’t think people realise how long it actually takes for the body to recover from a lifetime of alcohol, smoking, junk food and caffeine to be honest. Obviously It’s all relative to how much a person burns the candle so to speak but if they’ve been severely overweight, burning the candle at both ends, boozing and not look after their body then I can’t see the body recovering in a matter of months.
Again I could be wrong and I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that lifestyle either. You only live once and how a person chooses to live that life is their choice entirely.
I’ve gone too excess at times throughout my youth. Drinking, drugs, out till stupid hours then going to work hung over the following day after 2 hours sleep and repeating this weekend after weekend. We’ve all done it. I just don’t think people realise what a toll this can have on the body and how long it can take to correct and that’s if it can be corrected at all.
The book the afib cure seems to be of the opinion that most people who have af are living an unhealthy lifestyle in one form or another and sometimes just changing this alone can get rid of the af without the need of meds or ablation. But you have to be incredibly strict and keep track of your markers in order for it too work. I’m convinced this is the right way to go personally.
Anyway apologies for the long winded message 🤣 and I hope your recovery continues to improve 👍
I've got the Afib cure book and I showed it to my doctor he just rolled his eyes and said he wouldn't consider taking all the relevant blood tests I needed. I think with me I'd been drinking too much over the years and it was becoming a problem then I suddenly stopped and I think that was the worse thing I could have done as I felt so unwell, anxious plus shaking a bit. My body probably was in shock as it was use to the booze and caffeine.It could take a year for my body to get back to normal maybe?
God knows how much damage I've done but hopefully I can reverse it!
Yeah unfortunately doctors or anyone else for that matter, take a while to come around to anything new. Any new idea is boohooed and the people singing it’s praises are called idiots. Don’t get me wrong some of them probably are 🤣 but it’s frustrating be it good or bad, all new ideas have to go through the same process 🙄 doesn’t help that doctors get taught from a book and by the time they’re fully qualified and working in their own surgeries, the ideas that they’ve been taught throughout their training are already outdated and unfortunately a lot of them are too pig headed to admit it. There are some good ones out there though don’t get me wrong .
That’s one of the points I was trying to make in regards to how long it takes for your body to undo years of abuse. It’s ok for someone to say, yeah I tried that and it didn’t work but how long were they trying for and how strict we’re they? Cutting out caffeine for 3 months while still eating junk food and boozing every night and then turning round and saying no it didn’t work is crazy in my opinion but again what do I know. It’s just an opinion.
Years of abuse will probably take years to correct in my opinion but I’m not a doctor so it is only an opinion. I know the body is a marvellous thing and it’s powers of recovery are incredible but I think sometimes people expect miracles overnight.
You’ll get there for sure 💪 important thing is you’ve taken the right steps so I’m sure your on the right track to get yourself back to health 👍
That’s a good point re taking time to reverse (if possible) years of abuse but I never abused my body in the way you mean. However I had three children, health conditions that weren’t diagnosed/treated early/well enough, loads of stress from family problems etc etc Also a definite genetic predisposition. This would be typical of many women. And no amount of healthy living is going to reverse lung damage, a leaky mitral valve, osteoarthritis - I could go on 🙄 Just saying there are many people for whom this regime is not going to ‘cure’ AF but taking a long hard look at present lifestyle is always going to be a good thing.
Just so you know that comment wasn’t aimed at you at all. Wasn’t aimed at anyone specifically, it was just a general statement, in case you thought I was digging you out in any way 🤣
Totally agree with what your saying. That it won’t work for everyone but again I’m talking general population not the extremes or outliers. I don’t think you can take the extremes into account and still make a statement that is useful to the general population so generalising in some way has to happen in my opinion.
Seems that people are expected now days to try to cater for the extreme minority at the expense of the majority. While I don’t think you should discount the minority entirely I don’t think you can try to shape society to fit their needs at the expense of the majority of the population. But again what do I know, just my opinion and that’s probably enough politics for one day 🤣
I’m getting the impression (sorry if I’m wrong) that you think the average person is living a very unhealthy life and therefore has plenty of room for ‘improvement’. I think that most people with AF are older/elderly and have comorbities which are a result of ‘wear and tear’ and it’s holding out false hope to suggest that they can reverse that and beat AF. For a young person like you who on your own admission has thoroughly abused his body then hopefully an extreme health regime will be successful.
I wouldn’t say that the average person is living a very unhealthy life no. I’d say almost everybody on the planet, including myself has room for improvement though. I’d also say that if most people who have been unfortunate enough to have to undergo an ablation followed the strict regime prescribed in the afib cure then we would see the numbers of successful ablations sky rocket in my opinion. This is not just related to diet either but an all round improvement to ones life and health.
One thing I would say is not everyone is prepared to do this and I can totally understand why. I suppose it all comes down to how desperately you want to rid yourself of afib and how severe your symptoms are. I certainly don’t feel it’s holding out false hope either.
I certainly abused my body through my teenage years without doubt but I’m hoping through my years of training that followed that I was able to balance the scales a little. Who knows.
Either way now I’ve had the ablation I’m going to do my utmost to follow the strict regime in the book and see if it can be proven right. Giving up hope is not in my vocabulary 😂 watch this space 🤞🤞
Not sure that "exercise driven " is always a healthy lifestyle. Everything in moderation. It is no coincedence that a lot of gym bunnies and endurance driven people develop A F. Obviously exercise is good for general health but constantly striving to improve is not always a good idea. Professional athletes who de train on retirement usually avoid the dreaded but not so those who press on into their dotage.
Regarding recovery from ablation I think it is clear from our fact sheet that softly softly is best to avoid over stressing the heart in the three to six months that it is healing.
While I do agree there does appear to be a connection between extreme exercise and af, I’m not convinced it’s causal. I could easily be wrong but there are thousands upon thousands of individuals who do extreme sports, ultra marathons, iron men competitions, martial arts etc well into there later years and show no signs of heart issues?
A lot of these people seem to be becons of health and if any of them are suffering it’s usually joint issues, particularly the knees that can’t take the constant pounding of long distance running or long hours on the mat doing Brazilian Ju Jitsu.
There are not too many examples of athletes in many different sports who end up with af or other heart issues/aarythmias either. There are certainly examples but not too many high level famous ones.
That’s just from my research and I haven’t done countless hours of it so am open to be proved wrong. But personally I don’t think the connection there is causal and if it is in some cases it doesn’t seem to happen to anywhere close to the majority.
Personally I think exercise is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. I’ve felt the benefits first hand of being at peak fitness and it’s a world away from being the opposite. Everything just works, energy levels are through the roof, mental clarity is at its peak, sleep is superb, confidence levels sky high and just an all round feeling of being content and at ease with everything on a daily basis. It’s no wonder people get addicted as it feels like a drug pulsing through your veins daily. I miss it for sure and doubt I will ever be able to get it back. But who knows 🤞
Endurance athletes, particularly cyclists and fast jet pilots all have higher than average rates of AF but by all means check. Everything in moderation is my motto. After 60 years kneeling at the altar of motorsport and including quite a few years skiing, just walking these days test my pain threshold but I still dream of the mountains.
I don’t doubt your research Bob and I know you wouldn’t say anything without doing your homework 😂
I just think higher than average rates of af sounds very vague to me personally and I can’t see how this can be interpreted as a causal impact. Again I could be talking completely out of my rear and am open to being proved wrong.
I just don’t see it myself 🤷♂️ I think the benefits of regular exercise where you push yourself too your limit occasionally but not daily, far out way the negatives and I just can’t find the evidence of people queuing up with af because of it but what do I know 🤣
your the father of this forum Bob and im sure you’ve probably done a lot more research than i have. I’m just yet to be convinced completely of the link 👍
I beg to differ on that one auriclaire. I don’t see it because for me the evidence isn’t there.
There are people who’ve developed af and were into exercise without doubt. A lot of people on here seem to be into cycling. But there are thousands if not millions worldwide who are into “extreme exercise” and haven’t developed any heart issues at all.
That’s not even mentioning the thousands more athletes who participate in sport daily, have extremely rigorous routines and don’t develop heart issues either.
I don’t think you can look at the current evidence and say that there is a causal connection there personally.
Could I be wrong? Of course. But as it stands I don’t believe the evidence is there to support the theory.
I don’t see it because I don’t think it’s there having looked, not because I don’t want to see it.
If anyone can show some overwhelming evidence then I would be open to being proven wrong.
Hi! Elli, I am not trying to argue but trying to help. It is the fact that millions of people undergo strenuous exercise daily and do not develop heart issues. There is something more that is necessary to be rewarded with AF - genetic predisposition. If both prerequisites are present, than a person gets arrhythmia. In extreme cases, very young sportsmen, in their 20-ties, like some footballers, get cardiac arrest in the playing field and die on it.
Arrhythmias count to Dysautonomia - dysfunction of Autonomous Nervous System in the body (in the same group count autoimmune disease, different stomach issues, asthma, psoriasis and many more). You mentioned to have had gut problems and it was the first sign that you are genetically predisposed for arrhythmia. If you analyse your past, you maybe discover some other problems from the same bunch (being bald for instance, or allergic, etc.)
No arguing here mate just a discussion of differing opinions and yours is more than welcome like everyone’s else’s and i appreciate the input 👍
Now that makes a lot more sense to me. If you have a genetic pre disposition for af and also some other genetic malfunction that makes excessive exercise trigger it then I would agree it obviously is not going to be good for you.
However this dramatically cuts down the amount of people that are going to find that too much exercise triggers af?
Taking your footballer example and running with it, you’d see that out of the hundreds of thousands of footballers worldwide there have been less than a handful (that I know of) that have developed heart issues, especially on the field and this would equate to a minuscule percentage of players. Hardly even recognisable as a sample if you extrapolate over the last 40/50 years.
This is where I get my line of thinking from. It’s just too small a sample to make any sort of connection of causation between “excessive” exercise and atrial fibrillation in my opinion.
As I’ve said a few times I could easily be wrong and I’m not going to say I’ve done a ton of research as I haven’t. But from what I’ve seen and read which admittedly isn’t a huge sample in itself, I’ve come to the conclusion that, in my opinion I can’t see any connection there.
But again I am more than welcome to having my mind changed on this and that was part of starting this post. To try to get a source of info all in one place to try to get to the bottom of it.
That is obviously extremely difficult in one post but it’s a start at least 🤣
In regards to the gut issues comment I’m 100% with you on that one. I’m convinced that there is a connection to stomach issues and af. I see them both as some sort of autoimmune issue. Or atleast af being triggered by auto immunity issues.
Hi! As I said before, I like your agility and the desire to understand and fight against AF! As for the footballers, yes, the percentage of those who die in the field is very low. I just wanted to show you that dying on arrhythmia is possible, even in very early age, but it is an exception. If there is a combination of genes and the strenuous activity, even the death is quite possible. Would not like to scare you with it ... In fact, cardiac arrest is the rare possibility, even in older age (long ago, I mentioned a close friend of mine, who tried to impress a much younger lady by a certain exercise, lol, but payed it with his life). He was "only" 65 at this time...
As for the numbers, the percentage of diagnosed people with AF is not large,. As far as I know, about 1,5 million in UK, what is only several %. If we accept it as a final number, it is not so bad at all. But, switching between AF and other types of arrhythmia, which are far less uncomfortable, is common, many even never get a debilitating bout of arrhythmia, so live with it for the whole life and never get diagnosed. Many, even with regular AF, have so mild symptoms or no symptoms, so also never get diagnosed and treated (my case also). If we take into account that the real number of AF sufferers is and will remain unknown, than the scaremongering of the patients with "5 times more frequent stroke" is for the benefit of the drug producers only. The truth may be on the other side...
With aging, people with weaker genetic predisposition, thanks to a large number of load cycles, also develop arrhythmia, so the picture changes.
We get a widely different picture if we take into account that arrhythmia is only one of the signs of Dysautonomia. There are about 30 different types of Dysautonomia, all pointing in the same direction, Taking this into account, we get the percentage of about 75% of the population to be predisposed, not only for arrhythmia, but for Dysautonomia as the whole.
What is very worrying, is that in the recent days, the number of Dysautonomia cases increases very fast. In the field of Fibromyalgia, in the past 10 years, the number of registered cases has increased tenfold. Not by the 10%, but 10 fold! It is a real pandemic in this world and few people talk about it. In the field of Autism, in my country, the situation has changed from 1 in 1000 cases in 1980, to 1 in 57 cases today. Quite worrying, isn't it !?!
Thanks again steelheart. Plenty of useful info there to digest 👍
In regards to your friend, while it’s terrible that he died, If ive got to go then I can’t think of many better ways to kick the bucket 😂 would be in my top 2 or 3 if not number 1 for sure!
Does seem nowadays people are getting diagnosed with many more issues than previous years. I’m not sure how much of this is an increase in the diseases/ailments themselves though or more to do with our current obsession with giving everything a label 🤔 hard to say on that one too be honest.
Appreciate all the info regardless steel heart so thanks for input 👍
Thanks for input auriclaire. However I just do not agree with any of this comment apart from the fact that it acts like a drug.
You feel great when you exercise because everything is working too it’s maximum. When your truely fit, your lungs work better allowing you too take in more oxygen with each breath, your heart works more efficiently allowing you too pump more blood throughout your body quicker, beating less and using less energy in doing it, your muscles are stronger allowing you too do more with a lot less energy usage etc etc the list goes on and on. All of this equates to you feeling great. There is no other feeling like it too be perfectly honest and that’s coming from an adrenaline junkie with a need for speed 🤣
Not only that but you mention immune systems. Obviously I am only a very tiny sample so can’t exactly be used as catorgorical evidence by any stretch but when I was training over a 6/7 yr period I could count on 1 hand how many times I was ill and when I say ill I mean a sniffle which would pass as quick as it came and would stop me doing absolutely nothing. So coming from my admittedly slightly biased perspective I would say that immune system issues while exercising are not an issue at all in my opinion.
However I did have to stop exercising for a matter of months due to getting sick. Which was caused by me stupidly spending a drunken night out with friends in the snow wearing shorts and a T-shirt. Yes I know incredibly stupid 🤣 but I was very drunk and when I was fit I just did not feel the cold at all. I blame my friends for letting me do it 😂 took me ages to shake off to the point where I could return to training and when I did I had terrible stamina issues and the rest is history. My point is that while training for 6/7 years straight I had zero problems. It wasn’t until I stopped that my issues started.
Exercise provokes the release of endorphines which are the body's own inbuilt opiate system. As well as killing pain they induce a feeling of euphoria just like opiates. People can get addicted to this just like they can to oral or injected drugs. Having taken illegal drugs of various kinds when I was young and having experienced the highs from endorphines when I was dancing I would say for me personally there was little difference in the degree of euphoria. Nothing to do with everything working well either as when the endorphines wore off I often felt skeletal pain.
I think we may have to agree to disagree on this one auriculaire as I don’t seem to be agreeing with anything your saying on this subject 😂
Not sure what drugs you took in the past but I took many myself and I wouldn’t say the feeling was similar at all to be honest. I wouldn’t want to advocate drug taking in anyway but I’ve failed to find anything that comes close to the chemical high of ecstasy.
Haven’t and wouldn’t touch the stuff since my teens but I can in no way make a comparison between that and the high from exercise. Not even close to being in the same league in my opinion.
You seem to be focusing on the relief of pain, however this wasn’t one of the benefits I listed and isn’t something that pops into my head when I think about my training days. General aches are something you get used to when training hard and I found the feeling rather pleasant myself.
You mention the feeling of euphoria, however that is incredibly short lived and generally, for me atleast, only when lifting heavy weights. Which I attribute to an increase in testosterone levels during heavy lifting, which I rarely did anyway. I used to train in kickboxing so my exercise was heavily cardio based. I lifted weights but more light than heavy so the feeling of euphoria you seem to be talking about was not something I experienced every time I trained.
Now we get to the section of your comment that I wholeheartedly disagree with. 🤣 For me it is EVERYTHING to do with things just working better……
- huge increase in lung capacity and heart efficiency. Both of which work more efficiently and all while using less energy to do so
- huge muscular increases again allowing you not only to do more but using less energy
- sleeping like a baby night after night which all us af sufferers know is massively important , not only for us but for everyone. Especially men as has a positive effect on testosterone production
- you’ll disagree on this one for sure but in my opinion huge increases in the ability of your immune system to work efficiently also
- huge improvement in digestion
- mental clarity which is obviously a by product of all the above but in itself makes a big difference on its own
- and and all round general feeling of well-being which is there virtually 24/7 and not just the short lived feeling of euphoria during actual exercise that you speak of.
These are just the things that spring to mind and don’t mention half the actual medically proven benefits or exercise in general.
Anyway as I said I think we will have to agree to disagree on this topic as we could be here a while otherwise 😂
Hi , having had PAF for getting on for 4 years now and an ablation 2 years ago my situation hasn't changed much. I had high hopes for the procedure but I'm pretty much the same as before. My episodes are light and bearable but still as random .I take Edoxaban and blood pressure tablets for the risk markers but I eat and drink as before although I rarely now drink alcohol as advised by my cardiologist .I told I'm on the list for another ablation but don't expect that to happen anytime soon.
In my case I've also suffered from digestive issues long term and today I'm having my 4th endoscopy to see what's going .I'm firmly convinced there is a link somewhere with AF and gastric problems as I always seem to have upset stomachs at the time of onset AF or have eaten something before. I have tried all the diet changes with no success and drink plenty of water so I'm stumped .I also exercise at the gym regularly which doesn't bring on AF nor does long hikes in the Lake District.
I do have mild stenosis of my atrial valve but the cardiologist said there is no link to AF from that ?
I'm no cardiologist but it is well known that valve problems can allow back presure into the left atrium which can then stretch it causing re-modelling and allowing AF to form. This is known as valvular AF.
Similarly the vagus nerve (the neural superhighway in your body) connects both stomach and heart and the link between digestive and arrhythmia problems is also well know. Try using search box for vagal AF or vagus nerv.
Great info Bob , I've done lots of research and I agree especially regarding the vagus nerve .Unfortunately the medical professionals I've spoken to can't seem to agree .I've just returned from having my endoscopy and the good news is they have found gastritis and the presence of H Pylori which is causing my stomach issues .Hopefully once this is cleared up there will be less to worry about 🙂
Thanks for info. I too have had long term digestive issues and know about the vagul nerve induced af that bobs mentioned. Just had an ablation 6 weeks ago and still recovering but hoping for a good outcome 🤞 I’ll be gutted if not as it’s not been easy. Sorry that your ablation sounds like it didn’t go as planned. Hopefully they can get you back in and sort out any areas they missed the first time 🤞👍
Early days for you then, I started feeling more like my old self after about 6 months so give it plenty of time and take it easy .Hopefully now I've got to the bottom of my stomach issues after my Endoscopy this morning so a bit less to worry about 🙂
Good job on the results 👍 I bet that’s a huge relief. Nothing better than getting an answer to something that’s been causing you grief for a while. Makes you feel like you can now make some progress.
Wish they would tell me what’s been up with my gut for last 8/9 years. I still think it’s leaky gut syndrome but nothing seems to help it 😫
It's difficult when you know somethings not right but you can't get to the bottom of it ,especially now when it's harder to see GP's face to face.I booked a 20 minute slot with mine which took a while but it gave me time to talk about all the symptoms I've had over the last months and the ineffectiveness of Lansoprazol .He just wanted to increase the dose which I rejected . Now I can see a light at the end of the tunnel and an answer to my pain and discomfort.
Laughably I tried to make a telephone appointment with him earlier today to prescribe the antibiotics the hospital said I need to get rid of the infection and I was told 10 days before he could speak to me . It's just crazy so I'm going to become a daily nuisance till I get it .I don't need an appointment just a quick courtesy call to confirm the
emailed test report from the hospital and a time to pick up the prescription
Being a nuisance paid off, I have my antibiotics and have been switched to Omeprazol .Thanks for your replies and consideration, I hope you get to the bottom of your issues soon 👍
I ask as these are the 2 conditions in men most likely to be treated by a Fluoroquinolone antibiotic and thus result in being "floxed". Especially the prostrate inflammation as they can be given for long periods for that. Fluoroquinolones are the worst antibiotics for buggering up the microbiome and causing long term gut problems. Even a short course can disrupt the microbiome for a year in some people .
Ok 👍 wasn’t aware of that but haven’t been treated for either of these. Like I say I have had a few bouts of antibiotic treatment in the past but not for the ailments you mention and not with those antibiotics either.
I'm not sure I've got much to add but I'm very interested in the responses.I have no idea what first triggered my AF many years ago in my late 20s...though strong family history of cardiomyopathy.
But I did have around 13 years of no meds as I developed allergies to them but it also led to following a particular diet (low salycilate) which I think made a big difference to me being able to manage the AF without meds or any other treatment. I've always exercised regularly but not to extremes. I also do yoga, mindfulness etc which I think also helps. This last year AF has ramped up and I'm back on meds now and my exercise is more limited unfortunately other than walking/ lighter activity but I'm hopeful to get back into it once treatment is more stable and effective.
Thanks for your input. Late 20s 😬 that’s very early to get AF. I thought I was young at 33 when mine first started. Sounds like your family history could have been your downside? Have you had an ablation at all? Hope it gets better for you 👍
Hi Ellie86I haven't had an ablation. Back in the day they said it wasn't viable. I had a cardioversion 2 weeks ago. It worked but only for 2 days. Trying again in November with the hope that it lasts a tad longer and that this will indicate that an ablation is worth a go. 🤞
Oh right ok. Well I hope it all goes well for you either way and you can start to move forward 🤞 hopefully the cardio version sorts you but if not then ablation has a pretty good success rate 👍
I think There has got to be a genetic link to AFIB in a lot of cases.? We all are born with dodgy segments of DNA that are placed in the wrong box.? Some will show and develop later in life as cancer, MND, MS, etc etc. It’s the way nature is. Each person’s cells age at different rates and degenerate at different speeds too depending on what environment they are exposed to.? I would like to be able to follow 1000people over 100 years in the exact same environment eating and drinking the exact same food doing the exact same excersizes, same amount of stresses, absorbing the same amount of sunlight breathing the same air et etc then see how many develop heart issues, cancer, afib, mnd and all the other things that we develop.?
Hi Elli, I nor anyone else would be able to carry it out obviously. but I was just trying to point out the fact that genetics play a massive role. at the end of the day when our DNA and it’s instructions are wound together in certain formations then it doesn’t matter what you do because you still will develop disease/ illness no matter what you do. 👍
Yeah genetics play a big role without doubt. Not sure I agree there’s nothing you can do about it though. There are spectrums to everything. 2 people with exactly the same genetic make up could lead two completely separate lives and develop into 2 very different people with 2 completely different outcomes health wise in my opinion. I don’t agree that your destined or doomed to one outcome and there’s nothing that you can do about it if that’s what your saying.
You can take away everything that we know as poisons and still develop illnesses/ diseases that they cause. You may get two identical twin sisters and one is alcoholic and other is tee total but the tee total can suffer with liver disease for example. where as the other sister will out live her by years.
I’m sure you can jetcat but that’s going to the extreme to say the least and extremely difficult to prove either way.
You can without doubt have a genetic predisposition for something but I certainly don’t think you are doomed no matter what you do.
When discussing anything it has to be from the general population in order to make any sense. If we flip flopped between extremes then life would suddenly get a hell of a lot more complicated.
Hi Elli86:My lifestyle isn't for everyone but I'm going to be totally honest and tell you things. First I suffer each year with maybe on average 5 bouts of AF a year all associated with being over tired, often dehydrated and usually associated with over doing it with family & friends; sometimes called the Holiday Heart. I'm 78 yrs. young, have 2 cups of strong coffee every morning, 2-3 drinks every night (usually a good cocktail and max. 1-2 beers) Been doing it for 35 yrs. and I do not overdo it. Once sometimes twice a month I take a puff or 2 of weed for one reason or another as I'm surrounded and influenced by a young family of 7 children ages 42 to 55 most of whom think nothing of it in their lifestyle. None of these bad habits cause my Afib unless associated with stress, slight exhaustion and possibly some dehydration (not necessarily associated with drinking but more from a lack of awareness of thirst). Although I take Eliquis irregularly but more steady if I suspect an upcoming family party might exhaust me and best to err on the side of caution. Doctor told me my odds of stroke were less or about 5% last time I saw him but even at 10% I'll continue on with caution instead of regular chemical diet. Actually, I'm very much more aware of my triggers now and although flying on my own instruments I feel safe aa I remain conscious of everything I do and put into my body I've been working on reducing most of these bad habits slowly as I age and move forward. I'm now very aware of my body and Afib triggers but I can get caught, but seldomly, off guard too. So that's me as I save money and try to keep my chemically made drugs of 25 mg. metropolol, 10 mg lisinopril and 5mg Eliquis at a minimum. I also take two high quality vitamin suppliments and east most often a balance of nutritious foods. I maintain my Afib episodes back to sinus with usually 2 but sometimes 3 100 mg. Flacanide tablets and a 4-5 hour bedtime (most often at night at sleep time ) and awaken in AM sinus. So far so good and I'm in excellent health as I take brisk walks with my dog 3-4 times weekly for 2-3 miles up and down strenuous hills here in the White Mtns. of NH. No Ablation and hopefully never as it's seldom I read Ablation as the solution but more often a disappointment.
So Elli86 go forth and enjoy what you always enjoy but work at being self aware and follow your gut feeling. Basically, do things as always but in moderation or more moderation as the case may be. Daver112
Hi dave. Your lifestyle sounds like my younger years 🤣🤣 I agree about the dehydration and tiredness being triggers 100% for me atleast. Definitely a connection there.
I’m hoping ablation can be the answer though as I’ve just had one nearly 7 weeks ago 🤣🤞 I think it can be as long as the person having it holds up their end of the bargain and goes healthy and looks after themselves 👍
Diagnosed at 48 years old with a 3 day visit to ER here in the US. It was interesting timing as I had weighed 350 lbs(a little over 6 feet tall) two years earlier and had dropped down to 260 when the 40 hour episode happened. Freak out time like most people who have first episode, was initially put on meds(Flec, Metoporol, Eliquis), then met with Cleveland Clinic doc who suggested to drop the meds(I was ChadsVASC score of 1 then), and go to pill in the pocket. 9 months later I had dropped another 30 pounds, then had a 5 hour episode, did PiP for everything. I'm down another 10 pounds since then, and that was 2 months ago with no issues since. Main point being is that my focus has entirely been on my weight. My heart is in great shape. I walk about 13 miles a day, and feel great. Always worry about the next episode, but my plan is do everything in my control to keep from needing an ablation. When/if that time comes hopefully the procedure and technology is even safer than it is today. I have been following pulse field ablation, and some of the new radiation/gene therapy studies which are promising.
Thanks for input. You’ve done well to drop all that weight. Can only be a good thing. Glad to what your making process and hopefully you can keep things at bay and not need an ablation. Although I do think ablations now days are incredibly safe in comparison to how they used to be atleast. But obviously you’d rather not have one unless you absolutely have too. I’ve had one 6 weeks ago so I’m hoping all went well 🙏
This is my first post since I started reading your wonderful HealthUnblocked /AFA conversations in June.
I’m 78 after a comfortable, healthy life, so I was disappointed to get an AFIB diagnosis 18 months ago.
I’ve since been on Rivaroxabin 20mg and Ramipril 5mg with no apparent side effects apart from the occasional dry cough.
A private consultation with a top cardiologist relieved my anxiety about my low pulse as measured by daily readings on two blood pressure monitors. Apparently they miss some beats, and two ECGs showed more normal results.
He also said that my sole remaining vice of six bottles of delicious Shiraz each week could be causing my problem.
I then read – well, listened to on Audible – that inspiring book, The AFIB Cure by John Day and Jared Bunch, two US cardiologists, recommended earlier.
So, following their prescription, I’ve stopped alcohol altogether for two months, enhanced an already healthy diet, increased my daily exercise to 90 minutes, and reduced my weight from 15 stone to 13 stone – I now have a normal BMI.
Over the past month, multiple BP readings show an average of 127/82 within a tight range.
I feel good and I‘m hoping to get off medication as soon as possible.
Has anyone else got off their medication, and are there procedures to follow?
Has anyone accessed the bio markers through the NHS?
Great news that you’ve followed the book and have had success with it 😀👍 your the first person I’ve heard from as yet who’s followed it strictly and seen results. Good stuff.
Good to hear about the weight you’ve lost and also the lack of alcohol over last 2 months as well.
Hopefully you can get off the meds soon. I’m hoping to do it myself in a little over a month 🙏🙏🙏🙏 can’t wait!!!
Thanks for letting us know and I hope it continues for you. Your living proof that it does work 👍
It is always interesting to hear from newcomers to the forum, you will reach many more members and get answers if you do your own post - just click on 'My feed' and the 'What's your question' box and then copy and paste what you have written here. And well done on your life-style changes!
I was also very active before AF diagnosed last Dec and this came as both as a massive shock and a relief. I didn't eat ready meals or use salt, ate lots of fruit and veg, never smoked but I did drink alcohol and lots of tea. I have tried and tried to analysis what caused my AF and my main suspects are years of over exercising without sufficient rest and recovery plus serious stress over the preceding 2 years before my diagnosis. I think both these situations together caused my problem but I'll never know. It could be lack of salt, excess vitamins/electrolytes or other medication I took on and off. I had ablation 8 weeks ago now and feel more anxious than before the op as I'm scared I overdo and do more damage than good. I've started back at exercise - Pilates and easy swimming once week but desperate to do more. Just have to tell my self relax and one step at a time.I also have stomach issues in the form of Coeliac disease.
Thanks for input. How old are you if you don’t mind me asking? I’m assuming as your back exercising that your recovery from ablation is going well? I’m 6 weeks out and I can’t exercise yet. Only walking at the minute, when my heart rate has gotten up, for reasons I won’t mention 😘 ive Paid for it big time for the next few days 😫 hoping I’m gonna have a sudden dramatic improvement but not counting my chickens. How long have you been back exercising? Did you recover fairly quickly? Back at work?
Hello ELLI 86 I had my cyro ablation done here in Auckland NZ on the first of August so I'am two months post ablation. This was my first ablation and I had been having bouts of paroxysmal afib for about 7 years lasting 18 hours on each occasion about once a month. My heart has not skipped a beat since the op. I'am doing brisk walks most days with no problems at all. However I was very short of breath for a good 4 to 5 weeks after ablation no one told me this could happen and I was concerned. I eat pretty much a Med diet ..lots of olive oil and keep a close watch on my BP
Thanks for input. Glad to hear your doing well. Sounds like your ablation went well. That’s about all I can manage at the minute is brisk walks. Anything else and I pay for it for a few days. I’m nearly 7 weeks post ablation now. I’ve had a few ectopics and had a few consecutively for a 10/15 seconds the other day which took my breath away and didn’t feel too nice! Other than that though I’ve had no af as yet 😀👍
On another note I nearly moved to NZ just before my kids were born. Mrs changed her mind at the last minute 😫😫 bloody nightmare!
Don't worry Elli I'am sure you will be fine. I found after 5 weeks my breathing etc just got better and better with each day. I just can't believe how good I feel now. My exercise ability is as good as or even better than pre ablation. Just give it time Elli.
That’s good news sam. Always like to hear from people who’ve had a positive outcome from an ablation. Definitely gives you hope. When you say you can’t believe how good you feel is there anything in particular that makes you feel like that or is it just in general?
In general I suppose Elli but being a bit breathless for those few weeks then gaining full capacity again made me feel extra great. I suppose it's like when one has a stomach bug feel horrible then come right. It makes you feel extra good to have your health which we all take for granted.
I'm almost 60 and was diagnosed with PAF around 3 years ago. I was immediately put on bisiprolol and Apixaban and the former has lowered my heart rate generally and also during any AF episodes. I've been alcohol free for almost 2 years and that definitely reduced the frequency of AF. In fact I thought I had it beat as I went over 6 months without an episode. Recently though I seem to have relapsed and I'm back in the once a month category, this despite no changes to my lifestyle as far as I'm aware. I was taking an aged garlic capsule, vitamin D3 and zinc every day but I've cut out everything other than the zinc, which I feel helps my immune system. I've just started the Afib cure book and it scared the life out of me initially but the further I get in, the more I'm learning. If I could afford a private electrocardiologist I'd see one, as they seem to be more specialised in issues such as AF, but I just have to wait for my next appointment with a regular cardiologist now, the date of which is unknown.
I lift weights 3 times a week but have cut out the 'progressive overload' part as I feel it puts too much strain on the heart. I enjoy going to the gym though as it makes me feel good and in my eyes, slows the ageing process. The only possible trigger I can think of that's set me back is that I've had a few dental issues recently, first an abscess then an extraction. This meant I went several weeks without proper sleep which I know can be a trigger.
I record all my events on the Kardia mobile device so at least I have a record for my next appointment.
Thanks for input Ryan. Sounds like your on the right track. afib cure is a great book and full of tons of useful info without a doubt. It’s a shame you can’t speed the process up and see a private EP but hopefully your regular cardio pulls the finger out and gets you sorted. 🤞 have you thought about an ablation at all?
We have a presentation that might be of interest to you on our HRC2021 A F Association Patients Day ' Keeping your heart happy with exercise and healthy eating' this will be launched 'virtually' this Sunday 3 October - register by following the link: heartrhythmevents.org/users...
Thx Tracy for this. I am booked to do this on Sunday n very much want to do this one. Do you have the timetable. So I can be there for any QnA. Can't seem to find it now.
Good Morning, apologies for the delay in responding to your message. We have been overwhelmed by the response we have had to the HRC2021 Patients Day - the event was launched online yesterday, but please don't worry, as the complete content is available to view as many times as you wish over the next 12 months. Please contact me on if you have any questions.
Thanks Elli, for this very interesting stream you have brought on. I am back in here for more moral support after having had an ablation in 2019 and only 2 episodes for a couple of hours since then. Yet 2 weeks ago now I got back into persistent .Like you I was very fit before this happened, was an endurance cyclist but not obsessively. I also had a problem with anaemia that pressured my heart and probs was a factor for me. Have just had an op for that which hopefully may keep my haemoglobin good .
Though for me, I think my main trigger has been family stress. Hoping this too may be resolving now, around family dishonesty over my mother's estate since she died last year. But for me, I am v much looking into the vagal nerve as Bob says, how I have been in a lot of Fight/flight that has kept my heart so wired, especially this past 3 months.
So now I am waiting for a 2nd cardioversion on the 15th Oct, with the hope that I can have a 2nd ablation to stem the rogue circuits still there.
I am currently reading the Polyvagal theory by Porges . And psychological/mindfulness exercises by Deb Dana based on this theory. I'm a Psychotherapist so need to work at practicing what I preach.
I also know of the Afib cure.
Like you I want to get back to my peaks of fitness again, though once again I have been put back on the slow road to recovery!
Fingers crossed the cardioversion resets me back to NSR, before I can get an ablation...
Sorry to hear you’ve gone back persistent 😫 must be very frustrating? Did you have a good run in NSR? How old are you if you don’t mind me asking and which type of ablation did you have?
I had a cryo treating pvi nearly 7 weeks ago now. Still on meds. Going to hopefully taper off at the end of the month 🤞🤞 then it’s make or break time! Looking forward too and completely dreading it at the same time. That’s when you find out if the last 3 months have been a complete waste of time 😫🤞🤞
I practice meditation daily myself as well. Have done for last 3 yrsish. I use waking up by Sam Harris. Has some great content on there to understand the theory as well. He’s quite a controversial character so you may not agree with some of his other work but either way the waking up app is brilliant and has work wonders for my brain! 🧠 worth a look 👍
Thanks Elli for the meditation tip. Will try that one. Have been doing a few new ones lately, to cope with the stress of being back in AF.I am now 56, 53/54 when first diagnosed. The ablation worked for about 2 years, with a few breakthroughs.
Another thing we have to bear in mind is how it's affected your heart. So both my atria are enlarged . I think from pre existing high BP. So I stay on meds for that. But when not in AF, I don't need the beta blockers. Least that's was the case after my ablation. Think I will be more cautious this time until hopefully they can ablate the rogue sparks again.
Ps I had the RF ablation radio-frequency one. I have heard of crio ablation. Don't know what makes them choose which one, do you ? I had mine done at St Thomas' under Matt Wright, who is apparently v highly rated.
As far as I know they usually choose the cryo version first off and then do a touch up, if needed, using rf. Not sure why to be honest. May have something to do with cost?
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AF Triggers and lifestyle
19 Months Post RF Pulmonary Vein Ablation and back in AF
Ablation of the nerve endings of the heart
My yearly visit to the Arrhythmia Clinic 
Ablation Fear, to ablate or medicacte
