Failure at getting off antiarrhythmic med

[Sustainedvtach270]

I am a 57 years old Male. March 2021, afib episodes, while deep breathing to try to slow my heart rate, fell in syncope, had sustained vtach, vfib and cardiac arrest. Fortunately, I was already hospitalized for rapid afib and watched on a heart monitor. 2 days later I had a pacemaker/defibrilator. My resting heart rate is 50, my heart MRI showed scare tissues that were too big for an ablation. I was put on sotalol 80 mg twice daily. I am NSR 98% of the time, until July when I convert to afib more and more, especially after eating pizza. My defibrilator shocks me a first time in august, I was rapid Afib at HR 190, laying in bed at night. That is when I found your forum, became a vegetarian, gluten free, no alcohol, and started walking 10000 steps daily. I read The Afib Cure Day/Bunch, Breath Nestor and Anxiety Free McKeown. I check my heart rate and oxygen level with a pox prone. In the morning my pox is quite low, so I recently started taping my mouth at night My pox raised to normal level 97-98%. I am practicing more and more nose breathing and slow breathing (not deep breathing or hyperventilation). Progressively I decreased Sotalol and was med free for about 10 days until a few nights ago when my defibrilator shocked me for the 2nd time. I had a relaxed evening. had a salad with less nuts than usual, no olive oil and did less steps than usual before sleeping, I slept on my left side(..), with a deep sleep until I was suddenly awake with an urge to urinate. I rushed to the bathroom and while standing I got shocked, very painful and scary. .. The next day, I called the EP nurse, they interviewed my pacemaker recording device, I. was rapid afib at 190, she says my heart is in bad shape I need to stick to my meds. I had questioned them a few times before with my desire to be med free. Now I am back on sotalol but only once a day. Anyone had similar experiences?

[BobD Volunteer]

I'm sure that there is an ICD forum where you may have more support, or the BHF one but sympathy anyway. Meds are for a reason of course.

[Sustainedvtach270 in reply to BobD]

Thank you Bob.

[Paulbounce]

Hi Sus.

"I. was rapid afib at 190, she says my heart is in bad shape I need to stick to my meds."

Sorry mate but there is your answer. I hate taking them too and am also on Sotopol (80mg x 3 times a day.

As nice as it is don't eat pizza. Maybe aviod cheese as well. Stick with what your medic has told you.

Good luck.

Paul

[Sustainedvtach270]

Thanks Paul. It is just that I feel healthy, very active and sinus almost all the time.

[CDreamer]

Oh dear, you have been through the mill. Well done though for doing all of the hard work on Lifestyle, very impressive and it’s obviously going to stand you in good stead.

Agree with Paul - maybe avoid cheese and stay on the meds?

[Sustainedvtach270 in reply to CDreamer]

Thanks Cdreamer. I am very disciplined about sticking to a djet.

[Buffafly]

Congratulations on the lifestyle changes! I don’t think the tiny ‘fails’ on your healthy diet would have been the cause. Sadly, it seems that if ‘your heart is in bad shape’ the meds are necessary and AF will break through occasionally 😢

[Sustainedvtach270 in reply to Buffafly]

Thanks Buffafly. It seems like the meds are necessary for me.

[Rubymurray25]

Thank you for sharing your story, it does help hearing where others are on their journey to put your own into perspective . Wishing you well and hope you find the right solution soon. Max

[Sustainedvtach270 in reply to Rubymurray25]

Thanks Max. Reading others experiences helped me a lot. If I followed my doctors advice to keep the same lifestyle, I would probably be permanent afib by now. With the meds I was gaining weight. I always thought I had a decent diet, I was never overweight but I ate lots of bread and potatoes.

[Dinamite]

I had intermittent AFib for years and felt it was no big deal until at 59 I had a stroke. Now I respect my heart and know if it warns you that it’s not coping then medication is necessary. I was given Sotalol and warfarin to start with but over time things change and I’ve changed tablets and had a pacemaker added but ……… I would always take my anticoagulants and medication rather than risk another stroke, which, let’s face it, can ruin what life you have left.

There are lots of drugs for this problem, if Sotalol worries you then try Fleccanide or propranolol or others, but stay away from Amiodarone . That’s the one I’d never take.

Good luck

[Sustainedvtach270 in reply to Dinamite]

Thanks Dina for your feedbacks. I am going to stick with Sotalol for now

[Jetcat]

Hi sustained, I hope you’re feeling better soon mate.👍👍

[Sustainedvtach270]

Thanks Jetcat for your warm wishes. I bounced right back to sinus and went back to work!

[Sustainedvtach270]

Posting my experience helped me analyze better my condition. Both time, my HR jumped to 190, I was laying in bed on the left side. Both time I had warning signs, in july, before changing my diet, I had multiple daytime afib episode. This time with the new diet and exercise, I went 3 months without any daytime afib episode, I did have a warning 2 weeks ago when I converted to rapid afib at 110 during the night after being off meds for a week. Now I take my anti arrhythmia every night. I believe my mouth tape wasn't well put this week when I had my scary episode. Taping my mouth is a new thing. My oxygen level in the morning used to be way below normal, now it is always around 96%. I believe there is a correlation between mouth breathing and heart issue.