How do you feel when you self convert to NSR after sustained AF event?

[Quest4NSR]

For me it feels like being re-born

[jeanjeannie50]

After self converting from an AF attack I would feel exhausted for days afterwards.

[Elli86]

Hi herrlip.

I’ve never been reborn personally so can’t really comment too much on that one 🤣 jokes aside I would echo Jean. Only adding that it’s a mixture of relief/joy that your heart is steady again with horrible fatigue and sluggishness thrown in for a few days 👍

[Quest4NSR]

Anyone else a little Tachy after too? Say 20-30 BPM above normal, especially standing up, go up to around 110-120

[Elli86 in reply to Quest4NSR]

Not for me personally. Heavy chest, tight, slightly more difficult to breath at times. Sensitive heart also and more aware of heartbeat. Few ectopics occasionally after as well. Basically for me it feels like my heart and the rest of me in turn has done a serious workout for a few days after, without any of the positive sensations that usually go with actually doing a workout.

[Auriculaire in reply to Elli86]

Yeah pretty much sums it up. I have also had a momentary dizziness ( if I have been standing up ) at the moment when I have gone back into NSR.

[Barbadosgirl]

Relief for me. Not really any sluggishness or fatigue.

[doodle68]

Relieved and grateful it has passed for a couple of weeks.

I don't normally feel too bad afterwards except for the couple of months when I tried Flecainide which doubled the length of my episodes from 10 to 20 hours and increased the frequency to every few days, then I felt totally exhausted and despairing.

[Karendeena in reply to doodle68]

Flecainide did that to me too, changed to sotalol much better a few wobbles every now and then

[Izzle]

Mentally it's a relief of course. Physically my BP is down 10 points, say 110/70. My pulse generally a little higher in the 70-85 range. After a couple of days all back to text book values.

[Rup88]

Reborn is right its a great wave and the fatigue, nausea and headache is washed away. My latest episode lasted from Sunday till Thursday morning now I am reborn for Christmas.

[Quest4NSR in reply to Rup88]

Wow, long time in, will that keep you good for a few months now?

[momist]

For me lately, I feel a strange tingling sensation all over very briefly, as if all my nerves have been activated or woken at once. I then feel weak and enervated for the rest of the day until I've had a good nights sleep.

I understand the shock sensation, sometimes accompanied with a bright white flash in my eyes, is known as presyncope, i.e. what you feel just before going unconscious in a feint. Not having had any feinting, I can't comment on that.

In previous years I never felt this when reverting to NSR, just a feeling of relief that it was finally over. The shock effect is new for this last year, and happened prior to and post my ablation in June. I'm hoping now that I'm in recovery that I may not feel this too often, or ever again!

[Gnocchi in reply to momist]

Hi momist, I too feel this strange sensation. It feels like a rush to the head and then a feeling of losing consciousness, but its over so quickly... and then a sense of peace and exhaustion. It's very scary though, I wonder if it's dangerous. The first time it happened I was in hospital with AF and the nurse rushed it as I was hooked up to monitors, I told her what happened and she seemed satisfied that it would have been the heart reverting itself.

[momist in reply to Gnocchi]

Yep, been there. I was on a trolley in A&E (for 16 hours!) in the resus area and hooked up to a monitor. Just around midnight, the self reversion happened and two nurses ran the full length of the area to check me out. I had seen the trace flatline for a couple of seconds and then restart in NSR! I was happy as Larry, but they still didn't let me go until 5am. I don't think it's dangerous, provided the restart fires up, as it should. I had been in AF and tachycardia for nearly three days prior, and this was a few weeks AFTER my ablation.

[JefferyW in reply to momist]

That’s really interesting. I went into SVT this morning, took some Diltiazem and my heart rate was lower but irregular. Spent the day with AFib and then around 7:15 I experienced a really strange sensation almost like a shock and within a few seconds I was back at n sinus rhythm with a heart rate of 62. Is this presyncope? I can’t say it was pleasant and a bit scary but the outcome was most welcome. Is there anywhere where you can read about this?

[momist in reply to JefferyW]

I've never had it mentioned by any medical person, and when I've used the term to them they have not commented at all, so I can't verify it that way. The word was used by another member of this forum, and I subsequently looked it up. No mention of reversion from AF there, but the description fits the feeling perfectly well. It is dis-concerting the first time, but now I welcome it as a mark to the end of the AF session.

[JefferyW in reply to momist]

I thought I would do some research and apparently it’s called conversion pause and I found an article from Dr AFib which talks about syncope but his comments apply to presyncope too and itseems to fall into place now. Unfortunately I can’t seem to be able to post a link on the forum.

Thanks for giving me the lead to find out more about this. It’s not serious as such it would seem which is a relief.

[Gnocchi in reply to JefferyW]

Thank you to both Momist and JefferyW, I feel somewhat reassured!

[4Pip]

I feel exhausted. As though I’ve run back to back marathons but so relieved and happy

[Dollcollector in reply to 4Pip]

Me too.

[Tomred]

just as quick as a bout starts and leaves me feeling terrible straightaway ,as soon as it stops it leaves me feeling like a new man straightaway ,this is when i mentally go into living mode and get things done before another bout decides to erupt.

[Tomred]

ps. massive energy boost

[Snowgirl65]

I would feel relieved, in control again and ready to get on with my life. Though a little tired, a good night's sleep took care of that.

[BlueINR]

I've never self-converted. I've always gone to hospital for cardioversion and felt much better afterwards. Didn't even know it was possible to self-convert. Cardiologist told me to go to ER if I'm in afib.

[Karendeena in reply to BlueINR]

BluINR, my EP is a top Professor and tells me straight, afib is not life threatening and unless I feel particularly unwell I should take an extra one of my meds and sit it out. Uncomfortable and a downright nuisance

[Quest4NSR]

Interesting, do you go straight away and what's the longest time you've been in Afib for?

[BlueINR]

Karendeena, yes, afib is not a life-threatening arrhytmia; however, it can turn into one, at least that's what I've been told by doctors and I've had many hospital admissions for this reason. Perhaps it's also because I have heart valve problems, but every time I've been in afib, I've been admitted immediately to the hospital. I'm sure I would not have been admitted had it not been a concern.

Oral meds have never done anything to convert my afib, even IV meds; each time I've been in afib I've needed a cardioversion to get back in normal rhythm. If there are folks who can take a med and get out of afib, that's great, but that's never been my situation. I remember one time in the hospital, nurse kept hanging bag after bag of IV amiodarone, and nothing. Next day they did cardioversion. It's great that meds work for some!