2 months ago after a meal with friends, I went into AFib & was in resus for around 16 hours before they managed to bring my heart back to SR via flecinide IV. No underlying medical conditions, yes 26 years old.
There was no clear indicator on what the trigger was from the doctor, however, I put it down to an unhealthy lifestyle & caffine overload. I never took more than 200mg per day (400mg rec max for adults) but it was always in the form of pre workouts & energy drinks which I do not recommend anyone to consume no matter what the age or condition of health.
I’m a massive traveler, a digital nomad if you will, and usually take 20-30 flights a year all over the world for work and leisure. Ever since it’s happened my anxiety is so high, I’m nervous to get on a plane or be too far away from home incase I don’t have my meds (bisporol & apixaban with a backup of flecinide if I go into AF) but thankfully I’m not on any meds daily, only if I have an episode. It feels like my whole life is on pause (was planning on moving abroad fully the month after but this has blocked everything).
I couldn’t believe I’ve managed to get this at only 26. I’d love to hear if there’s any other young adults who may be going through a similar thing?
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Those energy drinks are well known for causing AF attacks. Life might be as simple as stopping using them and all will be back to normal.
From now on I would only eat food that's free from artificial additives. Sweeteners were a sure trigger for my PAF attacks. Drink alcohol in moderation too as that can also be a trigger.
Don't give up on living a full life because of one blip.
Thanks Jean! Yes I’ve completely cut out caffeine and not drinking at all now and feel absolutely fine just over 2 months on. My MRI’s, ECG’s and Ultrasounds are all coming back fine so hopefully that was the main factor which I’ve now cut out
Yes there have been plenty of young people diagnosed with AF, the youngest here was 18. I think currently you will find mid 30’s is probably the nearest your age but people don’t always mention their age.
AF can strike at any age and doesn’t always need a trigger but Lifestyle does matter.
Of all of the things to be concerned about, having AF whilst flying is probably the least concerning in actuality but we are all very good at convincing ourselves that it could be dangerous. I’ve had several episodes of AF whilst flying and nothing bad happened as I self converted within the time of the flight. The important thing is to keep really well hydrated and keep calm, very difficult when travel these days is very stressful with long queues and uncertainties so probably the airport is the biggest hurdle. But your mind will do what it wants so the best way to counter that is a little CBT - cognitive behavioural therapy.
Identify your fears and write then down. Be specific - I’m frightened of flying because……..
What if………………..
Then challenge each fear and write down how you would cope if the worst happened.
Basically if something happened whilst you were flying there is absolutely nothing you could do about being in the air but there is something you can do about taking care of yourself so focus on that. Have you got a relaxation protocol? Deep breathing protocol?
If not - get one. Would you have your meds with you?
The fear is always worse than the reality.
I’ve had AF episodes in Planes and Trains, Boats and Cars, Buses and Shops and nothing bad happened - once in the middle of whale watching on a tiny boat surrounded by hump back whales, in the middle of Atlantic Ocean on a small yacht, long haul flights, short haul flights and then there was the pothole - which put me back into NSR.
Thank you for this detailed response! It has made me feel much more calm about travelling. At the end of the day even if it did happen on a long haul, it’s something which can still be controlled by my meds so I’m thankful for the breakdown. Anxiety is just as bad as the actual condition and it’s great that I’ve found a good community of people openly speaking about everything.
Thanks for the response! Yes I agree. My diet has changed drastically and I plan on staying ontop of it now for the foreseeable. No caffeine and extremely moderate alcohol consumption moving forward! (At 26 I can’t really imagine not being able to drink again whatsoever haha)
I had my first afib episode in my 30's. Unknown trigger. Electro cardioverted next day in the hospital. Fortunately or unfortunately, there was no internet back then so we all pretty much just listened to our doctors. He told me not to worry so I didn't worry. I was given something to take -- forgot the name but no longer used -- for a couple of months. Then I went about my life as normal. No lifestyle changes. No daily drugs. No worries. No bisoporol, apixaban or flecinide if I went into afib. Never gave it thought after a short while.
Six years later had the second episode. Trigger was drinking an ice cold drink too fast. Electro Cardioverted next day in hospital. Like after the first episode, went about life as normal with no medications. Third episode about six years after that.
The afib episodes didn't start interfering with my life until my early 70's. So now I'm on daily meds and thinking about an ablation.
As you may know, afib is a progressive disease, but with many cases like mine, progression is quite slow. It's therefore great that at this point you were not put on any daily meds like many are. Daily meds can potentially interfere with your quality of life, especially at your age where you are so active. But having bisoprolol, apixaban and flecainide as Pills in Pocket should give you some security.
If in your shoes, I would just go your life as before and only make changes that you want to for your general health, but not specifically for afib. The exception would be those energy drinks since they seem to be a trigger and not really good anyway. And don't get consumed by it by hanging out on forums like this too much unless you have an issue. This place is a blessing but I really didn't need it until a few years ago.
Hopefully, by the time your afib becomes problematic -- and hopefully it won't -- they will have newer and significantly better and more effective treatments available. Things we haven't even heard of yet.
Just want to add to my previous post that we now know that certain lifestyle changes can be helpful keeping afib at bay. The major ones are keeping a healthy weight, keeping blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar under control and moderate exercise. Also no excessive drinking which does not mean you have to abstain. Some studies also suggest that long term endurance training such as marathon running puts you at a greater risk for afib later in life. Not sure how much I'd worry about that at your age, because those activities also have certain benefits but just something to keep in mind. I adhered to some but not all of those lifestyle changes over the years, but not because of afib, just for general health. Looking back, I wish I had been a bit more diligent.
I appreciate you taking the time to send me that response. It’s good to know at your young age on the first episode you had years in between episodes! It’s so interesting that a cold drink can trigger such a condition, the human body really is such a complex machine.
Thank you for your kind words and reassurance, I’ll do my best to live my life to the fullest and not be consumed by the anxieties.
That was the point I was trying to make, but you can also look at your afib episode as a reminder to lead a more healthy life in general. Not just because of afib. Covered that in more detail in a second post. Focusing on health is not bad. Focusing on afib can be.
Hi Mark, 36yr old male here which got it in November and had holiday to Florida booked for December so I can relate to your anxieties and ongoing struggle to get my head round it. I’m on flecanide and Bisoprolol everyday. Time is a good healer with the anxiety is the reassurance I can give you but please feel free to DM me if you wanna chat or any questions
Lots of sensible and reassuring answers here. Lifestyle and dietary changes are your friends and will allow you to take back control of your life. Find out about healthy diet from the Zoe Project and Dr Tim Spector's work. Also check out HOW you exercise - we're fed to over exert and push ourselves by the fitness 'industry' instead of taking daily moderate exercise and planned activities that are more challenging. I don't know where you'd go to find out more about this but worth considering.
I had this so bad like you in my mid forties. I flew for work all the time and become overly anxious about the misery this caused on planes and in hotel rooms. I did have an ablation in 2016 that solved some issues but still was having trouble until I found that wheat/gluten always caused problems. I had a naturopathic doctor suggest I give up gluten and I tried it and all began to get better. To this day if I accidentally get frankenwheat I will get massive flip flops and thuds that will drive me crazy. I read labels religiously and ask questions before eating to avoid gluten/ wheat. Also must avoid aspartame and sucralose (artificial sweeteners). You will figure it all out and be fine. I take no meds and have no real trouble anymore if I am careful what I eat and drink.
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