AF & ablation! back to sport.

[GM1987]

So! Rather than bore anyone I will just try & recap my journey as quick as possible, after many test & appointments I finally got the final evaluation in August 2021, I was told to quit sports due to a mri showing mild dilated cardiomyopathy along with paroxysmal AF & LBB (left branch block). I was Put on meds & had a ablation in feb 2022. I’m now 12 months on with a ablation In between & my routine 12 month echocardiogram which now shows my heart is in normal condition along with it being in good sinus rhythm! The cardiologist believes the ablation has been a success & the original diagnosis of cardiomyopathy is looking like it was more a case of myocarditis! I’m still on the meds 2.5mg each of bisoprolol & ramipril for the next 3 months until I have my next face to face with my consultant. My cardiologist has told me that I can now go back to contact sport & life as I treated it prior! Great news yes! but also a bit confusing & scary as I’ve now got a big anxiety about the whole situation & if I should just move on before being sure! Only a few weeks ago I was told to stop the bisoprolol due to this news as it would potentially be holding me back, but 10 days In to stopping them I was having serious ectopics with a lot of heavy racing episodes. I was told to go back on them again & since have been great, however if it’s all better why do I need to rely on the meds now??? I’m terrified to even try a sprint now after so long but also excited to hopefully get some of my old life before all this back. I’m in line to have a mri in the next 3 months to be 100% sure that it was just myocarditis & not dilated cardiomyopathy. If anyone has any similar experience in getting back into there sports or similar situations after something like this please feel free to let me know.

[BobD Volunteer]

Firstly I think it important to point out that it could indeed have been dilated cardiomyopathy. It is very common once AF is terminated for the heart to recover and I'm surprised your doctors didn't tell you this.

As far as sports are concerned that should be your choice but frankly I would be cautious about undoing all the good work thus far by going too hard too soon. Listen to your body and pay attention!

[GM1987 in reply to BobD]

Thanks BobD, my cardiologist did explain that it can come & go as suddenly as it arrived, but due to my hearts condition & the finding of the left branch block & paroxysmal AF he believes it was in fact myocarditis that brought these on. he can’t be 100% sure until he looks in depth with my next mri. Hopefully I’m passed the worst now & slowly can start moving towards when I was. As for fitness I am waiting for the mri to be done before jumping back in. Thanks for the advice & information it’s much appreciated.

[secondtry]

I understand some people have had myocarditis as a result of the Covid vaccine; does the timing fit? I have no experience of your meds but expect the body requires several months to get used to the change whether it is starting them or stopping them. In this period of adjustment I would postpone resuming your normal sporting routine, checking with your medics to see if you can very slowly reduce the meds.

[GM1987 in reply to secondtry]

No originally when I got my diagnosis they stated it was likely to be a viral which caused the problems which makes sense now as I was poorly just as covid hit most likely having the virus without really knowing what it was. I’ve had many echocardiograms & ecgs due to my footballing background so it’s something that hasn’t always been around & since it’s apparently disappeared now hopefully means it was just that causing all of it. The next stage which I’m going through now like you said is moving towards coming off the meds, my cardiologist already has hopes of getting me off them before the year is out. Thanks for your info & advice I really appreciate it 👍🏽

[secondtry in reply to GM1987]

Pleased to be able to comment. These days it is difficult to find the truth but having heard a number of stories about footballers suddenly dieing, if I was you I would make sure your medics again confirm you have no inflammation of the heart and no other reason why you can't start full training.

[Ppiman]

I gather only an MRI can distinguish between the different muscle changes in the heart so that would be something I would await before getting back to an energetic life. They can be had privately at some clinics quite reasonably, I gather, these days but yours won't be long now.

Steve

[GM1987 in reply to Ppiman]

Yeah It shows the detail in a lot more depth so I already kind of know myself that I will wait until that mri results just to be safe before diving in.

[Jajarunner]

Hi GM,

I've had three ablations - May 2020, April 2021, Jan 2022. In between each one i managed to return partly to some sport - electric bike, real bike, running and hiking. I have written about my recoveries in detail in my non profit blog:

blogger.com/blog/posts/5200...

If you are interested. Also a good resource is Cardiac Athletes FB page, most are heart attack survivors but there are other cardiac conditions too including Afib.

Best of luck, Jaja

[GM1987 in reply to Jajarunner]

Thanks for the information Jajarunner, I don’t do any real social media so FB unfortunately isn’t something I’m familiar with. After listening to others experience I think the best thing for myself is to sit & wait for the mri before jumping back in the deep end. 👍🏽

[DaveH1]

Consult your doctor. If you get the OK then start again. Listen carefully to your body. Start back gently and monitor your pulse afterwards. The sheer joy of taking part should be enough. Do not to push too hard. And if anything feels strange , stop.

[GM1987 in reply to DaveH1]

Thanks DaveH1,

I’ve had the nod to crack on few months ago, I’ve been on a few runs since & felt ok just a little bit tight from doing nothing for 18months. my heart rate rests around mid 50s & it’s never rocketed or gone into silly highs even during the AF so that’s not been a worry. It’s more the mental side of being told to stop it’s cardiomyopathy then undergoing the abalation to suppress the AF it brought with it, then to be told crack on your hearts back into its normal state of health with no sign of damage? I’ve recently had the 5 day monitor from the Surgeon to asses the results of the ablation in feb. Hopefully that’s can get the green light & show it’s been a success. Even if that’s the case I will only feel comfortable once I’ve had the in depth mri just to confirm the damage was infact myocarditis & not mild dilated cardiomyopathy as the originally believed.