I done sports all my life mostly cycling and running and have had a low heart bpm (50-60 ) from my teens.
Early 2023 I was on holiday in Spain and although I was running and cycling each day I noticed the hills were a bit harder than usual and found my pulse was now 30-40bpm
I e-consulted my GP who phoned me and advised ECG on return.
ECG revealed atrial flutter..
I had holter ECG during a five day inpatient stay and the diagnosis was persistent atrial flutter with asymptomatic slow left ventricular rate.
I now await cardioversion in two days and found this lovely website for advice and reassurance 🙂
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Eiadio
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I’m sure by now you will be aware of the close connection between AF and the more extreme sporting activities. Some difficult decisions to face methinks……good luck
I'm assuming because of your hospital stay that you're either under the care of, or at least have consulted with an electrophysiologist (ep). If not, highly advisable because they are the experts in arrythmia's and the one you have (flutter with low heart beat) is not very common and deserves expert attention and follow up.
Also, if the description "endurance athlete" fits you at all, know that studies show an association between endurance athletics and arrhythmia's like afib and flutter, meaning your workouts might have to be reexamined. There's a book on this subject by Dr. John Mandrola, "Haywire Heart" that might interest you. He's not only an ep, but also a former endurance athlete who developed afib.
Dear Jim, Thanks for a very full and informative reply. I’ve read posts on here and elsewhere about the advantages of ep’s and agree that the AFL with LVP is less common. I’m under a professor of cardiology so hope that they’ve decided correctly to give me a cardioversion.
I can’t possibly stop running or cycling 🙂 so if my heart returns to sinus rhythm and remains so it’ll be back on the hills to test it out with caution and fingers crossed.
Hi, the book will stress the link between EXTREME physical activity and AFib/flutter. Most endurance athletes do NOT get AF/AFL. I did an extensive study in this on my blog if you are interested:hhtafibathlete.blogspot.com...
Thanks for the link Jaja. I’ve copied and will have a read. I’m also keen to continue and pursue good health and make exercise front and centre of my pursuit
Obviously I CAN give up running Tapanac but after years and years it’s part of my mental and physical wellbeing…… I too see the irony in that statement in that I might have induced the AFL however my present maximum ventricular rate on exercise is 80-85 because of atrial insufficiency.
If my cardioversion tomorrow morning can change that I’ll be a happy boy.
Oh I do hope the cardioversion brings you back to NSR but knowing how many I had plus ablation plus pacemaker I just worry that your running might upset your afl
take it easy after your cardioversion and ease back gently
Welcome to the forum Eiadio. This site has been a source of great support, information and general companionship throughout my Afib journey.
Good luck with the cardioversion and hope you’re soon back on your bike - not up Arthur’s Seat hopefully! and take it easy generally after cardioversion, give the body time to adjust back to its old rhythm.
Good Luck with the Cardioversion. You sound like you are generally very fit and strong which will help you to recover quite quickly, although it's a good idea to pace yourself and build up exercise gradually after your procedure. Take care , Bee
As an endurance athlete myself who can’t possibly give up running either, I have found the frontier X heart monitor invaluable. It’s chest strap gives you a continuous ecg (not in real time) which enables you to match up how you feel with what your heart is doing and then you will be able to temper your activity to what you can cope with. It is is a big adjustment I have to say, but necessary. It also makes for a more informed dialogue with your cardiologist.
I’ve looked at the fourth frontier website and read the user comments. The monitor would be ideal if it can detect AF/AFL as I had wondered how would I know the flutter had returned.
it doesn’t identify the different arythmias. You have to learn to do that yourself. Or, you can have a session with fourth frontier person and they will tell you what they are for your cardiologist may do it. My cardiologist loves it because he can see more clearly what is happening. . Speaking personally, it didn’t take long, with a bit of guidance, to recognise what’s what. The reason frontier x doesn’t diagnose is because it is going through FDA approval as a medical device so until then it just identifies ‘other’ rhythm and you have to do the rest yourself. That said, there is another device ‘Wellue’ which does 24h monitoring on a chest strap or sticky pads and diagnosis as well. Others on here have experience of that, so may be able to advise.
Me again. There is a good Facebook page for AF too. But even better one called Cardiac Athletes which is very inspiring. Worth joining FB just for that 😁
Please be aware of the importance of Vitamin D in the etiology of various arrhythmias, and most of the older population in UK (I am 76) is deficient in Vitamin D due to a host of reasons.
Vitamin D also works to reduce inflammation and reduce morbidity risks in all kinds of medical conditions.
So please ensure you get your serum Vitamin D level tested as a baseline to assess whether you need to start supplementation. And all the recent research I've read suggests UK NICE recommended Vitamin D levels are somewhat out of date and way below the levels advised in the research, and in other major countries like France, USA etc..
For myself, after suffering a deficiency which suspiciously was only discovered at the start of my AF (although there will have been other factors involved), I now try to keep my serum Vitamin D level at a min of 100 nmol/L, and this has definitely helped reduce my pAF events.
I’ll 2nd that my Vit D levels were at the lower end and after 10 months of supplements just getting toward 85 I too will get it to around 100. Also my CoQ10 levels were low and after 7 months of supps now just in the lower end of normal range. I tested magnesium as well and after 9 months of supps am now in the middle of normal range. I believe as we age our bodies do not absorb these as well as when we were under 50 and as a consequence become more susceptible to things like AF.
Interesting about your magnesium level. If that's not diet caused, perhaps it's a genetic malabsorption issue?
My serum magnesium level has always (well since I first had knowledge of it a few years ago) been at or just above the top of the normal range. I don't know why, perhaps a lifetime of eating nuts? 🤔
But considering it's apparent importance in helping lessen arrhythmias, I'm well pleased with that.
Though there's always the possibility that the UK NICE normal range for serum magnesium is also out of date.🤔
Yes it has to be malabsorption as I’ve always eaten magnesium rich foods. The CoQ10 I’ll get up to mid range and then see how often the AF rears its head
Hi Bob, This interests me... trying to reduce my PAF episodes also. I checked my previous test for Vit. D (2 yrs ago) and I was at 57 nmol/L, which "they" think is normal. May I ask how much you had to supplement to get it to 100? I'm taking 5,000 daily (plus 180 mcg K2). Thank you--BTW, I took 5,000 daily during the 3 covid yrs but recently fell off the horse, and now getting back on! (live in Kentucky so I guess the horse reference comes easily ) Cheers, Diane S
Hi, I had a French Canadian friend who was a healing harpist. Retrained in later life. Wonderful. Your healingharpist always reminds me of her.
Anyway, back to Vitamin D, your daily dosage is higher than mine, and should raise your level as you desire. Of course we are all individual and a blood test is needed to keep check on your levels. I am now able to do that once per year via my GP. At the moment I take one more expensive capsule, or one cheaper tablet, each day, both 4000iu Vitamin D3 and including 100mcg K2. I alternate every day between these 2 supplements because I have no idea of their relative effectiveness (and not having any blood test results yet from this particular combination of supplements, and won't have until Spring 2024), and am trying to cover all bases.
As my Bio indicates, I went from a deficiency of 22 nmol/L to 107, then a different weekly dosing put me back to 95, and I am confident my current daily dosing should restore the above 100 level I desire.
As a bonus, can I refer you to the following article which shows the importance of Vitamin D in reducing the mortality rates in a wide number of medical conditions. I think the benefits stated in this article start to taper above 75 nmol/L, but I've seem much higher levels recommended, without harm ...
Thanks so much, Bob, for the fast reply. I'm a Medscape member and will gratefully read it. During covid I followed the FLCCC protocol (Front-Line Covid Critical Care alliance of drs.) which included high Vit. D and now I'm going back on it bec. I agree w/ you that D is vitally important for so many conditions (prob. my ulcerative colitis, also). I'm using Dr. Mercola's Vit. D at the moment but have switched around, too. Hoping both of us will experience a lessening of those PAF events... Lately, I've had so many PAC/PVC's (mostly PAC's, judging from a Holter last yr), kind of sprinkled throughout the day, mostly when sitting at supper or in the evening. Would love to get rid of those because, as I think most of us agree, they feel worse than AF itself! Good to connect with you, thank you again. Cheers, Diane S
Please remember 1 ng/ml = 2.5 nmol/L. So the aim mentioned in this link of 50-100 ng/ml is actually 125-250 nmol/L for us here in UK. Much higher than my aim of 100 nmol/L.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
) Cheers, Diane S
Afib/Atrial Flutter at 23 years old
And in the next exciting instalment...
Second Ablation in my four year journey with AFIB 
is it normal not to see a cardiologist with AF? 
Is it common to continue on Flecainide after ablation?
