dont give up the fight against Afib

[Dikytiker]

I have been a member of this forum for some years and learned a few things from its members but up until now i have never posted anything but i thought my story may give some of you people a bit of hope.

I first went into afib in 2018 sudenly without any warning my heart rate was 222 and the top line of my blood pressure was also 222 { not a coinsidance i will foget in a hurry} from then i had a series of blue light experiances nearly died several times from the effects of Bisoprolol slowing my heart to below 30 when i came out of afib but i would not let it get the better of me so i did more walking ate a better diet and got rid of a stone and a half and uped my magnesium and sure enough it went away I had no afib at all life went back to normal a bit too normal i crept back int my old ways put two stone back on took life too easy during the lockdown, when I went for my first covid jab bang I was back in afib after well over a year without an episode, it lasted till the next day and kept recuring every two to three weeks until i had the covid booster it then became every two to three days until I had the second booster then i=I went into perminent afib I had i heart rate of over 100 minium back in hospital when it got to 200 this carried on for about a year then I started with the heart rythum team at Glenfield hospital they booked me in for cardioversion and put me on Amioderone which is a drug with many dangerous side effects not least blindness only to be used when all other drugs have failed, what drugs ? but no one had given me any drugs other than bisoprolol which never made any difference other than when i didn't want it to but a few days before my cardioversion I came out of afib on my own brilliant !!! well almost if it wasn't for the blue light flashing above me on the way back to resuss with a heart rate of 30 but the next day iI was sent home still with a heart rate of only 36 and a letter saying admitted with Bisoprolol induced bradycaia. I then built up my steps to 20,000 + per day, lost the weight got back to growing my own fruit and veg and cutting out the junk food and stuck wih it I also stoped dinking tea and replaced it with cocoa wich corected my blood pressure almost immediately.

I have now been 15 months with a perfect heart rythum i stoped the Amioderone 6 weeks ago and now I have got it out of my system i am starting the much safer Sotolol as a precation I hope this gives some of you a little hope and helps you to keep fighting

[mjames1]

Thanks for sharing. Afib affects us in so many different ways. In my case, the Covid vaccines and boosters had no effect on my a fib, but getting Covid did trigger an episode. Great that you've been able to get your positive lifestyle metrics back on track and let's hope your streak keeps going.

Jim

[CDreamer]

Well done with the lifestyle changes - that will be your best chance of staying in NSR, thanks for sharing.

[Iamfuzzyduck]

Thank you for sharing your story, I haven't quite made the leap to a caffeine free life, not sure if I can but I am downing herbal tea on a daily basis as I have cut back! 20,000 steps a day is impressive- do you run?

[Omniscient1 in reply to Iamfuzzyduck]

We went caffeine free a few years ago (but decaff tea and coffee) it's ok, giving up sugar was worse.

[Omniscient1]

Thank you for posting. It's good to hear good news wherever it is.

[secondtry]

Good positive post thanks. A reminder to us all that the C-jab is an issue for some, reducing sugar is one important tool (as is reducing gluten for me) and be alert to slipping back into old bad habits once in NSR.....oh and never give up 😁! Best wishes.

[Shiney1959]

Well done you. I bet you are feeling so much better. I need to get my head in gear & lose more weight. Its great to hear some good news thank you

[Rainfern]

Thank you for sharing. My own experience of AF pales into insignificance when I hear what people on this forum have been through. My persistent AF, pre ablation, was comparatively mild. Your journey in facing up to the AF and achieving a healthy lifestyle is an inspiration.

[Ppiman]

Well, I have much to be thankful for at that same hospital, too - isn't it a great team of doctors? There aren't enough of them, but that is our NHS for you. When I was there, there was but a single cardiologist on call at the hospital and she was elsewhere dealing with a cardiac arrest. That left not a single cardiologist for the cardiology ward!

Amiodarone, in the doses they use today, has been shown to be perfectly safe with monitoring, so don't worry about it. It was the next drug for me, but my ablation came in time.

It was lovely reading your story, though. Life with arrhythmias can sometimes be awful, for sure. The bucket loads of worry it brings in train don't help, either!

Steve

[Nickybhf]

That is brilliant news, thank you for sharing, needed to read something positive. Well done to you for all the changes you’ve made.

[TillyBoss]

Very uplifting and gives hope. How long does it take for magnesium level to go up. I heard it could take 6 months or more

[Tomred]

since my first brush with afib approx 35 years ago, i had many periods ,maybe over a year maybe even 2 years between bouts , over time it got more and more often, today its approx weekly, in the early years i too thought it was a one off thing.

[bassets]

Thanks for this. I began having Afib in 2018 too. I was very symptomatic but everything has calmed down since I had an ablation in 2021.

[Snowgirl65]

Great story!

[AustinElliot]

Thanks for sharing. Congrats on getting something of a hold on it.

Your first experiences sounded horrible.

[layla3]

I was diagnosed December for afib. Scary rushed into hospital as heart rate 181, was sent home 2 days later saying blood thinners and bisporol tablets. Bisporol has caused me lots of problems like you cause when I go into NSR which is not often probably 2 days out of 7 my heart pulse rate goes to 30 and I’m nearly passing out and end up in A&E, I was told reduce dosage as was on 5mg same thing happened again pulse rate 30 was then told to reduce to 2.5mg once again when in NSR it was 30 it messed my head up. Luckily heart consultant phoned me yesterday first appointment and now has put me on Sotalol like you so hopefully things will improve but just got to wait and see