Afib induced syncope update from #chinkoflight

[Chinkoflight]

Thank you all for the advice to my earlier post requesting any experience. It has helped enormously to focus my mind on what might be in front of me.I have seen the Cardio now, who has confirmed I had a significant blackout as a consequence of a tachycardia event probably associated with some left ventricular issues.

I will be heading for a cardio bed later tonight and will be in for a week. After all the full diagnostics the likely outcome will be ablations/pacemaker. All the experience shared has been helpful to hear this. Of course I am now on a mandatory 6 month driving ban which is a huge blow and will seriously impact my lifestyle.

Thank you again for all the invaluable support to that original post. Please accept my thanks in advance if you respond to this post. I'll not guarantee answering them in the immediate future.

Thank you to AF for supporting this forum and to Tracy.

[Paulbounce]

Hey Chhiko. Left ventricular issues are common with afib. We all have them so worry not. Pace and ablation - way to go. You won't even know you have had it until you wake up and feel better.

You'll be just fine my friend. Please keep us updated.

Paul

[JaneFinn]

Thanks so much for letting us know - sounds like you’ll be in great hands to get good diagnosis and treatment. Keep telling yourself that before too long you’ll be able to get your life back - driving included. Good luck xx

[Chinkoflight in reply to JaneFinn]

Thanks Jane.

[Sustainedvtach270]

Hello, I also had blackouts, the 1st time, I was walking in a park and I bounced back on my own, the 2nd time, a few days later while hospitalized for rapid afib. Thankfully, I was wearing a heart monitor, I went into sustained vtach, vfib and cardiac arrest. I had an MRI of the heart that showed scare tissue. I was fitted a defibrilator/pacemaker but not a pace and ablate, my heart rate can still fluctuate. Few months later, the problems started again, I was converting more and more to afib with fast heart rate. It's only when I adjusted my diet radically thanks to this forum that I was able to stay Sinus rhythm and low heart rate. Gluten,alcohol free, vegetarien but most important food rich in potassium and magnesium. I also walk at least 8000 steps daily, swim almost daily and work on my slow nasal breathing. We are all different, feel free to ask me any question.Thierry

[Chinkoflight in reply to Sustainedvtach270]

Hi Thierry, that's a great positive story. I hope I'll get some data on the channel ions and whether my bloods etc seem balanced. I think I have a good diet, a bit broader than your suggestion, but we do eat meat and dairy free for probably half our meals these days. Like you the baseline steps average is 8000 and spending time on the coast we swim all year round. BUT I had a precursor event that I think was relevant of the oddest cramping type event, raised for me BP sufficient to make a GP appt, I make very few. I've had one sudden cramp in the sea, so I'm wary of having a syncope event in the sea. Also as this syncope was now clearly related to ventricle tachycardia, data shows a 23 second burst, like not driving is mandatory, I have to consider risk much more as I go forward. Some say swimming is more demanding than running, but cycling is broadly okay. So I may go back to cycling ( assisted) in the absence of a car. I will probably use the gym more for the safety aspect, although I get less enjoyment. There will be new things to learn and I'll be looking for the positives and the #chinkoflight. Cheers and syncope free exercise!

[Desertflowerchild]

Sending positive thoughts and wishing the next few weeks will be "uneventful" and that you will have a quick return to running (and the rest of your life)!

[Chinkoflight in reply to Desertflowerchild]

Thank you. Running is the ambition but it must be safe. The cardiologist keeps laying it on very thick how lucky I was. Basically describing the SAD syndrome and suggesting a few more seconds would have been fatal. He is saying no running for now but maybe this will change with a device implant and a change of meds to control the arrhythmia. Cheers

[Desertflowerchild]

Hmm. . .Am I wrong in thinking a pacemaker would eliminate the risk of a repeat? Although, you will have to give up the rugby!😜

[Chinkoflight in reply to Desertflowerchild]

It's a great question. I'm not clear why fit a pacemaker instead of a defibrillator in the case of syncope. I have yet to get my head around blitzing the nodes to replace with a device that could completely fail and occasionally does leaving you with nothing. I might be showing my ignorance here. I've not paid much attention to this, focused mainly on my stroke and assumed the DOAC's were the key. The link between Afib syncope and heart failure hadn't hit my radar. In the recent discussion on footballers in the news my own contribution was that SADS or nearly events was a vanishingly rare event in the scheme of things. Which is true but...That exercise is the trigger, not the cause (I think safe to assert that) the advice to me is to stop running and swimming but cycling, pilates, walking type levels of exercise are okay. Even that sounds wishy washy and not truly evidential. But I'm not out to take risks. It is a bummer if that's acceptable and robust enough🤨.

[Buffafly in reply to Chinkoflight]

Tai Chi 😀

[Chinkoflight]

Yes, you have been reading my mind, even looked up some YouTube on Sunday! 😀