getting more constant

[babs1234]

I started with AFib this time last year. It was very intermittent at first, maybe one episode a month but it has gradually become more constant. Had 5 episodes this month already. Any advice or is it a nap that it goes from episodes to permanent?

[jeanjeannie50]

Hi Babs

There's no reason why you should go into permanent AF. Usually it starts off with rare attacks and then you get more and more over many years, but we are all different. Have you looked at your diet and tried to have one that's artificial additive free? Also sleeping on your left side when in bed can sometimes trigger an attack. I've had AF for 19 years now, my attacks were dreadful at one time and I would spend time in hospital, but now although in constant AF I can do more or less what I like. So don't go thinking that the way you are feeling now is how you will always be.

Artificial sweeteners were a sure trigger for my AF attacks. How I wish I'd known that years ago, please try an additive free diet. If you need to lose any weight then do so that will also help.

Jean

[BobD Volunteer]

AF is accepted to be a progressive condition but treatment can delay the process. Remember though that there is no difference in final outcome whatever treatment is used. It is NOT considered a terminal condition.

[Buzby62]

Hi, it is usually progressive as it says on page 7 of the following fact file

api.heartrhythmalliance.org...

The progression is different for everyone and I have read that for some it doesn’t progress much and they just manage the episodes. The fact file also shows all the possible treatments. My episodes were getting more frequent and once I got to see an Electrophysiologist (EP) he advised that I ticked all the boxes for ablation to be successful and predicted a 60% chance of success.

Hope the fact file is helpful, best wishes

[BenHall1]

There will be more and more different takes on the approach to solving the AF problem. My onset back in Jan 2010 was to feel as if I were going down with flu ! Then my BP dropped rapidly from around 136/80 to 76/50 while my HR jumped up to around 156 bpm.

Within 9 hours of onset I was in A & E being diagnosed and treated. Initially with meds only. Then it became obvious that food was a trigger. I eventually consulted a Nutritionist and added to the meds route, a diet route. The years that followed were I guess typical AF. I now haven't had an AF event for 4 years.

I have maintained both diet and meds route to problem solving ..... none of this nancy fancy PIP, Flec, Ablation or anything else they dream up .......... straight out diet and maintaining the medication...... for life. I was 65 when I started and am 79 now and still work 30 hours a week driving buses for a national bus operator on local College bus services .... this means I must pass a DVLA inspired medical annually.

For my money it is essential to get a diagnosis and treatment started at the earliest opportunity - for me this was around 9 hours. Otherwise the AF thingy gets a grip. Some of the posts I read in this forum give me the heebie jeebies. Amazing, to say the least and being diplomatic too lest I get a lifetime ban on HU by AFA !

[babs1234 in reply to BenHall1]

Thanks for your reply. I’m 70 and play walking netball, badminton and pickleball every week. Sometimes the over exertion triggers it but I will look into diet

[doodle68]

Hi Babs, if your P-AF is symptomatic , makes your life miserable and is progressing as happened to me I would not hesitate to have an ablation. I made the mistake of waiting too long for an ablation partly due to Covid and also fear of the procedure but I reached the stage where things could not get much worse .

I am so relieved I have had an ablation now and wish I had one earlier before my AF became persistent and my quality of life nil.

If you don’t have AF symptoms I guess it is easier to live with so progression not so terrible.

[KiwiBlake]

Hi Babs. Are you on any sort of medication for AF, either rate control or rhythm control? If so, is the medication daily, or when you need it, pill in the pocket (PIP) for use if you go into AF.

The reason I ask, is that while I don't really like taking meds long term, they are keeping me in nice steady normal rhythm, allowing me to get on with life.

Cheers Blake

[babs1234 in reply to KiwiBlake]

Hi. Yes I’m on Apixaban and Buscopan.

[secondtry]

Its usually a balancing act between treatments plus lifestyle changes to achieve the desired Quality of Life.

Sounds like you need an early private cardiologist appointment to discuss options and a search here for more lifestyle changes.

[Keswickman]

Dr Sanjay has a video on YouTube about progression from PAF to persistent. If I recall correctly he says that about 8% of PAF sufferers will go persistent in a year and it rises to about 36% over 10 years. So roughly a third of PAF sufferers will end up with persistent AF in 10 years. 64% won’t!

[bean_counter27]

5 years on and it's been a roller-coaster ride for me. Been almost 2 months since last episode but had a bad run in 2022 and early 2023. I think I'm better now at avoiding triggers.... but some are seemingly unavoidable. Keep your chin up. You might just be having a bad run.

[FancyPants54]

Mine started in my 40's although I think I experienced some episodes in my 30's at the time I was getting divorced and was very stressed. I inherited a genetic disposition towards it I suspect as it's rife in my paternal family and dad's AF was really bad by the end of his life.

I was slim and very fit when it started. I am fat now, but that's because I also became hypothyroid at a later date and I can't get that under control. Nothing dietary triggered me at all. Hard exercise could set it off but not every time.

I'm now in permanent AF, with little help from the NHS at all. But I can cope. Most of the time I don't know about it. The worst thing for me is that my heart rate goes too high when I exert myself. So I'm going to go see the GP and ask if he can refer me to a cardiologist or EP. I was signed off by a new cardiologist at the local hospital just after the second lockdown. He yawned all the way through my appointment (check up) and then declared I would be seen in 6 months. I got the appointment letter. Then a letter canceling it. Then another giving me another date. Then that was cancelled. I think the same thing happened again and then I got the letter to say he didn't need to see me again and I was signed off from clinic! Bloody rubbish care if you ask me. But as I said, I manage on my own. I just want to bring that HR down on exercise so that I can actually exercise a bit.

[babs1234 in reply to FancyPants54]

Yes that’s my problem, over exertion. I’m very competitive and not one for giving in. Last episode was kicked off exercise and even when stopped and resting my HR shot to 170. Took an extra beta blocker

[Cavalierrubie]

Are you sure your electrolytes are in sync as this can play havoc with AF. I was borderline vitamin B12 at one point and so supplemented with that and also magnesium. I have been much better since then and my episodes have lessened. I think it is very important to go into the nutritional side of this. We are all different, so it is an absolutely individual thing. Your GP can perform a blood test for you.

[ozziebob]

If it was me I would be wondering whether I might have a progressive vitamin, mineral or hormone deficiency that had been missed by my GP. So, apologies if you have already had appropriate blood tests, but I would ask your GP for comprehensive blood tests.

In my case, at my initial diagnosis of pAF, I was experiencing AF events, like you, every 30 days. For me, this was concurrent with the discovery of a Vitamin D deficiency. And since correcting my deficiency by supplementation, my AF events now occur, on average, every 110 days. Now this is definitely no miracle cure, but it is a move in the right direction, for which I am well pleased.

And remember, GPs don't routinely check Vitamin D levels, and this is one vital "hormone(?)" a large percentage of the older population cannot obtain in sufficient amounts from the skin or via diet.

I hope you find a positive way forward.

[babs1234 in reply to ozziebob]

Thank you

[Shopgal67]

I feel like I could have written this, in fact before Christmas it had gone from monthly to 2/3 times a week , however we had had a death in the family and my hubby was having tests for colon cancer at the same time !

I’ve kept a diary for 18 months and it’s hard to spot triggers, I get it mostly at 2am in the morning for 3/ 5 hrs . Stress is a factor and I’ve stopped drinking caffeine and alcohol.

This forum has been a godsend for a newbie PAF person like myself, and I hope you get to better place soon .

[babs1234 in reply to Shopgal67]

Ah thanks. Yes I had a couple of episodes last night while I was asleep 🤷‍♀️