I am not now being negative , I am trying to be pragmatic . On this brilliant forum we are constantly told “ no one dies of AF “.
I was wondering what actually brought on the first bout of A F to people here.
Mine came on years after Mitral Valve repair . 2 long ablations , many cardio versions have not put me into sinus rhythm . It is persistent AF and mainly I cope well. But all the banging around has affected my heart and it is enlarged . Last night’s test result told me this . I looked up the technical term and cause of enlarged heart and it was not a joyful read . No point in being told stress makes A F worse , I know that . L
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Luludean
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Google damages your (mental) health. Avoid at all costs.
Sadly AF does often start following heart surgery such as valves or by pass due to the matural circuits being disturbed so as my no2 son always says "it is what It is".
Without Google many of us with hypothyroidism would still be living in a half-life being treated like it was the dark ages. Google, and learning how to use it, has given us the knowledge and power to either fight for better treatment or to simply eschew our clueless GPs and endocrinologists and treat ourselves for better quality of life and peace of mind.
Of course doctors tell us to keep away from Google. They are scared of us knowing just how little they understand.
I was lucky getting my afib diagnosed . I sent for the ambulance when the frogs started fighting in my chest and they took me straight to hospital . They then kept me in the cardiac dept for 4 days till my INR came into range. I had a private room but was bored to tears. I got an echo and loads of blood tests. But this was France in 2015. The health service is gradually deteriorating so I doubt they would have kept me so long now . In the UK I went 7 years with undiagnosed hypothyroidism. Put on a shedload of weight that I never got rid of. I knew there was something wrong with me but unfortunately we did not have the internet then.
Google is only like most things in life Bob.Used sensibly in moderation it's good for you you wouldn't tell people to avoid a library would you?
Following healthy steps and correct recommended sites for research it can be a lifeline and help many people find the information they require to have confidence and evidence to request the help that can save their lives.
It only becomes a problem when people begin to fall down a rabbit hole of misinformation because they click on the sites at the top of the search engine without checking their credibility first. Or they are already struggling with their feelings about their health and extra information is too much for them to cope with at that time. Or the alternative health information they collect deters them from seeking and using professional medical treatment as well.
Personally, I never trust a doctor whom puts down sensible questions that a patient asks about using the phrase , " Have you been looking at Dr.Google? You should stop doing that"
I've heard it too often in my fight to get help and I know from experience it's not the doctors that you'd want to be treated by whom say it.
Often , that's just a way to dismiss their patients concerns without giving an appropriate answer or making the effort to look up something they don't know themselves or order tests that might be required. All unprofessional attitudes that is actually frowned upon in the Medical Community.
Without Google, many of us wouldn't have found this site and the organisations that we can get the most useful information from.
Without Google, I wouldn't have been able to discover half of the treatments available in my area that I am entitled to.
Without Google, I could not have printed off the info from organisations that finally got me the tests I required to be diagnosed and less common treatments I require to keep my heart ticking over.
My Specialists, the highly professional, open minded ones, are also very happy that I share the credited medical research information with them that I find by using Google as a starting point.
Without Google , my mental health from poor treatment would have continued to suffer , not the other way around.
AF may not kill you in itself, but it does, if not well managed, cause the heart to work in such a way which can change it physically and increase your risks of strokes or cardiac events that could kill you. It's a stark fact, but a fact none the less.
Brushing these risks off , because " AF won't kill you" and not managing AF effectively, "carrying on regardless" of symptoms instead of working with them and pacing your activity to help your heart, or not listening to your body to reduce AF events and the damage they cause over time is not positive or proactive.
The brush off " It Won't Kill you" phrase is used so often and it's probably the comment that irritates me the most when I read it.
Especially, if it's used to excuse continuing behaviour that makes a condition worse in the long run or as a way to avoid accepting some changes that may need to be made for individuals variation of AF , or any illness that requires dropping the " Old Normal".
It's not all doom and gloom even if we face the facts , in fact things can still be incredibly positive.
Even the changes that AF can cause to the heart or severe events that could happen can still be treated , managed and patients can continue to have a long , positive life despite them.
Many of the Self Care things that help you do that can only be found by going to a library , a charity website or looking on Google as, sadly, your average GP or Consultant neither has the most up to date knowledge, interest, or time to look up , organise or advice their patients on things like that.
Google is certainly a double edged sword. The problem is that there is good quality information, poor quality information and misinformation. It isn’t always easy to differentiate between the good sources and the not-so-good. There’s also the issue of whether the information is relevant for your personal situation.
The value of groups like these is that people can speak of their own experiences, good or bad. The caveat is that a diagnosis of AF can be different for everyone. There will be similarities of course, but there’s a difference between someone who is newly diagnosed and is waiting for their first appointment with a consultant in six months time, and who finds themselves in fast AF without any PIP medications, and someone in permanent AF which is well-managed and hopefully stable. The person who had their first AF episode three months ago is very probably going to consult Dr Google. The person who doesn’t understand their medical report and has no context for these strange unfamiliar terms is going to consult Dr Google. They’re anxious about their health, so they want reassurance and sadly Dr Google presents the worse case scenario very quickly. The value of this group can be, at its best, saying “hmmm, that might be true but it doesn’t mean it’s true for you” with the caveat that we should (if possible) discuss what concerns us with our own healthcare professionals. That’s not the same as “stay off Google and carry on!” which isn’t really helping anyone.
Well said! There are amazing online resources for consumer health info, many created by medical librarians. A search on “consumer health information site:edu” will lead one to great resources.
A doctor once told me he was going to do a bit of research on a question I had. I asked what resources he used. They were ones I had access to. Told him I was a librarian, he chuckled and said “the you can do the research” 😂 Wish more doctors would recognize that we’re not all idiots! Though I can understand why they get weary of people coming in with what could be crazy theories.
my AF started after OHS for an aortic valve replacement. Also have an Aneurysm and Heart Failure. My husband had Atrial Fibrillation as the second cause of his death on the death certificate.
It was a brave one ! You must have been through some very difficult times! I hope you are in an area where you can have a good gp , get to see your cardio consultant and have friends, family or a pet to boost your morale! Do take care . L
You ask ..... " I was wondering what actually brought on the first bout of A F to people here ".
I do not know ! My very first symptom was feeling unwell, as if I were going down with real flu ( as distinct from man flu ). My second symptom was rapidly/ dramatically falling BP ......... so over about four hours my BP dropped from its normal of around 136/80 ish to 76/50 ish ! I thought it was the end of the world !
GP wasted no time in getting me to A & E where I was diagnosed with paroxysmal AF - with the tendency to being asymptomatic.
Whilst not for one moment saying it's "safer", being asymptomatic must make it easier to ignore and stress up about. Having Skippy trying to break out of your chest 24/7 is both awful, as well as a constant reminder. Pre-ablation, mine had put me into heart failure mode, so how they can say AF is never life-threatening I don't know? Mine was booze. Too much for too long. Now, even a pint of relatively low-fat stuff sends me into ectopics. But not AF thank God. Early days I know, as only 9 months so far.🤞
It certainly isn't safer being asymptomatic .. not in the least. Quite dangerous, as one can be seduced into thinking one is clear of AF and is cured .... quit medication including anticoagulants .... bang, a stroke. Being asymptomatic means I sometimes feel my AF and skippy banging around, other times I probably wouldn't even know that skippy was in my chest.
That's why I said "I'm not saying it's safer" Ben, as I understand the possible enhanced risk at not being aware of the condition. But for being able to get on with your day without having this constant reminder, it is eminently better.
I hardly have any symptoms, and I have persistent Afib...That does not mean I forget about it or don't remain vigilant!!...I am on beta blockers and anticoagulants and never miss them. I have regular checks, monitor my heartrate ( I don't have a watch as I think it would only stress me out, and tell me what I already know! ) and link in with the cardiology dept and cardiac nurses...I recently had a cardioversion which has put me back in NSR ( 2 months now, so fingers crossed!! ) My ablation did not work it lasted a week!!...I am certain a trigger for me is alcohol;, so I am off the booze now
Yes hubby had a stroke last year due to not feeling his heart going at 174 beats plus a minute . A clot shot up to his brain from his heart . He d had an ablation in 2017 which had obviously stopped working somewhere along the line . He wasn’t put on thinners which is still mystery to me as to why he wasn’t . He can no longer work . Right sided vision loss in both eyes and aphasia as well as regular appointments for his heart failure 😞
I think I had AF a few years before being diagnosed in September 2019. I used to get a few irregular beats particularly when I had a couple of glasses of wine or a stressful day ( teaching). In September 2018 I had strong palpitations after two strong coffees one morning. I saw gp who wanted to do an ecg but said he couldn't because my heart rate was 120. I was sent away to pharmacist for beta blocker and to return in afternoon. So, I did. No irregularity found. Following year I woke 7 am to husband shouting on the landing: "Sorry, so sorry " He was having a severe hypo. I tried to bring him out of it but had to call an ambulance.
Anyway in the course of treating him I was administering coffee and biscuits to paramedics when I briefly passed out. We were both taken to hospital in same ambulance. I got the bed, he got the chair. I was diagnosed with Paroxysmal AF.
So while he was going on about having diabetes type 1 for 50 years and knew how to manage it. LOL it was a blessing that my AF came to light and I was prescribed anticoagulants. Apologies for length!
Yes, thank you. I'm as well as can be expected! R is still saying he's managing his diabetes . Depending on how I'm feeling I may remind him of how many times I've picked him off the floor. Actually those times are fewer now!
My first episode of PAF was out of the blue in an otherwise fit and healthy life 18 years ago. It lasted about 30 minutes and didn't recur for another 3 or 4 months. Diagnosis took 6 years before it was eventually caught on an ECG.
I have always wondered if it was caused by massive doses of Ibuprofen prescribed when I had backpain.
Hi Luludean - I haven't had any AF since I was prescribed 2 x 100mg Flecainide 10 years ago. I still get 'jumps and bumps' but nothing to cause me problems.
I am also fortunate to have a wonderful cardiologist with whom I have six monthly appointments. For the last 4 years, since COVID struck, these appointments are via the telephone (which I am happy with), I have an ECG at hospital and my cardiologist reports back by letter.
I am convinced that 3 years of constant anti-inflammatories to allow me to keep working while waiting for a hip replacement was the cause of my AF. Rosie
I was responding to Karendeena. It isn’t immediately obvious who is responding to who but it does say it after the name. I am sorry yours didn’t work :(. My afibs were triggered by electrolyte imbalances that triggers migraines and vomiting and then afib!
Out of the blue, in the middle of a deep blue ocean on a small yacht. Ignored it for about next 5 years until I couldn’t. I have not had any other heart problems and don’t have an enlarged heart. What I do know is that there are many reasons for enlarged heart - being an elite athlete being one - which is why detraining is SO important.
I suspect IBS, OSA and oral health and smoking and alcohol all played their part. Health improved when Lifestyle improved.
I also know many people (without other heart issues granted) whose enlarged heart returned to normal when the arrhythmias were controlled.
I like to think that might mean finally realising your aren't super human and sitting on the sofa with a good book for at least 2 hours a day instead of gym.
When you are an elite athlete and you life has been training for an event and suddenly you stop you will experience withdrawal symptoms exactly as you would if you suddenly stopped drugs or alcohol, you need to gradually reduce and that’s just as hard as detaching from drugs.
Aaah right I see. By coincidence that's what I've done over the past few years, but mainly due to cumulative affects from various injuries restricting me rather than necessarily a conscious decision. I used to do these extreme boot camp sessions three times a week for about 25 years and wondered whether they contributed towards my AF appearing. Each session would last 90 mins and the first 30 mins was a "warm up" involving no less than 500-600 press ups and a corresponding number of sit ups and leg exercises such as squat thrusts, star-jumps, burpees etc etc. Then it would be circuit weight with loads more situps thrown in. By the end of the session the situps count alone would be well in excess of 1000. My doctor's face turned ashen when I told her😱. I'd had my 60 years old set of health checks where it was found I had high blood pressure and cholesterol. Aah well, the things we do.😂
Oh and by the way I do know someone who died from it - but they were an elite athlete who ignored all warnings from doctors, friends and family to stop training, especially when in AF but chose to ignore so his HR was not controlled, went into VT.
I live every moment to the full, stay in the moment and enjoy the time I have. If I am struck down by heart attack or stroke - just hope I die.
Focusing on all the negatives about what might happen is not helpful, stay in the moment and focus on positives.
Any and all prognosis are just guesswork. I have a friend who has had cancer at least 3 times and each time was given just months. 40 years later they are still the fittest, most active friend I have.🤷♀️
Interesting CD, I have read of two elite athletes who died while wearing the AF diagnosis, one was an Australian Olympic cyclist and the other a in the UK running a marathon. Both a few years ago now. I cannot say that either/or were actually in AF at the time ( can't remember ) but certainly both had been diagnosed with AF and had been being treated.
I can be sure, they were running and ‘pushing through the pain’ with HR well over 200.
That was when I realised that there is a very thin line between training and addiction because people get high on the adrenaline rush that training hard gives you, especially when you are competitive.
My first bout of AF was as a fit and active 48 year old, 4 years ago. It was following a couple of stressful days at work on the farm (both physically and mentally). For stress relief I sat down with a glass of wine pre dinner with my wife, and noticed my heart racing and jumping around erratically in my chest. I had never heard of AF, and thought I was having a heart attack. My wife drove me to the hospital in the nearest city, 30 minutes drive, as we live rurally, I thought it would be quicker to get in the car and drive rather than call an ambulance and wait for it to drive from town. We have a confusing country road and driveway, most who visit us for the first time normally get lost.Stress, which I'm learning to control, is still my main trigger.
mine was cause by taking one Celebrex prescription anti inflammatory drugs two days running. The lowest dose half of what I was told to take.In susceptible people it inhibits the potassium channels in the heart and triggers AF
I have dilated cardiomyopathy and AF came later, after an extremely stressful time in my life and when I was working 60+hrs a week, some of it heavy work.
I blame the stress but don’t really know. I never actually noticed it until I was informed I had it at my annual heart check, by then it had been going for about 6 months, my consultant tried a cardioversion but it was unsuccessful, I now understand its best to do that right at the start.
I was devastated it didnt work but luckily that good old plant based remedy Digoxin helped and is still helping 🤞🏽.
I have no idea. I can rememember saying to my grandmother that my heart keeps going funny and this would have been at the age of 11 or 12. I carried on in blissful ignorance. It wasn't officially diagnosed as PAF until 28 years later when the 'fun' began. Many tests but no apparent defects.
No, of course you aren't being silly and it's only human to be alarmed by apparently negative results! I just wanted to offer some reassurance based on my experience. Whatever the outcome though, and even if those results require a treatment plan, it's good that they've been picked up so promptly so that they can be addressed.
Mine is mainly exercise induced. My first episode was after running 4 x 1600 at pace and then finishing with some sprints. It woz the sprints wot did it. Obvs I don’t do that kind of thing any more. I do run, keeping my heart rate under 120, hoping not to get overtaken by men pushing prams. I am waiting for an ablation and the EP says I should be able to go a bit faster afterwards, but I won’t be pushing it like I used to. I am lucky really that it isn’t a lot worse.
Sorry about your test result. Have you asked for a prognosis and expectation of QOL going forward? I have no objection to the pragmatism- I went for a 'reality check'private appointment a couple of weeks ago and my EP told me that typically - with age, there is fibrosis the heart muscle - and that therefore AF is more likely to return even after a successful ablation. I'd rather know where I am, and plan my life accordingly.
As to your question- my AF first showed up during the floods of 2019 after 3 weeks of sleepless nights at our place with surface water draining into our sewage tank and the pump working overtime and shorting on and off through the night. Can't tell you how distressing it is to hear air bubbles released into the bathroom and showers in the night and wondering what's coming up next...
Start by saying I was born with a hole in the heart and a heart murmur. In those days 70 years ago you just lived with it and saw a specialist now and again. In 2011 I nearly died from appendicitis. It was about 6 months later my heart started racing more on and off then pain and really bad shortness of breath and in my jaw, I thought I was having a stroke but nothing goodness AF and it's the weather that affects me damp and windy. I can't walk out when it's like that. I wouldn't have got out much this last year if I didn't have a car. Not really fit bit do 10 minutes light stretches and aerobics a day and occasionally the treadmill. Still here.
Keep going Babs!! I too had heart problems as a child , nothing was done about it . When my father died unexpectedly in my house on Boxing day , I decided to force a cardio ecsmination . In Papworth weeks later. OHS. L
I blame stress for my AF. Having been the carer of elderly parents for many many years and never knowing from one day to the next what phone call etc I would get , keeps you on constant alert. Too much adrenaline caused my AF and my GP agreed with me. Yes ……. Stress is a killer. AF is debilitating but it’s stroke that is the worry. Even with anticoagulants I had a TiA last month. But that’s life, like others I hope I drop and go one day, no lingering about. Until then I will enjoy every day and fill it with family and achievements. No time like the present. No guarantees in this world.
Yes Luludean, being an only child is often a strain but one we accept with love and understanding. Not all couples can be lucky enough to produce more children. But it makes us determined as an only child to try and have two or more children ourselves for them to have support for each other.
I don’t feel any regret at having to be the only one to care for my parents in their years of need, I treasure all the hours I spent with them. All I say is, the constant worry takes its toll. Adrenaline is keeping your heart in fight or flight mode and with time it just overloads. So if you can avoid stress it’s a bonus for your heart.
Hi Luludean. My first experience of PAF was back in 2016 as a 49 year old. I believe the trigger was stress as my mother had just passed away. No idea whether I was asymptomatic prior to that but don't think so. I've been relatively lucky in that I didn't have that many episodes but again stress and more recently infections would be the trigger. I'm currently in one of those bad spells where it is occurring more often I think due to infection. Unfortunately there seems to be no consistency in my symptoms which range from feeling as if my heart is stopping and almost fainting, to my heart racing at 139bpm for a period of 8 hours. I am currently on a XIO heart monitor to identify what is happening. Sods law though as I haven't had one the slow heart rate episodes whilst on the monitor. Plenty of other ones though.
My AF was caused my a drug called Abiraterone that I was taking for stage 4 prostate cancer. Not only that, the Abiraterone interacts with my AF medication (Diltiazem) and makes my breathlessness worse. Hey Ho.
Morning Luludean, my first episode of AF was similar to yours, stress driven as I had just recovered from a bout of clinical depression and wondered why my pulse was so irregular and I felt a bit weird ! I was 52 at the time , 7 years ago . Since then had 3 cardioversions and 2 ablations and scheduled for 3rd ablation in early May , 🤞🤞🤞
Well, I can't remember NOT having it! I can always remember having palpitations as a child , although I thought they were normal then. As a young mum, back in the seventies, I experienced some sudden, severe chest pain, but was alone at home with a baby and a toddler. My neighbours were out and I couldn't reach the pbone so I sat it out and hoped I would be ok.
Thankfully it passed and never happened again. I carried on with life and forgot about it until now. But now I wonder...
There were many times I mentioned left sided 'discomfort' (rather than 'pain') to my GP and also palpitations which I remember havjng forever but were getting worse. I think my GP labelled me as neurotic.
Then one day, he was listening to my chest because I had a bad cough and suddenly, there it was - a wonderful run of PAF!
He asked me if I'd had it before! I reminded him how many times I had mentioned palpitations to him.
He flew into concerned action and got me an urgent appointment with the cardiologist. When I told him I'd always had it, he was astonished that it had never been picked up.
But that's PAF for you! Elusive and difficult to diagnose.
I've been treated with meds for years but it suddenly deteriorated in 2021 and, eventually, I had an ablation which has made a huge difference.
No one has ever spotted any signs of a heart attack, but I do still wonder if I may have had a mild one back in 1974.
I've written myself that you won't die from AF but that it can make you feel like you will. And that is true for me at times.
I would add that AF is itself often a part of a wider, and maybe more important, spectrum of disease, aspects of which might kill us (although usually not till reasonably ripe old age). I guess it's also the case that far too many strokes are the result of undetected AF, and those are said to be the most dangerous. I would guess, too, that many AF strokes aren't all because the AF was genuinely "asymptomatic" but because the person foolishly ignored the warning signs of palpitations and put them to the back of their mind trying to ignore them util, bang!, one day the stroke stopped them ignoring them any longer.
What an interesting post - thank you. And what a lovely thread it has produced. This is a great forum, for sure, and with the most pleasant of people writing in. It puts other forums to shame, especially the FB one I used to read.
I have not read here quite that you won't die from AF but have written similar myself that it can certainly make you feel like you will, which is very true for me at times thanks to my anxious mind.
Many, it seems, do ignore their AF and leave it undiagnosed and at the back of their mind. That's why it's still a leading cause of stroke - and bad strokes, too, I gather. I somehow doubt that AF is entirely asymptomatic but rather that the sufferer puts the warning signs of, say, palpitations to the back of their mind trying to ignore them until, bang, one day the stroke stops them ignoring them any longer. Perhaps some GPs, too, pack sufferers off back home with a clear bill of health following a normal-looking ECG and somehow ignoring what paroxysmal actually means?
If only those sufferers had consulted Dr Google in time, eh? 😉
That’s right. And then they tell us to download the information! 😳 It’s NHS websites though, really, which truly are good these days, I find.
What is so awful is the ads on social media for what once would be called snake oil. How the law allows them, I do not understand. Even those on the back of buses for vitamins push health claims well beyond reality for their commercial ends.
'Perhaps some GPs, too, pack sufferers off back home with a clear bill of health'
That's exactly what happened to me twice in the 6 year wait for diagnosis. My main symptom was not just shortness of breath, but the inability to get air into my lungs. ECG's were clear (of course, it was PAF). I was severely embarrassed and felt I was fussing about nothing - until the big one hit me.
Goodness me - that’s interesting. The feeling that I’m fussing over nothing really gnaws at me at times and puts me off contracting my doctor at times.
The best advice I had (but didn't follow unfortunately) was to try to get to a doctor during one of the funny turns. It didn't help things that I felt nothing with my heart, just the awful squeezing of my lungs.
The different feelings people get must make it difficult to diagnose, too. I get chest discomfort and a strange occasional need to breathe deeply - but with palpitations or AF, both much the same.
I think I have noticed AF from an extremely young age. I have clear memories as a child lieing in bed at night unable to sleep because, as I used to tell my mum, "my heart is having a race in my ears!" I could hear my heart beat very fast and with a weird beat.That was 50 years ago! After my first son was born I was very ill with eclampsia and consequently heart would flip into AF.
Treated for panic attacks though until a gp diagnosed af 6 years after he was born.
Not sure about everyone else but I kind of get a feeling of impending doom before it happens and like a heavy bubble pops in my chest. I've learnt to recognise it now and listen to what my hearts telling me!
I can relate to that. The specialist I see about my AF did say that the several “panic attacks” I’d had in my life were almost certainly the result of AF. Certainly, the way they came on out of the blue when I wasn’t under any stress whatsoever always confused me. Feeling a sense of “impending doom” is a such an apt phrase to describe it.
Hi Luludean - my Afib started 3 years ago a couple of days after the Covid vaccine, second dose. I was 59, fit and healthy, non-smoker and non-drinker and apart from meningitis when I was 23, I had never been ill. I was totally unaware and the only giveaway was that my wife noticed my ankles looking swollen. So I went to the GP and my HR was at 230 but I was completely asymptomatic. Obviously I was rushed to hospital where I was declared in heart failure and I remained hospitalised for two weeks as cardioversions and medication weren't bringing me back to NSR. Since then I've had two PF ablations, the most recent last December, since which I've been in NSR. Hoping that's been the solution! Having been asymptomatic, I'm reliant on my Apple Watch to keep checking but also all regular bi-monthly echos show the enlargement of the heart has disappeared. 🤞
Pcc62, this sounds very positive!!! Back in sinus rhythm !! You have had very good treatment!! So glad for you, I am intriguued that you have bi monthly echoes!!! Are these on the NHS? L
Hi Luludean. Yes, all good so far so feeling very lucky and optimistic. I'm not in the UK, I'm in the Irish Republic. In order to process conditions like mine, 1 day per week was being allocated in a private facility for the public health system to utilise advanced equipment to its maximum, so I had a 3-week notice period for the ablation which was wonderful and allowed me very little time to worry! After 6 months if everything continues to remain normal, the echos will then move to yearly. PCC
I realise I'm so lucky. But Ireland is so much smaller than the UK so maybe it's easier to manage. I think there's a big drive with preventative work here particularly in relation to strokes so maybe that's why it's getting priority and it's definitely working. Makes sense! And where I live, it's a small community so it's my EP who phones me to check how things are going - not sure how he finds the time but it was great, especially pre-ablation as he rang twice to reassure me, chat me through the procedure and remind me of what meds not to take pre-op etc. He made it sound almost...ordinary!
Hi Luludean I had Stage I Breast cancer 3 years ago and they prescribed Letrozole. I kept telling them. After my ablation all was great and they put me back on Letrozole and it started all over again! I now take Flecainide (75 x 2 - I split a 50) and I get fast AF for an hour once a month - I usually know why (lack of water etc) I’m 64 life is good and right now I’ll take this. My EP is amazing and will email me back within hours. He is ready to do an ablation if it starts to misbehave again. Hang in there - 😘
Mine started during a successful weight loss regime using a new weight loss drug Adifax. ( long since withdrawn from the market). I was 48 at the time.I was aware of a speeding up of my heart rate.....very frightening and a bit of a wake up call.
I admit to having been a regular user of amphetamine type of slimming pills since my late teens in an effort to obtain and keep a bmi in low 20s ( obtained by fair means or foul...mostly the former). Obviously no more since the advent of AF. I guess I've paid the price.
Hi Luludean, my first recognised episode of what I now know was P-AF was some years ago was when digging up and pulling out a dead conifer on a hot summer day, I noticed a very fast heart rate a clammy sweatiness and feeling faint . I lay on the floor and it passed in moments. Other episodes followed intermittently usually when stressed or angry, that feeling of 'heart leaping' then when eating .
Yes, there have been deaths through AF especially when patients are left with uncontrolled rapid heart.
I had an enlarged heart after a total of 2 years 3 months day struggling with rapid heart rate Metopolol 186 with pauses at night, change to Bisoprolol still uncontrolled 156 Day.
BBs were not controlling my heart rate. Always 47 avg at night.
Last year I managed to get an uptodate ECHO before my private ACC right rotator cuff repair and it showed that CCB Diltiazem now my regime 2 years 3 months it has mended that abnormality.
Now take Diltiazem 120mg AM for control Heart Rate
Bisoprolol 2.5mg PM for control BP
I still have damage like severe dilation of left atrium and right ventricle slightly regurgitating.
Had I been introduced to CCB Diltiazem at stroke with the diagnosed I would have had AF (due to thyroid cancer) but no damage.
I never wanted Metoprolol and voiced that but the Endocrinologist ignored me. It also gave me pauses at night. No Stroke followup.
Always good to have 24hr Heart Monitor showing what your med is doing.
Mine is familial ie a number of my family had it and from an ‘early age’. My first recorded episode was caused by a pericardial effusion following a virus - I was lucky as a fit local lad had the same and suffered cardiac tamponade which killed him.
Mine started after being given Cipro -a Fluoroquinolone antibiotic. The info sheet does warn against long QR syndrome as a side effect but many patients have had other arrythmias as well . Of course these days with forums like this( or those for sufferers of other conditions )where you can read of patient experiences from all over the world you are better placed to ignore doctors who tell you "oh no such and such a drug does not cause that side effect". Naively I thought all I had to do to avoid future attacks was stay away from FQs and for few years that seemed to be the case but since 2020 the frequency has gradually increased though the symptoms have decreased. I cannot say my afib bothers me that much - certainly not enough to make an appointment to see my cardiologist . My burden is less than 2% and I feel well between episodes and not that bad when having them . I do have to rest more and can only go about my daily tasks slowly when in afib. If the burden increases significantly I will consider an ablation. My main beef is the Apixaban. I hate it.
Interesting-I took cipro a month ago. My heart had been calm for two months until I took cipro. I did not have afib but lots of ectopics and tachycardia. This caused me to look up side effects and I saw it can affect arrhythmias.
You really need to monitor any exercise and look out for tendon issues. Rupturing of tendons can occur months after stopping Cipro. Not just Achilles. It can affect any tendon in the body though of course doctors focus on Achilles because that is specifically mentioned in the patient info. I would never take an FQ again. It has taken me 9 years to mostly recover from my last floxing .
I hope you are aware that with each course you increase the risk of being floxed. There are many people who have taken several courses of Cipro or Levaquin with no problems and then wham! they get a really bad reaction. Too many doctors hand it out without bothering to test the infection to see if a less dangerous antibiotic would suffice. It should not be taken for banal infections like sinusitis or uncomplicated UTI .
There are plenty ways of avoiding UTIs - careful hygiene before and after sex, not wearing synthetic fibre underwear or tight trousers, vaginal oestrogen after menopause, using D mannose and very important now only eating organic , pastured chicken as it is thought battery raised chickens now carry bugs that are causing UTIs. Even if you get one they can be treated without antibiotics. I last had a UTI in 2018 the first I'd had for several decades. I treated it myself. No way would I have a vaccine.
Auriculaire I was put on Benapali ( biologic injection ) for one form of rheumatoid arthritis . I then had multiple UTIs . The rheumatology department dismissed the notion that Benapali was the cause. My cardiologist was unhappy that I was suddenly on frequent anti biotics. He told me to ask rheumstology for a multidisciplinary consultation . This was refused. But, when I phoned the company , that delivered these onjecions yo my house, they were so helpful , UTIs , they told me are z common side effect of this drug ! In SOME people. Benapali stopped ITIs stopped. L
I am convinced my paroxysmal AF arrived along with chronic fatigue as a result of a bout of shingles when I got the pain before the rash and couldn’t get an appointment when an antiviral might have saved me from all this! I’ve had the shingles vaccine now as it isn’t like other vaccines and just ensures that if you do get it, it will be mild! If only I’d had it earlier I might have been saved all this and stayed as active as I had been! Also the Flecainide that keeps my heart in order very well comes with added fatigue but I am 80 now and had well over 70 healthy active years before all this!
My afib is from my genetics and lifetime anxiety which I had really bad up to about 10years ago ( I am now 73) and only started to abate when I had an elective stent placed. All my fathers family died suddenly from heart disorders and my sibling has had 4 ablations and is now fitted with a pacemaker for Afib. Strange thing is I now hardly suffer from anxiety at all and adapt the what will happen will happen frame of mind so have no intentions of going vegan or any of that stuff and intend to enjoy what I can when I can.
Ironic but having heart issues and growing old just left me thinking there is no point in stressing at this stage so I just take it day by day. Too much thinking causes stress so better things to be doing like making the best of my lifetime. Accept what you have wrong and then forget about it.
Hi Luludean, My af may have started from stress when my wife spent two weeks in hospital brought about from statins which made her unable to walk. Both all sorted now as she came off those statins and I have had a successful ablation. As for ,No-one died from af, that may be true but people have died from what it may cause, eg. Heart failure or stroke, so not trying to be a pessimist I don't agree with that statement. Regards Flyer.
mine started 3 years ago at the age of 34 healthy female and nothing has fixed it 3 ablations and a cardioversion. It’s still here. I just try go go about my life as it is out of my control… I’ve accepted it is what it is.
thank you afib! It can hit at any age it derms!! I went through cardioversions and ablations . None worked . Have to have some fun every day!!!! L
Mine was in 2017 as a result of low potassium, and raised BP. I went to A&E at 2.30am with a pulse of 160, and was monitored after blood was taken, then given a shot of potassium into my tummy, I reverted then, and now take electrolytes each day to make sure my levels of the relevant minerals - sodium (mine is always on the low side), potassium, magnesium and chloride, are at optimum levels, although I am not an athlete!!
Apart from that, one other episode last November when I was prescribed Felodipine 2.5mg to add to 20mg Lisinopril to reduce my BP which had raised because of the Exemestane- anti oestrogen hormone drug taken as a result of an early breast cancer diagnosis in 2021, to help prevent a breast cancer recurrence!! I had a pulse then of 170+and back in A&E! So now I take 30mg Lisinopril, instead. Fingers crossed!! Devil and deep blue sea....
I don’t know what caused mine , I’ve had a couple of scans and my heart looks in good shape, I’ve had thyroid test that was negative and I don’t have sleep apnea!
I truly believe menopause triggered mine due to severe lack of estrogen, I know there is very little evidence or research to support this but loss of eostrogen can cause arrhythmia. My potassium levels were also on the floor which I’m working on . I’ve been told I may never know what triggered it but I’m doing my best to lessen episodes by making lots of lifestyle changes.
Mine started when someone gave me two shots of very strong alcohol, when l was a bit tipsy and didn't know what l was drinking. I was just a social drinker and hadn't had shots before. I was in high rate afib the next day and the doctor sent me to hospital. The hospital staff were very good and attended to me straight away, gave me injections of anticoagulant and also warfarin. I was given needles to inject myself at home and more warfarin tablets.When l was discharged from the hospital l was told to go to my g.p. for a blood test. Before had the blood test the g.p. took the needles off me and most of the tablets, saying l didn't need them. A few days later l went into afib again and had a big stroke. So afib can kill you if you aren't treated correctly,
Mine started when someone gave me two shots of very strong alcohol, when l was a bit tipsy and didn't know what l was drinking. I was just a social drinker and hadn't had shots before. I was in high rate afib the next day and the doctor sent me to hospital. The hospital staff were very good and attended to me straight away, gave me injections of anticoagulant and also warfarin. I was given needles to inject myself at home and more warfarin tablets.When l was discharged from the hospital l was told to go to my g.p. for a blood test. Before had the blood test the g.p. took the needles off me and most of the tablets, saying l didn't need them. A few days later l went into afib again and had a big stroke. So afib can kill you if you aren't treated correctly,
~I absolutely get what you are saying Luludean - so disconcerting having a fluttering bird in chest that simply won't settle plus knowing it is causing structural issues to heart.
Without a long winded thread am in similar situation and quite concerned to know that my AV node ablation (2 weeks ago) now sees me in c.h.f along with few other issues as per blood tests - really thought it was going to be slow climb healing wise but a/fib continues and sincerely pray c.h.f. will improve once with passing of time.
Thank heavens for Google - sensibility always prevails for me when learning info via Google.
Hi Lulu, I did not know I had a-fib until my Garmin watch congratulated me for completing an intense workout. I do take classes at a local gym, but I call them "old lady classes". LOL Nothing terribly intense. I scrolled on the watch to check my pulse rate and it informed me 163 beats per minute. I thought my watch was broken, because I felt fine! Went to the drugstore to purchase a wrist cuff, and this agreed with my watch. The cuff also informed me that it detected an arrhythmia. Waited one day, and when heart rate did not go down, went to a local hospital ER. After getting heart rate down, cardiologist informed me of a-fib. I asked what causes it, and he smiled. "Well, you are 64 years old," he said. Also, had chemotherapy in 2015 for aggressive breast cancer, and Adriamycin, one of the chemo drugs, is awfully hard on the heart. It is a possibility that caused it. From there, I proceeded to have symptoms some weeks later, and medication was not helping. Just had an ablation one month ago, and am so thankful! That seems to be helping immensely, at least for now. I am sorry to hear that your a-fib is persistent. Please take care. It sounds like you have been through a lot.
Thank You, Lulu. I don't know that I am braver than you. I remember telling a friend during my breast cancer, "I don't feel brave." And she said, "Maybe going through this will make you brave." We never know what each day will bring, but hopefully all of us are becoming braver! And I remind myself, it's OK if we don't feel brave. Some of what we go through is very scary!
whilst it may be true no one has ever died of AF directly the complications it causes - stroke, circulation issues, respiratory problems can all lead to death, those of us with AF have a 3 x higher mortality rate (women higher than men) so it’s really important to control the impact of AF - anticoagulants, reducing heart rate etc.
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