Short history - 6ft 6, both parents with late onset AF and I have a love for endurance sports, especially cycling.
PAF started a number of years ago and only brought on by all out efforts with high HR, with alcohol a contributor (red wine the night before). Been on beta blocker only before exercise and limit HR to around 140-150 max. Performance suffered and definitely not as enjoyable. Over the last couple of years my threshold for inducing AF and the duration before NSR has increased, so I had an ablation late August (RF PVI).
Ablation went well, very few abnormal rhythms post op although I think sleeping on my left side seemed to induce more thumping / skipping beats. Waited two weeks before starting cycling / running again, and back to normal exercise (5-6 rides per week, around 1.5 hours per ride minimum). In the first week or so after higher HR efforts (max 160) I had PAC's post exercise for a few hours, but settled down after that.
Went on a 4 day cycling club trip last weekend, including a 140k+ day with a 50 min hill at around 155-160bpm and no issues. Last year on the club weekend away I went into AF on day 3 at lunch, so was good to get through all days without issue.
Got the all clear from the cardiologist today. Still will be limiting intensity to 160 max, and avoiding high intensity interval efforts, but so far so good. So much better not being on the beta blocker during exercise.
I was unsure about whether or not to ablate or just reduce intensity, keep on the beta blockers and manage. So far so good, and I am very happy I went down this path - I feel I've got a second chance. I'm sure in the future AF will come back, but for the moment I'm really enjoying feeling normal again and not stressed about whether I will go into AF or not during exercise.
Appreciate all the advice from the forum members - always good to hear about peoples experiences / recovery and things you wish you had known earlier.
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CyclingRunner
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Almost all of us here are under punishment for being long term addicts to exercise... Me also. You will probably not agree, but exercise is very dangerous business, almost all kinds of it. Most dangerous are running, cycling, rowing, weight-lifting, horse-riding... Whatever I say, I know that your addiction to exercise is too strong, so you will not change your behavior. Well, do what you like most and keep fingers crossed not to spoil positive results of the ablation. Good luck!
Yes, another word... Your parents got problems with AF relatively late (70+), so you are genetically in a good group. What has shifted the limit down for you, was your exercise. Think about it.
Sorry to say this, but, it might be an idea to treat your exercise addiction problems first then follow up with treating your AF. So you seem to have to out of three contributory factors to AF - genetics, extreme exercise ... and so I now wonder what your diet is like.
All that said, my AF has been kicked into touch now flaring up once every 4/5 years controlled by no exercise and medication ! Makes me one of the unhealthiest peeps on the planet even though I'm genetically predisposed to AF.
Thanks for posting. I am a runner with PAF on waiting list for an ablation. I have really dialled it back recently, keeping most effort to under 130 and had fewer episodes this year. Only one so far, lasting 50 mins, following on from 5 in 2023. Also done all the usual dietary changes - no alcohol, caffeine, mostly plant based. I just had an exercise stress test and got the HR up to 178 with no AF. The cardiologist said I could try a bit more effort once a week but keep HR under 160. See how it goes. I am just on anti-coagulants.
There’s no pretending my heart is normal though. It does skip and do a few runs of its own on a regular basis so I think I’ll take the ablation but not return to pre-AF intensity to keep it at bay. I can’t find data on really long term outcomes. I know athletes have a higher recurrence, but I assume that’s because they go back to doing the things that led to the AF in the first place. Have any studies been done on the best way to keep AF at bay post ablation and how long the procedure lasted before the AF came back?
I love my bike - but as a good (and environmentally friendly) way of getting from A to B and enjoying fresh air and scenery. But I’ve definitely toned down exercise since AF and don’t want AF back again since my ablation, so have a battery to manage the hills! Best addiction now is spending too long with cups of tea in bed on a chilly morning!
Around the age of 68 I bought an electric bike to iron-out the hills. I live in a hilly place. It has worked enormously in handling my AF alongside medication and ablation. I keep bpm below 120.
It’s interesting that in the animal world, race horses are commonly diagnosed with AF. Endurance exercise aside, I’m also fairly convinced that very tall people have a propensity for AF. I’ve seen it crop up so many times over the years.
You might want to check out the Facebook Cardiac Athletes page. Mainly people with plumbing issues but still quite a few with electrical issues too. It's a nice supportive group too 👍
I am well over six feet, too, although not quite your dizzying height where the air is even fresher than that I can breathe! ;-). I have read that tallness is not always the best for good health and that our hearts are more prone to electrical issues!
I won't bore you with my history, but in a nutshell 6' 4" 63yr old runner and cyclist who had an AF ablation in '22 and last week another for SVT. My cardiologist has NEVER said to cut back on the effort and do everything Ive always done. So that's what I do, obviously only when I'm feeling fine and there have been no issues. 1.25mg Bisop seems to stop my HR ever going above 140, even on the toughest mountains in Spain.
Hi, different medics seem to give different opinions re exercise. When I got AF in my 60s I'd always exercised and thought that it was good for the heart, but when I asked the consultant he said don't do vigorous exercise as it can make AF worse.
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