41yo male. PAF diagnose in oct'23. Cryoablation in march'24. No afib since dec'23, but I developed a health/cardiac anxiety since and struggle with it for more then a year now. Some weeks everything is alright and some not. Lately it's getting more frequent with anxiety days. Sometimes I take anxyolitics too calm down but Im reluctant to take them every day b/c I don't want another problem on my mind with getting hooked. Currently waiting for psycho analsis and hopefully CBT therapy.
My question is, I finally got back to mixed exercises (weight lifting, static, some cardio) but today I noticed my heart had 2 premature beats, I presume they are pac or pvc. It happened right after I pushed myself a bit hard (hr around 140-150) and when I layed down on the floor to finish with some sit-ups I felt palpitation in the chest and when I checked my pulse I felt one beat that hit too early. Needless to say my anxiety went up instantly and I finished the session early. Came home, took a diazepam now to calm down. But of course, my mind is overanalyzing. I know that ectopics happen even to healthy heart people but still. Wondering is it because of anxiety or because I pushed myself too much. Or it just happend at that moment. Any experience with exercise induced ectopics?
I'm so tired of this cardiac anxiety. I try to not let it cripple my day to day life, work and everything but it obviously makes my life more hard mentally than it should. Ughh.
Sometimes I think about my father in law who has permanent afib and no symptoms whatsoever. Wish I was more indifferent to my heart beating. I'm even considering trying CBD oil to try and aleviate the anxiety.
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NewOne2023
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hey. Thanks for sharing. Yes, I also seem to have exercise induced ectopics, but more noticeable for me after a workout not always during. I do sometimes feel the skipped beats whilst doing cardio.
I’m going to up my magnesium intake and potassium.
I did cryo for afib and up untill then never experienced ectopics or probably never been aware. But now with cardiac anxiety I feel every damn flintch in my chest. I also take Mg glycinate for over a year now but only 2×125mg.
HA and PAF diagnosed 5+ years ago. No ablation, just meds.
PVCs/ectopics can be a real nuisance, I know exactly where you are coming from on cardiac anxiety.
I have PAF treated with Flecainide (daily) and PVCs are usually around to some degree. Some weeks I don’t notice or detect them, other weeks they are more prevalent. They are usually singular but occasionally bi or tri creep in. In the early days, they were investigated by my cardiologist but the burden was low ( not to my perception though); he wasn’t concerned and told me just to get on with life.
I’ve always been wary of ectopics, as prior to my treatment, they were usually 'harbingers of doom'. However, I feel the ectopics for me are now manageable most of the time and generally don’t affect my QOL. I don’t know if they will ever be solved but stress/anxiety are definitely catalysts and an instigator of ectopics. In the early days, I did suffer badly from ‘ectopic storms’, which drove me ‘mad’, robbing me of sleep/rest. Anxiety just enforced a negative feedback loop that descended into more ectopics. I turned to a course of cognitive behaviour therapy/mindfulness and for a period, an evening sedative. This worked for me, it broke the cycle and it all settled down.
I think CBT is a good path to try. The mind is very powerful and has great influence on our physical responses. I always say this but I don’t quite know how CBT works but it does for me ; my mind set is just different. Its not a 'simple fix' you have to persevere on the techniques (which ever one works) and believe it will work. I now don’t get dragged down into unhelpful thought processes or behaviours when ectopics happen. If I notice a number of bumps before bed and in bed. I just don’t focus on them anymore - “ yeah, ok, not gonna kill you” - yawn, turnover, nighty-night.
My PAF had been very stable too, the medication has kept it at bay (4.5 + years - no sustained episodes) but I also think exercise has been instrumental in suppressing it too. I do exercise a lot in the gym, hard too - pushing myself up to 90% maximal. When my HR is high, i don't usually notice ectopics, occasionally I might catch the odd bump but just ignore and carry on. There might be some in cool down and recovery as well, as my HR slows but again I have the ability to ignore or rationalize it out. You mention you felt 2 bumps but in that session your heart has beat 1000s of times, so is 2 really a problem? Probably not, so don't let it take control.
"I try to not let it cripple my day to day life, work and everything" - thats the start! It was/is my mindset too. Its taken a few years but it ok now. I can do everything I want to do, which includes stuff like long haul travel and mountaineering to name a few.
Thank you for sharing your post on the Forum, AF impacts everyone differently, it is understandable to feel so anxious and fed up. It is important to listen to your body, and stay within your limitations, again this will vary, we offer a some advice about AF and exercise in our 'AF & You booklet'
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