Atrial Fibrillation and Flutter

[Macandcheese21]

Hi I am 74 years old female. I have had AFib for over 14 years, with little issues. Christmas 2023 I had Covid which left me with Flutter . Last year I had 14 hospital visits, 6 admissions. Have been on Dronedarone , Bisoprolol , Sotalol and now Flecainide with Carvedilol . I had an ablation for flutter in August which worked but my AFib got worse. I had an ablation for it the 17th of January. I had 12 days of no fib . Last week I got a virus d&v and a cough, on Friday at 5.30 pm I went into AFib up to 188 , chest pain, clammy and faint . I ended up being blue lighted at half 10 . After 2 bags of fluid it settled. Doctor reckons it was dehydrated. Since then I have been in and out of AFib. Lasting up to an hour from 130 -135 , I have just been riding it out . But I am worried it has affected my ablation, I know it can take 10-12 weeks to settle. If this doesn’t work it’s a pacemaker, which terrifies me as I know it is a last resort. I don’t feel the meds are controlling it and worry that because of that the pacemaker won’t help. Sorry for the book but as you can imagine I am struggling, sometimes feel as if I would be better not here . Don’t worry I am not suicidal just exhausted. Any support from fellow sufferers would help. I also have asthma, angina and mild to moderate aortic heart valve regurgitation.

[mjames1]

Very common that an aflutter ablation will make preexisting afib worse.

It's still very early your recovery and hopefully things will calm down with help from the right combination of meds.

But even if not, a second or third afib ablation is often needed to tame the beast.

So unless I'm missing something, you are far far away from even having a discussion about getting a pacemaker. So try and relax as much as possible and give this ablation a little more time.

Jim

[Borderterriorist]

Hopefully the A fib will settle but if it doesn't then you'll need to look at what is going to give you the best quality of life. I have atrial flutter but because I also have LBBB I needed a pacemaker in order to cope with enough beta blockers to keep my HR stable. I have never seen a pacemaker as a "last resort", it's a fabulous bit of kit that has improved my life and I feel very lucky that It is giving me the chance to enjoy my life. Best advice is look forward with hope rather than dread, a pacemaker is certainly not the end of the world and you may not even need one!

[Paulbounce]

Hi Mac 'N' Cheese.

Having a pacemaker fitted seems to be ideal for many people. I hope forum members who have had one fitted see your thread and tell you of their experiences. I think it will be very positive indeed. In your shoes I would welcome having one.

It's a simple enough procedure and they tend to be very effective.

I would try not to worry to much if I were you.

Good luck.

Rgds Paul

[Tapanac]

both hubby and I have pacemakers. Success

I’m not sure why you would dread a pacemaker as it is such a simple painless procedure (about 20 minutes)

[Redactrice]

Like me, my mother (85) has AF and a naturally low heart rate which began to cause problems with fainting -- but she needs the AF drugs. She was given a pacemaker two years ago. I can't quite say it has given her a new lease of life (severe arthritis and depression affect her daily life worse than cardiac issues do), but it has stopped the blackouts she was having. Her heart is more stable now than it has been for some time.

It sounds like this is what you need, and I hope you can overcome your fear. I have turned out to be a coward about some medical procedures. The idea of general anaesthetic before a cardioversion nearly put me off (it was fine on the day and I am no longer afraid of general anaesthetic). In the run-up to my ablation I had a word with myself several times: all the staff are highly trained and have done this procedure many times; millions of people have had ablations; some of them are people I know personally and they are still walking among us, and they say ablation is a good thing and not a big deal in the overall scheme of things, unlike, say, a quadruple bypass. Ditto, pacemakers.

Good luck.

[Kimmieblue]

Hi macandcheese. Just saying the same as others here, my hubby has a pacemaker and he tries to live life as before. I've had 5 ablations and about to have a 6th, if they tell me I need a PM I wouldn't hesitate as this AF just keeps rearing it's head....

Best wishes and try not to worry, keep posting, everyone here are so kind and understanding.

K.

[Macandcheese21]

Thank you for all the positive comments, the reasons I am concerned about a pacemaker are , my cardiologist has said it is a final resort there is no way back from that hence why she doesn’t want to do it now . When I am in AF it doesn’t seem to react quickly to medication, I have had dronedarone , bisoprolol, sotalol and now flecainide. Am currently in AF at the minute having taking 100mg 2 hours ago . I know a pacemaker kicks in when your heart is too slow , however my concern is what happens if mine doesn’t slow down with medication ( I know it settles eventually) but what if I get a pacemaker but my AF is still problematic. I am not being obtuse or difficult just honestly concerned.

[RT1982]

I had a pacemaker installed several months ago. No problem that I see and it was a simple operation, given this because I had a skipped heart beat. I have A-fib and Fiberlation, do not know if this helped any.