Exercise again

[Marymara]

Hi everyone, worried againStarted my 30 min walk 6 days a week three months ago,

Feel proud of myself,

Why are some days harder then others

Can't make sense of it

Told 18 months ago I have a congenital problem but it usually something that's identified at birth and I'm 70

Cardiologist says it probably won't be a problem even though he says my pulmonary pressures are higher because of it

He says he thinks my problem is the AF

I was amazed to find I was in AF for 6 days having a monitor on

Didn't think I was, so maybe I'm in AF and don't know it and that's the time the walking is harder

Any thoughts please.

[BobD Volunteer]

What you describe is well known to many AFers I'm afraid and just somethng to deal with day on day. When things are hard. slow down.

[Marymara in reply to BobD]

Thanyou Bob, always believe in your voice of reason.

[Cavalierrubie]

l have bad days and just pace myself at those times. I always say l am unpredictable and unreliable. That is the downside of this monster. It’s all part of this package, unfortunately, for most of us.

I just take each day as it comes and don’t let it spoil my life. I appreciate the good days, which are many more than the bad. Trust in your Cardiologist that you are ok.

Keep positive and stay proud of what you have accomplished with your walk. You are doing great in not letting this define who you are. Keep on, going on. 👍

[BenHall1]

Hiya Marymara

When I was first diagnosed in January 2010 (age 65) my Cardiac Consultant wrote in my write up that I could/can be asymptomatic ... that is be in or have an AF event and not know it, not have any symptoms, sensations or feelings.

I elected the medication route for life (I'm now 80) and with the help of a change of diet, I now have a clearly identifiable AF event every 4 or 5 years ... I just live with it. However, in between times I have spells of being mysteriously unwell. This is so random I cannot 'clock it' and it will have gone again before I can get a GP appointment. I just live with it. Don't even think about it, just accept its part of being asymptomatic. Many a time if it lasts a while and I'm home I can capture the event on my Kardia 6L but it shows a NSR reading.

Frankly, the 'mysterious unwellness' is nothing more than settling nowadays, I'm aware of it, don't like it but so long as I don't end up in A & E I don't let it get to me. Just keep on livin' the dream.

I'm sure there are many folk out there similar to me.

[kkatz]

I was in Persistent Afib for 2 years and that was one of the worst things.One day I could walk 2 miles and the next I couldn't walk 500 yds.But could be as simple as a different route, different time of day,pace.

[BenHall1 in reply to kkatz]

Interesting your comment. My AF, now highly controlled and pretty much non existant, had never caused me a ny great degree of alarm and despondency ........... BUT ........ I have recently been diagnosed with COPD and one of the side effects is EXACTLY what you describe. The last two days I've hardly been able to walk around our large courtyard. Today I've walked about 1 . 25 miles in a time never achieved before, really fast and the best pace per minute ever, and I never ever put myself out to do it. Weird !! Right now I feel like superman !!

[ozziebob]

Other than when I'm in AF, l I have observed that I have available energy resources that reflect the phases of the moon. Full moon --> more energy, New moon --> less energy.

And, that same moon also affects the physiological and biological rhythms in your body too, whether you are aware of it or not.

Just saying.

[Marymara in reply to ozziebob]

Didn't have these problems before AF

[DawnTX]

once again it’s great when we write here because then we discover that what is going on is not so strange to many of us with a fib. I wish I could put my brain to work physically because I have so much going on in there the things I wish I could be doing but physically I can’t.

I always thought I knew when I was in a fib or flutter in the beginning. They couldn’t pinpoint it so I had an implant loop recorder and within just the first two weeks it was amazing how many events I was having constantly pretty much they would pull out the reading and the tech would shake his head. I wasn’t getting bad feelings from it, but oh yes, I was fatigued and everything else that goes with it for whatever reason I just took it as being someone with a fib. As Bob says you just have to take it there’s nothing we can do about it. If it’s hitting you when you are doing something in particular, such as walking, don’t keep pushing yourself. That might be for athletes, but not a fib. also remember even if you had no problem, your numbers are gonna change when you push yourself walking or running, etc. when you wake up in the morning, I’m guessing it’s usually low. I’m usually in the 60s by the time I go to the kitchen and get my bottle of water or whatever I could be 90. When I settle down it settles down.

for the most part now with the pacemaker, it stays pretty consistent but yes, we all also get those days where we just feel lousy and then there’s other days I feel like superwoman

don’t let a fib run your life if you’re really feeling bad call the doctor but you’re going to need to get used to the thumps, etc.. It’s just what a fib does to us. My worst part was when even if up, tears would flow from pain and pressure on my chest and I could not walk. I pretty much had to drag my body. Obviously that’s not normal. I had tachycardia that did not stop. When you get the thump etc., just tell them to go away. lol. I told my doctor I find it annoying and I just tell my a fib off and it thinks it is to try to mess with my life. I have made a fib a nasty little person and I just give it back to him lol yes I’m crazy ha ha

[Marymara in reply to DawnTX]

Thankyou for your response, the only problem I ever had over the last 13 years with AF was the frightening fast irregular beat, betablockers sorted that out, now years later I'm knackered all the time, I would more describe it as no strength, like someone got their foot on the brake, it's not the sort of tired when you want to sleep,just no strength, I'm decided I felt like this because my diastolic heart failure, don't know if I'm blowing that out of proportion, you see I read between the lines, as you can't get clear answers from cardiology, sorry for going on and on and on, anxiety hit the roof again.

[Marymara in reply to Marymara]

I constantly try to work it all out, today I drove to garden centre no strength, I thought maybe because iv been in the car for a while, maybe it's my back, when I got home I want on my walk, absolutely as fine as it usually is, shut up brain.

[Auriculaire in reply to Marymara]

Bisoprolol will usually sort a high heart rate but it can also leave you feeling weak and lethargic.

[Marymara in reply to Auriculaire]

Yes but I have been on Bisoprolo for the 13 years iv had AF, only started feeling weak the last few years.

[Alphakiwi]

Oh yes Marymara you will find walking much harder in AF because in af your body cant get enough blood pumped around to work well. As a competitive cyclist i couldnt make out why on some occasions i couldnt do the hills and also finding heart rate higher out there than it should be. I went to a cardio and he put a device on me as soon as i walked in the door. It was in aflutter.Colin NZ