Hi, I'm new to this site, and have been reading posts and learning a lot. I appreciate the candid sharing and helpfulness of this group. My story is that, after being diagnosed with AF 10 years ago I have tried various means short of anything invasive to keep it under control, some made it worse, some had too many side effects, but finally I have managed to find a regime that seems to work. I still get flutters and off-beats for 3-10 seconds a dozen or so times a day, but have not had an incident lasting more than that in 3 years. Yes, I know I still have A-fib, but is this current state considered something I can live with safely and without fear? When I'm in full-blown A-fib it has lasted from 14 hours to 4 days and it's really scary, but the small "dances" my heart makes now just require a deep breath or maybe a quick jump to put it back where it should be. Although I'm British born, I don't live in England, so rely on private health care for the most part.
Meaning of PAF...how long is a incident? - Atrial Fibrillati...
Meaning of PAF...how long is a incident?
If episodes of AF do continue for as long as you mention with what sounds like a fairly high heart rate I would think you might well be “at risk of stroke”, so would need to be taking an anticoagulant too to avoid stroke!
Hi Vonnegut and thanks for your response. I haven't had an acute episode of AFib for 3 years. My concern is about the 3-5 second "dance" my heart does at least a dozen times a day. Is that cause for taking a blood thinner? Some of the supplements I'm on are not recommended with a blood thinner because they can cause the blood to be too thin. I thought that would be enough. Is there a blood test that can actually tell you what the coagulant factor in your blood is? Wouldn't that be a way to know if you are in danger of a stroke? There is not much available where I live!
Yes, agree with Vonnegut - you may need a daily blood thinner. I'm grateful for apixaban twice a day rather than Warfarin with weekly blood tests. Baby aspirin won't be good for your stomach lining in the long term.
you could be experiencing like me Ectopic beats which can feel like that. I started practicing deep breathing through the nose twice a day for 5 minutes and taking magnesium and removing sugars and caffeine where i can and my ectopics have dropped from twice a week to twice a month. Ectopics are generally benign and the non AF population get them too
What are Ectopic beats?
Below my comments is a quick definition of Ectopics from Google. With mine the cardiologist put a Holter monitor on me for 34 hours as I thought I was having AF and it showed that I was getting ectopics. After a few days they subsided. Caused by stress in my case. Maybe try the Holter monitor so you can exclude anything else?
“An ectopic beat, also known as a premature heartbeat, is a type of irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia that occurs when the heart's electrical discharge originates from somewhere other than the SA node. This results in extra or skipped heartbeats that can feel like palpitations or the heart missing a beat. Ectopic beats are common, especially during hormonal changes like menopause, and most people experience them at some point. They are more common in adults than children.”
Hi, sounds very similar to me. I take bisoprolol, apixaban and magnesium. I get a light fluttering for a few seconds. I reduced some really strong ectopic beats by upping my water intake considerably. I don’t really want an ablation and whilst I manage everything like this, will not consider it.
Hi Baja, when you say a quick jump what exactly do you mean, ie, do you jump from or onto a chair, or what jump do you do.
Haha...sounds weird I know. If I just jump up into the air the jolt stops the arrhythmia, or if I'm sitting on something soft I just bring my upper body forward and back hard and quickly. I have to do it right away as soon as the 'dance' has lasted more than a few seconds. It didn't work when I was actually in an acute episode, like waking up in the night with full-blown a-fib. But I haven't had an acute episode in a long time. Between supplements, exercise and awareness, it seems to be warding off longer and continuous a-fib, but I still get a dancing heart a few times a day, especially in the evening after dinner.
Ablations might differ depending on method and technology 
How common AF really is...?
second ablation question
Changing Episode Patterns
How long have you been out of AF?
