chronic fatigue with rate controlled permanent AF

[Mat66]

I have been in permanent rate controlled AF for a couple of years now, I have severely enlarged atria and leaking heart valves, slightest exercise and I am breathless and constantly fatigued. These symptoms worse after taking my bisoprolol 5mgs and digoxin. I am not in heart failure. Anyone else feel like this with permanent controlled AF?

[bluemoon572]

Unless you have other reasons for your symptoms such as too slow a ventricular heart rate ( from bisoprolol or digoxin) ,anemia,lung disease,low blood pressure, I'd be concerned about early congestive heart failure. Is your echocardiogram showing low ejection fraction or significant diastolic dysfunction? You should review this with your cardiologist. Diuretic&ACE inhibitor may help you depending upon your cardiologist's assessment.

[Mat66 in reply to bluemoon572]

Thank you. I am waiting for results from a recent echocardiogram

[Blearyeyed]

Are you are member of the Atrial Fibrillation Support forum? You might benefit from joining and posting this question there because it might contain more members with your health issues and experience as well as this group.

Have you considered asking your GP or Cardiac Unit to refer you for Cardiac Rehab?

It's a very useful way to improve your exercise tolerance slowly under supervision whilst your body gets used to treatment.

It helps to listen to your body and build up your activities , not just exercise , gradually to find out the pace you can cope with at the moment. Finding the pace of life that works for you is one of the best ways to help control the fatigue and swing of symptoms that aFib causes.

Give yourself a balance of rest and physical activity.

You may find that you can't do more than a few minutes moderate exercise at first but if you try to do that regularly within your comfort zone , your ability improves and so does your tolerance , then you just add in a little more exercise at a time.

Often trying to do too many repetitions or too many minutes at once can be too hard especially if it has been some time since you did physical exercises.

You can improve your energy and breathing by doing some exercise little and often through the day.

[Mat66 in reply to Blearyeyed]

Thank you I will consider your suggestion