Extrasystoles and bike

[lapetto]

Hallo i am 49 years man 1,91 cm tall

I am new here

I have been experiencing increasing PACs (atrial simple extrasystoles) especially in the last year moving form 7/day (12 month ago) to 200/day (6 months ago) to 2000/day (now). In the last years i felt extrasystoles but the frequency was different and tolerable. Now it is a nightmare

Phisical activity like bike is the first source of extrasystole.

I used to go to Mountain bike for ca. 7 hours /week (10 years) ; now it seems impossible for me to do MTB more than 2-3 hours per week

If i do 1 hour of bike the same day and the day after i experience tons of PACs / extrasystole. Furthermore, situation after meals worsen like 1 extra every 5-6 beats

I feel every single ectopic so this situation is creating anxiety more and more ; now i am in a tunnel where i don't see a solution

I did stress test, ECG, blood analysis and all seem ok. Cardiologists said to me that this should depend to burning heart cells. Take flecaineide 100mg / day didn't help me so i stopped them. Beta-Blockers are not siutable for me since i have 35BPM during night

I am going to do an MRI in the next week; i don't see a solution - ablation cannot be done since PACs are not so frequent, on the same hand drugs are not helping me.

If a stop phisical activity the extrasystole will decrease a lot but this should be the very last option for me;

need help to understand how to manage the situation

many thanks

[cyberbarn]

It can be a vicious cycle, the wonky heartbeats anxiety, and the anxiety may well be causing wonky heartbeats.

I know you don't want to have to stop your fitness regime, but can I gently point out you are not getting any younger. If the high levels of exercise are causing a problem, maybe it is time to think about trying something different.

I was super fit in my 30s and 40s, but by the time I was fifty I realised that my body could do what it used to do. Now approaching 60 I am a pale image of what I used to be. I have also realised that much of the activity I did when I was in my 30s and 40s has accelerated the deterioration of my feet which in turn has stopped me doing as much activity.

I used to walk 10-20 miles a day but not now. However, I can swim -- when the pools are open!

If you are determined to keep cycling at previous levels, you might want to take specialist sports physio/coaching advice.

Oh, and I used to call my extra beats flip flops because that is what it felt was happening in my chest. I had them worst before eating, and figured out it was low blood sugar in my case.

Good luck, I hope you can find some answers.

[lapetto in reply to cyberbarn]

Thanks for the reply and the indications

Yes i am no more in 30s and I feel the extra beats! and now i am in the cycle of anxiety ...

do you think that a beta-blocker can help? i tried flecainede but without any appreciable results

Many thanks

[cyberbarn in reply to lapetto]

Only a doctor can suggest an appropriate drug to try. Maybe you can talk again with your consultant after they have the results of the MRI?

[lapetto in reply to cyberbarn]

Yes - the doctor suggested to me to try Sotatol that is an antiarritmic / beta blocker but after the bad experience with Flecaineide i would avoid to take it since these drugs has collateral effects

I don't know how to manage the situation ...