After 3 full days of afib and three tries to hit it with flecainide i wrote with high anxiety to this board. I can’t tell you how relieving it was to get steady calm advice and I’m sure that it helped because last night yippee returned to normal.
As soon as the virus has been abated I will be booking an ablation but I will feel much better even if I get a prolonged episode
Thanks to the board
S
So pleased for you, a long episode like that can make you feel very ill and very anxious and it often takes a few days for your body to recover so take lots of water and rest a lot and don’t try to do anything if you feel fatigued as I found when I did try to ‘push’ through I just made things a whole lot worse.
It happens so often like that. Anxiety and worry thoughts do exacerbate AF and if you can find strategies to relieve and cope with those such as self-talk, breathing exercises etc it really helps counter the physical stress you hold in your body and symptoms lessen and you cope a lot better.
Hi Sf.... I am relatively new to this ailment, but it doesn't take long to be exhausted by it on so many levels. I hope you are finding ways to cope with those very long bouts. I will go most of the day and night without reprieve, when they are bad. They are impossible to ignore and come with a variety of side effects that keep you on pins and needles. How long have you had this if you don't mind me asking and what have you done procedure wise ? I am just getting started and I am taking metoprolol for my blood pressure and I just started Eliquis as a stroke prevention. I can certainly relate to the panic and frustration you must be going through. This is very surreal and so humbling. I am sure that most people that are going through this feel helpless at times, because we are slaves to it's unwelcome appearance without warning and without a episode experation.
Hi
I started about 3.5 years ago and the first two episodes were 7 months apart and each time I went to hospital fearing the worst!
After the second I paid to see a fantastic cardiologist/EP who had treated my dad for afib and was really reassured .... but ... as soon as the episodes became more frequent and longer about 6 weeks apart and sometimes over 24 hours I began to panic ( a lot) my symptoms are not bad I’m not breathless I don’t have chest pain ( but I lie mesmerised with worry I am about to!) and so to set my mind at rest I paid to have a ct scan of my heart. This was really good as there was no damage and a strong full blood supply. Thank goodness I was lucky enough to have that just a few weeks ago because this long bout was really worrying the flecainide pip I use just did not work and normally I would have gone to hospital but for COVID 19 .
This forum really helped by reminding me that fear makes it worse so I made a conscious decision to ignore and stop manically checking my pulse, and just do a slower version of normal. That prob is why I reset to sinus last night.
I know that having understanding does tackle the fear but only up to a point . Reassurance when you are feeling bleak is a real help.
Procedure wise I am booked for an ablation as soon as the virus is receding and hopefully that will give me some respite
Yes you are quite right Racerx. AF and anxiety tend to go hand in hand in the beginning but knowledge (AF Association website) is power and in time we all find a balance. Please understand that any and all treatment is only for quality of life (QOL) so it is important to review one's lifestyle and make the necessary adjustments as one can never go back to pre AF. It is sixteen years since I finally found what was wrong (after ten not knowing) and many worse things have happened to me since then. As I said. its all a balance.
How long for echocardiogram 
How long should I wait?
How Long do Ablations Last?
How long before going to A & E?
how long are people taking Amiodarine?
