Should I consider ablation?

Welcome to Connect, @kasandphyl. I can imagine that your anxiety is high, and so glad you've joined this group. You are not alone in the symptoms you're experiencing. I'm confident that @jimana @crashnam @nadine66 @vermontrob and others will share their experiences with you. You may also want to check out this discussion, where @bjanderson @frande @lawsonsa @karenatmayo have discussd afib and medications that have helped them:
– https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/side-efects/

@kasandphhyl, have the medications helped? Are you considering ablation to control the afib?

I have had two ablation and no afib since 2013 and no controller Its worked for meI'm 76Good luckRek

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Has anyone experienced this procedure – AV node ablation

Hi @1943,

Here’s some information from Mayo Clinic about AV (atrioventricular) node ablation:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/av-node-ablation/pyc-20384978
You may also notice that I moved your message to this discussion as I thought it would be beneficial for you to connect with members who’ve discussed ablations for various cardiac conditions.
If you click on VIEW & REPLY in your email notification, you will see the whole discussion and can join in, meet, and participate with other members talking about their or their loved ones' experiences.

I am 71 And at 69 had my first a fib event. Similar to you, I had hospital visits, doctor visits, are took medication and then the decision was made to have an ablation. Had a wonderful doctor and the ablation was performed. I was placed on a blood thinner and in six months only had one episode after the ablation. Did not like the effects of the blood thinner. My doctor implanted a link device in
my chest which monitors electronically if I am in a fib. It has been eight months and I’ve had no recurrence of a fib and I am no longer taking the blood thinner. Feeling great. Find a doctor you really trust and after all This input, discuss this with him and see what they say. Good luck. Period

I felt awful for six weeks after my first afib experience which hit me like a Mack truck at 9:30 at night resulting in ambulance to ER (on 3/8). I had back to back tachycardia with more ER visits until I got a prescription for Diltiazem (for blood pressure but it keeps heart rate down too). My biggest initial problem was because I was over hydrating. The docs said drink a lot of fluids, so I did, and wound up in the hospital with low sodium. My sodium level was 127 when it's supposed to be 136. They got my sodium level up to 132 and sent me home. On one of these forums I was advised to drink low sodium V-8 juice to help balance my electrolytes. The docs said to get Gatorade, but it has too much sugar for me (I'm pre-diabetic). There are electrolyte tablets you can get too though. Look at your sodium levels on the blood tests they give you when you go in. If they are low, that might be a clue to why you feel so awful.
I feel fine now although I get tired more easily than I did before these afib incidents started. I am on Eliquis and Diltiazem. No ablations yet and hopefully I never have to have one, but my understanding is that afib is progressive. There is no going back apparently to the good health I had before all this started, but I am functioning OK. I am 65. I got an echocardiagram and chemical stress test and the docs said my heart is perfect. I don't know why all this started but suspect breathing problems (asthma) or my nightly glass of wine. I hardly ever drink wine now and am breathing better lately, but it's too late.
I hope you get to feeling better soon.

Hi Cat Mom, I cured my Afib with exercise 6 days out of 7 for months.,.. so there's hope that you can at least control it better on lower doses of meds and feel better. It's those damned meds that make us feel lousy.
You say you are pre-diabetic. I am wondering if you are on statins for high cholesterol...which cause diabetes.
To my thinking, Afib is constant. At least for me it was. 24 hours a day my heart was wonky...not just rare episodes.
I wouldn't worry about your sodium level dropping. It's normal to happen especially in runners who drink too much water...or in your case drinking like crazy. Live and learn.
Are you no longer drinking coffee, tea, stimulants of any kind, chocolate, sugar, alcohol, smoking etc...? If I touch any of these things I will start to feel skipped beats and thumps and there is NO WAY I ever want to go back to Afib and beta blockers. Believe it or not, I have a friend with Afib and he would rather take drugs to control it than give up his wine and coffee...

Hi @afrobin. I tripped over your final sentence about a friend with Afib who doesn't want to give up his wine and coffee. I wish him well, given my experience. My Afib was diagnosed four years ago by a EKG in my annual physical, but I have never felt any symptoms. Nevertheless, I had a small stroke almost a year ago as a result of a blood clot formed in my heart. Since then, I have religiously obeyed the FDA-approved label on my Coumadin anticoagulant -- no liquor at all and reduced consumption of coffee. Hated to abandon my vintner, but I don't want another stroke from alcohol thinning my anticoagulant into the danger zone.

I also appreciate your other observations, especially the one regarding statins. A friend has SVT and was experiencing periods of dizziness and lethargy, so her doctor took her off Simvastatin (because it conflicts too much with her antiarhythmic meds), transferred her to Lipitor and -- in short order -- cut that dose from 20mg a day to 10mg per day. As a result, less threat of intensifying her Diabetes-2 and, more important, no more dizzy spells for over a week now.

Martin

My cholesterol is average, not high. There was no reason for my afib except difficulty breathing (chronic bronchitis & mild asthma) or drinking wine with dinner. I have pretty much given up wine and coffee. I have tried them both since my diagnosis and they don't seem to trigger afib, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I gave up chocolate, don't smoke, and am otherwise doing everything I used to do. I've always been active--biking, hiking, walking, and doing yard work, and eat a good Mediterranean diet that's mostly veggie with occasional fish or chicken. So yeah, I was in EXCELLENT health before all this heart garbage started.
My goal is to live long enough to see my grandchildren grow up (the youngest is 10 months) and to be able to travel to see them. That's it. Thanks for response.

Hi @catmom777. Just to be clear, a wine or two a day didn't trigger my Afib. Instead, it neutralized my Coumadin anticoagulant medication so that my risk of bleeding went to the ceiling. To deal with that, my medical team had me drop my Coumadin for two days. When I went back on, a clot had already formed during those two days; it traveled up to the hippocampus in my brain, causing a "small stroke." Thankfully, the stroke symptoms have been been minor -- slight imbalance when erect and walking, slight loss of memory, slight problem forming words. With physical therapy, my brain is learning again how my parts should work when I call on them, so the months-long recovery has begun. Martin