How to cope with AFIB and Tachycardia

Hi, and sorry to see you having to ride shotgun for your mom. Can't be much fun, eh?

Each sufferer of AF is an individual case, including genetics, co-morbidities, stage of life, and mental capacity for strain and stress....how much he/she has in reserve. Some people do not respond well to almost any drug, but there is also a wide disparity in the skill-sets AND experience of electrophysiologists. There are decent ones, not very good ones, and some real crackerjacks who seem to be wizards they're so darned good....ALL THE TIME! Well, of course nobody is that good, but there are some really great EPs in the USA, two of whom I have seen mentioned on this forum and on another forum where I spend some time, afibbers.org. The are Dr. Santangelo at Cleveland Clinic and Dr. Andrea Natale at the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute in Austin. It may be that your mother needs the skills of one such EP, or someone else at or very close to their skills and experience. Natale, for sure, travels regularly to at least five hospitals in the west, including CA, where he has privileges.

I told you this because there is always hope. However, if it turns out your mom is an exceedingly difficult case, and that further surgeries will likely not improve her circumstances, or actually raise the risk for an even worse outcome, the only option left is a pacemaker. For a pacemaker to work, they have to first destroy all the beat-signaling apparatus in the heart, meaning the Sino-Atrial node and the Atrio-Ventricular node. They do this the same way they created the scarring around your mom's pulmonary veins during her two ablations. Instead, they zap those two nodes, and then the pacemaker takes over and controls the rate of the heart. Literally millions have had this done. It's like bypass surgery, a dime a dozen. Nobody is thrilled to be in the position where this is all that's left for them, but once they have it done, it's a whole new ball game. They can sleep, laugh, go for walks, enjoy the sunshine....in fact, THEY'LL shine....again.

Wonderful perspective and advice.!!! 👍

I had AFIB years ago. LONG story short, ask her to eliminate ALL coffee, tea with caffeine, colas or drinks with caffeine including Mountain Dew which has more than colas, and chocolate. And ice cream with coffee or chocolate in it. I would bet my boots that if she will do that, her heart beat will be fine. I know from experience and I am 75 and HAD problems in my 20's.

Try quitting ANYTHING with caffeine in it before going through those treatments. ALL coffee, colas, chocolate etc. I had severe episodes from age 14 to 21 and a doctor in a newspaper said some people are EXTREMELY sensitive to caffeine. I am 75 years old and a few months ago had found some Haagen Daz COFFEE ice cream which normally is not carried where I live. BOOM! I started having heart problems again. When I realized what was happening, the coffee ice cream and chocolate which I LOVE went in the trash. Not worth my life.

Look up the no/no’s (caffeine is everywhere/read labels. No alcohol. I just had a second ablation in 5 months-the first one didn’t work, but the latest involved reprogramming my pacemaker to take over my beats when needed. So far, so good. I already had the pacemaker five years earlier to help with a too slow beat-go figure… get a second opinion and go to a specialist in cardio electrophysiology type surgeon. Here’s hoping you find a solution…

She may try a second ablation with 3D mapping

Listening to all of your inputs has been rewarding in my mental attitude.
I am 77 and I had a low heart rate since I can recall. Last year I found out I now have A-fib. I had one ablation in Oct 23. It has been effective, but I have just had a loop recorder implant procedure. I am trying to gain and understand a life style that aids in our I move forward. I have always been active and positive. Lately it is do this do that and don’t do anything. Depressing at best.
I am told I am moving towards a pacemaker. True or misleading?
I see from your comments at eliminating certain food and drink items also may help in developing a better or helpful life style.
Any advise?

I would counsel living 'comfortably'. That is to say, do what you think you can and ought, and no more. As one wit quipped, 'When your body wears out, where will you live?!?' You HAVE TO:

Eat a balanced, sensible, yet affordable diet;

Keep active and do both strengthening and ligament and fascia extending exercises. Walking is great, walking up hill for at least some of your workout is better. More strenuous than that is up to you and your heart. But the upshot is that you should struggle mightily to retain as much muscle mass as possible going into your sixth, seventh, and eighth decades.

Try not to rob yourself of quality sleep. Quality implies: duration, REM state repeats during sleep, as few arousals as possible (getting up to pee, checking your smart phone bedside (really?!), not breathing and having to awaken to clear obstructions or blow your nose, or failing to get good rest due to sleep apnea. Also, not staying up late web-surfing or reading, or watching the last few minutes of a show you'll have forgotten next morning.

Regular monitoring of blood pressure. Forget your pulse and rhythm. You either have controlled AF or some other arrhythmia, or you don't. But you should keep an eye on your resting/waking BP. Before you move in the morning, start your app on your smart watch and see if your BP is on the rise. If so, what does it mean?

Work at sustaining relationships with meaningful people. Build a social network on whom you can call in times of urgency. And, reciprocate when people do you favours.

Finally, if you don't already have one, adopt a worth code for problem solving and for dealing with your fellow humans. The late Scottish philosopher William Ross proposed seven moral duties for all reasonable people:

Promise-keeping
Gratitude for favours
Self-improvement
Justice
Fidelity
Beneficence
Non-maleficence

I would suggest those comprise a great start for anyone looking to improve their existence, even when facing health problems.

Where does your Mom live? Dr. John Norris Clearwater , Fl
Electrophysiologist/Cardiologist
Fixed me. Staying active and keeping a normal weight is key! Use a Fitbit for tracking if possible.

Eliminate totally anything with caffeine. Coffee, chocolate, colas, Mountain Dew. Cut down sugar. Eat natural foods, not processed. Better than a pacemaker.