Heart Rhythm Conditions – Welcome to the group

New to Afib. Two months now. Test shows mitral valve regurgitation, so it looks like maybe a surgery is in my future. Awaiting the results from the 7-day monitor I wore 2 weeks ago. Seems like since I turned 60, things have gotten...weird. Fell, broke my foot, took forever to rehab (foot impacts ankle, knee, hip). And now this new Afib.

Hi,
I am 67 and have been treated for AFib for about 8 years.

I have been relatively symptom free for that time with the medications prescribed.

I recently had a COVID vaccine and developed daily AFib symptoms.

Has anyone else experienced a connection between vaccines and the uptake of AFib symptoms?

I haven't, but I have read of numerous accounts by apparently real people claiming that the MRNA COVID vaccine and the disease itself had put them into much more frequent and longer bouts of AF.

The aphorism in the heart rhythm science is that 'AF begets AF.' Once you have it, it will return, and for the majority of sufferers, it will return more frequently, and possibly last longer each time. For now, you appear to be okay, but if you're spending as much as six hours and up in AF two or three times a week, you should consider an ablation. The reason is that the fibrillating heart remodels itself, and the process of remodeling is not always completely reversible once your AF is controlled better....if ever. Ablation will stem the propagation of the extra electrical impulses that tend to issue from the ostia (mouths) of the four pulmonary veins that empty oxygenated blood returning from the lungs into the left atrium. The ablated tissue prevents propagation of the impulses around the entire endothelium, which causes the underlying muscle to contract.

The remodeling usually involves two things: more fibrosis, and enlargement or thickening of the atrial walls. This makes it harder to beat over the normal distance that the muscle moves itself, meaning you won't have the same volume of blood as before. The remodeling can take many months, but the more AF you have, the more remodeling takes place. So, again, if you're beginning to worry because you're more frequently in AF, and it doesn't seem to be abating over time, then you should at least consult a good cardiologist or ask to see an electrophysiologist for an evaluation.

Getting in to see an EP cardiologist is a nightmare. I've been given months down the road for first available appointment. Am working with my regular doctor to change that.

I had an A V node ablation with a new Pacemaker installed almost 2 months ago. I'm still light headed and dizzy. Is this normal to take so long to recover. When I walk a short distance I feel like I'm going to faint.

My name is Laurie and I’ve been diagnosed with SVT. It initially started with random episodes of a pulse rate around 165 that lasted about a minute. I work out everyday and have had stress tests, echos, ekgs, you name it and my heart function is fine except for these random bouts. Now I’ve had 4 episodes in the last month with my pulse in the 180s that lasted only up to ten minutes. It is terrifying! My cardiologist said as long as they are asymptomatic, which they are, I am fine.
My primary care thinks it may have something to do with COVID vaccines.
My other fear is that I have an anaphylactic reaction to IV contrast, so an ablation or a cath are pretty much out of the question.
Has anyone else experienced anything like this? COVID vaccine related?
Ways to cope?
Thanks in advance!

I don't know how long I have had the AF, but I do know that my aorta is moderately occluded. Would that be fibrosis instead of plaque build-up? What other parts of the heart are impacted by fibrosis?

I honestly don't know without imaging and a read of the images by a competent authority, which I am not. It is plausible that there could be 'some' fibrosis inside the aorta, just as there is often 'some' fibrosis in aging hearts' chambers' endothelium. But my money, if I were to put any down, would be on plaque if there is any measurable occlusion because the fibrosis would have a very small 'footprint' in any images where scales could be used. It's like the difference between a sheet of paper and the entire pad, except the 'entire pad' would be plaque. Fibrosis is another name for scaring, whereas sclerotic tissue is more substantial in thickness. Also, the lesions and subsequent scarring that is left behind by the ablation procedure is only normally located in specific areas, usually around the pulmonary veins. The fibrosis from aging and arrhythmia, and from a defective mitral valve, would be much more widespread if added up in total area. This is my inexpert understanding.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9557071/#:~:text=Myocardial%20fibrosis%2C%20resulting%20from%20the%20disturbance%20of%20extracellular,arrhythmia%2C%20heart%20failure%2C%20or%20even%20sudden%20cardiac%20death.

Laurie, your SVT episode history is similar to mine. After 6 months and an ER visit, EP appointment, wearing a heart monitor, Nuclear stress test, Echo, taking a Calcium Channel blocker, etc. I realized (on my own) that Biophosphates (Fosamax/Alendronate) were a trigger or the cause. I stopped taking them and my SVT episodes stopped. Keep looking for triggers, practice up on Valsalva maneuvers, watch your electrolytes like a hawk and look into pending FDA approval of Etripamil (Cardamyst), a nasal spray for SVT outbreaks. Good luck!

The vax is famous for causing heart problems.

If you are drinking or eating anything with caffeine, need to stop. Coffee, colas, Mountain Dew, energy drinks. You may need to take extra precautions.