Living with Atrial Fibrillation: What are Your Experiences?

Message for gloaming,
Just an update about my catheter ablation. It was done via Radiofrequency method on March 4th as an outpatient. On April 1 st I was fitted with a three day holter and will get the results May 1st. My heart surgeon phoned as a followup and is pleased with my progress this far. He wants me to stop my beta blocker Sotolol in one month and see how it goes and if no palpitations then good but if I get any signs of arrhythmia I can always go back on that pill. He will phone again in three months to check on me and in the meantime he will be in touch with my cardiologist to compare notes. My energy is back and I’m feeling good - touch wood. I only had 4 episodes after the surgery and one was starting and then stopped - a good sign. My pulse reading yesterday was 71. I’ll let you know what the holter reading was when I find out. I already feel my quality of life is improving each day. 😊

I am female, 76, and was diagnosed with Afib 2 years ago after being tested for sleep apnea. Got the CPAP machine, but I had no issues with Afib. In fact, doubted I had it because I never felt it. Fast forward to this year, I’m suddenly having Afib episodes lasting from 1 hour to 8 hours, heart rates up to 150. I was diagnosed with scoliosis a year ago. As it has started to affect my posture more and more, my Afib is kicking in more and more. Has anyone found any correlation between Afib and scoliosis? I know scoliosis can actually displace organs if severe enough.

He knows he is in AFib all the time. They have tried the gamut of medications and none have worked. He was on Flecainide for quite a number of years which seemed successful however, after about eight years, he had some side effects so they took him off of that. He was on different medication’s, including amiodarone which did not keep him in rhythm. I hate to say this, but after the Covid shot is when his Afib got out of control.

4 years ago I went to my Internist for a 2-year check-up (82 yrs. old), a Physician Assistant saw me. At the end of the appt. she sent me to "imaging" for an EKG ... diagnosed - A-Fib. The P.A. immediately put me on Warfarin, & told me to come back in a couple of days to "talk-about A-Fib". The Practice kept calling-cancelling & re-scheduling the appts., ... finally I called a local Cardiologist for an appointment to learn more about A-Fib, & see if I could get Warfarin changed, by then I was having TERRIBLE Side Effects! 3+ months had passed since the initial diagnosis. The Cardiologist advised me she couldn't change a prescription another Dr. (Phys. Asst.) ordered! I called the Dr. of Internal Medicine & told them I NEEDED an appt. A.S.A.P., they asked "Why", then said 'No appt.s available for 3 months, go to an ER"... So I got in my car, went into their office & asked for my files. I told them I would find a New Dr. if they wouldn't see me about a prescription one of their P.A.'s had ordered.
When I saw the Cardiologist I asked her to refer me to a New Internist, & we got that Prescript. changed.
Over the next 2-1/2 YEARS I was referred to 5 more Dr.'s or Phys. Asst.'s, each would change what a previous Health Professional had prescribed ... all together 7 Dr.'s or P.A.'s, 7 Diagnosis', & 7 different Prescript.'s - ALL of the Med.'s resulted in Severe Side Effects: 4 blood thinners, 2 Prescript.'s for high blood pressure & a Very Bad reaction to Iosvue 370 Dye injected for a 3-D CTA. At that point I HAD HAD ENOUGH!
Not only did I stop taking Prescripts., I've stopped going to Doctors! It Frustrates me that when I was diagnosed 4 years ago I had NO awareness (NO symptoms) of A-Fib ... 3 years of being referred by one Medical Professional to another, 2-1/2 years of dealing with TERRIBLE Side Effects to Every Medication prescribed, I'm Very Much Aware I Have A-Fib, but I Feel The Medical Profession has "bounced me around like a Tennis Ball", put me thru A Lot of Pain, Confusion, & Misery with all the TOXIC Med.'s ... My Body & I NEED to De-Tox. (find a "New Normal"?) & start all over.
When I feel I Need Help, I'm Leaving Town & going to a Major City Heart Clinic such as Rochester - MAYO CLINIC, ST. LUKES in St. Louis, or CLEVELAND CLINIC.

Sorry, Can't access the Reply ... although I've filled out "Access Info." when I try, it responds with a message "Something doesn't Match" & doesn't open!

This is in response to the 1st "Heart Rhythms" entry (above)... 4 years ago (age 83) I was diagnosed with A-Fib. Over the next 30 months, (2-1/2 years) Cardiologists & Cardiology-Physician Assistants kept prescribing various pharmaceuticals, almost immediately I'd begin to have multiple debilitating Side Effects to Each & Every One of them ... when I'd go back to the Cardiology practice, the Cardiologist or P.A. would pass me on to another P.A. or Cardiologist who would write a New Prescriptions. Finally 2-1/2 years & 7 different Prescriptions (plus 7 different Dr.'s or P.A.'s later) ... Not 1 of the Prescriptions "worked", All of them resulted in multiple debilitating Side Effects ... the Last Cardiologist I visited told me to STOP Everything & let my body find Normal. At that Same time that last Cardiologist referred me to a Cardiac-Surgeon (Medical Professional #8). He ordered a 3-D CTA, which required an injection of Vsovue 370 dye. The Cardiology-Surgeon Assured me there would be No Side effects to the CTA. He was correct about the CTA - it was the Vsovue 370 dye that was So TOXIC. That little procedure literally put me in bed for the next 5 days with Severe side effects. Over the next YEAR side effects to the dye would come & go ... from time to time my fore-arms & lower legs felt like they were Sunburn'd while my hands & feet were NUMB (essentially No Feeling ... walked like a Robot & difficulty picking-up objects such as a fork to eat). Thankfully the arm/hand & leg/foot reaction would come & go ... it wasn't Constant. The 3-D CTA was 14 months ago, it's been 3 months since the last reaction, so hopefully it's run it's course!
I'm aware my heart isn't operating Normally, I'm No longer dealing with 'Laundry-Baskets-full' of Side Effects from Toxic Pharmaceuticals, however I'm AFRAID to go back to Cardiologists ... I feel like they've done more Harm than Good. When I told my Internal Med. Dr. that the last Cardiologist told me to STOP All of the heart-Prescription Med.'s that I'd been taking, my Internist suggested I take a Low Dose Aspirin at least every other day ... maybe about 4-5 days a week ... (If I miss a day now & then, not to worry). Frankly I feel better than I've felt since initially being diagnosed with A-Fib 4 years ago. When initially diagnosed I had NOT A CLUE I had A-Fib., the EKG was just a regular part of the 2-year check-up.
A few Friends & family members say they're concerned that I'm not taking any med's for A-Fib but I tell them, "quite frankly, when I was taking those med.'s I was afraid They Might KILL ME Before the A-Fib would/could!"

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