Atrial Fibrillation and long-term management with medication

I have fluttering of my heart on occasion. My
cardiologist said that it was inconsequential. Do I
Have a problem or is it really nothing to worry about?

Happy Birthday and congratulations! Your post is an inspiration. All the best to you.

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Is there a reason that you have a cardiologist? Did the cardiologist tell you it was PVC's? Those cause fluttering and are benign- no danger- but can be uncomfortable. I had them before a period for years, until menopause and was always told it was nothing to worry about.

Have you worn a monitor? If you have atrial fibrillation, that does need treatment. But "fluttering" sounds like PVC's and since your doc is unconcerned, that seems like what you are experiencing-?

Many triggers can cause.the heart to flutter. Stress, anxiety, chocolate, alcohol, any stimulant that causes the body to produce a shot adrenaline to your heart. Next time it happens, take notice to what happened right before it. A flutter may simply be the the shock that triggered it. It could mean nothing or it could be the start of a problem. The SA node in the upper right Atrial Chamber is the pacemaker of the heart. It produces an electrical pulse signal that tells the heart to pump, (a heartbeat). If it messes up, it could send more than a single beat, the flutter(palpitations) you feel. As long as it’s not constantly doing it, I’d say your cardiologist is correct. But if it gets worse, say multiple times in a row, they’ll check you out. Just take notice to what may have triggered it to happen and avoid it.

I am 75 and just been diagnosed with Afib.so far I've had heart echo testing done but I've been put on blood thinners and I'm on Amlodipine for hypertension. I haven't been able see a cardiologist yet so don't have any results from the echo tests..what should I expect going forward?

jingqui2025,

Afib treatment is an indiviual process, so we can't tell you what to expect. It will depend on what other heart conditions you have if any, and whether episodes are infrequent or persistent, with rvr or without. It's frustrating to wait but hopefully you will get the treatment that is right for you. I can only relate my experience. I have Apical Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and when Afib presented it was persistent (never stopped) and with a high heart rate. To make a long story short, rate control drugs were first tried and caused fatigue and low blood pressure but did not lower heart rate. I took two different drugs while waiting to see an EP in the Hear Rhythm clinic at Mayo. When there, I was offered either rhythm conrol drug or ablation. One ablation usually doesn't do it with ApHcm, so I started on a rhythm control drug and it worked really well for a while. Then had some breakthrough episodes, but continuing with the antiarrhythmic drug for now. Good luck.

Question
I have hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and Afib and tachycardia all is under control for now. What I want to know if anyone knows if being at high altitude has any effect to these conditions?

(M & 70) I had paroxysmal Afib and have hiked up to 18,000' on flecanainide, diltiazem, and eliquis without any problems. I had a stress test and because of that my cardiologist didn't think that exertion or altitude would set off an Afib episode. I have since had an ablation and mitral valve repair when Afib recurred, now on diltiazem and eliquis....so far, so good. Planning on a 23 day back-packing trip, numerous passes above 10,000' and going up to 15,000' this summer. All the best.

Hello jingqui, Much depends on whether you have persistent afib (heart fibrillates for more than a week, or considered "permanent" if constant, ie. a year or more) or paroxysmal afib (you have periodic episodes of afib, but most of the time not in fibrillation). I have had paroxysmal afib for over 14 years. I started with episodes every 3 months, but now I get them twice a month, and I take flecainide when an episode starts, which stops it in 3-4 hrs, plus metoprolol (a beta blocker which keeps the heart rate lower). Some people take flec daily to stave off episodes; I just take it PRN, ie., when needed. Paroxysmal afib often has "triggers" that can be managed, like anxiety, alcohol, foods or digestive issues, vagus nerve involvement, & numerous others. You can often use valsalva methods, breathing techniques, posture, singing, etc. to stop paroxysmal episodes, but persistent afib will usually require daily meds. These days, doctors want to do ablations, but most people require more than 1, they aren't permanent cures, there are risks, and most of us want to give the various medications a good try first, before resorting to an invasive procedure. I'm happy with the meds, and I get no side effects from any of them (some people do). If you are in permanent afib and have no or few symptoms from it, you may just remain on blood thinners, and live your life normally (except for avoiding knives 🙂 ). Consult your doctors, do some reading, and you will see that you can live long and normally with this condition. I do have 2 cardiologists and a GP, so that I can get at least 3 opinions on treatments. Hope this gave you a bit of help. Blessings of full health!