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gloaming, your comment parallels some of my Afib experiences. I'm not a competitive runner but I am fairly active...bicycling, cross-county skiing, paddling, hiking plus lots of yard work on my 10 acre property. Had my first Afib episode about 2 years ago. Cardiologist put me on 50mg of Metropolis and Xarelto. When I met with an EP, he asked about snoring and sleep apnea. I do not snore, so I figured apnea cannot be an issue. He cautioned me that sleep apnea is very under diagnosed and could very well be a contributing factor. On his advice, I did an at-home sleep study, which revealed moderate apnea, 27+ disturbances per hour. I now have a CPAP machine, which has been great because I'm sleeping much better, with fewer trips to the bathroom at night, no morning headaches, and better energy. However, like you, I still had an occasional Afib episode. In January I had PF ablation, and no Afib episodes since (touch wood), although an occasional palpitation. I just sent in my Zio patch monitor to check for any breakthrough Afib and waiting for results. Hopefully I might be able to cut back on the meds? My cardiologist said the CPAP machine will be good for controlling Afib, post-ablation. We shall see.
Questions I have...are you still on Metoprolol, and if no, did you experience any withdrawal symptoms when you stopped? What about anticoagulants? Thanks.
Replies to "gloaming, your comment parallels some of my Afib experiences. I'm not a competitive runner but I..."
About metoprolol, I had to quit it cold when they put me on amiodarone in the ER six days after my index ablation because my heart went completely chaotic. Sometimes a little metoprolol after an ablation helps to take the load off the heart by making it calmer....according to the outreach nurse. But I went off metoprolol on my own on her advice starting about a month after the second ablation. She just said to taper off it over about two weeks, but for sure before the Holter monitor so that what it measured was my 'real' heart performance.
I'm still on 5 mg of apixaban (Eliquis) daily and will be for life. My self-assessed CHA2DS2-VASc score is only 1.0, although I've gained some weight and it's probably close to 2.0, the line at which doctors want us on an anti-coagulant. I reason that, seated at a computer as I am at this moment, I could develop deep vein thrombosis, and that risk also rises over time. So, for me, it's a lifetime on apixaban. I tolerate it well, and also did the metoprolol.
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Darn, there's so much to remember....and to forget. My dad has to rise at least twice, often three times, each night to void. He's a terrible sleeper/worrier at the best of times, so some nights his having to pee so often is a serious impediment to good/great sleep. Thanks for reminding me of yet another potential disruption to sleep that a health body might avoid by sleeping better....WITH A CPAP machine!
I am now 29 months free of AF since my last ablation, my second. I do have the very odd triplet of quick beats, and I'm pretty sure I have the odd PAC as well. This is normal...apparently, so for those reading who have had a recent ablation, and you still get the odd blip, don't panic. Every normal heart has variations in rhythm, minor ones, occasionally. It is when they gang together and run for hours that it has become a problem. Even then, a simple cardioversion in an ER often puts things right, including for those who had a recent ablation. I got this from the outreach nurse who had to hold my hand over the phone a few times when I was getting frequent blips after my first ablation...the one that failed. Then, second ablation, and after two weeks I was back in the ER with a long six hours of full AF. I was aghast. They declined to cardiovert me because previous attempts had never worked for me in past years. She pointed out that an ablated heart is a reset heart, and that they made an error in my ER. I should have been cardioverted. Happily, I reverted to NSR and was sent home, and that is the very last AF I have had.
Thanks, nevets, for your comment.