I am 79 and I worried, like you, that they would write me off as too old for an ablation. I did have good luck and I told my cardiologist that I wanted an electrophysiologist referral. The EP he sent me to was also excellent, gave me a choice of ablation or trying an anti-arrhythmic medication. After a brief trial, with some vague side effects and looking up the med to read all the Black Box warnings, I said clearly: I want an ablation and I am scheduled for one in 3 weeks. If I were you and you have tried all the life-style changes to try to figure out if you have any triggers (alcohol and dehydration and sleep disturbances are some of the biggies) then I would actively seek out a clinic outside of your area, if you can afford to do so, where they will LISTEN to you. The more episodes of A-fib you have, the more ectopic foci can spread. If you are a healthy, active 80 year old, you deserve better treatment than this IMHO (in my humble opinion.) And you should definitely be on a blood thinner. Strokes are no joke! Even a mild one can ruin your quality of life. And that Halter monitor trial is, to me, BS; you obviously can tell when you are in A-fib as I can--I can tell when I have an extra beat, not alone A-fib. Get a second opinion if you can afford to do so; if a doctor doesn't listen to you, then "horse 'em"--that's my motto! Spend your money on getting treated, not on rehab if you have a stroke waiting for these people to take you seriously. (Sorry, but I have seen this kind of treatment as a nurse, and it really makes me furious. Good luck!