Heart Rhythm Conditions – Welcome to the group

Hi, thanks for letting me join this group. It’s good to share lived experiences.
I live in Australia and had a Pulmonary Vein isolation and pulsed field ablation last Friday. I was only diagnosed late last year and had blamed the flutters on anxiety/stress. ( I’ve always been a stress head!)
I’ve always had a relatively low heart rate, < 60 and sometimes in the 40’s, and I err on the side of low with my blood pressure too. I have always been asked if I am an elite athlete! Unfortunately no, although teaching for 40+ years kept me on my toes and I have always been active and flexible.
I’m looking forward to hearing other’s stories and how they deal with AF. I am feeling positive about the ablation and am hoping that when I see the Electrophysiologist I can go off at least some of the medications.
Cheers, Eve 😊

I was diagnosed with Atrial Flutter in October 2024 and had a Cardioversion on February 3, 2025. I was removed from my medication the same day and have not had any problems since then. I was told that the next step would be an Ablation if the problem returns. I have been able to return to my normal level of activity with no ill effects.

Hello. My name is Moncef and I live in Gaithersburg Maryland. I was diagnosed with Afib on December 31 at the Mayo Clinic during my annual checkup. I was put on Eliquis. Two questions. First is there a more permanent way of getting back to a regular heart function? And two should I eliminate alcohol completely ?

@mbouhafa Alcohol research seems to be headed toward, 'No amount of alcohol is good for you, ' But, if you enjoy the odd beer, with emphasis on odd, it 'might not 'be deleterious for your heart. In my case, my heart raises its rate by about 10 BPM after ingesting a single beer, and it has been reliable reacting that way for two years now. This is post-ablation with my heart happily in NSR.

Currently the gold standard of care for AF is a catheter ablation. And no, most of them are not permanent. Most will eventually result in the heart finding a way to enter into AF again. It might be a year, while some lucky folks get ten years out of an ablation. To me, just coming up to three years free of AF, that is a huge win. I say this because I was one of the very unhappy symptomatic patients who both sensed when they were in AF and who were miserable with the sensations and with the anxiety. For me, a single year, 12 whole months, free of AF would make another ablation worth it for me.

Am ablation can offer the symptomatic patient very welcome relief, which adds to their quality of life. But it also forestalls the typical degradation in the heart's structure and function when AF goes on uncontrolled or unblocked for long periods. This process is called 'remodeling' and it means enlargement of the left atrium, sometimes also of the left ventricle, and it often means eventual mitral valve prolapse. It also means deposition of collagen and fibrosis in the substrate around the mitral valve and in the myocardium itself. This tends to stiffen those masses which makes the heart less efficient. In time, heart failure is the last outcome.

Please note that none of this is absolutely certain, just possible. And if you control the AF and prevent it, you also prevent those unwanted conditions.

One last caveat: AF is considered to be a progressive disorder. It should be as aggressively managed as the patient and physician can stand mutually. The more it is prevented from taking place, the longer the heart remains unaffected by the eventual changes that the literature says is possible, which I described earlier, above.

@mbouhafa Do you consume anyrghin g containing caffeine??