Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation (PAF)

If the depressed dimples are minor, not major when you press on your ankles, then it's not so bad. The big thing is syncope when you stand up from bed or from seated for a while. If you feel faint, have to grab onto something, or actually find yourself on your back, it may mean it's time to get more considered care, and more urgently.

Your AF is not a death sentence. AF doesn't kill its 'hosts'. It can make you darned good 'n miserable, and very anxious, but it won't kill you.

AF can cause undesired changes in the heart's structure and function if left unmanaged and it becomes persistent or permanent. So, get onto either an anti-arrhythmic drug (AAD) or get an ablation as soon as you can. It just gets harder to correct the longer you put off treatment. As of about a year ago, the medical community has publicly stated that a catheter ablation is the gold standard of care for many arrhythmias, but certainly for AF.

Amiodarone, in my one experience with it four years ago, is normally 'loaded' with a hefty dose for about a week. In my case, it was two 400 mg pills twice a day for a week. That's 800 mg/diem. Then, only 400 mg daily for four weeks, split into two 200 mg doses, and then a two week taper of 200 mg per day.

When in AF, or some other arrhythmias, the organs don't get the oxygen they need in some cases, and if it's the kidneys, the control BP largely. If the kidneys are not properly given enough oxygen, or poor circulation, they can lose their ability to regulate BP and bodily fluids. This is what causes the ascites (lower abdomen swelling, and ankles swelling. Again, if the swelling is quite noticeable, and if you feel short of breath and light-headed, you should be seen at an ER or by your PCP.

Last thing: metoprolol, in some patients, puts the heart into a low speed and low contraction force, so much that it causes bradycardia, or slow heart with weak contractions. This, too, can lead to the problems you're experiencing. However, the metoprolol is also important to keep the heart rate lower when it is fibrillating, so it's a bit of a conundrum. Again, your PCP or cardiologist should know of it as soon as you know it is worrisome and needs fixing.

Your background justifies a close monitoring by your Cardiologist. I would make appointments as needed with the Cardiologist to make sure all is under control. I would also try to be on a healthy diet that your Cardiologist can recommend you which in some way may help. Good luck and God bless you.

Hi Question
Any body have the following
I had something happen to 2 1/2 years ago I became space out like a ZOMBIE most of the day.
lost a-lot of my short term memory before that I had above average IQ an shortly after got AFIB now started to notice over the years that each time after a bout of afib my memory comes back. little by little anyone experience this ?
Ps 2 years ago to write this would have taken me over an hour to write.
please Stay Safe everyone

@laureenm Call your doc and run this by them.

@bigj This is just an uneducated guess, but a TIA (transient ischemic attack). A brain bleed or a small clot blocked supply to part of your cerebral cortex's blood supply and you have the experience you describe. I don't know anything about you, your age, your other health factors, but is sounds a lot to me like a lack of oxygen to part of your advanced thinking center. Had you been evaluated at the time, your blood may have shown the D-dimer protein that shows the body is attempting to dissolve a clot. I am sorry that this happened to you. Must be very troubling.

Wow this has been so Helpful Thank you
age 63
Great Shape workout don't smoke or drink
eat good
found out server sleep apnea 78 time per hour

My sleep apnea 55/minute. My CPAP brings it to 3/minute. My MD says 2-3/minute is good. So I do not miss a night.

@laureenm The numbers you cite are actually for an hour. This means that you have that many events per hour of record when you use the machine. When using the machine, and it is properly programmed for your individual needs, your therapy, it should be less than five (5) events per hour. Above 5 is deemed to be unsuccessfully treated, below 5 events per hour is deemed to be treated. The unit of measurement is known as the 'apnea-hypopnea index', or simply AHI. So, untreated, your severe apnea has an AHI of 55/hr, and treated you have 2-3/hr.

@bigj I have severe obstructive SA as well, and it unfortunately was left undiagnosed until my cardiologist ordered a polysomnography over night at a sleep lab. It was the last of a series of tests, including a nuclear stress test on a treadmill. None showed any ischemia, or lack of oxygen to the heart and organs. But, after one night in the local sleep lab, the diagnosis was a shocker to me, 'Severe OSA, 31 events/hr.' The reason I went through all those tests was because I had developed atrial fibrillation near the end of a 10 km maintenance run in June of 2017. The severe OSA made my heart irritable, cranky, and it began to fibrillate in distress.

If your heart is still good, you have a great one with all those events you cite.

Thank you all for reaching out

Please lis to your body an mind. I had. the over night sleep test split sleep test showed
78 without inspire 68 with it on inspire did NOT work as advertise
Dr. just inform of the results Nothing else.
It didn't sound right so i follow up ask to be put back on my sleep machine
One of the BEST thing I did I started to normal drop back down to 2-3 per hour i was told 30 or more per hr. is NOT good