Hey Larry, you’ e mentioned that you have kept yourself active and pretty fit. What has been your program for that? I’m 73 with Afib and have been wondering about how hard to push myself in uphill walking.

Hey there. Actually I have probably abused my body. Have smoked for 50 years, I still drink a couple big cups of black coffee a day. I was a beer drinker in Vietnam (stayed away from ALL drugs). I am a social drinker as well. Family get togethers, when bowling, playing horseshoes, holidays, etc. Don't like drinking by myself at home. So, I am probably a below average drinker. Anyway, my last job was a sports writer (for 13 years), but was let go due to budget cuts four years ago. Tried looking for work, but kind of gave up when I began having more heart issues. So now I'm basically at home just doing normal activities (garden, taking care of our cats, etc.). Up until this past August I could basically do anything I wanted, then I began feeling more PVC's etc. during light to mild physical exertion. AFIB has improved (less frequency), but PVC's have increased slightly and more alarming sometimes. Dr's. still say my heart is okay, but they don't feel the sensations. Even on the ekg's and holter monitors can show the PVC's but they can't interpret the feelings from them.

Hi There. I've read stories similar to the ones you referred me to. My AFIB is always around 200 when it occurs, lasting 4-12 hours. When It would stop I would feel great sometimes for several days, but I would still have the PVC's. Have had several holter monitors anywhere from the one day to the 30 day. Sometimes register a tolerable amount of PVC's and other times several thousand a day. No set pattern. I now feel PVC's in upper chest more, as well as upper stomach (which I had not had before). Heart will just flounder around like it doesn't know what it wants to do sometimes with the skips, flutters, pauses and sometimes a squeezing or choking off sensation. Sometimes it's like a hair trigger with the slightest movement triggering skips and flutters. Also, in between AFIB incidents I will get an occasional 10 or 15 second AFIB sensation where I think it is going to kick in and start racing but then lets up. I often wonder if some of the more urgent palps and PVC's are the result of the AFIB wanting to kick in, but fails to do so. I read that ablation is good for PVC's only if you have 20% or higher each day. I am still considering ablation for the AFIB in hopes that it may at the same time relieve some of the other palp symptoms, and may even be causing them. For me, the palps and irregular heartbeats feel worse than the AFIB. There are times when I wish I was on the "table" and tell the doctors to just do what they have to do. And, I still worry of course that something is being missed in my evalations. Thanks for your information and concern.