@munchkinsmum It will not kill you. Period. AF is not a lethal disorder. It can cause deterioration in your heart if it is left unmanaged for long, like years, but it IS NOT A DEATH SENTENCE! So, calmly, and with every reassurance I can give you, I a patient having had AF and having been successfully ablated, you can take a deep breath and figure out how you're going to deal with this annoyance.

Treatment for AF is only ever palliative. It is a permanent condition of the heart once you have a formal diagnosis. It is going to be treated most effectively via a catheter ablation. Meanwhile, your good doctor may want you to try metoprolol or equivalent to keep the heart's rate in check, and maybe an anti-arrhythmic drug (AAD) for the time being. Literally millions across the globe live quite well and contentedly doing only that. An ablation can come later, maybe when it's better timing for you. But do get the ablation before.....BEFORE...your heart progresses to more severe stages such as 'persistent' and 'long-standing persistent.' Ablations, the gold standard of care, must be done as early as possible because they fail more often the more advanced the disorder. Keep that in mind...no ablation necessary just yet, unless it is the best time for you. If now is the best time you'll ever have foreseeably, then maybe consult with an electrophysiologist (EP) soon. If you need to see how things unroll with your caregiving, you can probably afford to wait for several months....probably. Again, consult with a cardiologist and/or an EP, and get on their books as a patient and potential ablatee.