Heart Rhythm Conditions – Welcome to the group

@gloaming This is a wonderful explanation/reassurance for a person newly-diagnosed with a-fib. I have had this condition for 30 years + with several ablations and the whole menu of medications, plus a Maze procedure. I am still here, still treating the condition as it changes over time.
@munchkinsmum I will tell you a true story of the day I had my first a-fib episode at age 35. I ended up the hospital, and although my rhythm had corrected itself I was still disoriented and scared. The cardiologist on call came into my hospital room and took my by the hand. I will never forget this. He said, "Look at me." I looked him in the face, and he said, "You are going to die....(and here he inserted a comically long pause)...OF SOMETHING ELSE." I gasped, then laughed. He knew he needed to get my attention, and he had it! And the message is absolutely true. Yes, I will eventually die, but not from a-fib! He became my cardiologist for two decades. And his message has kept me from being desolate and afraid many, many times over the years when my arrhythmias acted up and I didn't feel good. Learn about treatments, trust your doctors, get support, and move on with life. 😉

@jenrev
That’s a funny story. 😂

@californiazebra Yes, and it's the same with prostate cancer. The patient is highly more likely to die in a road accident, falling down stairs, or from a bad case of food poisoning than they are to die from prostate cancer. AF is the same. It's hellish for some, quite tolerable for others, and some don't find out they have AF until someone with training looks at them wide-eyed and asks, 'Do you have AF? You're fibrillating right now.' Who knew!?

Once again, though, the sober reality is that uncontrolled/unmanaged AF will cause degradation in heart structure and in heart function over many months or a few years. So, unless someone just doesn't care, it's best dealt with sooner rather than later because the success rates of the various 'remedies' (there is no 'cure' for AF, just palliative management, and this includes ablations) falls as the complexity and advancement of the disorder progresses.

@gloaming
Hoping to get an ablation soon. Despite the fact that I’ve had at least 150 long afib episodes in the past 5 years, my second opinion EP says if he can find a safe path to my heart (rare venous anomaly) there is a 90% chance he can stop my vagal and PV afib in one ablation. Let’s hope there is a safe path and one and done plays out. I’m one of those very symptomatic people with a multitude of afib triggers.

The first EP told me 2-3 ablations and maybe that will do it, but it will keep coming back and you’ll need more ablations in a couple years. Who would sign up for that (especially since I have trouble with anesthesia)? And he had no plans to do any mapping despite me showing him an MRI report indicating I have a rare venous anomaly as an incidental finding. Definitely get a second opinion.

As for afib not being deadly, that always feels a little misleading to me. If afib can cause a stroke and a stroke can kill you then in my book afib can kill you. If someone fell off a cliff and died, you wouldn’t say the fall didn’t kill her, it was the landing that killed her. You get my point. If a=b and b=c then a=c. Maybe it’s more accurate to say you likely won’t die from managed afib but you very likely could die as a result of unmanaged afib.

In any case, I do think we’re lucky to have solutions. I do agree on treating it. When I had that last TIA with aphasia (could only speak and text gibberish and was alone at night) that was pretty scary and when it started I assumed it was a major stroke starting and this was either curtains or disability. Luckily it stopped in a few minutes but it had some lingering effects. It did light a fire under me to deal with the afib though so something good csme out if it! Best of luck to all! ❤️

Gloaming, as a followup to my last post, let me add how much I do appreciate all the valuable information you’ve provided to all of us over time. It’s a huge time investment to provide detailed responses to posts out here so thank you. Best wishes for your good health and your wife’s that you mentioned in another post. Zebra

HI, everyone in the Group! I am Kamlesh ,73 years Male from India. I was first diagnosed Sick Sinus Syndrome way back in July 1983 and since than on Medtronic Single chamber Pacemaker. In between I had 5 Redo and, abandoned during 2005 Redo. My 2nd Lead was found raptured after 2022 Redo and battery otherwise projected to last till 2029 is draining. My other parameters and health normal.

I ams scheduled for2nd Lead Extraction which is challenging as dwelling over 22 years. Any exp ,suggestion,welcome

Hi all, I just joined the group. I had double open-heart bypass surgery last year followed by a stent because of a difficult replacement of a third one. I am now having an irregular heartbeat with PVCs and a low heartbeat. Question is, has anyone had this problem after having these surgeries and if anyone found that some of the meds they have put you on has caused this problem. I have done some research on this and found that Metoprolol can cause this to happen. Has it happened to you?

Hi everyone , I am a 91 year-old lady who was admitted to the ER yesterday because of fatigue, SOB, dizziness, numbness in my left arm and leg. I was diagnosed with AF And sent home with a different blood thinner from the Plavix I was assigned two weeks earlier because of a possible TIA. They also changed my BP meds and I’m feeling much better today. I do have a PFO And mitral Valve regurgitation as a result of a virus infection when I was nine years old, which causes a slight heart murmur, but it’s never interfered with my life before. Not sure what’s ahead for me with this new diagnosis. But it is interesting to read all your stories.

@buddy135 You've done very nicely at 91 and with such an early damage to your mitral valve.

AF is surprisingly common as an arrhythmia, and it's more often found in people over the age of about 60 or so. It's not a lethal disorder....it won't kill you....and most cardiologists will only prescribe an anti-coagulant since the immediate and enduring risk is that of stroke. AF can cause clots to form in the left atrial appendage (LAA) and if they emerge and flow downstream, they can get lodged in trickly places and cause permanent damage. That can be in the heart's own vessels, the lungs, or in the brain.....stroke.

Some patients with AF are highly symptomatic. They live essentially miserable lives because of how it makes them feel when the AF is happening. Others live very comfortably and have no objectionable sensations. With monitoring, say every year, to determine hearth function and health, many live for decades just fine. Others progress to more advanced stages of AF and their hearts and their moods suffer. Those people would want to have asked for more aggressive treatment, but it may be too late. So the wisdom is to get treatment going as soon as possible to forestall that progression. For younger patients, or those reasonably expecting to live well another 4-10 years, catheter ablation is the gold standard of care. For those whose prospects of living well are diminished and falling, probably best to treat with medications and try to enjoy life that way, especially if they are largely asymptomatic.

This is a conversation you would have with your cardiologist, or perhaps on referral to an electrophysiologist (EP) who are heart rhythm specialists and 'electricians.'

I am 75 years old and have been treated for high blood pressure since I was in my mid thirties. It is called essential hypertension. Basically a genetic condition. I have recently been diagnosed with aflutter. I have had one cardio version which did not work. I am taking Eliquis, diltiazem and amiodarone as well as losartan HCTZ. I am interested in how other people cope with this condition.