Afib - do I just live with it?

This post was very interesting to me. I still need to see my electrophysiologist for further information. I seem to know my triggers now and have not had an "episode" since early June. So far, the "Pill in the pocket" may be my best route. I am early in this Afib situation. Ablation therapy, at this time, still doesn't sit well with me. My friend has had it done twice now. I'm not sure how my Afib will progress, but I am learning how to manage, thus far. Perhaps ablation therapy will be the way to go. Still not sure. I keep checking on this site for comments and support. It has been so helpful! Thanks y'all!

@dlptlp How long have you been in afib and has your cardiologist told you that he/she considers it permanent? Have your doctors previously suggested cardioversion that you declined or ablation that you declined?

I has one CV and worked for a week then back to AF. Just take blood thinner and Beta Blockers which have no adverse effects so happy to live with it. Have never had any symptoms of AF either so why have the risks of taking amiodarone before an ablation?

@pickleball1946 Many times cardioversion does not hold . Glad you had success .

I have had one episode of a fib. Went to Er but had converted before getting there. I was put on eliquis that I didn’t tolerate at all. Now on Xarelto . I also take Amilodipine for BP. I’m having weakness in my knees that lasts for hours. They tell me my body has to get use to the meds. How long does it take for the weakness to get better. Could it have happened after one episode of a fib. I haven’t had another episode.

"LIVE WITH IT" is NOT a viable treatment plan! I'm 67 and have had a-fib for many years now, but mine is only occasional, usually brought on by something like SOY or MSG (they are in almost everything now!) or if I get dehydrated for any reason. "Live with it" is a horrible response from a doctor!! Knowing what causes your a-fib would be very helpful, I know my triggers now and can usually avoid them. I do things every day to keep myself steady, it usually works. I take cardizem & a baby aspirin once every morning. In addition to a regular vitamin/mineral supplements, I also take magnesium & potasssium supplements every day. I drink a lot of gatorade to keep my electrolytes balanced (3 a day, more when I don't feel well.) There are almost no pre-made food products that I can eat because soy/msg is in almost everything now; soy has risen to #7 of the top 10 most common allergens. If food intolerance is the culprit it is fixable. Everything I eat I have to make myself. It's a bit of work, but I am certainly healthier now that I've stopped eating all that processed food full of chemicals! They say some people cannot tell when they are in a-fib, but personally I know immediately, I can feel it. I don't know how people can continue to function while in a-fib, I really don't, because for me it is incapacitating. So for a doctor to suggest that is reprehensible! I recommend getting a new heart doctor if at all possible. If not possible, at least bring a man with you the next time you go to your heart doctor. Sadly, many doctors don't take complaints from a woman seriously, like we're all hysterical or hypochondriacs or something (women doctors who have been trained by male doctors with this attitude are sadly also capable of dismissing you!) It has happened to me that when I go to the doctor by myself, he ignores my complaints, but when my husband is IN the exam room with me, the doctor suddenly takes me seriously and attempts to correct the problem. Sad in this day and age, but that is the work-around for doctors like this. Make sure the man you bring is SUPPORTIVE, not someone with the same bad attitude as the doctor! There are certainly other things that can be done but this has been my experience and I hope it may prove helpful to you. Good luck!

@risa6069 I just saw this post. I can't answer why you were recommended to jump directly into amiodarone, but maybe the intent was to help you to stop the progression that comes from being in frequent/persistent/permanent AF. The disorder is not lethal, but it CAN lead to other structure changes that are lethal, such as heart failure. Perhaps the person you talked to was hoping to forestall these eventualities, but also felt that amiodarone was going to be the big hammer to get your heart back into rhythm. Perhaps in time you could try flecainide, as an example of an alternative, but only after amiodarone has had a crack at your heart. Again, this is just a guess.

These comments are always useful because they allow you to learn .
The 15 minutes in the doctor office is the " standard of care".
I don't know how that idea came about , but, it really does no good at all.

@anniet101 my trigger was dehydration….darn….and it could have been prevented that particular day too !! Did well post CV n converted on my own after the breakthrough thankfully , in about a week perhaps….

To those of you who are fairly new to Afib as well as those
Who have found ways to live with it I recommend The Afib Cure by Day and Bunch. Easy reading and covers most of the issues discussed in this thread