Years of physical exercise predisposed you to heart problems??? Wow! I'm not a doctor and I don't even play one on TV, but I find that incomprehensible. Exercise IMHO probably predisposed you to living well until age 66 and even beyond. Who knows why these heart problems occur? My doctor has never told me why. I don't expect him to know why. Maybe it's genetic. Maybe it's not. It doesn't sound good to me to blame your dancing and exercise for this problem. I had a heart attack a year and a half ago and my doctor wanted me in a cardiac exercise program as soon as I was able, which was only a few weeks. I have A-fib. Have had it for years. I think the reason I'm in good shape now is because I exercise regularly at a gym. Yes, do get a second opinion.

Kates.Sorry to hear of you recent heart problems.I do not have the extensive problem you have. I have a life time A-iFb and did not think much of it. My family physician suggest a blood thinner. I got warferin and was tested for levels on a periodic basis. But as I aged, now 90 years old, the use of a pace maker was suggested, My energy really increased after 60 demand St. Jude implant. It was simple and I don,t know it is there. This was done as a preventative of throwing a clot for a stroke. I had to switch to Eliquist blood thinner when warferin did not keep me in the groove. It works well for me two times a day. My reason to encourage is in exercise. I am a retired Physical Therapist. I have lots of spinal problems and need a walker. But,the story is, do not blame any heart problem on exercise. I exercise daily, take my walker to the mall to walk in the winter and am now finishing the first of the year physical Therapy referral. I hang inverted 2 times a week at 45 degrees. I will continue at $35. a month at a new spa. In addition, part of the treatment is seeing other people and chatting.My daughter graduated from Akron U. with a BA in Choreography. I know how much control and grace you struggled for as a Dancer. Your heart is stronger with your problem now then if you had not laid the background to live longer. I am a health nut. Google berries, nuts, honey with garlic, Himalayan pink salt satuation for hydrartion, apple cider vineager in organs and and intestinal tract, flaxseed oil and cottge cheese, steaming normal food and vegetables,. etc. & family me,bers died of cancer. Make a decision that now is the time to lower your blood pressure with good eating habits,( not diets), exercise, social contact the freedom from stressors. Stressors can be bad food, bad people, bad thoughts. Job, Solomon lived to be 140.yrs old Why can't I? Why am I not dead like the rest of my family? Execising, old style eating habit, not smoking, minimal alcohol, getting away by your self and being positive are part of the answer. I am sure other good people will come forward with excellent advice. Now is the time to listen to them. Good Luck! bill54321

Hello. I've had problems with PVC's and SVT's for about 45 years. Basically started when I came back from Vietnam. Anyway, PVC's are skipping and fluttering, etc. in the lower chambers of the heart, and SVT's are the irregular heartbeats in the upper chambers of the heart. I got used to experiencing both over the years even though they could get pretty bothersome at times. I worked with them, and played with them. My problem is that I felt every one of them and still do. They can be very alarming at times. Anyway, on occasion during this period I would experience a sudden burst of racing which would last 8-10 seconds or so and then stop. About 8 years ago when I was work sitting at my desk I experienced this sudden onset of speed with my heart but this time it didn't go away. It lasted for 14 hours at approximately 180-200 BPM. It ran its course I guess and when I woke up I was back to a normal heartbeat rate, with the exception of my normal palpitations of course. Well, as time went on the intervals between episodes became shorter and shorter. I did get a cardiologist and tried to manage it when the episodes occurred, but medication never seemed to slow it down. Went to ER with the episodes only three or four times over the 8 years because I just wanted to tough it out. It's called Paroxysmal AFIB which means it's not persistent or permanent like you have at this time. In talking to my cardiologists an ablation was mentioned from time to time. I was really scared about it. But in April of 2019 I decided to go through with it since I never knew when an episode was going to hit. They scheduled it for June of 2019 and about two weeks prior the episodes were getting pretty bad. Luckily I made it to the day of ablation and at that point I told my Dr. just do what you gotta do. Took about four hours. I spent the night and went home the next day. A little scared because my heart still felt a little weird. I've been AFIB free for 8 months with the exception of a few minor episodes lasting 10-15 seconds but that's it. Still have my normal skipping and jumping but the AFIB was actually the biggest concern. They say that sometimes you need another one or at least some touch up if it comes back. I would most certainly do it again if need be. The success rate is pretty high with the type of AFIB I had, but permanent AFIB like you have can be taken care of as well with an ablation. Success rate is a little lower but the key is that there is success. I've always taken as few medications as possible over the years, and still don't take much other than a blood thinner (Eliquis) and metoprolol. At 70, I still smoke and drink beer on occasion. I guess I would be considered a renegade but I live my life the way I want to. Feel free to ask me any questions. This is a pretty lengthy response to you, but there are many things I could probably fill in for you.
Larry Hall.

Hi @kates1221, many members suggested getting a second opinion. Here's an article about the value of second opinions that may interest you:
- Mayo Clinic researchers demonstrate value of second opinions https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-researchers-demonstrate-value-of-second-opinions/

For all, you may be interested in watching this archived Expert Q&A. Mayo Cardiologists Christopher McLeod and K.L. Venkatachalam discuss Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) symptoms, causes, risk factors, and more.
- Video Q&A about Atrial Fibrillation https://connect.mayoclinic.org/webinar/video-qa-about-atrial-fibrillation/