Heart Rhythm Conditions – Welcome to the group

Throughout this discussion many of you have talked about lifestyle changes, healthy activity and eating habits. Here are some discussions that you may wish to read and add your comments.

Physical Activity
- A-fib and exercise: What's good? What's not? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/a-fib-and-exercise/
- Exercise-induced Hypertension https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/exercise-induced-hypertension-systolic-230/
- Staying healthy physically (and mentally) post heart attack https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/hi-there-i-just-now-joined-your-group-and-after-reading-a/
- Thinking of getting watch-monitor to track A-fib. Thoughts?https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/apple-watch-1/

Healthy Eating
- Recipes and Tips for a Low Sodium and Low Potassium Diet https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/low-sodiumlow-potassium-diet/
- Can beet juice lower your blood pressure? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/i-have-read-online-that-drinking-beet-juice-can-lower-your-blood/
- Coffee drinking habits: Change them after coronary bypass surgery? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/coffee-drinking/
- How do I begin living a healthy lifestyle to benefit my heart? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/this-is-now-the-second-time-in-the-past-3-12-years/

@healthytoday, I would be grateful if you would start a new discussion about Heart Disease & Depression. I know that you are not alone in struggling with both of these and I'm confident that members would appreciate having a place to talk about it.
You can start a new discussion by:
1. Go to the Heart Rhythm Conditions homepage https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/heart-rhythm-conditions/
2. Click the grey button START A DISCUSSION
3. Enter a title and write a message to get the conversation going.
4. Click POST DISCUSSION.

All members: Is there a topic or discussion you'd like to start?

hello eileena,
I forgot to mention in my post, that I had the first one at the age of 20, now I am 73 years old, I still have them, actually one hour ago it happened. There is no headache afterwards. At the age of 54 I had my first migraine headache, without an aura, like the scintillating scotoma. There is no connection between the headache and scint. scotoma, they come apart from each other . 2016 I had a heart operation (mitral valve reconstruction- minimal invasive), afterwards the number of the visual problems went up, sometimes 4 or 5 after each other. Nobody could tell me the reason. The situation now is, nearly every day I have the scotoma, sometimes very short, only 5 minutes, other full until the edge - 20 minutes. Migraine headache once a week. I am fed up with it. All the profylactic medications did not work. So I decided to make an appointment in a special migraine/headache department of an university clinic /Cologne- Germany. I will go there 16 april. , earlier not possible.
so, you know my story now. I am not worried about the scotomas.But I hope to get an answer !

My name is Gary diagnosed at Mayo 5.25.15 with ATTRwt. Doctors at OHSU have kept me going with clinical research trials and have been doing good.Recently needed to have ablation procedures and have been tired every since.

Hi Gary, I had ONE attack of heart rhythm after I fell and broke my hip. I didn't know I had that problem at the time, but just after my surgery on my hip, my heart went back to normal rhythm. That was on January 19, 2019. I haven't had any more problems with that. I do have two kinds of Lung cancer that I have be dealing with since 2016. I also have had a pacemaker for 11 years. I have had 35 surgeries over my life time. I will be 87 nest month. Nancy (shodrtshot)

It was my experience that it took about a month to feel really better after my ablation.

Hi @predictable. I take Losartan for hypertension, Chlorthalidone which I think is a diuretic, and Diltiazem to help my rapid heart rate and Xarelto. I was hospitalized for three days, during which time my cardiologist tested for heart blockages and found none. While I was in the hospital, every few minutes a nurse was in my room to check to to see If I was still breathing because of my extremely low heart rate. I know that because of my athletic background and low resting heart rate is not unusual. However, my doctor was concerned because of how quickly the rate accelerated once I started to move around so he prescribed the Diltiazem. It just may be all in my head, but I could swear that I didn't start experiencing the hard thumping in my chest or the racing heart rate until I started all these meds. I had no idea I was in afib or had hypertension until I went to see a doctor about pain in my shoulder. I was told during the initial exam that my blood pressure was high and that I was in afib and was immediately referred to a cardiologist. It wasn't until after I started treatment that I started to feel the symptoms. Fatigue, chest thumping, chest pain. I've not felt normal since. I am definitely going to seek a second opinion because I just want to feel better. I can't believe that this is what I have to deal with for the rest of my life. It's been almost a year and I don't think I'll ever get used to feeling like this. I envy you having a medical team that communicate with each other.

Sorry you're suspended in the midst of recovery from A-fib, @kates1221. Perhaps my other experiences can be helpful in stabilizing things -- your concerns, for instance. I have used your three main hypertension drugs before, but was switched to my current mixture after discovery of a genetic defect that had my kidneys throwing away most, if not all, of my potassium. My diuretic, Amiloride, fixed that. When A-fib turned up four years ago, we focused on my heart rate for several months, but since my A-fib was mostly asymptomatic, we turned back to a broader regimen focused on my blood pressure, adding Coumadin as an anticoagulant to prevent blood clots. The anticoagulant therapy failed 20 months ago, and I got a small stroke that has a limited effect on my muscular stability, although not so serious that it keeps me from averaging 170 in our old-timers bowling league. I have three friends with A-fib who have moved through cardioversion and, ultimately, ablation; all three of them are glad they did it 3-4 years ago. I also have the "benefit" of helping my wife recover from Paroxismal Supraventricular Tachycardia (PSVT), which struck her last Spring, initiating moderate palpitations without forewarning and putting her through several months of muscular instability and related fatigue. That interrupted her daily hour-long exercise and got her thinking she was becoming disabled. Not so! No palpitations for weeks. This week, she has been up early every morning, back on her exercise regimen as in "the old days." That makes my point about exercise -- it is essential for sustaining achievements in recovery and proves that recovery is and has been, in fact, happening. Good for the soul and her optimistic outlook! I hope you can soon arrange a second opinion with a medical team that takes the time, listens to your concerns, and answers all your questions. Martin

yoanne,

I'm so sorry that you have suffered through all those problems.

I'm really glad I learned the actual name of this condition and only wish my doctors had called it the two I could learn about it.

One thing I learned recently is that they actually originate from the back of the brain. I have no idea, but know I had them badly until 5 years ago and had the ablation that caused my heart to function better.
https://medium.com/@Treatheadaches/how-to-get-relief-from-scintillating-scotoma-1d790a772b6c

Hi. I have been diagnosed with LBundle branch block and would like to find more info on it. Thanks

Hi. I have been diagnosed with a long and deep myocardial bridge. Am wondering if anyone knows of surgeons in the tampa bay area that are expert at unroofing surgery? thank you