Heart Rhythm Conditions – Welcome to the group

Ernie Jensen, new to the group.

I am 79 years old, retired. A year and a half ago I was diagnosed as afib. I am 6'2" tall, weigh 183 lbs and have no other negative health conditions, don't drink or smoke. I walk, run and exercise regularIy. I have never had an episode of serious hearth bpm fluctuations. I take ECG readings several times a day with an Emay device and with a Scanwatch. I occasionally have what my Emay calls "possible arrhythmia" in the late afternoon only. I have never felt any sort of heart symptom or any other symptom. My arrhythm range is generally something like 58 bpm as a low and 78 bpm as a high. Friends of mine who have afib talk of readings that vary from 60 or 70 up to 120, accompanied by very unpleasant symptoms. My own opinion (totally amateur, of course) is that if I have afib, it is a very mild case. I'd like to discontinue Pradaxa. My primary doc says I'll be on Pradaxa the rest of my life. Three ecgs done for my cardiologist all indicate that I am in sinus. He says he's not ready to take me off Pradaxa yet. My quest is to get a better understanding of arrhythmia and afib and to better understand the pros and cons of blood thinners.

I appreciate the opportunity of communicating with this group.

Ernie

Just hi for now. Not sure what they call my issue, other than irregular heartbeat. Appt. This week will find out. Thanks

HI, I have been diagnosed with Afib. I have a Brady heart beat and I take Eloquis and MeterpolL.
I take Eloquis and Materpolal. Heart rate sitting 54 sleeping 40s and moving varies greatly. Terrible feeling during attack.

I’ve had a pacemaker since 2016 due to full heart block, so it is my best friend. I was 61 then and now am completing Advance Directives (I live n Oregon). I am curious if anyone has considered the question of Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) if in an emergency? The use of a defibrillator cannot be used with a pacemaker, but in speaking with emergency medical persons, they won’t know you have one. I considered a tattoo over my shoulder ( for real) or a bracelet. This just brought up so many questions, and I don’t know who might have even thought this through. Please share any thoughts you might have. Thank you,

Hi Karin, welcome to connect,, Actually I have faced this question. I did have a pacemaker defibulator for many years prior to my Heart Transplant, At the time I worked at an agency that had portable defibrillators everywhere and wanted to know how to handle a possibly emergency. My EP Cardiologist told me Actually pacemakers are designed to shut down if a external defibrillator was in use and don't worry about it. If that ever happen we can reset the pacemaker after the event is over. I also had a fellow worker with afib who had a pacemaker also and did not have a built n in defibrillator but was converted a number of times and it did not affect the pacemaker. So you may want to ask your EP Cardiologist about that.
Hope that helps.
Blessings

Hello... everyone! I am female, 69 y.o., I have been diagnosed with SSS or sick sinus syndrome, with Tachycardia and Bradycardia with pauses and Atrial Fibrillation. Not candidate for pace maker. But don't know why. I fail to ask cardiologist. 2021 has been crazy on the high blood pressure and has not been under control, changing meds at intervals. Back in 2016 (morbid obese at 480#, down to 207# in 2019, and now back up at 297#), I had congestive heart failure, the pulmonigist/geriatric/internist/sleep disorders doctor diagnosed.... while the cardiologist said that it wasn't...... so the pulmonoligist said it could easily be confused with Pulmonary Hypertension as they are closely related. Whether it is one or the other, I read somewhere, life expectancy is 3-5 years. If that is true, then I might be on verge of heart attack or stroke. Blood pressure is not controlled. Plus other health issues are bombarding me, such as non-diabetic, peripheral neuropathy with symptoms more intense and timed longer (pins, needles n occasional numbness hands n sometimes arms whole asleep plus persistent numbness n burning right hip joint, despite Lyrica/pregabalin 100mg changed recently to gabapentin 300mg. I am looking to acquire more Information on this whole heart n neuropathy issue. Any input is highly appreciated.

Thank you for your response, it is helpful and leads me to the next resource which is the manufacturer of my pacer to understand it’s capabilities. Fortunately, I know who to call. I never considered the mechanism might have a fail safe built into it. My heart is strong as a muscle, and I have no other heart or vascular issues. It’s a strange thing to try to second guess my body and try to plan for care later in life. I know the Advance Directives help MD’s deal with families and satisfy lawyers mostly, but it’s not a bad thing to have to consider sickness in my body, and where we might go from here, and be grateful to the miracle of all it tries to do for me. I appreciate you reaching out to me, you have a great heart!

Your Welcome, and yes there is nothing wrong with good planning as we age. I too have an advanced directive and have also set aside the cost of final expenses so my loved ones will not be burdened with those issues. I know it gives me peace of mind also.

Why are people talking about “antidote for Eliquis “? Wondering b/c I just started taking it a week ago, for Afib.

For members using Apple Watch: have you noticed a correlation between HRV (heart rate variability) and Afib episodes?