Hi @riverpark,

I have PAF and other arrhythmias. I grew up in the SF Bay Area where I led an active lifestyle, including hiking and skiing at Tahoe. I retired 6 years ago and moved to a higher elevation of 4500 ft. A sleep study 1 year ago diagnosed me with hypoxia (low blood oxygen) at this elevation and it gets worse when I travel to higher elevations. I am on oxygen during the day off and on, and I need to use oxygen overnight. I am generally fine when I return to the California coast to visit friends without oxygen with light activity. However, the oxygen always helps when I get AFib, chest tightness, or another arrhythmia. I always travel with a portable oxygen concentrator, including travel on airplanes.

My suggestion is to do some test rides at different elevations and monitor your heart with an Apple Watch or similar device, and an oximeter to see how you do. Sounds like an exciting ride!

High intensity exercise triggers my AFib and so does low oxygen. I have to be careful. I am on 50 mg of Flecainide and 5 mg Eliquis twice a day.

Mayo Cardiologist, Dr Barry Borlaug, recently diagnosed me with HFpEF the most common type of heart failure. I am a little more cautious about the activities I do and intensity. Currently, there is no cure for HFpEF, it is a progressive, complex, systemic disease. AFib is a risk factor in Mayo’s H2FPEF score.

I have tried many oximeters to keep track of my blood oxygen level. I use two FDA approved continuous oximeters - LookeeTech Sleep Pro and Nonin Connect. Both will upload data to your phone through an App or email. The LookeeTech Sleep Pro has an alarm which will alert you when your SpO2% is too low. I use them both them at times during the day, overnight, and during exercise. They are the only ones I found that actually work consistently and will maintain their blue tooth connection during exercise. Their readings match my hospital visit monitors, although, my EP doc told me that oximeters are not accurate for your heart rate when you have an arrhythmia. It is best to use an ECG device.

All the Cardiologists I have seen encourage exercise. I was told I need to be on a blood thinner with AFib to prevent a stroke, some have said I could try carrying Eliquis, Flecainide, and Metoperol Tartrate as a pill in the pocket meds for use if I get an AFib episode. I have decided to try and decrease my dose over time since I have asymptomatic AFib episodes.

Good luck with your exercise program, enjoy life, and stay well.