Heart Rhythm Conditions – Welcome to the group

My fervent hope, phoenix, is that you look back in a couple of years and marvel at how easy it all was, and that you have peace and calm, and that you can sleep, and that you experience no more palpitations after your ablation. I have had two separated by about seven months. It has been bliss since the second. I went from a slow spiral downward to my first, or index, ablation, but I was in the local ER only six short days later. I, too, was put on Amiodarone for about eight weeks. I had a good period of grace for the next three months, but I was in the ER starting New Year's Eve, and presented there each of the next three days with AF. Three cardioversions lasted between 16 hours and 20 minutes, with the reduction going successively.
Ablation is not a cure, unfortunately, but it can put you into a remission of sorts. Even if you only get 24 months of respite, you'll agree that the ablation was entirely worth it. In the hands of a truly capable electrophysiologist, you'll get several good years, even a decade, before you must return with newly established AF. This is not an absolute; not every single case devolves into a resumption of AF, just a whole lot of them. The best EPs will take a second crack at you, and often, about 80% of the time, this buys you another long stretch of time AF-free.
Please don't fret about an ablation. In good hands, the procedure works, and you'll go on with your life. You won't need metoprolol or other channel blockers, and some EPs will even let you stop taking anti-coagulants if you settle into a prolonged period with no more AF. This is quite common with a Watchman implant to close off the atrial appendage because that's where a huge chunk of the risk of clot-formation lies. Once that is done, your risk of stroke when out of AF lies only in other co-morbities...if you have any. That includes aging, though.

Good luck!

Thank you for this group. Might get more answered than from cardiologists that have blown many off. Times have changed in our area, it’s less than a 15 min appt. Waiting on a monitor for 3 months.

Was told 5 years ago, tachycardia. Was placed on one , 30 mg of Dicyclomine. Did not work. Was pushed off to another cardio, Flecainide but it raised my Bp and pharmacist was livid, black box warning. Flipped to electrocardio, waited 8 months, saw him 8 mins told me it’s my pain med from a botched TKR 2 years ago. Not a revision candidate. Pushed to another cardio , powder puffed it and my husband who is still experiencing pain AFTER s stent out in, which was 80% blocked with soft placque to 85% hard.

Having internal shaking, weak, heart going, Bp up and Bp can drop. Being tested for low cortisol since January, yet to only have a telemed appt. Is this what our country has come to? Thought, hey maybe stress and it’s in my women’s head, but everyday meet people who have no faith at all in our medical system.

Seen 3 nuero, Gastro’s, number cardio’s. Just playing with meds. Sending letter of intent to electrocardio for his remarks. This HAS ruined my health care. Today in blood lab, frequent flyer, 3 rd time this year. No babe, sweet thing paying your salary. Place was dead!

Anyone experiencing this, palpitations, weakness, heart going shaking, crashing in afternoon till 8 pm.

If you say it’s my pain med from 2 years ago, take ONE 3/4 of the pill a day. Don’t go there. Been 5 years.

I completely sympathize with your dilemma. I am in the same situation with Eliquis and NSAIDS. I was also diagnosed with Afib at age 70. Other than having PACs and PVCs off and on throughout my adult life, I have been healthy, have had a good diet and exercised regularly. I did develop degenerative disc disease due to arthritis, which was diagnosed a couple of years before the Afib, after I had pain from my neck down my arm as well as sciatica. NSAIDs always helped control my pain and Tylenol did nothing. (I have also been in physical therapy, had steroid injections in my back, and many other trials of things to control the pain). After being put on Eliquis I had to stop the NSAIDs and it has been very difficult. My cardiologist told me that I could take a low dose a couple of time a week, and I do occasionally but it makes me nervous. One suggestion a PA made was to have the Watchman implanted in my heart. You can stop Eliquis about 6 months after the implant. It sounds appealing but I am very hesitant to have surgery now after having a failed ablation. Maybe someone has experience with this situation and can offer other thoughts.

Are you taking glucosamine chondroitin and plant-based collagen (hyaluronic acid)?
I have knee osteoarthritis and have no pain, only for a day or two when seasons change.
It is worth a try.

Thank you for this group. Might get more answered than from cardiologists that have blown many off. Times have changed in our area, it’s less than a 15 min appt. Waiting on a monitor for 3 months.

Was told 5 years ago, tachycardia. Was placed on one , 30 mg of Dicyclomine. Did not work. Was pushed off to another cardio, Flecainide but it raised my Bp and pharmacist was livid, black box warning. Flipped to electrocardio, waited 8 months, saw him 8 mins told me it’s my pain med from a botched TKR 2 years ago. Not a revision candidate. Pushed to another cardio , powder puffed it and my husband who is still experiencing pain AFTER s stent out in, which was 80% blocked with soft placque to 85% hard.

Having internal shaking, weak, heart going, Bp up and Bp can drop. Being tested for low cortisol since January, yet to only have a telemed appt. Is this what our country has come to? Thought, hey maybe stress and it’s in my women’s head, but everyday meet people who have no faith at all in our medical system.

Seen 3 nuero, Gastro’s, number cardio’s. Just playing with meds. Sending letter of intent to electrocardio for his remarks. This HAS ruined my health care. Today in blood lab, frequent flyer, 3 rd time this year. No babe, sweet thing paying your salary. Place was dead!

Anyone experiencing this, palpitations, weakness, heart going shaking, crashing in afternoon till 8 pm.

If you say it’s my pain med from 2 years ago, take ONE 3/4 of the pill a day. Don’t go there. Been 5 years.

I wonder if you might be deficient in either, or both of, magnesium/potassium. Both are critical for heart function, and some of us seem to be off the marks, either high or low. It might be worth a look. If you get agreement from a cardiologist, he should want an RBC level indication, not just serum levels...in the blood. You want to know how much of it is being absorbed and used.
It pains me that you seem to get no relief or credibility from a series of specialists. My advice would be to continue to look, even to travel if you must. Sometimes teaching hospitals affiliated with universities are the best places to go.

Also, and I hate to say so, but there are times when you'll get the best diagnostics at an ER. Keep looking for a sympathetic cardiologist, but in my experience an electrophysiologist is whom you need to see to get the very best care for a heart with palpitations.