Living with Atrial Fibrillation: What are Your Experiences?

Hello
I have Afib and did have the conversion which did work-for a while!
It got me into a normal rythm but only lasted 4 months.
My heart racing was the reason I found out I had Afib. My family doctor sent me to the ER but first prescribed a beta blocker. In the ER my pulse had come down but was 168 beats per minute
I saw the cardio doctor and was put on warferen but eventually it was changed to Eliquis 20mg
What is important is yearly echocardiogram's It's been around 12 years and each yearly echo returns with little change which is good.
Afib can effect the heart so it is very important to do the checking.
So now I am on Eliquis and a beta blocker for my BP and racing heart. Metoperlol is the name of the beta blocker.
Yes you and I can live a long life as long as we take the medication plus try and be healthy.
I use a machine in the gym. I am 71
I still can have ablation but at my age and the fact that my symptoms are well controlled, I choose not to.
if it gets worse I will think about it.
BTW each person is different and Afib might also have degree's of "Bad and good"

Glen

There are several beta blockers many doctors prescribe for Afib. One should have a complete electrocardiogram.
The process is quite simple. The cardiologist can show you your beating heart on the computer and measure the sizes of the atrium and/or ventricles. My atrium was slightly enlarged, but not out of the range of normal.

I have a modest case, meaning I never a problem with excessive heartbeating. I have been taking Pradaxa and Atenolon now since 2015. As most know, cardioversion (shock treatment) is often done to "set" the heart rate back to normal. Then, the most often option is the ablation process. Lots of subjective analysis with your doctor and best to seek more than one opinion. If you are near several of the best..like Mayo or Cleveland Clinic..do use their services in lieu of the doctor who refers you to another doctor in the "association".

I agree 1000 percent JOmack. I learned what you are saying many years ago. The only thing I would edit is, you said for the doc to discuss the side effects. Most doctors do not want to be questioned, and they take the drug salesmen's recommendations. You can ask him to tell you, but YOU need to CONFIRM it YOURSEF. Very simple. Google - What are the side effects of bla bla med. Don't waste your time or money until you do. And many people like me, who rarely take meds (none for me) can have severe reactions. A doctor gave me a prescription for a tiny pill, and I asked him if it would cause a problem, and he said NO, it is tiny. Well, I tool ONE HALF of the TINY pill and felt like was in a space ship going to the moon. Scared me. THEN a cx-worker told me the same happened to him, but didn't tell me as did not want to scare me.

I have a friend whose doc told her to lose weight and then gave her a med that made it impossible. Another doc told her the med makes you gain weight. She had been eating celery and lettuce etc and could not lose.

One doctor gave me a med and told me it was natural. After feeling weird, I googled and it was nothing but chemicals. He lied.

That is just a small percentage of my doctor stories. I could write a book. Everyone needs to take responsibility for their diet, their health habits, do not believe all you are told. Listen to your body's reactions to anything.

I had Afib while sleeping when I was in the hospital after a 20' fall, cracked my head open and unknown until later, had bleeding ulcers resulting in a loss of 1/2 of my hemoglobin. With only one Afib event the cardiologist gave me 400 mg of Amiodarone and 250 mg. of Dilitazem. If you are prescribed Amiodarone talk to you doctor at length. The side effects are pretty bad and after 11 months the drug was discontinued since my levels of thyroid, liver and heart were more and more elevated after every blood test. After 11 months the drugs were discontinued, my liver and heart levels were down but my thyroid was damaged. In January 2024 I was prescribed levothyroxine since my thyroid would not recover. A side effect of the Amiodarone caused hypothyroidism which is one of the many side effects. So, just advice from my own experience. Every drug your doctor prescribes make him discuss every detail with you so you have the information. I did not until recently, when I saw my blood tests through a portal that was sent to me by the diagnostic company. It shocked me to read the results as my organ levels climbed and although, it was too late, I learned now that doctors overprescribe, don't follow-up in a timely fashion, do not discuss the issues you may be experiencing and dismiss your concerns. I had advocates for me during this time frame, but one thing we all did that went found was totally wrong. We accepted the doctors decisions and not one of us questioned the mediations. I mean, why would we? We thought he would do "no harm" and trusted him as we do all the doctors that he knows what he's doing so to question the toxicity and side effects of the mediations prescribed never entered our minds.

I had Afib while sleeping when I was in the hospital after a 20' fall, cracked my head open and unknown until later, had bleeding ulcers resulting in a loss of 1/2 of my hemoglobin. With only one Afib event the cardiologist gave me 400 mg of Amiodarone and 250 mg. of Dilitazem. If you are prescribed Amiodarone talk to you doctor at length. The side effects are pretty bad and after 11 months the drug was discontinued since my levels of thyroid, liver and heart were more and more elevated after every blood test. After 11 months the drugs were discontinued, my liver and heart levels were down but my thyroid was damaged. In January 2024 I was prescribed levothyroxine since my thyroid would not recover. A side effect of the Amiodarone caused hypothyroidism which is one of the many side effects. So, just advice from my own experience. Every drug your doctor prescribes make him discuss every detail with you so you have the information. I did not until recently, when I saw my blood tests through a portal that was sent to me by the diagnostic company. It shocked me to read the results as my organ levels climbed and although, it was too late, I learned now that doctors overprescribe, don't follow-up in a timely fashion, do not discuss the issues you may be experiencing and dismiss your concerns. I had advocates for me during this time frame, but one thing we all did that went found was totally wrong. We accepted the doctors decisions and not one of us questioned the mediations. I mean, why would we? We thought he would do "no harm" and trusted him as we do all the doctors that he knows what he's doing so to question the toxicity and side effects of the mediations prescribed never entered our minds.

Thanks so much for all this information. I guess I have Persistent AFib since it is a constant companion. I'm new to all this--never had AFib before, just high blood pressure which is controlled by medication. I will inquire about antiarrhythmic drugs and EPs. I'm treated at UCLA in Los Angeles. Wish we had Mayo here!

Yeb,
You say you have chronic Afib. Is that how the doctor described it? There are actually three types of Afib: Paroxysmal which occurs off and on, Persistent which lasts longer than seven days, and Permanent which needs to last longer than a year. So, if you are newly diagnosed you should be able to get help managing it. I, too, was in persistent Afib when diagnosed. Afib with RVR was my diagnosis. My heart rate was high. Since I see a cardiologist in the HCM (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy) Clinic at the Mayo Clinic, I contacted him and he wanted me to see an EP at their heart rhythm clinic. Of course that took a while to get in. So to make a long story short, I spent last summer on sever rate control drugs which didn't work. Saw the EP in July and we decided to try medication befor ablation. So, in September I spent three days in hospital to load with antiarrhythmic drug Dofetilide (Tikosyn). Neede a cardioversion to regain sinus rhythm. It has now been almost a year and except for one short breakthrough I have been Afib free. I am 80 years old and very active and feel great on this drug. If it fails, I will then probably have an ablation. There is definitely treatment if you haven't been in Afib for years. Find a good electric physiologist and travel if you need to. It is important to treat it as soon as possible. I can't say enough good about Mayo, but if you are closer to another large center, get a second opion there. Good luck and keep us posted.