Heart Rhythm Conditions – Welcome to the group

My name is Diane. I am getting a pacemaker on 6/29. My Afib was discovered a year ago when I was checking in for a total hip replacement. I managed it well until 3/25/26 when my husband went into a panic attack because he was having a dizzy spell. It was like someone flipped a switch and my heart started racing. His dizzy spell was due to his hearing aids. But my afib changed. It was intermittent but became persistent. So the pacemaker will be done and an ablation is planned for 3 to 4 months later. My blood pressure has never been high, heart rate is usually in the normal range, but the rhythm is the problem. I do have a dilated left atrium.

@dadsgirl There are three SVTs (supra-ventricular tachycardias) that are kissin' cousins. Atrial flutter (AFL), atrial fibrillation (AF), and premature atrial contractions (PACs). A few weeks or months of PACs often turns into AF, but it can also work in the opposite direction. You get AF, then a lot of PACS. In my case, after my first ablation for AF, I soon developed a lot of PACs. They're disconcerting because they are forceful. Doctors call them 'palpitations' because it's a word that their patients can relate to, but palpitations is not a formal diagnosis...only a term used for the symptom or the sensation. Skipped beats is just as good, but really it's the make-up added beat that is the strong thump, and that's what many of us feel and to what we object most.

It's true, PACs are poorly understood, but they, like AF and AFL, can be ablated in the right hands....the right electrophysiologist's hands (EP for short).

Hello
Thank you for explaining the difference. He has been diagnosed with AFib, but at the same time has experienced the “skipped” beats which the doctors have no explanation for apparently. It has been a confusing time for us .

@dadsgirl
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is a specific type of irregular heart rhythm caused by chaotic electrical signals in the atria (the heart’s upper chambers), which makes the heart quiver instead of beating normally

Hi
Im new here and Im just Dadsgirl. He is 95 and 2 weeks out of the hospital with AFib and coronary artery disease I am trying to help him stay positive. He had no skipped beats for a week but now they're back. We are so stressed which makes it worse. Thanks for listening. Ive read some of your stories and my heart goes out to all of you here having similar issues.

Hi
Im new here and Im just Dadsgirl. He is 95 and 2 weeks out of the hospital with AFib and coronary artery disease I am trying to help him stay positive. He had no skipped beats for a week but now they're back. We are so stressed which makes it worse. Thanks for listening. Ive read some of your stories and my heart goes out to all of you here having similar issues.

Hi guys, my name is Bill. I’m 45 years young and live on the gulf coast. So here’s my story of how I have came across this group. I’ve been dealing with extreme breathing issues for almost 3 years now. I kept saying it was my heart and everybody kept saying my heart was fine. I’ve had two echocardiograms done, two stress test, and an angiogram. All those tests are coming back good. Then I wore a heart monitor. The doctor was able to see that my upper chamber was beating faster than normal. They are saying I have atrial tachycardia. Now could this be the reason I’m dealing with shortness of breath. I was put on a medication called Nebivolol. Tonight will be the first night I take the medication. Has anybody else dealt with this, and if so, did they also have shortness of breath?