1. < Heart Rhythm Conditions

Heart Rhythm Conditions – Welcome to the group

Posted by Kanaaz Pereira, Connect Moderator @kanaazpereira, Feb 14, 2018

Welcome to the Heart Rhythm Conditions group on Mayo Clinic Connect.
Did you know that the average heart beats 100,000 times a day? Millions of people live with heart rhythm problems (heart arrhythmias) which occur when the electrical impulses that coordinate heartbeats don't work properly. Let's connect with each other; we can share stories and learn about coping with the challenges, and living well with abnormal heart rhythms. I invite you to follow the group. Simply click the +FOLLOW icon on the group landing page.

I'm Kanaaz (@kanaazpereira), and I'm the moderator of this group. When you post to this group, chances are you'll also be greeted by volunteer patient Mentors and fellow members. Learn more about Moderators and Mentors on Connect.

Let's chat. Why not start by introducing yourself?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Heart Rhythm Conditions Support Group.

windyshores | @windyshores | Dec 14, 2024

The vax may cause heart issues but for me, COVID did! So for me the vaccination is an absolute necessity.

REPLY
mereneg | @mereneg | Dec 14, 2024
In reply to @arcounselman "Hi, I am 67 and have been treated for AFib for about 8 years. I have..." + (show)
@arcounselman

Hi,
I am 67 and have been treated for AFib for about 8 years.

I have been relatively symptom free for that time with the medications prescribed.

I recently had a COVID vaccine and developed daily AFib symptoms.

Has anyone else experienced a connection between vaccines and the uptake of AFib symptoms?

Jump to this post

Hi.

This doesn't address your question (which leads me to wonder whether the vaccines played a role in my AF). Rather, I'm just wondering what meds you've been on, and whether you were still in AF but without symptoms.

I went into persistent AF (first known AF occurrence) in late May. Metoprolol reduced (but did not stop) the fibrillation, and stopped the symptoms.

I had a successful cardioversion last week (despite not being to take amiodarone). Waiting to see how long it lasts.

Cheers.

REPLY
lindy9 | @lindy9 | Dec 14, 2024
In reply to @arcounselman "Hi, I am 67 and have been treated for AFib for about 8 years. I have..." + (show)
@arcounselman

Hi,
I am 67 and have been treated for AFib for about 8 years.

I have been relatively symptom free for that time with the medications prescribed.

I recently had a COVID vaccine and developed daily AFib symptoms.

Has anyone else experienced a connection between vaccines and the uptake of AFib symptoms?

Jump to this post

Of course there is a connection. Sto consuming anything with caffeine if you have been.

REPLY
lindy9 | @lindy9 | Dec 14, 2024
In reply to @lauriea2024 "My name is Laurie and I’ve been diagnosed with SVT. It initially started with random episodes..." + (show)
@lauriea2024

My name is Laurie and I’ve been diagnosed with SVT. It initially started with random episodes of a pulse rate around 165 that lasted about a minute. I work out everyday and have had stress tests, echos, ekgs, you name it and my heart function is fine except for these random bouts. Now I’ve had 4 episodes in the last month with my pulse in the 180s that lasted only up to ten minutes. It is terrifying! My cardiologist said as long as they are asymptomatic, which they are, I am fine.
My primary care thinks it may have something to do with COVID vaccines.
My other fear is that I have an anaphylactic reaction to IV contrast, so an ablation or a cath are pretty much out of the question.
Has anyone else experienced anything like this? COVID vaccine related?
Ways to cope?
Thanks in advance!

Jump to this post

The vax is famous for causing heart problems.

If you are drinking or eating anything with caffeine, need to stop. Coffee, colas, Mountain Dew, energy drinks. You may need to take extra precautions.

REPLY
cedarbog | @cedarbog | Dec 14, 2024
In reply to @lauriea2024 "My name is Laurie and I’ve been diagnosed with SVT. It initially started with random episodes..." + (show)
@lauriea2024

My name is Laurie and I’ve been diagnosed with SVT. It initially started with random episodes of a pulse rate around 165 that lasted about a minute. I work out everyday and have had stress tests, echos, ekgs, you name it and my heart function is fine except for these random bouts. Now I’ve had 4 episodes in the last month with my pulse in the 180s that lasted only up to ten minutes. It is terrifying! My cardiologist said as long as they are asymptomatic, which they are, I am fine.
My primary care thinks it may have something to do with COVID vaccines.
My other fear is that I have an anaphylactic reaction to IV contrast, so an ablation or a cath are pretty much out of the question.
Has anyone else experienced anything like this? COVID vaccine related?
Ways to cope?
Thanks in advance!

Jump to this post

Laurie, your SVT episode history is similar to mine. After 6 months and an ER visit, EP appointment, wearing a heart monitor, Nuclear stress test, Echo, taking a Calcium Channel blocker, etc. I realized (on my own) that Biophosphates (Fosamax/Alendronate) were a trigger or the cause. I stopped taking them and my SVT episodes stopped. Keep looking for triggers, practice up on Valsalva maneuvers, watch your electrolytes like a hawk and look into pending FDA approval of Etripamil (Cardamyst), a nasal spray for SVT outbreaks. Good luck!

REPLY
gloaming | @gloaming | Dec 13, 2024
In reply to @dalebout123 "I don't know how long I have had the AF, but I do know that my..." + (show)
@dalebout123

I don't know how long I have had the AF, but I do know that my aorta is moderately occluded. Would that be fibrosis instead of plaque build-up? What other parts of the heart are impacted by fibrosis?

Jump to this post

I honestly don't know without imaging and a read of the images by a competent authority, which I am not. It is plausible that there could be 'some' fibrosis inside the aorta, just as there is often 'some' fibrosis in aging hearts' chambers' endothelium. But my money, if I were to put any down, would be on plaque if there is any measurable occlusion because the fibrosis would have a very small 'footprint' in any images where scales could be used. It's like the difference between a sheet of paper and the entire pad, except the 'entire pad' would be plaque. Fibrosis is another name for scaring, whereas sclerotic tissue is more substantial in thickness. Also, the lesions and subsequent scarring that is left behind by the ablation procedure is only normally located in specific areas, usually around the pulmonary veins. The fibrosis from aging and arrhythmia, and from a defective mitral valve, would be much more widespread if added up in total area. This is my inexpert understanding.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9557071/#:~:text=Myocardial%20fibrosis%2C%20resulting%20from%20the%20disturbance%20of%20extracellular,arrhythmia%2C%20heart%20failure%2C%20or%20even%20sudden%20cardiac%20death.

REPLY
dalebout123 | @dalebout123 | Dec 13, 2024
In reply to @gloaming "I haven't, but I have read of numerous accounts by apparently real people claiming that the..." + (show)
@gloaming

I haven't, but I have read of numerous accounts by apparently real people claiming that the MRNA COVID vaccine and the disease itself had put them into much more frequent and longer bouts of AF.

The aphorism in the heart rhythm science is that 'AF begets AF.' Once you have it, it will return, and for the majority of sufferers, it will return more frequently, and possibly last longer each time. For now, you appear to be okay, but if you're spending as much as six hours and up in AF two or three times a week, you should consider an ablation. The reason is that the fibrillating heart remodels itself, and the process of remodeling is not always completely reversible once your AF is controlled better....if ever. Ablation will stem the propagation of the extra electrical impulses that tend to issue from the ostia (mouths) of the four pulmonary veins that empty oxygenated blood returning from the lungs into the left atrium. The ablated tissue prevents propagation of the impulses around the entire endothelium, which causes the underlying muscle to contract.

The remodeling usually involves two things: more fibrosis, and enlargement or thickening of the atrial walls. This makes it harder to beat over the normal distance that the muscle moves itself, meaning you won't have the same volume of blood as before. The remodeling can take many months, but the more AF you have, the more remodeling takes place. So, again, if you're beginning to worry because you're more frequently in AF, and it doesn't seem to be abating over time, then you should at least consult a good cardiologist or ask to see an electrophysiologist for an evaluation.

Jump to this post

I don't know how long I have had the AF, but I do know that my aorta is moderately occluded. Would that be fibrosis instead of plaque build-up? What other parts of the heart are impacted by fibrosis?

REPLY
1 reply
lauriea2024 | @lauriea2024 | Dec 13, 2024

My name is Laurie and I’ve been diagnosed with SVT. It initially started with random episodes of a pulse rate around 165 that lasted about a minute. I work out everyday and have had stress tests, echos, ekgs, you name it and my heart function is fine except for these random bouts. Now I’ve had 4 episodes in the last month with my pulse in the 180s that lasted only up to ten minutes. It is terrifying! My cardiologist said as long as they are asymptomatic, which they are, I am fine.
My primary care thinks it may have something to do with COVID vaccines.
My other fear is that I have an anaphylactic reaction to IV contrast, so an ablation or a cath are pretty much out of the question.
Has anyone else experienced anything like this? COVID vaccine related?
Ways to cope?
Thanks in advance!

REPLY
3 replies
jamesgallenstein | @jamesgallenstein | Dec 13, 2024

I had an A V node ablation with a new Pacemaker installed almost 2 months ago. I'm still light headed and dizzy. Is this normal to take so long to recover. When I walk a short distance I feel like I'm going to faint.

REPLY
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