Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Support Group
Atrial fibrillation (AF or afib) is an abnormal heart rhythm (cardiac arrhythmia) which involves the two small, upper heart chambers (the atria). Heart beats in a normal heart begin after electricity generated in the atria by the sinoatrial node spread through the heart and cause contraction of the heart muscle and pumping of blood.
Well, I've been a basket case lately. I guess I'm really anxious about my upcoming trip to Venice in ten days. This is my first big trip since my ablation and particularly my stroke. The stroke definitely eroded my self confidence. Although all the physical issues are gone, and I suspect there are only minor impairments of my balance, concentration and focus, I still tend to have periods of self doubt. I've read that this is somewhat normal after a stroke, but that doesn't seem to help much. Any every little pain causes me to suspect some terminal illness. Yes, I'm having a wacky day.
I want the old lunatic Paul back who traveled all over, climbed mountains and volcanos, shot the Colorado river in a raft (3 times), drank from the scared fountain of Apollo at the Temple of Delphi, and did lots of other wild things without thinking about it. The anxiety got so bad, today I took a Xanax (a rarity for me). Oh well, I'll get over it. My heart has been stable, I hope it stays that way.
I hope to get a least one good picture of me and Sharon in a gondola, if I do, I'll post it for all to see.
I want the old lunatic Paul back who traveled all over, climbed mountains and volcanos, shot the Colorado river in a raft (3 times), drank from the scared fountain of Apollo at the Temple of Delphi, and did lots of other wild things without thinking about it. The anxiety got so bad, today I took a Xanax (a rarity for me). Oh well, I'll get over it. My heart has been stable, I hope it stays that way.
I hope to get a least one good picture of me and Sharon in a gondola, if I do, I'll post it for all to see.
That is exactly what I did with my 50 mg Atenolol left over from before the ablation. I just cut them in half and took them.
For you, you might even want to try 12.5 mg of Metoprolol since your heart rate goes so low. That is where I would start, 12.5 mg and not 25 mg. You don't want to drop your heart rate too low also. But, I am not sure if you can cut them twice :-)
By the way, last time I saw my EP was in March (the 3-month chk up). He basically told me I can do anything which makes sense for me. He said you know your body and you have lived with afib long enough to do the right thing for yourself. So, just do it. Call me if you have any question. He is a pretty cool doctor and very logical. So, based on that note, I stopped the Sotalol one month after seeing him, started to take Atenolol off and on, and stopped taking the Xarelto when I started to do long hikes in March :-) Howver, I still take nattokinase as blood thinner. Absolutely, I know what is right for me. Of course, my EP knows that I am NOT going to be reckless either. He knows what I did for living and may be that was the reason he gave a blank check for what to do, LOL.
So, I think there is a point that we the patients know what works. Hopefully taking the metoprolol will do it for you.
Important - Please make sure that your Metoprolol is NOT time release. If it is time release, then it really won't work so well. My Atenolol was not time release. As a result, it would act pretty fast. You can call and ask your pharmacists. They should be able to tell you.
Good luck,
Scott
I was nervous about going to Germany and England in April-May.
Finally decided to just go, quit over thinking about it!
After all, there are good doctors in Europe, too. And if you do have to look one up, will likely end up being one of your most interesting trip stories. lol
D
I woke up this morning at 5:30 in mild AFIB (resting rate under 100, no peeing). I don't think I had been I AFIB long. I have been taking 1/2 XANAX each morning and afternoon, and I feel better, but still got some AFIB. I got up, made breakfast and fed the cats. By 7:00AM my Oximeter was bouncing up to 125 BPM at rest, so I took 25 mg of metoprolol. By 8:00 AM I was in NSR and went on my 3 mile morning walk. Maybe your 'Pill In The Pocket' approach will work for me. I hope so.
That is great. I am glad that taking a beta blocker (BB) on the onset of an afib worked for you too. I has always worked for me.
I am NOT sure why taking BB works so well in stopping the afib if the BB is NOT taken on a regular basis and it is taken only when the afib starts. Of course, my cardio doctor was mad at me for not taking the BB regularly. The thing is BB never worked in preventing or stopping the afib if I took it regularly. But, it always works if I only take it when the afib starts.
By the way, after the ablation, the BB actually stops the afib or flutter after about 30 minutes but before the ablation, the BB would slow down the heart rate after 30 minutes and finally stop the afib after 2 hours or so. At least, this is my experience with taking BBs when the afib starts.
On another note, my wife brought home a kitten 3 weeks ago. It was supposed to be killed in 2 hours in Humane Society because she was branded as too aggressive :-( Well, she is a sweetheart and loves to play with a piece of rope. She even fetches the rope if we throw it on a cat tower or floor. She is absolutely a lot of fun and a nice kitten. Now, we have 4 cats in the house. Yes, it is a cat house and we have 5 cat towers/trees for them to climb up and down :-) They are a lot of fun. Two of them are action cats and NOT lap cats. When we go away, we get somebody to come in twice a day to feed them, clean the litter boxes, and play with them. We never board them. Just curious, what do you do with your cats when you go on your vacation?
Have a great weekend,
Scott
Two of the cats are inside cats (Panda and CiCi). There are three outside cats (need to get their pictures). All the other pictures are cats we've had over the years, but are no longer with us. Sharon has a step daughter who stays at our house for the week or two we are away each year. The cats know her so it works out ok.
Yes, I hope it continues to work for you. Probably it will.
As far as your cats, that is great that you don't have to board them. Cats usually don't do well when boarding them. We have a CiCi cat too, LOL. She is big and strong with sharp teeth and claws. However, she listens to us real well. But, she is one cat that you don't want to corner her :-)
Scott
Another AFIB this morning, starting about 4:30 am. This time with the peeing. Once again I was hoping it would clear by itself, Oximeter bouncing to 114 at rest. I took 25 mg of metoprolol at 7:00 and before 8:00 am I was in NSR and went on my 3 mile walk. Yep, this approach does seem to work for me.
CiCi is a great cat, really affectionate, he spends 1/2 the day on Sharon's lap. He was a stray that moved in when he was about 3-4 years old. Panda and CiCi (Creamsicle) are about 12 lbs,, 1/2 the size of the Maine Coons (Quincy and Spenser, now deceased), Quincy was 23 lbs., when he sat on your lap, you knew it.
I'm off to Venice this afternoon. I cut the Xanax down to 1/2 pill at bedtime. Will post pictures when I return.
atp