First of all, welcome. Afib can be very frightening and at times depressing. I think the more that you educate yourself about your condition the better you will feel. Although afib itself is not life threatening, it is scary when it happens. Petey, our resident researcher and athelete can probably give you some info on athletes and afib. Being an athlete, your heart is more than likely in good shape other than the afib and that is a plus. I know how you feel about trying to live a healthy life and still end up with this. It doesn't seem fair does it? Bad things happen to good people all of the time and you are not alone. I think you will learn a lot from this site and there are many good people that contribute. Once again, welcome!

Hi, Your life style is to be applauded!!! Keep up the Good Choices. Afib seems to just come to some of us, (I personally think there is a genetic link somewhere, and HBP seems to play a part for me) But now at least you know what you are dealing with and you are certainly in good hands. Keep coming back here, and ask anything that you wonder about, we all learn as we go. And keep us posted about your dr. visit on Tues. Blessings to you

afib isn't the end of the world... but you can let your feelings out here. I felt depressed at first (I still do sometimes) because I have taken good care of myself and have been very athletic (I still am at 63). I see fat guys smoking cigars and drinking beer and they don't have afib. The good news is I have no heart disease. The fact of the matter is endurance sports and intense athletics result in better health and... well, afib. Race horses get afib alot. Larry Bird, Jerry West, Hakim Alajuwan (spelling?) all have it as do professional hockey players and football players... and they are healthy.

Give us all your profile info... age, habits, sports you were involved in, whether you have been checked for sleep apnea or thyroid problems... other things like potassium and magnesium levels matter. Are you a nervous type, etc.

Some websites to check out: http://www.drjohnm.org/

Dr Mandrola is a cyclist, afib doctor (electrophysiologist) and has afib.

Also the Athlete's Heart at: http://athletesheart.blogspot.com/2011/04/useful-website-recipe-blog.html

search afib on the athletes heart blog website.

I'm on Bystolic and Pradaxa. Bystolic should control your heart rate and blood pressure. Baby aspirin is to keep your blood thin (it is good for all males over 40 to take that). I take Pradaxa because I am close to the age that is recommended.

If you want to email me, let me know and I will give you my email address through the my messages function on this website.

Barry Manilow, John Mayer, the guy from Kiss on TV, Howie Mandell and Ellen DeGeneres have it too.

You will be fine. Listen to your EP and stay on this website, and don't get fat... your exercise helps your health and will help you through this.

Welcome Islandluvr,

Sorry to have to welcome you to this site which means you share our problem. Everyone who replied already is right. The frustrating thing about a fib is there is no one solid cure. That is why everyone has to research it and find out what is right for them. I know how you feel about trying to do all the right things and still get stuck with this.

I just went to a talk on a fib and the doc said it's the randomness of a fib that really drives people crazy. He was referring to when it happens, but I think it would also apply to who actually gets it.

Petey, you sure about Ellen having a fib? I heard she had some heart issue before a show, but they didn't disclose what it was. Interesting. I wonder what treatment she will end up doing?

Thank you all for such a warm welcome. Wow, RN52, yogacat, peteycap, and heart2222, how kind of you to answer me! I no longer feel so alone. I'm normally a very up beat person, but this has knocked me for a loop.

A little more about me... I'm female, 54, still single, no kids, I have a very high powered high stress job. I do have thyroid issues, Graves Disease (hyperthyroid), but it's not causing the issues. I actually turnedhypo-thyroid and have been taking synthroid every day for the past 20 years. They checked my TSH in the hospital and had an endo look at me, and I'm fine in that department.

I do snore. I am not "obese" but I gained a lot of weight over the last few years. In 2006, I fell off a horse and broke my back and was not allowed to do much for a year. I'm working on getting the excess weight off.

I guess I should get checked out for sleep apnea.

I also am sleep deprived. I have had a life long problem of insomnia. I have to get up at 6:30 am for work each day, and I rarely get to sleep before 1:30am. I've tried everything.

My first inkling that something was seriously wrong was in October. I had joined a masters swim team in the fall. Although I had been swimming an hour a day of laps (non stop) over the summer, I wasn't used to the high intensity drills of the team.

The coach had me do 28 laps with swim fins on, no kick board, and no hands, just kicking for 28 laps. By the time I got to the side at the end of the 28 laps, my heart was beating out of my chest, I was wheezing, coughing, gasping for air, and I had water (turned out to be edema from my heart) in my lungs. All night long, my lungs sounded like a percolator. Stupid me didn't go to the ER, I just went home.

The next day, I was fine, but worried. I made an appointment with a pulmonary guy. He sent me to a cardiologist... who found that I had high blood pressure. I had a stress test, and my bp soared-- it went up to 290 over 110. I also had a run of 5 ventricular tachycardia beats in the recovery phase. That led me to the rhythm guy who put on the holter monitor.. and the rest is history.

He says that what happened in the pool was a cardiac event due to my uncontrolled high blood pressure. I'm lucky I didn't have a heart attack or a stroke that night.

I have lots of questions, and I'll start with these...

1. I read that when you have one incident of a-fib, you'll get more, and within 2 to 15 years, will have chronic a-fib. True?

2. Will I ever be able to lift weights again? Swim? Jog?

3. I love to go on cruises. Now I'm afraid... what if I get an a-fib attack on the ship?

4. They say a-fib isn't deadly, but how can it not be? My pulse shot up to 190. I was in real trouble Tuesday night. Isn't that dangerous?

5. Am I looking at a shortened life expectancy?

Thanks again for helping me.

Hi and welcome,
I developed a fib at about the same age as you. I also converted after being given cardizem in the ER. A fib can be triggered by alot of different things. Trying to figure out what your triggers are takes time, and unfortunately a few episodes of a fib. You converted pretty quickly with the cardizem so that is great. You could go for a long time without another episode.
Adrenaline is a big trigger for some of us, and reading your story it sounds like you have lots of stress and push yourself through. It will help to get a handle on the stress and try to get more sleep. Ask for a sleep study...even if you don't have sleep apnea maybe they can help with the insomnia.
There are a variety of meds and treatment options for a fib. Rate control (brystolic) is very important to prevent that crazy high heart rate if you go into a fib. That high rate is what causes the damage. The other big danger is stroke and making sure you have adequate protection with a blood thinner. That is what the baby aspirin is for. With all the treatments it is important to weigh the risks vs benefits. Petey is great at finding all the latest research.
All of us here have been down the same road. It is scary and depressing at first, but you will be able to live a long, enjoyable life.

Wow, Island, what a scary experience in the pool.

You do seem to be under a lot of stress. I don't know if you can cut back on something. I feel anxiety does bring on a fib for me at least. I was told that whether you have infrequent a fib attacks or persistent a fib, the risk of stroke is still the same. Doesn't seem right, but that's what I was told.

You will get a lot more answers after your appt with the EP on Tues. Ask him all your questions and what you should do. There are different options and you and your doc have to decide what is right for you.

Not sleeping is an issue. I have chronic insomnia also and have found when I get very little sleep, that makes the a fib come on also.

I do agree about the genetic link. I was told that too. Do either of your parents have a fib?

I was also told that if the a fib is caused by a thyroid problem, once that is resolved, your a fib will go away. You said they were unrelated though, so I don't know.

I was told a fib gets progressively worse. That if you have paroxysmal (intermittent) a fib, it will eventually go to chronic a fib with time.

I think once you get your heart rate controlled, you can do exercising again. I was told not to exercise if my heart rate is up.

Make sure you bring all your questions to the EP doc and he should address them all.

Heart... the more I think about it, the more I think I've had afib episodes for most of my life. I remember two years ago going on a trip to the Grand Canyon. I spent more than an hour in the bathroom, sick to my stomach with my heart racing. I think the high altitude triggered it.

I also remember a few times at work sitting at the computer and my heart started racing for no reason. I got light headed, but then it passed.

And of course, I remember having incidents of irregular heartbeats since high school.

My mother has afib.. but she got it after chemo for lung cancer. She takes digoxin and aspirin. (She has a bleeding disorder, and can't go on anything stronger.)

I just scared myself by finding a study online which tells of a two-fold death rate in middle aged women diagnosed with afib. That wasn't very reassuring!

Sorry to hear that you've joined the club.
My A Fib started with a bad, scary episode in Jan. 2011. At the hospital people kept asking me if I smoked, drank, or used recreational drugs (never have).
They ran all the tests, and decided it was just A Fib. They said that in 10% of the cases, A Fib just happens.

I've learned a lot from this site. One important thing learned was that I needed a second opinion (from an EP)
Your Dr. will advise you when you can resume your exercise program. I was encouraged to continue exercising. I do light weights ( using 3 to 10 lbs) three times a week. Mostly walking with interval jogging 5-7 days a week. For me, exercise helps with occasional depression.
Good luck!
D.

Island- Welcome :) I see be the previous posts that you have already received some pretty good advice . I smiled at the parts of your story in the beginning you were being poo pooed about the tachycardia and irregular beats. When I first went to the doctor regarding my irregular heartbeat, my primary care doctor picked up the AFib and sent me to a Cardiologist. Of course I was in normal rhythm when I visited the Cardiologist (just like taking a car for repair that starts acting right in front of a mechanic). They told me it was likely PACs and sent me home with Flecainide (50 mg/twice daily) and told me to return the following week for an EKG. Right after I returned home, I went into Afib again. The following week, I returned and my EKG showed Atrial Fibrillation with rapid ventricular response (HR 118). Until I was actually in the throes of an AF attack at the right time, I felt like no one was going to believe me :) Unfortunately, AF does progress. I would be in Afib all the time now, if I were not taking medication. With medication, I am only in AF about 10% of each day (usually on activity-exercise, chores or emotion/work related stress). AF is a tough diagnosis to handle but I consider myself lucky. There are so many other things that can go wrong with the heart and the human body and AF is treatable and even curable (ablations/surgery) for some individuals. I used to inline skate for miles, however, since my diagnosis, have not had the stamina to do this. Since my treatment plan seems to be leveling out, I am going to build myself back up to that fitness level again one day. Take care and hope you visit often as this site is full of support, good information and people who care :)

I will keep this short to emphasize what is important:

1) You have a high liklihood of sleep apnea. Get tested right away. That will slow down any progression of afib.
2) Thyroid issues DO contribute to afib.
3) You have a familial afib association... so you are vulnerable. Not everyone gets afib with sleep apnea and thyroid issues.
4) Athletes are more prone to afib.
5) High LDL (the bad ones) are associated with lower afib, so having good LDL levels are associated with afib... they don't kno why.
6) Bystolic ( a beta blocker) will lower your heart rate. (there are 2 treatment strategies, rate and rhythm control or a combination). Some form of anticoagulation is important (doesn't matter if you have afib all the time or sometimes).
7) Once your heartrate is under control, you can and should exercise with your doctor's (hopefully an EP) blessing. Weight loss is good for afib and sleep apnea.
8) Do those things and you will live a normal lifespan.
9) Moderate and look for triggers of afib.
10) Stay here and use the other websites to keep from going crazy and to learn.

Island,

I felt like you, once I was diagnosed, I probably had a fib in the past and didn't realize it. The sensation I felt , now identified as a fib, I've had before and just didn't know what it was. I always chalked it up as premature heart beats which I knew I had. So, I've probably had mine a lot longer than I realize too just as you said.

Tomorrow is your EP appt. Make sure you get all your questions answered. Good luck!

Thanks. I just got back from the cardio guy. He's kind of poo pooing it all. Says to stay on the Bistolic and aspirin, and continue living my life. He said I may go years without another afib event.. and to do whatever I want, bungie jump or whatever.

Tomorrow I see the EP. It will be interesting to see what he has to say.

Meantime.. if anybody else is on Bistolic.. are there any vitamins or supplements you shouldn't take? I brought my bag full into the cardiologist, and he thinks they're all OK.. but I just wanted to double check with y'all. Thanks!

I take Bystolic. I wouldn't take Yohimbe or any stimulants. I have to laugh every time I see the 5 Hour Energy advertisement. I take a bunch of stuff for heart health like fish oil, CoQ10, potassium, magnesium, etc. I figure why not. No interactions.

island,
my cardiologist said everything was ok too. You really have to see what the EP and see what he/she says. They are on top of this stuff. Really is a totally different field than cardio it seems. I'm suppose to follow up with an EP now.