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.
In July after running 5 miles and starting recovery mode my heart rate rapidly started to increase to 180 bpm. Since this had never happened in over 30 years of running I knew something was wrong. I saw my cardiologist in August and he did an EKG which was fine. He then started to examine me, listened to my heart and heard extra beats. He did another EKG and told me I was in AFIB. I did not feel any symptoms. Over the next couple of weeks I had the usual blood tests, 24 hour holter, echo, echo with stress. I was diagnosed with intermittent AF that was primarily asymptomatic.
I purchased an Omron HCG 801 portable ECG monitor so I could take my own readings and reduce my workouts on those days I was in AFib. I have been taking reading for about a week and all readings did not have any P waves. My HR on these readings never exceeded 80 bpm which is the reason I probably am asymptomatic. Suspecting that I progressed to persistent AF or hoping the machine was defective I met with my cardiologist today. Persistent AF was confirmed. I had been put on aspirin when the initial diagnosis was made and will be starting diltiazem today.
I use a Timex heart monitor when running. I have not been able to run since being diagnosed in August because my HR gets too high; it can jump from 80 bpm to 160bpm in 15 sec when I go from walking to running. Prior to AF I could run at 160 bpm but now I am too scared that something bad will happen. I try to keep my HR below 110 bpm during brisk walking. During walking my HR fluctuates quite a bit. I miss my endorphin high from running but I am hopeful that it is only temporary and I will run again.
I am glad to have found this group and welcome your continued advice and support and hope to make contributions as I continue my reading and studying on AF.
opsyn
I purchased an Omron HCG 801 portable ECG monitor so I could take my own readings and reduce my workouts on those days I was in AFib. I have been taking reading for about a week and all readings did not have any P waves. My HR on these readings never exceeded 80 bpm which is the reason I probably am asymptomatic. Suspecting that I progressed to persistent AF or hoping the machine was defective I met with my cardiologist today. Persistent AF was confirmed. I had been put on aspirin when the initial diagnosis was made and will be starting diltiazem today.
I use a Timex heart monitor when running. I have not been able to run since being diagnosed in August because my HR gets too high; it can jump from 80 bpm to 160bpm in 15 sec when I go from walking to running. Prior to AF I could run at 160 bpm but now I am too scared that something bad will happen. I try to keep my HR below 110 bpm during brisk walking. During walking my HR fluctuates quite a bit. I miss my endorphin high from running but I am hopeful that it is only temporary and I will run again.
I am glad to have found this group and welcome your continued advice and support and hope to make contributions as I continue my reading and studying on AF.
opsyn
Keep in touch.
Terry
I thought your post was one of mine from 18 months ago. Same running background, asymptomatic, bought the same OMRON machine, thought it was defective... everything sounds the same. Use the search tool above and type in athletes or Larry Bird or endurance sports. Afib is very common with athletes, in fact, endurance sports increase your risk.
Good luck with this. Welcome.
petey
I'm curious as your situation sounds similar. You can answer me offline if you want... since afib is due to many causes... those with similar backgrounds may find solutions from each other... I'm curious if, after reading causes of afib, you can lay out your background:
age
extent of endurance sport participation
caffeine use
alcohol use
stimulant use (supplements, things like dayquil/nyquil)
vitamin/bodybuilding supplements (even stuff like niacin etc)
personality type
where you lived most of your life
sleep apnea (yes/no)
heart health
atrial size
anything else you think is important
Thanks.
petey
Great forum here. Good luck moving forward, I sincerely hope your AF journey is an easy one.
Thanks (as usual) to Petey for the thoughtful checklist.
;) - Thomas
Thanks for reaching out to me. A little bit more about my background. I am a 62 yr old male and have lived in the sf bay area for over 30 years. I typically ran, pre AF, about 30-35 miles per week.In addition, I do yoga, rebounding, some weights.
Typical caffeine ingestion is 2 cups of coffee in the am although I went cold turkey about 1 month ago due to af diagnosis. No alcohol since drinks seem to go directly to my head rather than stomach. My supplement usage has varied over the years. This includes vitamin c, d3 (big doses),l-arginine (this is the only supplement that i have used where i experienced an effect), coq10, b12, folic acid, multi vitamins, amrit kalash, gingko bilboa, lutein, magnesium citrate, fish oil, garlic, alpha lipoic.No stimulants or other body building supplements.
Personality type was A as I grew up in NYC and so it's in my genes. Sleep apnea is an interesting question as I know it can be a cause of Afib. I have never been tested but on questionnaires I have taken I don't fit the profile.
Heart health has always been good. Cholesterol/hdl is 2.2 with hdl over 70. No heart disease; chads2 is 0. slightly elevated lvh (1.2) due to all that running. Atria size not sure; this is a good point you bring up as I know it is a predictor of successful ablation. I will need to check on this as I suspect ablation may be in my future.
Only other significant item is that 3 years ago I was diagnosed with low grade prostate cancer.
opsyn
I just take a Beta Blocker when I go into afib...about once a month. My PCP tells me an ablation is the way I will be able to do more. My cardio dr. is satisfied with the way I am..I am too.
It takes some time to figure out 'your personal afib' We are all Unique! Blessings and Welcome!
Sounds like you've got New York in your atria and SanFrancisco in your ventricles. :-)
" I miss my endorphin high from running..."
Man, that is spot on. My running gave me the high and always kept me calm. I still run, but haven't felt comfortable about running hard enough to get the high. I used to run for 1-2 hours sometimes. But I also love sprinting.
I don't know if you are married, but if so, ask if you snore or breath funny, like gasp for air sometimes... I guess you don't have to be married to get an honest answer, but wives generally will blast you for keeping them up.
Ask the doctor about your atrial size. There is also a thing called a Utah score for fibrosis in the atria. See:
http://www.stopafib.org/newsitem.cfm/NEWSID/256/personalized%20atrial%20fibrillation%20treatment%20and%20stroke%20prevention/Marrouche
petey
My cholesterol is always between 150 and 160... not sure why. My HDLs are always around 60. That's a 2.5 ratio.
All this stuff doesn't help afib... but is probably why we are asymptomatic.
Have you checked out all the endurance athletes that have afib? How about the athlete's heart and Dr John Mandrola's website?
http://www.drjohnm.org/
petey
http://athletesheart.blogspot.com/
You and I have very similar experiences. I even lived in NJ, a city called Nutley, for about 6 months. The sites you sent are very interesting and helpful.
I always thought that eventually I would stop running but I thought it would be my knees (like many of my friends) that gave out; I never thought it would be my heart. Oh well, to quote a famous fictional runner, " life is like a box of chocolates you never know what you're gonna get".
Similar to your experience, running had a very calming almost meditative effect on me that is hard to replace.
I checked with my wife and it looks like I can probably eliminate sleep apnea.
It's great to have found this group and experience all the support, caring and interest that people have provided.
I agree finding out the cause is very important. My cardiologist after examining all tests (blood,holter,echo,echo with stres,ekg) could not determine a cause. I have an appointment next month with Dr. Natale to find out more about my condition..
I may have caused confusion with my postings but I was initially diagnosed with paroxysmal AF. When I then took both my echos I was in NSR. I then purchased an Omron HCG 801 and all my readings indicated AF and then when I returned to cardiologist he changed diagnosis to persistent AF. From the initial diagnosis of paroxysmal to persistent was 1 month.
I tend to agree with you that I probably had paroxysmal AF for some time.
petey
Welcome to the group opsyn.
Annette