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.
Since being diagnosed with afib in Aug 2012 I always considered myself fortunate in that I never had to go to the er. Since my ablation is next Monday I was hoping I might keep this streak alive. Unfortunately I broke it yesterday.
After completing my treadmill run I went into afib and my hr kept climbing until it hit 218. Tried the usual things to get my hr down but the best I could do after 25 minutes was the 150's with spikes into the 180's.
I am in afib about 30% of the time but mostly I just feel fatigue that varies from mild to extreme. This time was very different as I felt strong palpitations, sweats and so I knew I needed to do something different.
Went to the er where they determined I was dehydrated and low on potassium. I got about a liter of IV fluids and a potassium tablet, felt and looked much better and was released about 2 hours later still in afib but with an hr in the 70's. By the time i got home I had converted to nsr where I stayed for about 24 hrs.
I surprised myself and did not panic. I am a long time runner and a couple of years ago (pre afib) I had a stress test and was able to get my hr up to 220 so I think I had some comfort knowing that I survived that.
My son and wife are both watching guard making sure that I don't go on the treadmill till my ablation. The er doc also warned me against that. So I think this is good training for my post ablation activities. Paul's posts in this area are very helpful.
I feel good today, happy to be home even though I have been in afib for the last 3 hrs (hr in 70's which is a little higher than my usual afib rate).
opsyn
After completing my treadmill run I went into afib and my hr kept climbing until it hit 218. Tried the usual things to get my hr down but the best I could do after 25 minutes was the 150's with spikes into the 180's.
I am in afib about 30% of the time but mostly I just feel fatigue that varies from mild to extreme. This time was very different as I felt strong palpitations, sweats and so I knew I needed to do something different.
Went to the er where they determined I was dehydrated and low on potassium. I got about a liter of IV fluids and a potassium tablet, felt and looked much better and was released about 2 hours later still in afib but with an hr in the 70's. By the time i got home I had converted to nsr where I stayed for about 24 hrs.
I surprised myself and did not panic. I am a long time runner and a couple of years ago (pre afib) I had a stress test and was able to get my hr up to 220 so I think I had some comfort knowing that I survived that.
My son and wife are both watching guard making sure that I don't go on the treadmill till my ablation. The er doc also warned me against that. So I think this is good training for my post ablation activities. Paul's posts in this area are very helpful.
I feel good today, happy to be home even though I have been in afib for the last 3 hrs (hr in 70's which is a little higher than my usual afib rate).
opsyn
Please take care and hope you go back into NSR really soon. The Sotalol I am taking is keeping my h.r. low, even though I don't like
the side effects. My hr. with afib has always been at least 150, never 200, so I have some idea about how you must have been feeling.
Keep us updated and good luck for a successful ablation next Monday
My computer cut my message off. Just wanted to say,
Hugs and prayers,
Christine
You didn't panic, and that is an amazing thing...good for you! And as worrisome as this experience might seem, you are now only days away from taking care of this. hey, you can stay away from that addictive and evil exercise machine for a few days no problem! Once you have been ablated, after about 2 weeks you can start back in with the exercise, and you will be as good as new before you know it! I will throw a prayer up there for you. You are almost done with this! Be strong!
Bill
You're doing Great!!!
It's interesting what you right about the treadmill. I gave up my indoor bike trainer last week, and will only do walking until my ablation. The heavier exercise has become too much of a trigger.
There are some theories out there that heavy endurance athletes are at greater risk of a-fib due to what is usually normal physiological remodeling of the heart -- it gets a little bigger and this growth can affect the structure of the left atrium near the pulmonary veins. Indeed, a-fib occurs in higher incidence in marathoners and endurance athletes:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=athletes+atrial+fibrillation
Well, soon, you won't have to worry because there will be several protective rings of circuit breakers in your left atrium. Best wishes next week.
Sean
My ablation will be performed by Dr Natale. In the past year I have met with him 3 times regarding by ongoing treatment, progress, anticoagulation strategies. I felt very comfortable with him and his excellent staff and their ability to provide me with the best possible care.
opsyn
Dr. Natale sounds like the right guy for the job. Best of luck on your ablation.
Todd