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.
Bear with me y'all, I need to rant for a bit.
If I hear one more doctor say, "but you're young, so don't worry about it...", I'm gonna go postal.
It seems like every time I start to build a relationship with a cardiologist and start to trust him/her, they'll say something like that. It seems like most cardiologists are used to dealing with older people when it comes to Afib, so when they come across someone as young as me (38), they tend to dismiss me as being "low risk" or somehow not as worthy of their concern as someone who is older.
Even after I tell them that my father had a stroke at 55 due to high BP and lupus anticoagulant antibodies, and the fact that heart disease and stroke run all up and down both my mother and father's side of the family, they still seem disinterested.
I'm really confused as to what I should do. I've been suffering from arrhythmia since my early 20s. My first "diagnosis" in the ER (by an ER doc) maybe 10 years ago was paroxysmal SVT. My next diagnosis by a cardiologist a month or so later was simple PACs (from a holter I wore for 10 days or so). My newest guy now says afib and SVT. His diagnosis was based on a 24-hour monitor. At this point, I'm not sure which to believe.
I've been considering ablation, but being that I've been dealing with this for well over 1/3 of my life, most of the time I just handle it. I always self-convert (usually with sleep). I know that the longer I wait, the worse my afib will get (if indeed that's what I have). But I also know that ablation procedures will have better and better success rates.
I just wish I could find a doctor who takes me seriously and doesn't dismiss me because of my age.
If I hear one more doctor say, "but you're young, so don't worry about it...", I'm gonna go postal.
It seems like every time I start to build a relationship with a cardiologist and start to trust him/her, they'll say something like that. It seems like most cardiologists are used to dealing with older people when it comes to Afib, so when they come across someone as young as me (38), they tend to dismiss me as being "low risk" or somehow not as worthy of their concern as someone who is older.
Even after I tell them that my father had a stroke at 55 due to high BP and lupus anticoagulant antibodies, and the fact that heart disease and stroke run all up and down both my mother and father's side of the family, they still seem disinterested.
I'm really confused as to what I should do. I've been suffering from arrhythmia since my early 20s. My first "diagnosis" in the ER (by an ER doc) maybe 10 years ago was paroxysmal SVT. My next diagnosis by a cardiologist a month or so later was simple PACs (from a holter I wore for 10 days or so). My newest guy now says afib and SVT. His diagnosis was based on a 24-hour monitor. At this point, I'm not sure which to believe.
I've been considering ablation, but being that I've been dealing with this for well over 1/3 of my life, most of the time I just handle it. I always self-convert (usually with sleep). I know that the longer I wait, the worse my afib will get (if indeed that's what I have). But I also know that ablation procedures will have better and better success rates.
I just wish I could find a doctor who takes me seriously and doesn't dismiss me because of my age.
I agree with NYNM an EP should be your next stop. Especially if you are thinking ablation, even if you arent they are the rhythm specialists and know the options that are out there.
Best of luck and keep us in the Loop,
atp