There are no side effects to a cardioversion and you won't feel anything when they do it. They give you a sedative through your IV so you aren't aware when they do the cardioversion.

You may have some slight soreness on your chest afterwards but it is so minor I wouldn't worry about that.

It is not a cure, but you may be able to maintain normal sinus rhythm for quite some time afterward. I've had 4 cardioversions over the last 3 years. The first one I stayed in NSR for almost a year afterward. Slightly less time with each successive one.

There isn't any reason not to try a cardioversion. You do not have to be on rhythm control drugs to do it. There is no way to know how long you will stay in normal rhythm following one.

My only regret in how I've handled my afib is that I did not try the rhythm control drugs sooner so that I could fail them and get referred for an ablation sooner. I worry now that I've let my afib progress to the point where the ablation won't work for me.

how do you know when you come out of normal rythem .

thanks

I can feel when I go into afib. I get very short of breath when I do anything, even just walking across the room. I get dizzy and light headed and I can feel my heart pounding in my chest like a fish flopping around in there. My heart rate will jump up to 120 to 150 when I'm sitting still. If I start to move around it jumps up to 200 or higher. I can feel my pulse and tell that it's no longer beating in a steady normal rhythm.

Ray said:
"how do you know when you come out of normal rhythm ?"

answer:
People stare at you on the dance floor.


Seriously... some don't feel anything like me... you have to look at your OMRON HCG-801 Portable ECG.

Petey, you are just too funny:)

It's hard for me to understand that someone can have afib and not feel it. I feel it so strongly and it's impossible for me to function normally when my heart is doing it's wild little quick step routine.

I wonder why some people can be completely incapacitated and some don't even know they have it. What a weird condition this is.

My EP told me that since I have exercised alot, my heart's output is enough, even though I am producing 75% output... so I don't get out of breath or light headed. When I exercise, I feel better. As far as the "fish flopping" feeling, I don't get that. Maybe it is "where" the afib is coming from. Someone mentioned that sleep apnea afibbers ablations fail because of where the afib is coming from and EPs may miss it. Maybe that's it. I wonder how many people with sleep apnea don't feel it. Just a thought. Not even a theory.

6:15 AM
Petey, you started my day off with a smile. I just read your comment to my SO, dance partner, who's watching been soccer from England since 4:30AM. Your comment got a smile from him too.

I know when I go into AF and when I return to NSR. My HR is normally low so when in AF it's only up to between 70-90. It usually lasts between 12-18 hours. I feel tired and will have occasional episodes of lightheadedness. Recently coughing during a spasm of lightheadedness has brought me back to NSR. Once back in NSR I feel myself again.

I was diagnosed in July 2010. My condition has improved since paying attention to triggers. Only med -Warfarin

I can't feel my heart racing either......just get short of breathe. I'm so new to all of this that I now realize I've had it several years and just didn't know I had a problem. That's really strange to me. When they put me on a heart monitor for 48 hours, they say my heart was jumping all over the place. I only felt it for a few seconds about 5:00 one morning and then didn't feel it again. I'm told the monitor shows it went on for quite a while! I was over 200.

i have sleep apnea and i can feel once in a while a quivering on my left side when i am lying on bed .

other then that i get no feel ,my heart rate was 53 resting and i can walk on treadmil for 3 miles without any short of breath .

also i am on rate control drugs like metropol and toprol

They say that lying on your left side doesn't cause afib attacks, you just can feel your heart beating, whether you have afib or not. It's like you can hear it in your ear.

Heart beats are good.