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.
Hi all,
I've had intrafibrillation for 3 1/2 years now and for the first three years I would get events once every six months with very occasional palpitations in between.
Then last fall I had a run of very bad palpitations every day that were occurring all day whereas before my palpitations only occurred at night or in the evening.
I had a bunch of very painful dental work done over Christmas and since then palpitations have been new normal. I'm going into Afib every second or third day now but only for a few seconds or minutes as I can convert it by running or splash cold water on my face.
Lately for the last couple of days things have sort of reversed. When I lay down the palpitations go away but when I stand up they get worse. This is the exact opposite of how it's always been and it's really freaking me out. If I run or get my heart rate up they will still go away.
I currently only use the pill in pocket And I'm very hesitant to go on antiarrhythmic medication because of my age. I'm 41 and I don't want to be on these medications for the long haul.
I contacted Bordeaux about two weeks ago to get information about booking an ablation but I can't muster up the courage to actually go through with it.
I'm feeling really alone and freaked out right now and would love to hear some words from anyone about how they decided to get an ablation or whatever else they want to share. There are lots of people here who just had an ablation or those that talk about failed ablations. I wonder if those who had successful ablations maybe just don't come back as they want to put this part of life behind them?
Thanks in advance.
Monty
I've had intrafibrillation for 3 1/2 years now and for the first three years I would get events once every six months with very occasional palpitations in between.
Then last fall I had a run of very bad palpitations every day that were occurring all day whereas before my palpitations only occurred at night or in the evening.
I had a bunch of very painful dental work done over Christmas and since then palpitations have been new normal. I'm going into Afib every second or third day now but only for a few seconds or minutes as I can convert it by running or splash cold water on my face.
Lately for the last couple of days things have sort of reversed. When I lay down the palpitations go away but when I stand up they get worse. This is the exact opposite of how it's always been and it's really freaking me out. If I run or get my heart rate up they will still go away.
I currently only use the pill in pocket And I'm very hesitant to go on antiarrhythmic medication because of my age. I'm 41 and I don't want to be on these medications for the long haul.
I contacted Bordeaux about two weeks ago to get information about booking an ablation but I can't muster up the courage to actually go through with it.
I'm feeling really alone and freaked out right now and would love to hear some words from anyone about how they decided to get an ablation or whatever else they want to share. There are lots of people here who just had an ablation or those that talk about failed ablations. I wonder if those who had successful ablations maybe just don't come back as they want to put this part of life behind them?
Thanks in advance.
Monty
Sorry to hear you have been going thru such a hard time.
Yogacat had some dental work done and it really triggered her a fib badly. I wonder if it's something they gave you during the procedure? For her, it was the epi.
I failed on 4 drugs and then had an ablation about a year ago. I don't know if I've had any a fib episodes since then, but they certainly are not like hours/days long like they were before. I have had atrial tachy and some abnormal rhythms, but the a fib is a LOT better. i don't know how long it will last, but I'm so thankful for it right now.
I think there are quite a few on this forum who have had successful ablations for years now.
It's a very personal decision. Did you talk to your EP about it? You might want a couple of opinions to help you make the decision . Good luck!
For me, it was septocaine..it is epinepherine. It altered my electrical system a lot...afib for days, longer episodes, more often and Palpations most of the time...for a month.
I took 2 150mg. Rythmol...it knocked my off my feet...but I did convert, and I have not had any of the above since. It is now 2 weeks of NSR for me.
My Dr. said, I would go back to normal...did I just go back? Or was it the Rythmol???? I don't know.
I have no clue what is next...will I go back to my usual once a month? I do have apt. with EP in April....hopefully just to get acquainted! I have not gone to one before because, I thought they would want to ablate, and I was not ready to do that...until, like you, this happened.
Namaste, Carol
Yogacat. They did not use anything for the second half of the root canal which is what triggered it. I did have the tooth extracted later and they did use a local anesthetic but I'm not sure which one. It did not have epi in it, that I know for sure.
I make sure my dentist never uses epi and the freezing wore off within an hour so I'm pretty sure. I had a terrible bout in oct as well that only lasted a week and that was triggered by a root canal as well.
So far I'm at 2 months of problems with the occasional reprieve but terrible pacs a lot of the time and short Afib every 3rd day or so, sometimes multiple times per day.
I haven't taken my pill in pocket propafenone since I haven't had an afib sustained more than 10 minutes. Maybe I will try that today and see what happens. What do I have to lose I guess?
I'm glad to hear you're feeling better.
Ichandless - does diltiazem help your husband at all? Did it make it better or worse? I took one on Monday (my first) and it seemed to make things worse.
Heart2222 -glad to hear the ablation is holding up. If you could go back, would you have gone sooner?
Just sayin and just wonderin......
Have you worn a Holter monitor ? Have you ever had documented a fib episodes , or any other testing. Im just reading your symptoms and your age and wondering if you arent perhaps having runs of SVT's ( supra ventricular tachycardia ) instead of or in addition to flutter or fib ......if it was SVT treatment would be completely different. I have no clue really but it occurred to me.......
I think, despite your age they wont run to do an ablation on you without some trial and error first , just the way it seems to go . Do you have a dr. that you trust and like ? Iimportant. Cause there are so many different ways to go on this......I have my own little algorhythm that works for me but might do nothing for someone else. I think we all wish we could tuck this in a pocket or a box and wish it a fond farewell....just be patient and know there is something that will help you
Wishing you much better days
jan
The afib has been documented multiple times by ecg and by a holter. I have worn a holter 3 times now. I do get tacycardia that leads into afib but lately I've been getting a lot of PACs and these are almost worse than the afib it self. Sometimes they just go on, other times they flip into afib.
I had always thought my young age made me a better candidate for ablation, though I never thought I would ever go.
Monty
TO answer your question, would I have done it earlier? Once I decided to do it in Dec, I would have liked to do it ASAP to get it over with. I had to wait until late march because that is when my EP was available. As for would I have liked to make the decision earlier than I did? I don't think so. The ablation was a big thing for me and I wanted to avoid it unless I absolutely had to do it. After I failed on the 4th drug, I finally agreed.
Good luck!!