1 and 2. Not sure exactly when it started for me, but I was in my early 20s, and it started with PACs.

3. Caffeine, alcohol, salty foods, and not drinking enough water were all triggers for me.

5. Ask me in a few more years.

7. I had two ablations this year, one in February and one in June. So far, it has been successful. Keeping my fingers crossed it stays that way.

8. Even though I have a desk job, working while I was in afib was difficult. I am very symptomatic, which makes it hard to concentrate on anything except the afib.

9. I'm very satisfied with my medical treatment. But I did a lot of research and picked the best EP I could to perform said treatment. That made all the difference. I've seen a lot of people post here that they're unhappy with their doctor's inattentiveness concerning their care, mainly because they chose a doctor simply because they were close geographically. I never understood that. I have to drive for almost 3 hours to see my EP, but it's worth it.

Hope this helps.

Happy to share my answers: I'm one of those who definitely feel it when it has happened (though my daily small dose of Flecainide has kept me in mostly NSR for a year and a quarter so far.

1. I've had 3 episodes, all came on at night whilst sleeping soundly. The irregular beats and the increased contractility woke me up. I'm aware of a irregular pounding feeling in my body and head (not fast heartbeat, just pounding harder).

2. I think - not sure, that I was feeling a bit of PACs or some strange fluttering feelings that came and went - mainly at night before going to sleep - once in a while - not every night prior to the first episode.

3. I have not identified triggers. I am slim, do not have high blood pressure, no thyroid issues, physically active - bike, walk fast, swim, hike, exercise, only drink a little tea, no coffee, never smoked, eat healthy with lots of fruits/vegs, some nuts, seeds, etc in my diet. I have searched but failed to find anything that could trigger it. Maybe stress - as I did retire a year and half ago and starting on a new endeavor.

4. No diagnosis of a medical condition that could be a trigger. I do have a mild mitral valve regurgitation but the doctor says that's **not** a trigger - it'd have to be severe for it to be so.

5. Anyone found a way to beat or control this thing? Well my dr prescribed Flecainide 50mg twice a day and it's kept me out of AF. I think I may have had some atrial flutter a few times but I'm not sure but it has gone away. Otherwise, I seem to be in NSR. But without drugs or other treatment - I don't know. I continue to search but nothing credible has surfaced.

6. For me I could absolutely NOT live with AF. My 3 episodes had my heart pounding hard (not fast but hard) and I felt it throughout my body and it kept me awake. There is no way I could fall asleep with it going on. It is just too disturbing although I could walk about and do things but I don't think I could exercise well or swim or anything..

7. as mentioned - pills - Flecainide small dose 50mg x 2 per day. Practically no side effects for me so far. Seems very effective. Dr. says for me, it should stay effective "for a very long time" - whatever that means.

8. I would probably give it a 7-8. As I said above, it would keep me awake and I would suffer for that. Also staying in AF would entail increased stroke dangers which I would not tolerate.

9. I would give my medical provider and treatments two scores. One score for medical treatment which I'd give a 9 - the Flecainide the dr has prescribed has been working very well and allowing me to live normally and exercise normally. For the score on medical sleuthing out triggers and why I got AF despite my healthy lifestyle, I'd give my provider a 4 - my dr has not seemed to be very interested in doggedly sleuthing out potential triggers.

So I've done a lot of research on my own and come up with a lot of interesting information but no real answers.

To respond to your very last comment - AF (or AFL - atrial flutter) by itself is not life threatening or dangerous; however, the clots that it can potentially spawn can be deadly and ***not*** to be messed around. So any time any one of us is in AF or in AFL, we have to think "blood is not flowing well through the atria and pool and possibly clots are forming" and this has to be addressed quickly.

Hope this helps.

Buddy,

You say your episodes have all happened while you were sleeping. Have you ever been tested for sleep apnea? Its definitely a trigger for afib, and you don't have to be obese or otherwise unhealthy to have sleep apnea.

Okay...I haven't been on here for awhile, but can offer some answers to some of your questions.

1. I first noticed some weird palpitations and out-of-rythm beats around 8-10 years before I was diagnosed. Mainly because I was always in NSR during my doctor visits. EKG's, stress tests and nothing else showed up as to something being wrong.

2. Started with PAC's. Ended with persistent a-fib...every day, every hour, every minute, every second.

3. Running (exercise) seemed to be the main trigger when it first started. However, when I was in persistent a-fib, certain things I ate or drank seemed to make it worst.

4. No.

5 & 7. Drugs did not help my situation. Ended up having three ablation procedures in 2014. The last one was in November. I have had one episode since, in March, and have been in wonderful NSR for 7 months, which is long term for me! Still take Xarleto and 60mg of Sotalol daily. I am also back to a full excercise routine and feel better than I have in years.

8. A (7). Very hard to concentrate and stay focused on work. I'm an IT guy and sit at a desk with a computer all day.

9. A (10). Took a while to get here, but was totally worth it! I wouldn't hesitate in getting another ablation if I needed it.

-Mark

1) First time I got to work and felt my heart jumping in my chest we did an EKG and it said I was in a fib and off we went to the ER , thinking back of that feeling I think I had it a few times before that and just ignored it. I don't have any symptoms except the jumping and pounding in my chest so its sometimes easy to ignore.
3) no pin point perfect triggers although I believe in my case taking Magnesium daily has made a difference. I avoid a lot of caffeine and I no longer drink wine , stress is a huge factor for me and I am very careful to drink plenty of water and never get dehydrated ....no medical conditions that go hand in hand. I did find out recently that vagal stimulation seems to have a very significant effect on having or not having an episode.
5) I am a Flecainide girl 50mg twice a day with absolutely no side effects , it controls me magnificently and on the very rare occasion
that I have an episode an extra dose makes it so that I have never had one last more than 1-2 hours tops.
I only did my job a couple of times in a fib , it never seemed to happen much at work and it was very difficult as Im a nurse and it made it very hard to concentrate no matter how OK I felt.
I have had excellent medical attention but I haven't needed a lot of it, ablation has never been on the table for me , my heart guy is very calm and funny and I know him well and he has kept me on the good side of sanity ever since I was diagnosed 13 years ago. He has a lot of analogies about the logic of a fib that put it into a nice perspective for me.
I travel, I fly, we went to Europe this summer , I do not ever ever let a fib win.

1. Laid down for bed and had fist episode. Do not remember how long it lasted.
2. Sometimes PVC/PAC would trigger it or exercise. For me it cyclical but over time the time between episodes grew shorter.
3. Drinking and cardio were def triggers (cardio got me out of it too though). Even when I avoided these triggers it did not stop it
4. No
5. Not me. I had an ablation in March and have been good since (one short burst of fib for about 45 seconds a couple weeks ago though). I do expect to go back into fib at some point. I will get another ablation if available to me.
6. Episodes grew to frequent. I did not want to get to a point where I was in fib full time. Had an ablation.
7. Ablation
8. 3....I could still do my day to day stuff but if I was in fib it was def noticeable and I knew I had to get myself out of it before 24 hours.
9. 10...I was at a point where I was going into fib every 3-4 days. Even if I go back to that tomorrow the 7 months of freedom from the ablation has been outstanding.

1. I think It was happenng at night when it first started. I had 100s of episodes so kind of forgot the first times. My wife has Afib so I wasnt as freaked out as I might have been. In other words I didnt go to ER.
2. I dont know if I had these..
3. No. Because I was having it multiple times a week I was able to experiment but never narrowed it down to anything. Added various supplements, avoided certain foods, etc.
4. High Blood Pressure is the one on my CHADS score although its been treated for years. But nothing else found in echos.
5. Rythmol made it go away for three months and an ablation has worked for four months now.
6. See above answer.
7. 1 then 2 then 3....rinse and repeat if necessary.
8. One...I was in afib often at work but I sit at a desk.
9. 10

Oh I forgot...on number four I was also diagnosed with sleep apnea after my cardiologist sent me to get tested. But treatment of that didnt make the afib go away.

1. I was cooking dinner. Grabbed a small carrot that didn't go down right and choked a bit. The next thing I knew, my heart was flopping in my chest! Took my bp, it was very high, and we headed for the ER. It was really frightening!
2. NO, I do not remember any PVC's or PACs at that time. I do experience them now occasionally.
3. Well, let's see.......seems like I've given up A LOT since my first episode! Recently, ice cold drinks have been a trigger. One sip, and there it goes! I have given up alcohol (miss my glass of wine, believe me!), anything with caffeine, chocolate, frozen treats, ice for now, and most sugar. We are trying to eat clean with little preservatives in case that has anything to do with episodes.
4. Diagnosed with severe sleep apnea in the beginning. I'm a poster child for CPAP (use it every single night), and still have episodes every few months.
5. I'm hoping the start of 50mg Flecainide is helping. Only one 5 hour episode since beginning it 8 months ago. Episodes used to last 3 days +, so I feel like this is real improvement. Fingers are crossed that it continues!
6. I'm sure I'll take BP med, flec, and Xarelto the rest of my life. Will definitely go the ablation route if episodes become closer together.
7. For now, I feel like the course of action is working pretty well. I'm still anxious about the "when", but medication is helping.
8. I teach a group of 28 4th graders, so working in afib is NOT POSSIBLE! I know the stress of this job increases my chances of more episodes, and I've decided to retire at the end of this year. My dream is that once the daily stress is gone, Afib will be gone, too.
9. Recently just started seeing an EP at a big teaching hospital and feel like my care went from a 5 (I liked my cardiologist; he just didn't want to do anything except the drug route) to a 50! My EP is awesome, and always has a plan for what's next. He has helped me to become much more relaxed about this, and knowing that we have options for the future really helps with anxiety!

-Thanks for asking! It is helpful for me to read others' responses. I know no one with Afib, so knowing others are experiencing what I am really helps.

-Debbie

1. Awoke at 1am after a late night of eating and drinking.
5. Yes

1. I know I had it before I was diagnosed. But, I was planning to go to 9AM Zumba...all dress except shoes,...I wanted to go....but, just couldn't get myself going...felt strange. Went to 10 AM Yoga, and thought, I am fine...on the way home, I knew something wasn't right. Took my BP when I got home, the monitor said "error" after trying several times, i called my PCP and asked to come in for them to take my BP. I went and they took it, brought in the EKG unit...and told me to go to ER. I had never heard of afib and didn't understand what was going on!

2. No PAC's

3. Alcohol and Epinephrine. Definitely not as many episodes since I don't do either now.

4 No

5. We all learn to live with it....knowing nothing with afib is written in stone

6. I take anticoaggulant and nothing else daily. When I don't have an episode, I am fine...when I do, I need something to bring my rate down..until I convert.

7. I take Metoprolol when it first appears. Then I either do nothing else and just let it carry on for the next 6-10 hrs......or take 300mg. of Rythmol which usually converts me, but I don't feel good after taking it....or when HR and dropped and I am feeling up to it, and it is daylight outside....I go for a slow jog around the block a couple of times. When my HR is elevated and i break a mini sweat, I usually convert by the time I get home.

8. I modify my day when in afib. I'm retired, so I can do this easily

9. 5. I've had afib for 4+ yrs. A lot of what I know and do has been from being on this site. My EP only wants to do ablation, my Cardio Dr. is getting old, and my PCP is pretty helpful, but refers me to my Cardio Dr. One day at a time, Today is Good

Nice Dogs Scobby!!

1. How it started the first time: ate at mexican restaurant. I woke at 3am with my heart feeling like it was bouncing/beating irregularly. I could feel it. Scarey since I did not know what it was. Mexican food probably had MSG in it which is a trigger for some
2. Did you first have PVCs and PACs: It was coming on with no warming
3. Have you yet identified triggers? MSG, red wine flipping over in bed abruptly, sleeping on left side
4. Diagnosed with a medical condition? No
5. Has anyone found a way to beat: For me, it was ablation. Eventually trigger avoidance made no difference once the heart remodels
6.Ablation or medication? I hate drugs and the side effects so when I got sick of episodes, it was ablation time
7. What steps have you been taking. None after ablation although by habit I still avoid MSG and red wine
8. On a scale of 1 to 10 (one for OK and 10 for impossible) how do you feel about doing your day to day job or activities when in afib. i would run as far as 6 miles when in Afib but could not run that fast. But Afib sucks so still give it a 0 since it is such a distraction
9. scale 1-10 (1 = totally pissed to 10: 10 since I had one episode in the last 2 years and 3 months that lasted a few hour (after having episodes every couple of weeks, awesome having NSR) . I converted myself when I sneezed (i was dehydrated and I believe had an electrolyte imbalance which could do it even for a non-afibber) I wish I would have done the ablation sooner. I am fortunate to live near a famous heart hospital that does lots of ablations - if you do it, you have to have someone who has done lots of successful ones. As a result, I am drug free and feel great!

1. I had short episodes of tachycardia ever since I had back surgery in the early 1980s. I also had PVCs since high school. First full blown episode was late 1990s. Tachycardia and afib woke me up in the middle of the night. Went by ambulance. Self converted on the way to the hospital. They poo pooed me and said I had a panic attack.
2. Yes. Sometimes I get them every minute for more than a week. Sometimes they go away quietly, other times they trigger afib.
3. Alcohol is a trigger. I completely stopped drinking two years ago. Lack of sleep is another. Unfortunately I get about 5 hours of sleep a night, and I'm perennially sleep deprived.
4. High blood pressure.
5. Partially. I found taking magnesium every day has really cut down on the frequency, although I still get them.
6. I take bystolic only. That's more for blood pressure.
7. I see an EP, but she doesn't think I need anti coagulants or any other treatment besides blood pressure for now. I would never consider ablation because of their high failure rate.
8. I have only gotten afib at night, so it has never interfered with my job. Why only at night??? Hmmm... I wonder why?
9. 10 totally pissed. I'm angry there doesn't seem to be a treatment that works, nor a cure!

I'm asymptomatic and the Bystolic (for rate control) eliminates the high heart rate. Also take Pradaxa. I have to say, the first time I noticed anything was the evening my car battery overheated, started smoking, and gave off some bad fumes. Actually, my kids told me they smelled it before, but that evening it was filling up the car with smoke. So I opened the windows as I had to play full court basketball with some 20 year olds. When I ran down the court, I felt more out of breath than usual. My wife and her friend were laughing as they watched. They thought I was "dogging it". I figured it was the fumes. The next day or so I was playing indoor soccer with some maniacs and I noticed the same thing. A few weeks later and I get a diagnosis I didn't expect from a life insurance physical. I had felt better by then so I thought the diagnosis was a mistake.

I'm happy with rate control, but I wish they could 'cure" my longstanding persistent afib. I don't get pissed because I have researched and read the facts and never expected that there was an actual cure. So I went through the 5 stages of grief pretty quickly: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. You don't get over it, you learn to live with it. petey

I didn't feel good, but I never felt it. Just an EKG, and wham my world changed as I knew it.