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.
Hello all... I'm now entering my 3rd week of the AF journey and have gotten so much wiser! I get a holter monitor and appt with Cardiologist on Monday afternoon so we can see what the "interesting" rhythm was that my GP saw at my follow up visit. She said her consultation with Cardiology confirmed that it was not AF. Hopefully the nursing assistant just hooked me up incorrectly... ha ha.
I seem to go in and out of AF several times a day, lasting from a few minutes to maybe an hour. Generally it's the worst when I first wake up in the morning. Pulse has not gone over 95 since I started Metoprolol in the hospital. While it's a little uncomfortable having a pounding heart, I have had no other symptoms other than feeling a little tired sometimes. I've gone to work and done everything that I have always done. Much of the time I feel great!
Here's my question... Many of you report pretty life-altering "symptoms" of AF. Did your adventure start out that way or has it changed dramatically over the years? Am I just at the beginning and it's likely to progress?
Thanks for your stories...
Cheryl
I seem to go in and out of AF several times a day, lasting from a few minutes to maybe an hour. Generally it's the worst when I first wake up in the morning. Pulse has not gone over 95 since I started Metoprolol in the hospital. While it's a little uncomfortable having a pounding heart, I have had no other symptoms other than feeling a little tired sometimes. I've gone to work and done everything that I have always done. Much of the time I feel great!
Here's my question... Many of you report pretty life-altering "symptoms" of AF. Did your adventure start out that way or has it changed dramatically over the years? Am I just at the beginning and it's likely to progress?
Thanks for your stories...
Cheryl
My journey has been more like a rollercoaster....ups and downs and twists...The more you can educate yourself the better off you ll be and everyone is different. I started on Pradaxa quit to aspirin put back on pradaxa and had an allergic reaction to it....as well as eliquis and xaralto....I used to seldom be in afib to being in afib all the time after my stroke Feb 17th. I have neurapathy all the time now and never know what to expect next. I scheduled for an electro shock start in April and will see how that goes. I have dental issues and no idea how to deal with this now because Dr. says no way I can go off warfarin....so not sure how to deal with this...I am trying to get back to Las Vegas but afib has me stuck in Kansas. So it goes. There are many positive things you can do proactively to help and Im sure with research you can find what fits best with your lifestyle. Read the posts here....They ve really helped me thorough alot and the support here is great. Good Luck and keep posting.....Vinny
Charlene
It is a journey and your episodes can change over time. Everyone is different and what works for some doesn't for others. Mostly, I would expect episodes to become more frequent and/or longer over time rather than becoming more severe in intensity. Sometimes medications become less effective over time but there are always different options.
I also highly recommend an EP. A general cardiologist is more like a plumber, an EP is an electrician. No matter what type of arrythmias you may be having an EP is the expert.
Afib is a progressive disease, and in my case, my symptoms increased in severity and frequency over a relatively short period of time, sort of like driving at 35mph for years towards the edge of a cliff then driving over the edge.
If you have afib, you likely have other arrhythmias as well, it's common. For instance, I also have SVT (supra ventricular tachycardia) and PAC (premature atrial contractions). The funky electrical signals in our hearts cause all sorts of odd rhythms, not just afib.
So yes, if left untreated, your symptoms are likely to progress. But getting on top of things now and getting a treatment plan can stop that from happening.