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,
I'm new here and I am looking for people who have been told by doctors that their afib was idiopathic and that there is no reason for them to have this condition. It just happened!
I want to know how it started.
The progression of the condition.
Where are you at today.
Here is my story in a few paragraphs:
My condition started 28 years ago now. I was a young lad in the army. Top shape, no medical issues, no more stress than the next guy. Then at 25 years old I went through some stressful times and I developed PVCs. Well I think we all know about these thing and how they suddenly announce them selves in our lives.
So I went through a bunch of tests in the army and always was told that they were benign and not to worry about them. easier said than done. Never the less I had them on and off for about 20 years. Then I did a few tours in shitty places with kids at home and that apparently would be where the anxiety started.
Of course the PVCs now were PACs and PVCs with bout of PVCs in the row but nothing I couldn't handle. Then in 2005 I got medically discharge following an incident in theater. I started to work for the feds immediately and got a little .....lets say out of shape.
Up until then this were good except for the bad dreams, stress no more than the next guy and a little anxiety I guess. One night, I was doing stationary bike after a stressful day and a full stomach shortly after dinner and that's where I had my first Atrial Flutter attack. It lasted over 5 hours and they got me back into NR with medication.
Needless to say that earned me a trip to the cardio. There again I got a friendly tap on the shoulder, a few test and no restriction. Then it happened again, got me some solalol and aspirin low dose. After a few years I was getting episodes here and there and the sotalol dosage was getting stronger until the point I was to the maximum dose (240 mg twice a day.
When on max solatol and still had attacks, I won a visit at the EP. Nice guy told me it was easy to cure with an ablation. Underwent the ablation on 18 May 2011 and on the 19 May 2011 I was back at hospital in afib for over twelve hours and I reverted to NR only after ...you guessed it! More sotalol.
I have been on solalol since thin and now recently following a little stress (no more than other times really) I go a few afib episodes. Since I don't f@#$ with the puck! I won myself another visit to the EP and will get an ablation on the other side. More to follow I guess.
Now what I find particular in all this is I never had more stress or anxiety than he next person and now I get the crazy nights (cuz it's ALWAYS at night between 11:00 hrs to 03:00 Hrs) fill with bouts of PVCs and PACs and they seems to trigger the afib if I stay laying down. As soon as I sit up it stops. During those bouts my heart beats is maybe 10 to 20 BPD faster than normal (normal is 54 to 60 BPM is my normal) and as soon as I lay dow it immediately starts again (PVCs and PACs up to ying yang and if I stay too long laying down BOOM! comes the afib.
So this is in a nut shell what is going on. Doctors have no ideas why I have that and frankly...they don't care about PVCs and PACs and when I tell them how it starts, they don't seems to believe me.
Anyone else have similar stories? I train regularly, I'm in good shape, I don't drink coffee, alcohol or do drugs. What gives?
Thx for listening.
Scooby
I'm new here and I am looking for people who have been told by doctors that their afib was idiopathic and that there is no reason for them to have this condition. It just happened!
I want to know how it started.
The progression of the condition.
Where are you at today.
Here is my story in a few paragraphs:
My condition started 28 years ago now. I was a young lad in the army. Top shape, no medical issues, no more stress than the next guy. Then at 25 years old I went through some stressful times and I developed PVCs. Well I think we all know about these thing and how they suddenly announce them selves in our lives.
So I went through a bunch of tests in the army and always was told that they were benign and not to worry about them. easier said than done. Never the less I had them on and off for about 20 years. Then I did a few tours in shitty places with kids at home and that apparently would be where the anxiety started.
Of course the PVCs now were PACs and PVCs with bout of PVCs in the row but nothing I couldn't handle. Then in 2005 I got medically discharge following an incident in theater. I started to work for the feds immediately and got a little .....lets say out of shape.
Up until then this were good except for the bad dreams, stress no more than the next guy and a little anxiety I guess. One night, I was doing stationary bike after a stressful day and a full stomach shortly after dinner and that's where I had my first Atrial Flutter attack. It lasted over 5 hours and they got me back into NR with medication.
Needless to say that earned me a trip to the cardio. There again I got a friendly tap on the shoulder, a few test and no restriction. Then it happened again, got me some solalol and aspirin low dose. After a few years I was getting episodes here and there and the sotalol dosage was getting stronger until the point I was to the maximum dose (240 mg twice a day.
When on max solatol and still had attacks, I won a visit at the EP. Nice guy told me it was easy to cure with an ablation. Underwent the ablation on 18 May 2011 and on the 19 May 2011 I was back at hospital in afib for over twelve hours and I reverted to NR only after ...you guessed it! More sotalol.
I have been on solalol since thin and now recently following a little stress (no more than other times really) I go a few afib episodes. Since I don't f@#$ with the puck! I won myself another visit to the EP and will get an ablation on the other side. More to follow I guess.
Now what I find particular in all this is I never had more stress or anxiety than he next person and now I get the crazy nights (cuz it's ALWAYS at night between 11:00 hrs to 03:00 Hrs) fill with bouts of PVCs and PACs and they seems to trigger the afib if I stay laying down. As soon as I sit up it stops. During those bouts my heart beats is maybe 10 to 20 BPD faster than normal (normal is 54 to 60 BPM is my normal) and as soon as I lay dow it immediately starts again (PVCs and PACs up to ying yang and if I stay too long laying down BOOM! comes the afib.
So this is in a nut shell what is going on. Doctors have no ideas why I have that and frankly...they don't care about PVCs and PACs and when I tell them how it starts, they don't seems to believe me.
Anyone else have similar stories? I train regularly, I'm in good shape, I don't drink coffee, alcohol or do drugs. What gives?
Thx for listening.
Scooby
I just read something very encouraging in you post. It means a lot to me to ear that via treatments your symptoms have decreased or you simply got to the point where you simply learned to live with it.
Scooby