Well thorncrown4, one episode in 3 1/2 years hummmm.... I wouldn't get too excited. There are those of us who would get episodes every 3 1/2 days. However, we also know that we don't have any gauge of the severity of episodes. So its hard to say. You are still rather young. I would take the least intrusive course of action. If it were me (which its not), given your situation, I'd go for a beta blocker and a rhythm control drug as pill in pocket. ----This is coming from someone who has had AFIB for decades, a stroke and an ablation. Make sure you take an anti-coagulant (not aspirin).

TC4,
I might disagree with Paul on this one...I would say that since you are only 46, you could get an ablation and bounce back very quickly. It is obviously tougher as you get older. Of course, as Paul pointed out, an episode every 3.5 years wouldn't lead you to panic and rush off and get one tomorrow. There is a lot of research and soul searching to do. But 46 recovers much more quickly than 56 or 66! Best of luck in whatever decision you make on this. Sorry about the bad back. I have been doing the chiropractor thing since 1990, and a few years back added acupuncture. Like most things, you take your back for granted until it goes out on you.

Bill

Paul60/Tcaepayguy,
Thanks for the replies. I am definitely a very anxious person and had a bad night last night as I wasn't able to get any sleep. I'm currently on aspirin and I guess I'm afraid of anticoagulants, but I don't want to have a stroke. One question. How do you deal with having AFib every three and a half days from a mental and emotional standpoint? The anxiety I get from AFib is horrible! My heart rate elevates and I can't relax. I take Alprazolam and it helps, but I am worried about the future because, l've read that AFib gets worse with age. I'm having trouble handling getting AFib once every 3.5 years, so I am worried about how to deal with it once it comes more often. Part of me just wants to get zapped to get out of the abnormal rhythm because it's quick, but it's expensive and it seems like it wouldn't be good for your heart to do that multiple times over the years. Does anyone take magnesium to help them calm down during an AFib episode? I just wish I was better at dealing with the anxiety during an AFib episode. I can't imagine what it was like for people who've had this condition and didn't have medication to correct and to help calm them down.

Hi TC4, This could be a reaction to the Steroid. I have had 2 drug induced Episodes that were the Worst I have had for 3+yrs. Both put me into afib on and off for day and days...for 3+ weeks. Little by little the episodes tapered down. Was the Steroid an injection? Did they use epinephrine? They were the worst 2 months I have endured with Afib. I was ready for an ablation the last time.

My Episodes are usually a month apart. Today, I am week 7 NSR. So, I am not getting 'worse with age'...in fact, I am actually doing better then when first diagnosed!

Do you take anything to slow your rate when you get afib? I take a beta blocker, only when I go into afib to bring my rate down.

The unknowns are cause for stress. Afib is a huge bundle of 'Unknowns' I still get anxious when hours have passed and I am still in afib...when will it stop is in my mind...stressing me. I have been working with the thought, that I can handle it, to ease my stress. The relief when it ends is so Great!!!!!

Give this some time, you may be having a reaction to the meds. If so, it can take weeks to reset you. Once you have reset, if you are like me, you will be good to go again.

Hugs and Hopes, Carol

Regarding the magnesium, some people do take it to help with afib, but be careful. My advise would be to go to your family doc and have them do an electrolyte panel. If they're low, a supplement wouldn't be a bad thing, and might help. But if they're normal or even on the high side, you wouldn't want to take more. Magnesium is one of the electrolytes the heart needs to function properly, but it needs to be at the correct level. Having too much magnesium could do more harm than good.

I have episodes of afib and SVT on a weekly basis. I'm 38 now, and have been dealing with it since my mid-20s. It used to freak me out as well, but it's amazing what the body can get used to. Hang in there.

The anxiety can be a show stopper, and learning to deal with it takes time, so glad you have Alprazolam as it does help when you really need it, Deep breathing also helps allot, Another thing that helps is Natural Calm which is a natural remedy that also contains magnesium. Someone on the board here recommended and it does work pretty well. I think it may have been the steroids too, they can really cause some havoc, Most people are magnesium deficient even if your blood work says it is okay because that does not show what ir in your cells, I take 350 of magnesium orotate at my cardios recommendation and will take the natural calm when I need the help in calming down, Talk to your doctor about adding a magnesium supplement. Having an ablation is a personal decision and you should talk it over with your doc, Mine said the earlier the better. Good luck!

Thanks to everyone who has responded to my posts. This really helps! Before this latest episode I was taking Diltiazem and Diovan for high blood pressure and rate control and 325 mg aspirin. My cardio gave me Multaq yesterday and I'm still in AFib today. Now he has me taking Multaq in addition to the meds mentioned above. He says that he will put me on a blood thinner if I don't convert by tomorrow morning, which is when I'm going in for an EKG. I suspect I will not convert by tomorrow. After taking the Diltiazem with the Multaq, I actually feel better (not as anxious). I want to go to work because I hate just sitting here. Has anyone gone back to work while waiting to convert from AFib? I will definitely try getting tested for electrolytes and will ask my cardio if I can take Magnesium. Perhaps YogoCat is correct and it will take a few weeks to convert back. I have these extreme fears that they won't be able to convert me back or if they use cardioversion, then it won't last very long. The steroid I took was in pill form, for 5 days. The cardio said that the pain of the sciatica for 3 weeks could have caused the AFib. The not knowing what caused it and if I can convert back to NSR is what is the worst. i'm also stressed because now I may need to pay for and be on two more meds a month. Again, I know I should be grateful that meds are available. I hope and pray that Multaq will help me convert over the next weeks or sooner. I just wanted to thank everyone for being so great about sharing their experience and positive thoughts. Please keep sharing.

Throwncrown4:
Its amazing what you can get used to. At my worst at the end of 2013 I was having about four AFIB events a week. Many days I couldn't go up a flight of stairs (coming from someone who spent 3 hrs/day 3x week in the gym all his life). It got really bad and I was 64 at the time, then came the stroke. I guess the ablation wasn't really a choice at that point, definitely didn't want another stroke. Now, six months after the ablation, I would not say my AFIB is gone completely, but its much reduced, and when I have a episode, 25 mg of metoprolol usually stops it within 1/2 hour.
If you concerned about the cost of drugs, keep in mind that the top line cost (before insurance) of an ablation is around 100K. If you get one, make sure your EP does lots and lots of these each year. The superstars have a much better track record.

Sorry to hear you had another episode. I'm sort of in the same boat as you. I'm 42 and I've had afib for about 8 years now. I would go years in between episodes but now since the beginning of this year I go into afib about once a month, so yes, it is getting worse for me. I'm not saying the same thing will happen to you but usually afib is progressive over time. I wouldn't do anything drastic yet but if you start having episodes once a month, I would seriously recommend considering having an ablation. I'm flying to Austin, TX myself next month to have a consult with Dr. Natale. I'm hoping he thinks I'm a good candidate because I'll do an ablation in a heartbeat (no pun intended) at this point. I have had 4 electrical cardioversions and I know others in here have had even more than that so I wouldn't fear them. After my last cardioversion my doctor recommended the pill-in-the-pocket approach (300mg of Flecainide) and luckily for me so far it has been working so I don't have to do cardioversions. However, if I took it and it didn't work, I'd get a cardioversion quickly. I can't stand being in afib for more than 2 hours. I am highly symptomatic when I'm in afib. I can barely function.

A lot of people in here are big fans of anticoagulants but I disagree with their general recommendation that EVERYONE with afib has to take them. My EP here locally is one of the top doctors in the state and he said he rarely recommends them for "younger" folks like us - even those that are in persistent afib. If you're only in afib once every 3 years and you convert "quickly," I can't imagine you'd need to be on an anticoagulant. Unless you're in persistent or regular afib, I personally wouldn't let my doctor convince me to take them. Just my two cents.

Travis

thank you Travis for your enlightened response...hope it helps thorncrown4 ....because it is helping me work thru this

Ooooof! I hate when it comes from nowhere. I tend to wait too long to go in, unless I am close to syncope. I have managed to have a TIA, probably my own fault.

Now on the bright side, I decided to go back to school, I am 54, algebra was a resurrection, and not a refresher. Things are still working, and I think I might still have a place to work when I retire 8 years from now. I have had Paroxysmal Afib for over 45 years, I am proof it is survivable.