Hi Ray,
I think we have all been there. It is very scary when told you have a problem with your heart. If it's any comfort, a fib is not a "sudden cardiac arrest" type of thing. It is something that people live with for many years. It sounds like you may be in a fib all the time and didn't realize it?
The warfarin is to decrease the risk of stroke, and the digoxin and metoprolol are to slow down your heart rate. The other 2 are for B/P. Having a high heart rate is very hard on your heart so one of the goals for treatment is to control the rate. The other treatment option is to try to convert you back to regular rhythm. I think that you will be able to exercise in the future. I believe they just didn't want to add extra stress to your heart until they get the rate controlled.
This site has been very helpful to me...glad you found us. There are many of us here who understand how you feel and to give you support.

Hello Ray, I am so sorry you are having to go through this. When I first got diagnosed I thougt my life was over. I was wrong, it just means I have had to make some changes and have faith. It was almost two years before I found this group. It has been a real blessing to me to know there are people out there going through the same thing. It will be OK just educate yourself and find a good doctor that knows alot about afib. It's not the end just a different chapter. Take care.

ask your Doc. about cardizem 180mg.

I know just how you feel. I was diagnosed in January.while I was sitting in my new doctors office. Since then I have tried different meds to control afib. Now I am on warfarin (which is really necessary to have), dixogin ( I am allergic to metropol and multaq) and cardizm. It is scary, but the more you know the more comfortable you will become with afib. Many of my friends have it and I didn't even know it. The hardest thing is to try to go back to being normal, it feels like you have a elephant on your back. Let them first actually diagnose you and get the meds right and you will be back excising.

I have aFib all the time. I can't take Digoxin but I take the other meds that you do. I go to the gym 6 days a week and my cardiologist told me its good for my heart. (I also have an enlarged heart and a hole in my aorta). I was terrified the first year but then I got into this group and realized that its not as bad as I thought and now I forget that I even have it. Its scary for all of us when we first find out but after 3 years I can tell you that its just something you learn to live with. Good luck.

Hi Ray,
I'm glad you found this support group, the people here are great and they give really valuable advice. i just joined this support group a couple weeks ago and it's really helping me. I know exactly what you're going through as well. I'm only 42 years old and I was diagnosed with AFib at 35 years of age. The irregular heart rythm episodes have really messed with my mind and my emotions, but I am slowly getting better. The important thing to remember is that once they find out the best combination of drugs to put you on, then you will regain your life as normal, albeit with a few changes. I've had to stop eating chocolate, minimize my alcohol intake (a glass of wine has been o.k. for me) avoid caffeine and stop smoking, but I have to say that most of the changes have actually been beneficial to my health. Hang in there, you WILL get better!