Hi Angie, welcome to the group. I'm sorry to hear that you're having to deal with afib but I hope that you will find comfort and answers while here. It's very possible that when your thyroid issues are resolved that your afib will be as well.

I was right about your age when I started my long journey with this. I really wish that I would have had a group like this to join back then.
I'm happy to hear that you're taking the steps necessary to treat your condition and having a good EP is essential.

There's a huge challenge early on in diagnosis that involves keeping afib from consuming you with fear and anxiety. Having those close to you nearby and sympathetic is very helpful but you have to get a mindset of "this will not control my life". The fear makes that difficult but keep telling yourself, "this will pass and my heart will beat on". It took me a while to get that mindset but after nearly two decades of afib I can tell you from my experience that mind over afib is one of the greatest allies in this battle.

I sincerely hope that your afib will be resolved soon. Afib treatment is much improved today, the past 10 years have shown great advances. It's been 8 months since my ablation and next week marks 6 months in normal sinus rhythm for me. Words can't describe how that feels after so many years struggling. Please stay positive, there are better days ahead.

Angie,

You can already tell by the comments that this a wonderful place to find encouragement, answers, and support. I don't post as often as I should, but I usually visit this board on a daily basis to read the latest comments. There are some really amazing people here! I am still fairly new to AFIB (diagonosed in November 2011), and felt the same measure of surprise, fear, and uncertainty that is common when you are told you have an arrhythmia. It's always great to see the support that is given to the newly diagnosed who find their way here. This forum sure helped me put AFIB in perspective and gave me some much needed orientation when I felt like I was drifting alone in the water.

Like others have mentioned, getting your thyroid under control may prevent AFIB from reoccurring. There is a correlation between both hypo and hyperthyroidism and AFIB so if that turns out to be the trigger for you, the Synthroid medication may dramatically cut back or even eliminate your episodes.

I was also recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism and have been on Synthroid since the first of August. I haven't had any episodes since (although I've only had 2 known AFIB episodes - November of 2011 and May of 2012). I'm hoping that my thyroid was the trigger and that my AFIB will not return. If it does, I can face it with a lot more confidence and understanding thanks to some of the great people on this forum.

Visit here often and you will continue to discover a wealth of information and encouragement.

Hi Angie, and welcome to the group.
I was diagnosed with afib 6 months ago, and like you, I would just wait for the next episode to happen. I'm surprised I don't have a permanent indentation on my wrist from feeling my pulse so oftern. lol I've gotten better as time goes on. I think the one thing that helped me the most was when my cardiologist told me that no-one has ever died from afib, and to go on and enjoy and live my life.

This group has helped me so much, even if it's just to come here and read the posts. We are all individuals, and experience afib in different ways. Try to maintain a good outlook. The way I look at it is there are people with so many worse things than this. At least this is controllable and sometimes even curable.

Hang in there Angie and God Bless.
Mary Ann

again thank you all so much! Yes I am hoping and praying that once I have 3 months of synthroid under my belt there will be no more episodes of Afib, that would be most excellent! Any little blip that i feel (because i still get flutters from time to time even with the meds) makes me think its going to happen again or something worse. I think what adds to my anxiety is that someone very close to me who I loved very very much passed away when he was 26 of Hypotrophic Cardiomyopathy. It was very sudden and very very unexpected. I started having severe PVC's at that point due to stress I am sure....so my anxiety over my heart has been going on for some time. Then the first time i went into Afib it all went downhill from there. So now any time i feel even the slightest blip I think its doom and gloom and that just perpetuates the situation. I wish i could calm myself and maybe with time I can. I am sorry we are all on the same boat, but I am not sorry that I found this place :)

Angie, pvcs are a normal occurrence and different from afib. I had pvcs for 30 years before I got afib. I still get a few also, although they are not as numerous as before since being on medication. I take metoprolol. I noticed I seem to get them usually after eating a meal. Between the pvcs and afib, I would love to have a dollar for every time I've felt my pulse lol.

We're all glad you found this group too.
Mary Ann

oh my goodness YES! I get them mostly after i eat. And i have really cut back on what I am eating (joined weight watchers the day i got out of the hospital this last time). So not only am I eating healthy I am eating less but I am most miserable right after I eat...very strange. I just had an apple and peanut butter and I can feel little flutters...

Yep..I know exactly what you mean. I am convinced there is a correlation between eating and pvcs. I've even think acid reflux makes them worse too. I used to drink a lot of iced tea too so the caffeine didn't help. Now all I drink is water.

Yeah I have completely cut out all caffiene and all alcohol. I try to avoid soda, even diet so i drink club soda if I think i need something fizzy :) otherwise gatorade, V-8 or water. I hope I'm not rambling on here too much, its just so nice to have people that understand, LOVE IT :)

Angie I sent you a message. Mary Ann

Welcome, Angie. Sorry to hear about your a fib. I can't add much else than everyone has already told you. When I read about your thyroid, I immediately thought you have a cause. If you correct the thyroid, maybe your a fib will go away. I hope so!1

I had an ablation back in March of last year. Since then, I still have blips and one felt like a fib all over again. It seems you never really get rid of this!

Hope you are a member only a short time, but we are glad to have your input anytime. The people on this forum are wonderful and give very good input!

Flipperdoodle... where have you been?

petey

Hi Angie,

just wanted to say Hi! I am 43 and always the youngest person in the Cardio and EPs offices hahaha! I was on a big dose of sotalol and it lowered my HR to 45-50 also. It will be ok, they just need to get it under control. Also, don't be afraid to take something for the anxiety, you def need it in the beginning. I remember!

Just had an ablation on Jan. 14th and I am feeling really great so far. Welcome to our group!

Kelly

Angie, I am afraid to eat certain foods or lay down on my left side bc I will feel my heart flip flop and have gone into afib. This afib really stinks but we have to try to not let it run our lives. I really love this meditation app on the iPhone by Andrew Johnson. I use it everyday now along with yoga and my anxiety has gone way down. I have felt less skipped beats since I started doing this. :) anyway, please private message me if you want to.

Heather

Petey--

I'm still around. As I stated in my earlier post, I visit this site almost daily...I'm just a very inconsistent poster. I need to do better!

I'm going on about 9 months since my last AFIB episode. It was the first time I ever tried the PIP (Rythmol) and it worked! Now that I'm on thyroid medication, I'm hopeful that my AFIB may not return. Let me just add that among the many wonderful people on this forum, I believe you are the heart and soul. Keep up the great work!

Angie, sorry for hijacking your thread for a moment!

Eating the evening meal seems to show up here very often as a trigger for a fib. This is the same in my case eat--- boom a fib -- lay down especially on my left side and boom a fib. Alcohol and any food I eat does not trigger a fib and never did just eating the evening meal. My thyroid is fine and now that I'm on a drug that finally works I have no a fib that I'm aware of but still have a faster heart rate and some little bumps after eating the evening meal. I'm overweight and tend to eat to much at the evening meal as I eat very little during the day. NSR to all Rick