Permanent AF and physical exercise

Hi,

and merry X-mas first of all to all fellow afibbers.

I would like to ask a simple question:

Is it possible to do sports like running with permanent AF being on blood thinners and betablockers? Not exactly marathon but something like 5 miles three times a week at a moderate pace. Just to keep fit and slim.

Thanks and kind regards

Dirk

Absolutely. I know a guy who's been in permanent afib for years who competes in senior marathons.

Oh, thanks Carey. I´m glad to read that. Gives me hope.

Permanent afib is not the case yet but might come one day. I do try to stay positive but it´s good to know that life´s not over if it happens.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/26/2018 12:07PM by Dirk.

My personal experience with persistent AFIB would be a answer of NO. I would be so exhausted from the AFIB from just doing daily routine things. My heart rate resting was approximately 80 bpm but immediately shot above 140 bpm with walking briskly.
When I was in AFIB, I never achieved NSR without a cardio version. AFIB was Hell on earth to me but maybe everyone is different. I spent many days in the Hospital before my 1st Ablation and also between the 1st and 2nd Ablation.

Just goes to show you how much individual variation there is in how people experience afib. For some, they don't even know they have it. For others, it's disabling. All anyone can do is get appropriate treatment and find out where they fall on that spectrum. There are no yes or no answers.

Quote
Dirk
Oh, thanks Carey. I´m glad to read that. Gives me hope.

Permanent afib is not the case yet but might come one day. I do try to stay positive but it´s good to know that life´s not over if it happens.

My Daddy was in Permanent AFIB for at least 5 years. He could not have a Ablation due to Health issues. He never had a Cardioversion due to Health issues. When he went into AFIB which was 2 years after my 1st diagnosis, Like me he never converted back to his NSR. I had to be paddled at least 6 different times. They tried every trick in the book to Chemically Convert me and my Dad but it never worked EXCEPT it did work for me after my 1st Ablation 1 time. I was out of the Hospital on Solitol because multaq was not covered. I was walking around the house and I felt NSR Bliss. I still had a 2nd Ablation to tame this Beast.

When my Dad past away this last August, his Heart was greatly enlarged from AFIB. He was 85 and died of a stroke taking a older blood thinner. His INR numbers were great 2 days before. Nothing is perfect in this Human world.
We did not have a autopsy ran so I cannot tell anyone for certain that AFIB caused the stroke. It no longer really Matters; I just miss him. I am thankful my Health allowed me to have my Ablations but I am not so nieve to believe it could not happen to me again.
Like Carey said, We are all different. That’s Life.

Smackman:

You said your dad died of a stroke while taking an older blood thinner, was that Coumadin? I have read of cases where people have died of a stroke while on a blood thinner and are usually older.

Strokes can be caused by arterial plaque in which case anticoagulation is irrelevant. Without autopsy I’m afraid you’ll never know.

To the OP, yes, exercise is not only possible but in many cases recommended. Everyone just has to find their limits and adapt. If you can do it, then there’s absolutely no reason not to.

Quote
Elizabeth
Smackman:

You said your dad died of a stroke while taking an older blood thinner, was that Coumadin? I have read of cases where people have died of a stroke while on a blood thinner and are usually older.

Yes, He was on Coumadin.

Quote
Elizabeth
Smackman:

You said your dad died of a stroke while taking an older blood thinner, was that Coumadin? I have read of cases where people have died of a stroke while on a blood thinner and are usually older.

No anti-coagulation med reduces your stroke risk to zero. For Coumadin/warfarin, I've read that the risk reduction is about 50%. For the newer anti-coagulation meds, the studies I've read is they are "non-inferior" to warfarin. There may be other studies showing they are better.

George

George:

I didn't mean that the blood thinner was the older, I meant that the people taking the blood thinner were usually older, they probably are less tolerant of drugs. I re-read my comment and it really isn't clear as to my meaning. Sorry and I am sober.

Liz

Hi Dirk,

In response to your question, I can tell you what my father's experience was. When my father had paroxysmal a fib he was able to do a high level of activity (running, pole vaulting, pickle ball, weights) while on blood thinners and beta blockers until age 76 when his a fib became persistent.

Then when the a fib became persistent he could not do anything due to extreme exhaustion and shortness of breath. The a fib caused damage to his left atrium and decreased ejection fraction.

Thanks to Shannon's help, he had an ablation at age 80 with Dr. Natale so is no longer in a fib.

Becky

Quote
BeckyS
Hi Dirk,

In response to your question, I can tell you what my father's experience was. When my father had paroxysmal a fib he was able to do a high level of activity (running, pole vaulting, pickle ball, weights) while on blood thinners and beta blockers until age 76 when his a fib became persistent.

Then when the a fib became persistent he could not do anything due to extreme exhaustion and shortness of breath. The a fib caused damage to his left atrium and decreased ejection fraction.

Thanks to Shannon's help, he had an ablation at age 80 with Dr. Natale so is no longer in a fib.

Becky

This is interesting information. Thanks for sharing.

How about an AV node ablation? Could this be a serious option to prevent fast hear beat while excercising?

Quote
Pompon

Hi Dirk,

In response to your question, I can tell you what my father's experience was. When my father had paroxysmal a fib he was able to do a high level of activity (running, pole vaulting, pickle ball, weights) while on blood thinners and beta blockers until age 76 when his a fib became persistent.

Then when the a fib became persistent he could not do anything due to extreme exhaustion and shortness of breath. The a fib caused damage to his left atrium and decreased ejection fraction.

Thanks to Shannon's help, he had an ablation at age 80 with Dr. Natale so is no longer in a fib.

Becky

This is interesting information. Thanks for sharing.

I would have given anything if my Daddy was a candidate for AFIB Ablation. Sometimes it’s not meant to be.

Quote
Dirk
How about an AV node ablation? Could this be a serious option to prevent fast hear beat while excercising?

Well, yes, but AV node ablation is a last resort option. It means lifelong depence on a pacemaker. I would certainly pursue an afib ablation before heading down that road. Longstanding persistent afib can be ablated successfully by highly experienced EPs.

I as an avid runner until I had back surgery in 2006; so I stopped running because of jarring of the spine and a possible new injury (I had spinal stenosis). Then, I still walked rapidly and did weight training until 2010 when I was diagnosed with afib. When I had a stress test I was walking very slowly on a slight incline and the nurses told me to “quickly lie down, your rate is 200.” I did not feel an an increased heart rate nor was I out of breath — it all seemed very dramatic to me.

But they scared me and I’ve always been afraid to push myself since then, thinking I would have a heart attack or just drop dead. I will probably always be in afib, and perhaps after my Watchman implant Dr. Doshi will put me on some med to reduce heart rate (Metroprolol and Multaq didn’t work for me, but that was in 2010/11 and maybe there is something better now). In the meantime ism on a heart monitor for a week prior to scheduling the Watchman so I will push myself a little bit.

As always, thank you to everyone for sharing your very valuable experiences. Louise