New AFibber

Hi all,

I have recently been diagnosed with afib (whilst overseas). Thinking back, I have definitely been symptomatic for the last 12 months, possibly 18 mths.
Since starting on beta blockers 4 weeks ago, I have had 3 episodes in the last 2 weeks, each lasting 20 hours, one of which made me go out of breath enough to require an paramedics and a visit to the ER. I had an episode yesterday that started as I woke around 5am. The usual heavy, fast, irregular beats. Last the whole day, making breathing very difficult. Went for a 40min walk to see if exercise would help it revert. It didn't help.

It seems the beta blockers are making me worse now than before I started beta blockers. Before BB, whenever I had an episode, I just thought I was a bit more tired than usual and the heart was beating faster, but I could still do normal activities. Now on BB, I can barely stand up when an episode hits. Some days with no episode, there is breathing difficulty. It seems the "cure" is worse than the disease. Is this common?
I have gone from bisoprolol, to metoprolol, and today started on sotalol.

I have been trying to read as much as I can from this forum. There are a great many posts, and I can only read several hours before it all becomes too depressing and I have to take a break. Including the forum archives, I have queue'd up for reading The Strategy, The Gut Connection, and the Virutal LAF conference.

I have lots of questions, but not all organized. I will be posting more questions when I remember them, so apologies in advance if it appears I am spamming. Some questions for now:
- I have seen a local cardiologist. I only had a quick (60 seconds) ECG done, blood pressure measured (normal), and he listened to my chest. He looked at the diagnosis from the overseas cardiologist, and was unconcerned and just suggested I _eat_ more deep sea fish for their fish oil. I was on metoprolol so he replaced it with sotalol (2x1/2 pill daily). I saw him for maybe 10mins. Is it common for cardios to dismiss their patients so quickly without tests of any kind?
- I asked this cardio whether I had vagal or adrenergic LAF. He pretty much said "don't know, but most LAF is adrenergic", implying I am adrenergic. Is there a way to test for vagal/adrenergic, since this forum mentions that beta blockers are contraindicated for vagal afibbers.
- I wish I was in Austin so that I could see Dr Natale. Can anyone recommend an EP for Australia?

I've never been highly emotional, but this afib really scares me. It's lonely, cardios don't seem to care/understand, being in the ER makes you realise you're just a number, I worry about the kids (5+8) and wife. It's heartbreaking to see the kids cry themselves to sleep worrying about losing you.
Sorry about the rant.

Oz Bob.

Bob,

"Is it common for cardios to dismiss their patients so quickly without tests of any kind?"

Unfortunately, afib is considered the hemorrhoids of cardiology.

vagal/adrenergic see this: <[www.afibbers.org] When you are actually in afib, it really doesn't matter how you got there. Your doc is correct, most afib is adrenergic. However most of those people have an underlying cause - high blood pressure, coronary artery disease & etc. Most vagal afibbers came to afib via the route of excessive or chronic fitness. Is your resting heart rate <60 BPM? Does afib occur during exercise (adrenergic) or after, when relaxed (vagal).

Afib is unlikely to kill you. You can score yourself for CHADS 2 VAS here <[en.wikipedia.org] this is an indication for the need of anticoagulation for stroke risk (one way afib can do you in). Extended periods of high heart rate during afib >100 BPM can lead to cardiomyopathy or heart failure. If you aren't in afib very much or your rate in afib is low, this is not an issue.

EP in Oz <[www.afibbers.org] Dr. Prash Sanders at Royal Adelaide Hospital or Dr. Rukshen Weerasooriya at Royal Perth Hospital. They both trained with Pr. Haissaguerre in Bordeaux.

George

GeorgeN Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ... afib is considered the hemorrhoids
> of cardiology...
_________________________

That's funny! ;>)

Never heard it before.

/L

Thanks George.
Perhaps I have mixed type. I'm 39, didn't eat regularly, didn't sleep regularly/enough, tests show no other heart problems, resting heart rate was 75bpm when not on BB.
Each morning I wake to find I either have heavy heart beat or not. That corresponds with my afib. The last 3 episodes I have kept a diary of what I ate the following evening, and how much I ate. 3 is not a statistic, but it may be due to the MSG/salt content, and/or that I felt full. I now only eat until I'm half full, just to see how it goes. Fish oil, magnesium, bananas, vitamin D are on my supplements list. Adding to list as I read more Gut Connection.

In the last 20 years, I have not been into fitness so I wouldn't be classed into the chronic/excessive group.

Since I wake to afib, my running theory is either lack of sleep, or sleep apnea (I snore loudly and miss a breathe sometimes in my sleep). I have lined up an appointment for sleep tests.

Hey Oz Bob,
Yep go get a overnight sleep study, if you snore and miss a breath you're gasping for air and you need to see how far below 90% your O2 levels fall and what your AHI (Apnea Hypopnea Index) is per hour; I'm sure your wife has noticed this.

McHale

Bob,

A colleague and afibber friend "cured" his afib of 10 years standing when he cured his apena. Initially he used a CPAP machine, but later purchased a mouth appliance online inexpensively and it works, too. He likes it better. I've posted about it here, so you can search for it. If you can't find it, let me know and I'll locate my old post, or ask him.

George