10 years since first AF and anxiety has hit me so bad

Hi all,

I couldnt log in with my old username which was simply Paul from the older forums...

I've not been in here for 2.5 years now since my last AF episode where i had ECV. I'm 43 and consider myself fortunate that ive been able to stretch out the times between episodes although the longest was 3.5 years and the shortest 6 months. I've had 5 episodes in 10 years 2 of which saw ECV and the first 3 were a mix of drugs and time.
I have had the most incredible anxiety recently and these last couple of weeks have been a place i didnt know existed in the mind.
I'm a little rusty on the subject of AF and the surrounding topics. I no longer take and magnesium or potassium like i did in the first 5 years. I started eating better and you could say i've healed it somewhat looking at the intervals.
PVC/PAC's still bother me - how do i know which i have? what does each feel like?
I sometimes get what i think is atrial flutter? it feels like a light AF and lasts for 10 to 20 seconds but never reaches that confirmed irregular thud of AF. Is this atrial flutter? or just a series of PVC/PAC?
So to combat the anxiety i really want to exercise. In the 10 years i went from no exercise to doing a few half marathons, running daily and in the last 4 years i joined the gym to work out. at 40/41 i was in the best shape of my life.
I've had plenty of life stresses in the last 3 years and almost work two jobs spending far too many hours in front of computer (IT and photography - theres really no escape).
So my question to the knowledgable folk in here many of whom i see are still active all these years - amazing!
When i run and i feel a PVC/PAC or a small run of them should it bother me? I cant relax when i exercise so im anxious when doing it so no longer get post exercise highs or feel good from it as im far too concerned about feeling my heart. I hate feeling my heart.
I'm going back on the magnesium and have some L-theanine for my anxiety which seems to work.
Ive recently noticed my BFS (benign facsiculation syndrome) spread from my calves to other parts and as this also show nerves misfiring it makes me think im not in a good way nerve wise. Anyone else have BFS?
I've a 24 ECG soon to demonstrate the PVC/PACs to the docs when i run.
I'm afraid of it not being able to cope at high HR and missed/extra beats.
Thanks for any replies, I hope you are all doing well
Paul

Also what is the rate for an ablation in Bordeaux these days?

I thought this article was interesting - [www.medscape.com]

I'm over 6'8" so possibly thats why im pre disposed to this.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/15/2014 03:42PM by Paul AKA Paul.

Hi Paul - there are many things to consider, but I will mention only one that may be of interest to you.

There is a lot of supporting anecdotal information that endurance type of exercise is not at all good for afib, and perhaps not good for your overall health. The stress it puts on our bodies seems to be cumulative. As well it causes an increase in free radicals.

There is also theory that afibbers are chronically short on electrolytes. This could be from wasting through sweating, or malabsorption or who knows what else. Long duration exercise could be one of the causes of this.

I am also tall and lean and have been a life long exerciser and sports enthusiast.

Today I have lived through 5 years of afib, been successfully ablated, and and have found a way to exercise that keeps me fit and happy without the accompanying stressors of long duration exercise.

There are a few components to my exercise regime. First of all instead of the typical "cardio" I use HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training that only takes less than 15 minutes to complete two or three times a week.

The second part uses very slow weights to failure. I use a bowflex for this and have a routine that exercises all the upper body one day once or twice a week and the lower body once or twice a week. Depending how I feel it is either one or two sets - total time about 20 to 30 minutes.

We also include the use of a Hypervibe and have these three machines in our basement. They save me a ton of money on gym memberships.

Using this approach I get all of the "feel good" and benifits from exercise without taking up too much time.

You can pick up really good details on this at Mercola.com.

Rates at Bordeaux were about 15,000 Euro last year.

Best regards, Ron



At any r

Hi Ron , Thank you for your kind input and reply. In recent years i only ever ran 5k/30 mins so hardly too much endurance. I didnt like the longer distance and never felt i was made for it.
i used to do the HIT as per Mercola in fact. I used to do it on the bike machine in the gym but you can bet i would hate to feel my heart beat that rapidly now!! and most likely feel a few missed beats.
I did a HIT about 8 weeks back to see if i could get back into it and used a short hill locally to run up and walk down. I did 6 reps i think but then i was disturbed at how my HR wouldnt go back down below 100 for the rest of the day, it stayed around 90-110 and this made me anxious and no doubt made it stay up. I can have a resting rate as low as 59 still if i try but it always seems to take so long to drop after intense excercise.
Did you ever get skipped beats or still get any Ron?
Thanks

Paul for sure I had skipped heart beats. Now I get the odd run of rapid beats for a few seconds now and then, but that is all. I don't blame you for not wanting to stress things out when your symptoms are acute. I kept playing hockey for about 4 years after my first event and did not fully understand what was happening to me, but could often be seen on the bench taking my pulse. It probably was not too bright on my part to keep over stressing. Really, the best form of exercise when things were acute was walking.

I used to get muscle jerks and twitches, especially when falling asleep. I also felt my heart, as in hard heart beats that were very noticable and kept me awake. I was never diagnosed with BFS but it sounds similar. These symptoms have both diminished to the point of being almost non existent. I am convinced that getting my potassium and magnesium levels up helped in all of this involuntary muscle action as well as the hard heart beat, and that the use of a Cardy meter played a big role in "getting it right".

My healing came from healing my gut. Absorption was an issue as was silent inflamation from foods I had become sensitized to.

Perhaps your feelings of anxiety could be much more physical than you think, rather than psycological. Perhaps there are dietary things that could be considered. Gluten is considered by my doctor to be a neurotoxin that should never be consumed. Food sensitivity testing can give you a window into gut ailments that could be playing a role.

Just make a decision that you will have your health back, and you will.

Best, Ron

Thanks again Ron. The people on this site are completely the best!
I'll work on absorption.
All the best
Paul

Good reply, Ron.

I too am tall and slender and was a hardcore weekend warrior when it came to my racquetball and weight training. Thus, when I hit 50 years old, the planets aligned and viola, afib. Since my Natalie ablation last March, I'm now, after 6 years, Afib free. And so i decided to get back into an exercise regimine.
Your recommendaton of interval training is a sound one. I go to the gym 2-3 days a week and take a mere 20 minute circuit workout on 4 stations. Without stopping to rest, I go directly to the next station, which gives me just enough pause in between to keep my heart rate up.
Not only am I getting the cut back in my muscles I'd lost during my afib hiatus, I'm also receiving a decent cardio workout.
Most fitness experts now agree that long workouts that take up to 1 to 2 hours are unecessary.

I echo the HIIT and super slow to failure strength training. If I had to choose one because of ectopic or afib, I'd choose the super slow to failure. It is unlikely to cause issues, but is still an excellent and fast workout.

George