I had an AF episode yesterday, started around 9:00 a.m., I took one propafenone (125mg), drank a cup of ginger tea, went back to bed hoping I would convert shortly. Well, that didn't happen, I got up ate some breakfast, my AF wasn't too bad, it is reacting differently, when I sit my heart rate feels in normal rhythm, only when I get up and move around does it get in abnormal rhythm. I have two home heart monitors, they have the capability to show if I am or not in rhythm, when I am sitting down they show that I am in NSR, but I know my rhythm isn't the way it should feel.
I did not go back into NSR until around 2:am, a total of 17 hours, that is not unusual for me, I go anywhere from 3 to 24 hrs. usually a lot of that time is in sleep, as I get AF in the late evening, this began in the morning, this has happened once in a great while.
When I finally went back into NSR around 2:00 a.m. my heart rate started beating very fast, it was normal rhythm but fast, it wasn't real, real fast, in the 80s and low 90s, this feels fast to me as my heart rate is usually in the 60s. I finally took one tab. of Ativan (0.5) in about 15 min my rate slowed, and heart beat was normal. My question is could that be flutter? I called U of M and sent a transcript of my pacemaker, they are going to get the info. to my EP, they said that it appears that I did go in and out of rhythm and that the fast beating is the Ventricals, they verified that I did go into NSR and I am in NSR now.
If anybody has been in flutter, can you tell me what it is like, is it anything like I have described? It is possible that the propafenone is causing the fast heart rate, I think my doc. might prescribe a beta blocker. I took a total of 2 and a 1/2 tabs. of propafenone during this time period, plus I always take one before I go to bed so a total of about 435 mg.
I have been doing pretty good the last 4 months except for yesterday.
Liz
