What does it feel like when you 'convert' to NSR

Hello

Afib for approx. 10 years. I probably did not seek treatment for the first year or so. Cardiologist has me on Flecenaide (100mg) twice a day. Other meds include Ziac (generic) / fenofibate / janument / glimepiride / fish oil / 325mg asprin. Latest test results showed "sugars" at 113 and A1C at 5.6 I try to be consistent on when I take the medication. Normal times are around 10am and 10pm. Tiggers seem to be over-eating / stress / alcohol. Episodes seem to last 12-18 hours. When I first started taking Flecenaide the epsiodes would go away for months at a time.

For the last year or so, they have become more frequent (one a month / every other week) . I asked my cardiologist what can me done if I go into AFib in between doses. He said that I could take another dose. I would then take my normal dosage at the next usual time.

I do not know if taking the extra dose has anything to do with it...but I get this 'sensation' / 'wave' that comes over me that lasts for about 3-7 seconds...and when it subsides...I am back to NSR. It is the strangest thing. I do not lose consiousness but it is a dizzy feeling. I can tell a few seconds ahead that it is coming on. I have told my doctor about it..we used a holter monitor..but since that was only for a day...it did not catch anything...

Thanks for having this great forum. Mike

I never felt the exact time of my natural conversions, I would think it would be good to know this.

I've had afib for nearly 13 years. After a 2 1/2 month episode in the first 4 months, I've kept it in remission with magnesium to bowel tolerance, though recently have reduced, but still a high dose of 1.5 g/day (did use as high as 5.5 g/day). Except for an 18 month period when I was consuming too much calcium from wheels of brie, my afib has been well controlled. When I do have an episode, I use 300 mg flecainide to convert, otherwise I take no meds for anything. It usually converts me in about an hour. I've used it 3 times in the last 4 years for a total of 2.5 hours of afib. When I convert I get a sense that I'm back in rhythm. It isn't a strong feeling, just a sense. I then check with my radial pulse and confirm NSR. I also am very rigorous about metabolic health, aiming for an A1C<5.

Likewise when I go into afib, it is a sense, not a strong feeling. I also confirm this by taking my radial pulse.

I've caught the conversions on a recording, beat-to-beat heart rate monitor.

Good luck.

George

Mike, i too have had a strange sensation when converting back to NSR. For me it felt like a very brief, but warm flowing sensation into my brain. I shook it off as my imagination, but, felt it could be that when my heart kicks back into NSR the increased efficiency of my heart pumping the blood through my body created the sensation as a more normal level of blood was flowing into my brain. Sounds crazy and i never would have mentioned it except for your post. Even in Afib (which is usually Aflutter for me) my pulse rate is in the low 50's beats per minute, so, it is conceivable that a 20% or more increase in pumping efficiency could be noticeable. Not sure if this resonates with your sensation or not.

steve

Hi Mike - There are probably many different sensations which vary by individual. In my 20+ year afib saga, only occasionally have I had a noticeable sensation when finally converting back to NSR. If I did, most often, it was a noticeable 'rush' of calm or serenity overall. Hard to describe but was enough to prompt me to check my pulse, I typically checked very lightly, the carotid artery.

In some of my many events that lasted 24 - 27 hours, I noticed that as time went on, the force of the beat was lighter and that typically meant I'd be converting fairly soon. When I began to have relief from the chest pressure, it often meant conversion was near. However, unfortunately, sometimes that lighter force meant I had switched from Afib to A-fluttter...and that often meant it would be a long session which might end up going for electrocardioversion.

Jackie

Thanks for some coroboration ---"SMB"....the sensations are 'warm' (almost 'electric) ....in the head area....but sometimes the feeling / wave / warm sensations have been mild and some have been quite 'noticeable'....as it almost feels like my brain is scrambling...no loss of consiousness...i can sense it a few seconds before..warm feeling...electric...lasts 5 seconds or so...I do have to get my bearing back a bit...telling myself..."ok...that just happened".....my normal afib seems to be just an annoyance...no real pain associated with it....the last few times...have all had the same pattern......noticed Afib around 1am...took another pill at 3am....still in afib at 8 am (take regular pill)...there is a litte more pounding of the chest at this point (more annoying)...i get a feeling that it is going to 'reset' ...and usually does around 10am to 12 noon....i will monitor that 'blood flowing into the brain' idea..along with checking the pulse before NSR.....Mike

I could always feel the AF getting "lighter", for lack of a better word. Then, after a minute or so I'd no longer sense any "flops" and I'd check my radial pulse to find NSR. If I counted 10 regular beats in a row then I knew I was back in rhythm. Confirmed by AliveCor more often than not.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2017 01:24AM by wolfpack.

I feel a "click" in my gut. It's an odd little thing, but when I feel the click, I know I've gone back into NSR. I was in the hospital (getting onto Sotalol) and the doc was standing there talking to me when he asked me what was up. I had just clicked back into NSR and I guess had a big smile about it. I told him, he looked skeptical and then listened to my heart. It was in NSR. Since then he always listens seriously to me when I talk about feeling one way or the other with the Afib.

Nancy

Hello everyone, thanks for reading my first reply here. I'm a 55 male late stage paroxysmal/early stage persistent afibber.

When I was on anti-arrhythmics (diltiazem, multaq, sotalol, propafenone) I had frequent, lengthy (2-4+ sec) pauses on conversion to NSR, so I ALWAYS felt the transition, generally accompanied by that sense of imminent loss of consciousness. Because of that, and their ineffectiveness, I no longer take AA's.

As I am now post failed ablation (Feb '17, soon to have another) and almost persistent, my conversions are less frequent, and my NSR of much shorter duration, but I always sense it happening. The feeling is so wonderful, so calming, as if something toxic has just escaped my chest. I really don't need to take an AliveCor when it happens because the feeling is so distinct. I have also frequently caught conversions, both to and from, on the AliveCor. And I feel them as they are happening. To say I am a novice at reading strips is an understatement, but the conversions back and forth might be PAC's or PVC's or just garden variety afib. Regardless, the NSR is a blissful feeling.

Was your pauses caught on a heart monitor when you were converting and almost passing out--I had that happen to me a few times and it was caught in my doctors office. My heart rate went way down to almost a flat line, I had to have a pacemaker implanted it is set at 50 so if my heart rate goes down further the pacer kicks in. It only happens when I covert from AF to NSR, i am glad i have it as that feeling of almost blacking out was not good.

Liz

I had a 3.8 second pause recorded when I was taking Multaq. I also had pauses on Sotalol and propafenone. I agree, that feeling is not good, to say the least! I seem to only have the noticeable, lengthy pauses when I am on an AA, and that's why I am not taking them now.

I had up to 3 second pauses while in AF. Mine was weird I suppose, being VERY vagal in nature. When I would convert I'd stop feeling anything, which always spooked me into checking a radial or temporal pulse to make sure something was there!