newbi

I just thought I would introduce myself
my experience is relatively mild compared to some
I have never had an incident, ending up in the er or in a flutter,

my only symptoms are that I was extremely tired before a cardio conversion
which didn't last,
and I should mention occasional chest pain.
my doc seems to think I will eventually have to make a trip to the er, but not so far knock on wood.
I recently have a gotten a c pap machine for sleep apnea which I find annoying but I sleep better.
no beta blocks just xarelto and blood pressure meds.

I feel occasionally tired, no zip of energy,
im 62
I used to exercise lots before all this happened to me, started with blood clots five years ago,
then three years ago afib,

my doc leaves it all up to me, how I feel whether I want to be zapped again, this time with meds to follow up and
ablation if this doesn't work.
im on no beta blockers, though my gp thinks I should be, but my heart rate was too low when I was on them
he suggested beta blockers and no high blood pressure meds, but no decision as yet.
im feel not bad,
no big amounts of energy, but im 62 and haven't exercised for a few years. trying to change that.

my question would be, if I feel not bad would you go for the cardio conversion
or would you wait symptoms become more pronounced

and how long can you live with this,
I understand it gets worse with age.
I guess everyone is different so there is no real answer

so I just want thoughts opinions comments other peoples observations and experiences

I'd do the cardioversion. Cardioversions are trivial, routine things. There's no reason to hesitate or even spend much time trying to decide. Just do it. Just be aware that cardioversions are usually a temporary fix. It can last anywhere from seconds to years. So it might not last long, or it might last a very long time. Either way it's worth the shot.

I don't get why your doc thinks you might end up in an ER someday. For what? Unless something really unusual happens there's no reason to go to an ER for afib and there's usually not much they can or will do for you.

As for ablation, if you decide to go that way then you want the EP with the most afib ablation experience you can find. If your doc hasn't done many hundreds of ablations at least, and preferably thousands, he's not the guy you want doing an ablation. You do know that ablation is now considered a first line treatment now, right? There's no reason to spend years feeling like crap and taking a bunch of meds.

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Carey
You do know that ablation is now considered a first line treatment now, right? There's no reason to spend years feeling like crap and taking a bunch of meds.

Do you mean for those who start having frequent and/or longer lasing Afib episodes. The word "ablation" was never mentioned to me in the ER or at either of my 2 follow-up visits (One to cardiologist and one to EP). I take a beta blocker and a calcium channel blocker for my blood pressure. I guess the BB has the double duty for Afib, but that is not why it was prescribed. I've had the one episode back in late November 2018. I was told the take Eliquis if I have .another Afib episode Like the OP said, I have read that Afib is progressive, so while I hope I never have another one, I expect to.

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katesshadow
I've had the one episode back in late November 2018.

That's why nobody mentioned ablation. No one is going to suggest ablation for a single episode because a single episode doesn't really even qualify as a diagnosis of afib. After all, that episode might have been due to some transient cause like an electrolyte imbalance and it will never happen again. Holiday Heart Syndrome (HHS) is a good example. It's been known for years that people can experience afib episodes after a big weekend of binge drinking. Does that mean they have afib? No. If they stop the binge drinking the afib never happens again. So doing an ablation on someone like you would be so inappropriate it could be called malpractice.

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Carey

I've had the one episode back in late November 2018.

That's why nobody mentioned ablation. No one is going to suggest ablation for a single episode because a single episode doesn't really even qualify as a diagnosis of afib. After all, that episode might have been due to some transient cause like an electrolyte imbalance and it will never happen again. Holiday Heart Syndrome (HHS) is a good example. It's been known for years that people can experience afib episodes after a big weekend of binge drinking. Does that mean they have afib? No. If they stop the binge drinking the afib never happens again. So doing an ablation on someone like you would be so inappropriate it could be called malpractice.

Does the length of the episode matter? Mine was from about 11:00PM - 8AM. Stopped on it's own in ER. (not due to binge drinking )

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katesshadow
Does the length of the episode matter? Mine was from about 11:00PM - 8AM. Stopped on it's own in ER. (not due to binge drinking )

No, not really. The fact that it was a single episode means nobody can really be sure you actually have afib, and if you do, how it's going to manifest itself in the future. Doing anything invasive now would be hugely premature.

I didn't mean to suggest it was due to binge drinking. That was just one example of how people can experience afib without actually having afib on a long-term basis. Electrolyte imbalances, major surgery, trauma, etc. can also produce afib episodes that aren't due to having afib as most people here know it. With any luck, you'll be such a person.

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Carey

Does the length of the episode matter? Mine was from about 11:00PM - 8AM. Stopped on it's own in ER. (not due to binge drinking )

No, not really. The fact that it was a single episode means nobody can really be sure you actually have afib, and if you do, how it's going to manifest itself in the future. Doing anything invasive now would be hugely premature.

I didn't mean to suggest it was due to binge drinking. That was just one example of how people can experience afib without actually having afib on a long-term basis. Electrolyte imbalances, major surgery, trauma, etc. can also produce afib episodes that aren't due to having afib as most people here know it. With any luck, you'll be such a person.

Oh, I knew you didn't. Obviously, I would love if I never had another episode, but no way to know. I have some ectopics leading up to it and guess that since I had the Afib, I'm prone to it. I guess everyone has something and you just have to take it a day at a time.