This is one individual opinion based on “everyone is different.”
Recently I’ve read that Diltiazem alone (without an anti arrhythmia drug) is not effective in converting to nsr.
I tend to differ based on my case. I got my sinus node nuked last December (AV node ablation) after all the ablations and drugs were ineffective and couldn’t fix my Humphrey Dumphrey heart. That said my ventricles are now humming at 60hr instead of >200 because my pacemaker is programming it too. I’m off all arrhythmia drugs, no more ECVs (154 record) since and I elect to continue Diltiazem at a lower dose because I feel better on it.
Because of the recent unsafe environment where I live at, my afib has increased. Yea..yea.. I should just let my atrium beat from 149 to nearly 400 beats a minute without concern because my ventricles are at a steady 60. But I do suffer with being out of breath when this happens and it cripples me. Trust me I feel the 300-400 hr beats. But it’s safer than having a high tachycardia where my ventricles were higher and I was in risk.
I had many conversations with my EP today after viewing my download and will be taking Diltiazem daily (PIP) as long as I don’t exceed 300mg a day. I’ll spread it out. It stops my afib with one 120mg capsule but until my stress level improves, I maybe able to function for a while if I increase it a tad.
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I attached today’s pacemaker interrogation of the past 90 days (download). You can see when in afib my atrium chambers are on crack beating like heck. I’m sitting out of breath right now waiting for my 120mg time delay to kick in. It just draining my PM battery- I lost 13 months of battery life the past 3 months. I speculate because they tweaked my PM from 80hr to 60hr and it’s working extra. I could be wrong.
For me, with my pacemaker (don’t try Diltiazem as a PIP unless you have a pacemaker and EP approval) and Diltiazem, I can convert and be functional instead of catching my breath.
Perhaps for others with the right anti arrhythmia drug, it could be successful to remain in nsr for a bit..thus my story I am sharing.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/16/2023 11:08PM by susan.d.
