occurrences increasing

Hello; I've had what I think is Lone Afib for about 6 years or so. The frequency of occurrences is up to a couple of times a week lasting between 24 and 48 hours. Before that it was once every month then increasing to once every 2 weeks. That's in the past 3 months. Does this seem like a good time to look at ablation or some other invasive process or to keep trying all my supplements and following a diet without red meat. They seem to have increased since I stopped red meat, yet I keep hearing vegetarianism is helpful for afib especially with blood type A. Any ideas out there? Much appreciated in advance.

Definitely a time to consult an EP and be evaluated for antiarrythmic medication and/or an ablation. Afib is almost always progressive and left unchecked will be more difficult to treat. As they say “Afib begets Afib.” And you should definitely be evaluated for an anticoagulant as the biggest risk with Afib is stroke. EPs know a great deal more about treating Afib than general cardiologist and many of us can speak to that topic!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/24/2024 12:32PM by Daisy.

Just to add to what Daisy said, another option is a surgical ablation like MIni Maze, which may be more durable than a catheter ablation. On that, take your time researching and deciding, but whatever you choose, pick someone who has done thousands, because with ablation, practice does make more perfect.

Meanwhile, given your afib frequency, probably a good idea to get evaluated for anti-arrhythmic meds ASAP. When I started getting two episodes a week, I started daily Flecainide and it stopped my episodes pretty much cold for a year, before I finally decided to get an ablation.

I also tried a Vegan diet for a couple of weeks as well, but also found my afib episodes increased. Others have reported the opposite.

Jim

Thank you for your feedback. I was really hoping to avoid any procedures, as I'm quite terrified of all of that. I have had beta blockers and channel blockers prescribed and have only used the beta blocker a few times and it didn't seem to make any difference except it kept my heart rate down a bit while in afib. If Flecainide was working, why did you decide on an ablation and has the ablation completely solved the issue? Once you have an ablation, are you on heart meds for the rest of your life?

Thank you for your feedback. I was really hoping to avoid any procedures, as I'm quite terrified of all of that. I have had beta blockers and channel blockers prescribed and have only used the beta blocker a few times and it didn't seem to make any difference except it kept my heart rate down a bit while in afib. If Flecainide was working, why did you decide on an ablation and has the ablation completely solved the issue? Once you have an ablation, are you on heart meds for the rest of your life?

Thank you for your feedback. I was really hoping to avoid any procedures, as I'm quite terrified of all of that. I have had beta blockers and channel blockers prescribed and have only used the beta blocker a few times and it didn't seem to make any difference except it kept my heart rate down a bit while in afib. If Flecainide was working, why did you decide on an ablation and has the ablation completely solved the issue? Once you have an ablation, are you on heart meds for the rest of your life?

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tindellery
Thank you for your feedback. I was really hoping to avoid any procedures, as I'm quite terrified of all of that. I have had beta blockers and channel blockers prescribed and have only used the beta blocker a few times and it didn't seem to make any difference except it kept my heart rate down a bit while in afib. If Flecainide was working, why did you decide on an ablation and has the ablation completely solved the issue? Once you have an ablation, are you on heart meds for the rest of your life?

Many of us have moved from Flecainide and or other antiarrhythmics to an ablation because 1. Antiarrhythmics usually stop working eventually, 2. they are fairly toxic, particulary at the higher dosages that are often required. My experience with antiarrhythmics was much worse (and scarier) than my experience with an ablation which went really well, requiring little recovery other than the healing of the groin insertion sites for the catheters. I have had no arrhythmias since about 2 weeks after my ablation. (There is a 3 month healing period called the blanking period when most people continue to get some blips.)

No more meds other than a precautionary dose of Eliquis, which I am fine with. It is so great to be off those drugs! And, by the way, beta blockers do little for Afib other than slow the rate--same with calcium channel blockers. In hindsight, I wish I had opted for an ablation much earlier. Note: I did seek out one of the foremost ablationists in the country, knowing that who does an ablation is the most important predictor of success.

Daisy. How long ago was your procedure?

Did you have to take any meds after your ablation?

Some EPs ask you to resume taking metoprolol and/or an anti-arrhythmic drug, but you should also continue to take the usual anti-coagulant as a prophylactic for several months...at least...or until your EP says you can stop because you have been PAC and AF free for so many weeks. This will take place some time after the ten week Holter Monitor that you wear over night to see what's going on after the procedure and blanking period.

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keeferbdeefer
Daisy. How long ago was your procedure?

It was 15 months ago.

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Did you have to take any meds after your ablation?

Most EPs will give their patients an antiarrhythmic during the blanking period andI was given Multaq for the first 2 months, but nothing since other than Eliquis as a precautionary measure.