I’ve had RSV twice. That’s the only time I’ve had to use meds/nebulizer for asthma. Along with the respiratory symptoms, the GERD symptoms came on fast and furious both times. Was there a symbiotic relationship there? I think so. When I was in the throngs of “active” afib, I did not perceive that GERD was the trigger. But both diseases can be tricky. The afib playbook consists of meds and surgery for the most part. I was too consumed with managing my life as my heart was beating at 180 BPM. Looking back, after my first ablation, cimetidine was prescribed for about 40 days. I now take famotidine as needed. If I was supposed to put two and two together, I wasn’t able to. For nearly two years, I have been symptom-free. In my case, drastic conditions required a drastic response. No regrets here. I get up in the morning knowing that my heart is being regulated by a device, notably, a pacemaker thanks to the docs at Penn Medicine. Because I went into heart failure, I had the opportunity to go through phase two of cardiac rehab. Now I look forward to phase three of heart rehab (gym) at Beebe Healthcare Rehoboth, DE.
