Just wanted to say how reassuring this story is for me personally. I haven’t been on here in about 2 years. I’m 36 and got the definitive diagnosis right after I turned 34. I’ve been in NSR for most of the last two years on just diltiazem, magnesium, and taurine. I’ve had 3 episodes in the last two years all lasting less than 10 minutes (the last two lasting less than 2 minutes). I’ve been prettyby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Ken, Your story is truly inspirational and I can only hope and pray that if I go down the ablation route that I have similar outcomes to yours. Your positive attitude and perseverance through it all has been great to read. Patrickby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi George, Thanks for the link. I was thinking less about people who had "beaten" or put their afib into remission and more just about how people are living and activities they are doing everyday despite their afib. I am sure there are people that are biking, or hiking, or backpacking, or camping. People are going on trips and visiting family and attending huge events despite theby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Everyone, I'm still relatively new here and really appreciate all the responses I've had to my posts in the past. Not sure if this is the right place to ask or post this but was just wondering if we could start a thread of positive stories and outcomes of afib. As a relatively newly diagnosed afibber, most of what you read on forums and websites are people talking about and discby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotewolfpack I know it probably sounds like whining but at 34 and having episodes every 2 weeks (even if they are only short) makes me super apprehensive about my long term prospects. It should do the opposite. You have paroxysmal AF, not long-standing persistent, and you are very young. Even a greenhorn EP can't kill you (well, he/she'd have to try really hard). Time is totally oby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteJoe pgrove, how much flec are you taking? I take 50 mg only at b'time. So far so good. Hey Joe, He has prescribed 50mg BID at this point. I haven't started taking them yet as the pharmacy my insurance asks me to use is mail order and the meds probably won't get here until Wednesday. How long have you been on your 50mg at bedtime regimen? Has it been effective for you?by pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks for all the responses. Honestly, it's hard not to be super depressed about this. I know it probably sounds like whining but at 34 and having episodes every 2 weeks (even if they are only short) makes me super apprehensive about my long term prospects. I've done about all I can cutting out possible triggers and I was never an extreme exerciser. The only thing I haven't beby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks Carey. The side effects of flecainide make me a little nervous. I know the chances of proarrhythmic side effects are very small (especially for someone with a structurally normal heart) but it’s still slightly concerning. I’m planning to do daily or at least every other day ECGs with my Apple Watch or Kardia 6L for a while just to keep an eye on things but I’m trying to just relax and hopeby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
So, I’d kind of been holding out some faint glimmer of hope that the episode of a fib I had back in June was a fluke (holiday heart or something) but the results from my 14 day event monitor are in and I definitely have paroxysmal afib. Unfortunately, the monitor only takes samples for a specified window around when the patient hits the button or when it notices an event so I’m not sure exactlby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Carey, The EP answered back via email to say he completes between 75-100 afib ablations per year and he does the highest rate in the group at this time. Their success rates are around 75% and their complication rate is around 1%. I know that's not the volume most would advocate for on here. Although the financial burden would be extremely high, if I really should go to Austin for an abby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
RR, Thanks for the encouraging message. Does this mean you've lived with A fib for 19 years without an ablation and are still only having 3-4 episodes per year? If so that is amazing and definitely what I would be hoping for (although given my current circumstances it kind of sounds like a pipe dream). I am going to see a counselor for anxiety now to try to help me with some of that bby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hey George, That’s the thing about my history. I have no genetic predisposition on either side of my family and although I am fit (played soccer for years and years) I was never a distance runner or cyclist. Not really sure how I ended up here. All My lab work has come back normal so thyroid and other common causes are ruled out. The only test I haven’t done yet is sleep apnea which I’m scheduby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Carey, I live in Charlotte, NC and even though I work in a hospital my insurance is garbage. I pretty much have to go to a physician in my hospital system or pay out of pocket up to a maximum of 16k. I’ve already had follow up with cardiology and EP here and the EP has said he would take me for EP study and possible ablation. To be honest I’m a little hesitant. It’s only been like 3 months andby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Carey, Thanks for the quick response and for the hope. I think I’m mostly freaked about by the frequency. I had one of these episodes in early 2016. Didn’t think about it because it passed so quickly. Then had another one 3 years later and now I’m having them like every 5-6 days. Seems like it’s already progressing if it’s happening that frequently. But what do I know. Part of me just wantby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi all, Still a pretty infrequent poster but I read regularly. Started my journey in June. With one 6 hour episode of afib that resolved spontaneously in the ER. Since then I had an episode in September that lasted 3-4 minutes. The EKG I got on my Apple Watch was interpreted by my EP as looking more like SVT (rate in the 120s to 130s). Since that episode I’ve now had an episode every 5-10 daysby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Pompon, Obviously everyone here knows better than I do from experience, and so much of it sounds like a personal choice as well as personal vagaries of afib, but it just seems like so many procedures, and heart procedures, with low, but still some risk. I can imagine struggling with that decision although I guess maybe after you have 1 ablation, if it goes well, helps, and there are no compliby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Ingrid, I did follow up with my EP. At this point he says there is really nothing to do. I've only had one episode and the chance that we get lucky with an event monitor, even if I wear it for a month, is so low that it doesn't really make sense. My resting HR is between 55-65 and at night it can get as low as 48. Drugs to prevent episodes seem silly given I have only had one andby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Ingrid! I'm another newbie here and can't really answer any of your questions but just wanted you to know you're not alone. I'm a 33yr old (with a wife and 4 kids under 5) otherwise healthy male who has played soccer all his life and I am probably the healthiest I've ever been as far as weight and cholesterol. I still ended up with afib too. I haven't starteby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Wow man! You are in your early 40s and are on ablation #4! That is so tough man. Inspirational that you still bike and live your life. I'm not sure how you manage. Hope the road trip wasn't too bad for you guys. It sounds like your recovery from all 4 ablations has been pretty successful. It's so early in my journey admittedly but that sounds like so much to overcome. And ifby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Rocketritch, Would you mind sharing some of the details of your story? When were you first diagnosed? How long between diagnosis and first ablation? How many ablations have you had? Are you now afib free or still battling?by pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quoterocketritch Rocketritch, Hearing about someone who went 20 years between diagnosis and first ablation is incredibly relieving and encouraging to me. Especially the fact that you seem to have led a restriction-free life during that time. I understand that it might not work out that way for me but I'll definitely be praying for that kind of outcome for myself as well. Do you mindby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi everyone! Thanks for all of the responses and support. I'm given hope by many of the stories I've heard and my goal now is to hold onto that hope and cling to it when I'm feeling particularly anxious. Would love to be lucky enough to have minimally symptomatic, super infrequent, very slowly progressing, or easily treatable AFIB. Obviously not everyone is that lucky but Iby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Kate, Did you ever get through the "doom"? Did it ease over time? Did you have some tools (distractions/techniques) to help you through it? I'm significantly better now than I was 3-4 weeks ago but I still feel it. Pompon, Sorry to hear you haven't found your afib "cure" despite your ablations. It sounds like your episodes are shorter and maybe less frequby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hey Ken, Did your EP tell you it was cool to stay at home? Were all your episodes short (as in less than 10 hours) or did you have longer ones? Did you ever have an episode at work? What did you do then? How about while driving or traveling? Were you on blood thinners? Are you on blood thinners now?by pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hey George and Rocketritch, Thanks for the replies. George, I'm not really sure what my triggers are or if this is vagal or sympathetic mediated afib. My one episode happened standing around in my kitchen. My only activity for the day was washing my cars outside (which it was super hot) and chasing my kids around a bit. I was doing a horrific job of hydration prior to this epiby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Leo and Ken, Thanks for the encouragement. I think working in a hospital has distorted my view. In general the healthy afibbers aren’t spending much time in the hospital and I see the sickest afib patients and equate them with me or at least relate my situation to theirs. I’ve found it really hard to fight off the idea that this could rapidly deteriorate my life (and possibly end it) even thouby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi everyone, New to the forum and new to afib. I’m a 33 yo otherwise healthy male. Back in June I had my first episode of a fib. I was standing in my kitchen cooking bbq sauce for some ribs I was making and out of nowhere I had palpitations that felt to me like a run of SVT. I’m a pharmacist that works in the ER and my wife is an ER nurse so I laid down and tried to vagal out of it with no luby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM