Guest guest Posted July 7, 2004 Report Share Posted July 7, 2004 I guess I will wade in here. I was in persistent afib for 6 mo. and tried to deny it. It started with a fairly high heart rate, about 120 bpm, and then seemed to settle down some. Upon any exertion it would speed up again so I decided I would exercise and get in shape hoping that would solve the problem. Exercise didn't solve the problem but I did get in shape. I was already taking Ziac which is a beta blocker with a mild diuretic so that helped by giving me some rate control. I finally quit wearing my heart rate monitor when I ran or biked because it bugged the heck out of me to see my heart rate get so high (150-160). I just worked as hard as I could without feeling too uncomfortable. I promissed myself that if it didn't go away after a week long, 400 mi. bike ride I would go to the Dr. He diagnosed the afib and chewed me out pretty good, as he should have, because of the stroke risk. He started me on coumadin, a month or so later had a cardioversion which only lasted 4 days. I would then get cardioverted in the ER w/ procainamide and was put on Rythmol, that didn't work so I started on amiodarone in April '02. So far so good, I still get afib but it is hardly noticable and now goes away with exercise. I too am hoping the ablation procedure continues to improve because I know I cannot stay on amiodarone very long. One other thing, while I was in afib for the 6 mo. period my biggest problem was sleeping on my side with my ear pressed against the pillow. I could hear my erratic heart and it was difficult to get to sleep. I found that if I put my hand toward the top of my head, my ear would not press on the pillow and I could barely hear my heart. Sorry for the long posting but I havn't written in very often lately so this will make up for it. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 > I guess I will wade in here. I was in persistent afib for 6 mo. and tried to > deny it. Guy, since exercise can make your afib go away, I am guessing you are vagal? If I remember correctly from Vicky's web site (it's a long time since I've been there) Flecainide is a good med for vagal afib. That might allow you to get off the Amiodara-dont. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Jeff you do not say how old you are. There seems to be studies that the younger you are the more difficult it is to settle down with AF. I had a terible time with the drugs and the AF. JOhn C Uk > >Hello: >I had posed the question before how do afibbers cope? >While I don't have any physical side issues, and I am >trying to regulate my diet,I am currently in >persistent afib, on lopressor and coumadin (12.5 x4, >10x3), planning a cardioversion at end of month. It >has been difficult for me to get in range even though >I have really watched my diet. My how do you cope >question revolves around the worry of stroke?I know >that if you are in (2-3), your odds are quite low, but >it still lurks in the background. Any suggestions on >how you cope with this? > >Jeff > > > >__________________________________________________ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 Jeff you do not say how old you are. There seems to be studies that the younger you are the more difficult it is to settle down with AF. I had a terible time with the drugs and the AF. JOhn C Uk > >Hello: >I had posed the question before how do afibbers cope? >While I don't have any physical side issues, and I am >trying to regulate my diet,I am currently in >persistent afib, on lopressor and coumadin (12.5 x4, >10x3), planning a cardioversion at end of month. It >has been difficult for me to get in range even though >I have really watched my diet. My how do you cope >question revolves around the worry of stroke?I know >that if you are in (2-3), your odds are quite low, but >it still lurks in the background. Any suggestions on >how you cope with this? > >Jeff > > > >__________________________________________________ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 8, 2004 Report Share Posted July 8, 2004 : Glad you asked, today is my birthday. I turned 54 today and have marked this day by remaining in afib for the past two months. Jeff __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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