New Member(s) with questions

[Guest guest]

Hi all,

I'll make this shorter than my last email. My dh is in AF since

December, not on coumadin (2 major bleeds in January) and waiting (3

months so far) for an appointment to be scheduled to see an EP in

Ottawa. He was wondering if it's " normal " to have good days and bad

days (extreme fatigue). He's on a beta-blocker (we know that causes

fatigue), calcium channel blocker, and ACE inhibitor. Another question,

he no longer is seeing a Dr. other than his GP. How often should ECG's

be done or should they?

Lynda ( over shoulder)

[Guest guest]

Lynda wrote:

<<He's on a beta-blocker (we know that causes

fatigue), calcium channel blocker, and ACE inhibitor.>>

Has anyone tried to convert your husband to normal sinus rhythm?

The good days/bad days thing is common, especially when one is in

chronic A-Fib. My cardiologist says it depends upon how much blood the

heart pushes per beat. If you happen to have a heart that moves a lot of

fluid, then when it is compromised by A-Fib, it isn't all that bad,

assuming the rate is reasonably controlled. If you heart pushes a " more

normal " amount of blood, then when its efficiency is compromised by

A-Fib, you're not going to feel so hot.

I can always tell when my exercise routine has broken A-Fib because I

suddenly feel stronger. This is a relative sensation. I might feel

strong enough to leg press 1,000 pounds 80 times in A-Fib, but when I

pop out of it, I can do 20 more reps the next set. Or if I'm on a

treadmill, I can increase the incline several degrees and up the speed

half a mile per hour and it feels easier than before.

I also believe the beta and calcium blockers have an up and down effect

for some people, especially the first few months they are on them. They

control rate, but they also reduce the volume of blood the heart pumps,

something in the neighborhood of 10%. That combined with the

inefficiency of the irregular irregular AF beat in the ventricles, and

the lack of " pump power " from the atrium, all contributes to less

circulation.

Finally, there is a mental component. When you heart is off, it changes

one's perspective, no matter how " rational " you try to be about it. I

always tell myself that if I must have an arrhythmia, Atrial Fib is the

one to have. All the others are much more serious. It helps to think

this way, sort of, anyway.

I really hope you get to see someone soon and get your husband back into

sinus rhythm. Then maybe he can try drugs that keep him out of A-Fib, or

at least keep him out of it most of the time.

- OU alum in MI

[Guest guest]

Lynda wrote:

<<He's on a beta-blocker (we know that causes

fatigue), calcium channel blocker, and ACE inhibitor.>>

Has anyone tried to convert your husband to normal sinus rhythm?

The good days/bad days thing is common, especially when one is in

chronic A-Fib. My cardiologist says it depends upon how much blood the

heart pushes per beat. If you happen to have a heart that moves a lot of

fluid, then when it is compromised by A-Fib, it isn't all that bad,

assuming the rate is reasonably controlled. If you heart pushes a " more

normal " amount of blood, then when its efficiency is compromised by

A-Fib, you're not going to feel so hot.

I can always tell when my exercise routine has broken A-Fib because I

suddenly feel stronger. This is a relative sensation. I might feel

strong enough to leg press 1,000 pounds 80 times in A-Fib, but when I

pop out of it, I can do 20 more reps the next set. Or if I'm on a

treadmill, I can increase the incline several degrees and up the speed

half a mile per hour and it feels easier than before.

I also believe the beta and calcium blockers have an up and down effect

for some people, especially the first few months they are on them. They

control rate, but they also reduce the volume of blood the heart pumps,

something in the neighborhood of 10%. That combined with the

inefficiency of the irregular irregular AF beat in the ventricles, and

the lack of " pump power " from the atrium, all contributes to less

circulation.

Finally, there is a mental component. When you heart is off, it changes

one's perspective, no matter how " rational " you try to be about it. I

always tell myself that if I must have an arrhythmia, Atrial Fib is the

one to have. All the others are much more serious. It helps to think

this way, sort of, anyway.

I really hope you get to see someone soon and get your husband back into

sinus rhythm. Then maybe he can try drugs that keep him out of A-Fib, or

at least keep him out of it most of the time.

- OU alum in MI