Re: Looking for long-term survivor

[Guest guest]

>

> I was diagnosed with afib two weeks ago. I've been in it for some

> time, apparently, though never noticed anything other than an

> occassional racing heart. I'm 48 and considered myself to be in

> perfect health before this. Brisk walk 50 minutes every night.

> I'm on coumadin, after another couple weeks they will schedule me for

> a cardioversion - the electric kind.

> Main thing I'm looking for is someone to verify what my doctor has

> said -- that people live with this for a long time. Anyone out there

> who has had chronic afib and is still around 20 years later? 30?

> What's life like with this? Does it generally keep getting worse and

> forcing me to limit my activity more & more?

> Thanks.

>

Hi Larry - you might like to browse my database, out of 488 records 76

have ticked the 'chronic' field. The average (mean) for how long these

entries have had AF is around the 7 year mark, the range is from a few

months to 40 years.

http://www.dialsolutions.com/af/database/index.html?Adv=1 & _permanent=1#results

(you can save the search as a CSV file if you fall asleep trying to read all

76 entries

Please don't take this as 7 years and you've had it! This is a snap shot, not

a survival figure!

There will be a big bias in my database towards new people and people with

symptomatic AF who are looking to try to improve their situation. (and my

database has some design flaws in it which doesn't take into account entries

made a few years ago, so the 7 year figure will be a bit low)

All the best

--

D

[Guest guest]

My mother, who is 75, has had afib.. probably since her 40s. She was diagnosed

years after it started, and only medicated then. She takes verapamil for rate

control, and a diuretic for bp, as well as coumadin. She is in permanent, but

rate controlled, afib.

She plays tennis at least three times a week, volunteers at three different

organizations weekly, still goes dancing with my pop (who has controlled afib)

and has just returned from the third international trip this year (Galapagos,

Italy and Panama).

So yes, you can live a very long time with afib, and you can continue to lead a

very normal and active life. The key in my moms case is the rate control.

larrymundt1 wrote:

I was diagnosed with afib two weeks ago. I've been in it for some

time, apparently, though never noticed anything other than an

occassional racing heart. I'm 48 and considered myself to be in

perfect health before this. Brisk walk 50 minutes every night.

I'm on coumadin, after another couple weeks they will schedule me for

a cardioversion - the electric kind.

Main thing I'm looking for is someone to verify what my doctor has

said -- that people live with this for a long time. Anyone out there

who has had chronic afib and is still around 20 years later? 30?

What's life like with this? Does it generally keep getting worse and

forcing me to limit my activity more & more?

Thanks.

Web Page - http://www.afibsupport.com

List owner: AFIBsupport-owner

For help on how to use the group, including how to drive it via email,

send a blank email to AFIBsupport-help

Nothing in this message should be considered as medical advice, or should be

acted upon without consultation with one's physician.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/9/2004 4:53:37 AM Pacific Standard Time,

larrymundt1@... writes:

> Main thing I'm looking for is someone to verify what my doctor has

> said -- that people live with this for a long time. Anyone out there

> who has had chronic afib and is still around 20 years later? 30?

> What's life like with this? Does it generally keep getting worse and

> forcing me to limit my activity more & more?

>

Larry,

I can definitely verify that your doctor is right: that people can live 20 or

30 years or even a lifetime with afib and that life in afib can be very

active, rewarding and enjoyable. I have had paroxysmal afib for at least 20+

years, and have managed to reduce my frequency and symptoms greatly by

eliminating

triggers and by taking meds to control heart rate and to prevent stroke, the

only major threat accompanying afib. My older brother, who has been in

permanent afib for at least 20 to 30 years, is an even better example. With the

right medication, he is able to live a very full, active, and enjoyable life.

He

is physically very active, and his afib never stops him from doing anything he

wants to do. He can definitely outlast and outperform me in physical

exercise even though I am 11 years younger and in sinus most of the time. I

think

two things are responsible for his success: his indomitably positive,

invincible attitude and the right medication to control his heart rate. Before

he was

diagnosed and received the right meds, Atenolol and Digoxin, he was nearly

incapacitated by afib because of breathlessness, extreme fatigue, severe stomach

problems, and sleeplessness. Once he was diagnosed and treated, within hours

his symptoms abated and he was living a normal life.

I think both his story and mine illustrate the role of finding and

eliminating triggers or causes of afib. He believes he in now in permanent afib

because

he drank excessively when he was younger. Although he has not drunk alcohol

for 24 years now, the damage is done, he believes. He also thinks that the

only reason I have managed to avoid permanent afib, which he was in by the time

he was my current age, is the fact that I have never drunk alcohol. Because

afib is genetic in our family, we both may have had an equal chance to become

chronic afibbers. Because I have been able to benefit from his experience,

realizing the importance of avoiding triggers such as alcohol, and because I

have

been treated with effective medication, I have been able thus far to avoid

permanent afib. Three years ago I was in afib about 50 percent of the time.

For the past two and a half years I have been in afib about two percent of the

time, I would estimate. For me, afib is currently no longer a significant

problem. My cardiologist tells me that I would probably be in permanent afib by

now if I were going to be, but I firmly believe that if I did not continue to

eliminate triggers, such as dairy products, and modify my lifestyle, I would

also be seeing increasing afib. For me, things have been getting better and

better. For my brother, life is great. There definitely can be a full and

rewarding life while in afib for some individuals.

in sinus in Seattle

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/10/2004 4:01:02 AM Central Standard Time,

Starfi6314@... writes:

The name of the study, as I recall, was AFFIRM.

in sinus in Seattle

Thanks

Guy