Based on what I know right now - the best case scenario is that my afib won't change - and I'll just continue to have a slightly elevated pulse and an irregular heartbeat because of afib, but no other noticeable symptoms. (I'm already taking Xarelto - a blood thinner- because of the TIA I had last year - and I suspect my previous history of afib was taken into consideration).
Or my afib could change and I could develop a faster heart-rate (which causes other symptoms) - to such an extent that they (medical professionals) will have to try to find a solution - that's what's happening with my cousin. They've tried electrocardioverting him - but it hasn't worked (or at least it wasn't a permanent solution - he reverted to afib....) now they're trying a different drug that is supposed to help. They've already tried flecainide and now they're moving on to tikosyn. The goal is "restoration and maintenance of normal sinus rhythm".
Or my afib could change to such an extent that I have to have an ablation (the quote below is from a Johns Hopkins website)
Quote:
Ablation is a procedure to treat atrial fibrillation. It uses small burns or freezes to cause some scarring on the inside of the heart to help break up the electrical signals that cause irregular heartbeats. This can help the heart maintain a normal heart rhythm.
The heart has 4 chambers. There are 2 upper chambers called atria and 2 lower chambers called ventricles. Normally, a special group of cells begin the signal to start your heartbeat. These cells are in the sinoatrial (SA) node in the upper right atrium of the heart. During atrial fibrillation, the signal to start the heartbeat doesn’t begin in the sinoatrial node the way it should. Instead, the signal is sidetracked and begins somewhere else in the atria, triggering a small region at a time. The atria can’t contract normally to move blood to the ventricles. This causes the atria to quiver or “fibrillate.” The disorganized signal spreads to the ventricles, causing them to contract irregularly and sometimes more quickly than they normally would. The contraction of the atria and the ventricles is no longer coordinated, and ventricles may not be able to pump enough blood to the body.
For ablation, a doctor puts catheters (thin hollow tubes) into a blood vessel in the groin and threads it up to the heart giving access to the inside of the heart. The doctor then uses the catheters to scar a small area of the heart by making small burns or small freezes. In the burning process, a type of energy called radiofrequency energy uses heat to scar the tissue. The freezing process involves a technique called cryoablation. Scarring helps prevent the heart from conducting the abnormal electrical signals that cause atrial fibrillation.
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That's the situation my aunt went through. They tried several ablations - but they didn't help for very long. Now she's on a pacemaker.