Atrial Fibrillation

I spent about 3 hours in the ER today because I had an episode of atrial fibrillation. It was my 3rd

In 2007 I had an episode and went to the ER - my heart rate was relatively low (in the 80's)- so they just kicked me out and told me to come back if it didn't resolve on its own in 18 hours or so (it did) they also insisted I follow up with a cardiologist - he put me on something (a beta blocker?) for about 6 months as a precaution... I still got the green light to be deployed to Kuwait for 6 months as a Seabee.

In 2010 I had a second episode - that time my heart was racing so fast they decided to electrocardiovert me in the ER..

This current episode was like the first time - my heart rate was only in the 80's. I'm also already on a blood thinner. They did hook me up to an EKG and test my blood. But I was told to just follow up with the VA. .

It must be hereditary - my 1st cousin is younger than me and is in continuous afib (his heart rate is relatively low) and they're trying to find a med that works for him - this is after 2 attempts to electrocardiovert him."

Thanks for sharing this. I get fairly regular short periods of irregular heartbeat. They seem to come-&-go. (I haven't done anything about it.) Anytime I've seen a doctor for other things (which hasn't been often), and they've listened to my heart, they apparently haven't noticed anything unusual since they've never said anything. Many years ago, I was told I had a heart murmur. But it's been a very long time since anyone mentioned that. So I presume it took care of itself... which, I guess, they sometimes do.

My dad has it and they put in a pacemaker in him in June.So far good.He cannot run anything such as a gas powered chain saw now

I hope anyone out there who is experiencing heart issues will get professional help (as you did). You may already know this, but there are differences between a heart murmur, an irregular heartbeat, and atrial fibrillation.

This is from Healthline -

I found out recently that my aunt had to have a pacemaker put in because she kept fainting because of her afib.

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)
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.

Here are some more details about my 2nd episode - which happened about 3 years after the first one. I felt a little off when I got up in the morning - I hadn't slept well - during the night I kept waking myself up by taking deep breaths (shortness of breath is one of the symptoms of atrial fibrillation). I felt my pulse and it seemed off. - I remembered my previous episode and wondered if I was experiencing afib again. So I drove myself to the ER to be sure (I stopped at McDonald's on the way - I was pretty hungry). At the ER they hooked me up to a heart monitor and told me that my heart was beating so fast that it was dangerous for me - so they decided to use electric cardioversion. The patient is put under general anesthesia during the procedure (I was only out for a few minutes).

Luckily for me, the cardioversion worked and my heart beat returned to normal sinus rhythm and stayed that way until my most recent episode (I suppose it's possible that I had short episodes that I just didn't notice).

He kept on fainting and I was the one that took him to the ER..Came up with AFIB and had a pacemaker put in after seeing a specialist.I witnessed him faint at times.

I should also point this out.

1st episode - lasted about 24 hours
2nd episode - lasted about 12 hours
3rd episode (current episode)- I've been in afib for 5 days.

I talked to my cousin over the weekend, and apparently, his afib is very similar to mine in that his heart rate is relatively low, he has no other symptoms, and he has no prohibitions.... I asked him "then why do they want to return you to normal sinus rhythym?" he said, "because I've been in continuous afib for over a year and my docs tell me that the atrial chamber will dilate if you're in afib too long."

The VA finally called me to arrange an appointment with a cardiologist - and they gave me good news- they can refer me to my current cardiologist.

I saw my cardiologist - it looks like we don't need to do anything special because I'm not experiencing any serious symptoms. My cardiologist did want to send me for a heart ultrasound, just as a precaution. Unfortunately, he has decided he doesn't want to accept my VA insurance - so the VA will be sending me to a different cardiologist. I've been on a Bipap for a couple of years - and there is a connection between sleep apnea and afib., and my AHI numbers have been pretty high recently, so I'd like to have another sleep study done to see if they can determine if the sleep apnea is causing/affecting my afib, and/or if the afib is causing/affecting the rise in the number of times I stop breathing (AHI number) during the night.

My heart rate was elevated for the first few weeks - ranging from 70-90 bpm... but lately it's been averaging in the low 70's... still a little on the high side for me (I'm usually 50-60 bpm) but better.

I still have the irregular heartbeat, but I barely notice it. I play pickleball with no ill effects. I was hoping to get off the Xarelto at some point, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen.

Here is my latest update - I'm still in continuous afib... My cardiologist ordered an ultrasound of my heart a while back - on Monday the 13th I saw him and he told me that while there is very little enlargement of my heart (afib can cause an enlargement of the heart, specifically the left atria), my ejection fraction is lower than the recommended 55-65% - so they want to try to return me to normal rhythm. No date has been set yet.

I was a little concerned at first - until I found information that suggests that an ejection fraction of 41-49% is considered "mildly reduced".

I'm still feeling pretty good - in fact, I feel better today than I did 2 years ago. I think mostly because I've lost about 30 pounds over the last year.

@shakespeare47 - just been reading all your posts, and it’s a really interesting read. Thank you for sharing your experiences. I like your positivity about this too - I think it’s the best way to be.

Best wishes, Jeff.

After doing some research and talking with people on Afib related forums, I've decided not to go through with the cardioversion. I don't have any symptoms other than an irregular heartbeat and one of the possible outcomes is that my heart rate may change for the worse (become too slow or too fast) after the cardioversion. I'd rather keep things as they are and continue to monitor the situation. If my ejection fraction gets worse, or there is significant dilation of the atria, or I start having symptoms I'll reconsider my options.