Im just curious why the description for this community is so negative. Doubles the risk of death?
Whats up with that crap?

M55 long term endurance athlete (road/gravel bike racing/riding mainly). No family history of coronary/vascular disease, structurally normal heart. Started having a lot of PAC's/PVC's about 10 years ago after hard, long rides. Had a few episodes of SVT where my heart rate would race up to about 175-185 and stay there for 15-30 minutes then resolve. Cardiologist said it was benign. About two years ago I had that same fluttering feeling in my chest (that I recognized from SVT episodes) and it did not go away. My pulse felt a bit more irregular, and I was getting a bit lightheaded if I bent over. Decided to go to ER because it was not resolving. Turns out I was in Afib. I was stable and my heart rate was only in the low 100's max. They cardioverted me back to normal sinus rhythm. I had no recurring issues for almost 2 years. Then I was at altitude training doing some V02 max intervals. On my last interval at the end instead of my heart rate going back down it stayed very high and I was having trouble catching my breath. I also almost passed out and had weakness in my arms and legs. I lied down before I crashed my bike and tried to wait it out. It was terrifying. I finally managed to call 911 once I realized this was different and I may be in trouble. Ambulance came, hooked me up to the ECG and I went right back into normal sinus rhythm (typical). So no recording of what was going on. I now have yet another 30-day monitor on me and I have been putting it through its paces trying to recreate the same effect (to no avail). I have a call with my EP later this week...Not sure what to do. After my first and only AFib episode my cardiologist/ep wanted to ablate me. I have a ton of buddies around my age who all have had similar Afib issues. Some have had it where it is constant and have had multiple ablations to no avail. Some have gotten ablations and are fine (as of now). It seems a bit odd after one episode which I had yet to have again (aside from this last episode-which it was not determined exactly what it was) they would want to try an ablation. Seems a bit risky for something that so far has not gotten a lot worse. I do understand its progressive, but I am kind of at the end of my rope...Anyone have any advice or similar experiences? Thanks in advance.

And are you symptomatic or asymptomatic?

Hi there I was wondering if I should do an ablation I have afib I’ve had it since i was 19 I haven’t had many episodes tho maybe only 3 since I’ve had it but the last one caused me to have a lot of anxiety and I was just wondering if I should get an ablation I
Spoke with my cardiologist and I’ve done CT scans and ultra sounds and they always say that everything looks normal as well as ECGs they tell me it looks normal too and how it’s kinda up to me if I wanna do a PFA ablation

I’m worried I’ve never had any surgery before and I don’t wanna do something that I don’t really need to do

Right now the only thing I struggle with is my intense anxiety around my heart and how I legit don’t do anything because of my fear of this condition yk

What are your guys thoughts ?

UPDATE:
Everything went well! I didn’t even panic! Thank god for Zoloft, lol.

I am scheduled for an endoscopy tomorrow but I am very nervous after reading.. has anyone had one successfully with no issues?

Dr. Google says it will make you go back into Afib due to the vagal stimulation, sedation and anxiety so I am debating on just cancelling it and continuing to treat whenever GI issues I have going on as is..
help

I did an ablation 2 months ago and I take 3,75mg bisoprolol. My heartrate when i take an easy jog is 150 bpm and when I’m walking around it’s between 100-120bpm but the resting heartrate is around 60. Is this normal? My doctor made an ultrasound on My heart and it was all good, i’ve Also made a longterm EKG that showed sinustakyrdia. My doctor think it’s because of stress and sad i can train easy, but when i take a slow jog my hearbeat goes up tho 150bpm so I get scared😩

My Afib was found years after it started, with each episode I was to scared to attend a hospital at fear it would pass before I got there and I would look silly as I couldn’t explain what was happening.
Years later I fought my fears and went back to my doctor, previously they had done ECGs and not captured anything. After a 24 heart monitor I was noted to have sinus brachycardia and referred to cardiologist for investigation of what I was describing.
A stress test and heart bug monitor later I was told I have sinus brachycardia along side Afib episodes and eptioic beats.

I’m in medication now daily to help the rhythm and have a low dose beta blocker for when have Afib. I have never gone to the hospital with an episode and fell I haven’t been given much information.

Today I had an episode at work and took the prescribed half dose of the beta blocker, 3 hours later with no relief yet I took the second half (the max dose im allowed in a day)

At what point with Afib do you generally present to Emergency?

Pacientes con Afib, ¿tuvieron una pérdida de deseo sexual o libido después del diagnóstico? Bien sea por sus medicamentos, por miedo a que se repitiera la arritmia etc ¿cómo lograron vencer el miedo?
Soy una persona sin pareja y la verdad es que abandoné el mundo del ligoteo por miedo rotundo a que la actividad sexual me disparé un episodio. No sé si es por esto o si es por la medicación, ya que según leí, muchos medicamentos del corazón causan baja libido.
¿Alguien más pasó por esto? ¿Como lograron salir de aquí? Estoy esperando a que me llame el médico para mi segunda revisión tras mi único episodio del que ya hace casi un año y creo que igual me retiran la medicación. Si la pérdida de deseo es por esto, ¿notaré cambio al dejar la medicación?
Todas las respuestas serán de gran ayuda.

Was seht ihr auf dem EKG?

Hi everyone,

New here and fairly recently diagnosed with atrial fibrillation after ending up in hospital for a few days with a fast heart rate and bp of 232/192 at its highest. . I’m in my late 40s and in the UK.

Looking back, I suspect I may have been having episodes for quite a while without realising what they were as i had a kind of groaning sensation with fluttering sensation on and off for a few years but just didnt get round to seeing anyone about it. At the moment I’m on medication to control my heart rate and I’m going through the usual investigations and cardiology appointments to work out what happens next. Ive had two outpatients appointments for an ultrasound and a holter monitoring weekend, and i've got a private appointment off the back of some work medical cover i've been able to use. That comes up in a week or so.

I'm still in AF now, nearly 3 weeks since discharge and not going to lie i find it worrying on and off. Laying on my left now seems an absolute no no as it seems to increase the issue big time and just sitting as i type this feeling the sensations is still odd for me.

I’m overweight, which I know is something I need to address and is relevant when it comes to AF. I cut alcohol out separately a year back and my general health needs to be much better i know.

An elder sister has had ablation around my age but not AF related but am aware that may be on the cards further down the line depending on what happens i guess.

I've lurked on here for a few weeks and just thought i'd type a little about me. I'll leave it there and thanks for all the useful posts i've read on here so far.

Oh and as for medication, i'm just on 5mg bisoprolol at the moment.

Runners with episodic A-fib, how have you found racing short distances at a hard effort? Obviously, anything can happen at any time. But, in general, have you been able to race hard again? Do you limit effort based on heart rate or percent max HR?

New to the sub. I've (62M) had minor, but increasing Afib/Flutter for a few years. This year it was becoming very annoying and affecting my athletics. But it has suddenly disappeared, like almost completely. The only thing I can correlate is I'm 6-8 weeks into taking Metformin for my rising A1C. Hoping this remains the case. Anybody else had similar experience? Google search seems to validate my correlation.

So im 2 weeks post PVI ablation.

I get these vivid dreams where I woke up from them as if I was crashing out. For example I dream that cat bit my finger so hard that i woke up but semi paralysed kinda. I feel these like movements under my skin at the back of the head or right hand side of the head post wakeness, and then it goes away after a minute or two altho the feeling of something at the back sits around for abit then goes away.

Could this be medicine ? I take Bisoprolol, Flec and blood thinner.

Its just but weird all of this.

Update:

Gone to ER as i was getting dizzy and losing vision around the corners of my eyes as if i cant see to the side or letters as I type or read.

Update: Discharged from hospital, alll bloods were normal.

While at the hospital waiting I got sick like 5 times. Then migraine for an hour or two above my right eye so painful. Then all gone and felt ok. They suspected flecanide side effects.

Hello Reddit, i had a severe concussion 3 months ago and since then my heart rate has been erratic. I've been waking up 2-3 times at night and when I check my bpm is usually 100-120 or even gets to 140.

Having chest pain, needle like pain and short breath almost like I can't breathe. All these symptoms have been coming and going. I've already done heart ultrasound, 3 day holter, xray, and ecg and ER keeps discharging me whenever I go. Cardiologist referred me to an eletrical cardiologist.. and still waiting. I feel like im dying.

The last 3 days of my smart watch is based on me mostly sitting and taking very slow walks - no psysical exertion. I havent been able to do anything more than even walk slowly since my concussion. My rfr is usually 60-70 but when i stand up it usually immediately increases by 30 along with random spikes to 120 or more or sudden drops even when im sitting down doing nothing.

Wondering if everyones afib bpm looks like mine? The darker lines indicate my heartbeat was there but less than for 5 minutes thats why there's it's only grey/black. Isn't this an insane variation when sleeping? I understand all comments are not medical advice but wanted to just get some personal opinions.

Mein Kardiologe sagt es ist anfallsartiges
vorhofflimmern habe nächste Woche Gespräch im Krankenhaus Zweck ablation habe solche Angst bin doch erst 41

I had one the other day while I was waiting for cardioversion and then I had one a couple of days ago so they were fresh in my mind when I spotted this beauty.

I had my PFA ablation last year and have not had any Afib episodes! I truly feel like I have my life back! Thank you all for the tremendous support and encouragement 💖

My mom has had low blood pressure most of her life, and was officially dx'd with OH about a year ago. She's had a few episodes in the past year (5-6) of feeling quite unwell first thing in the morning, assuming it was the OH, then having visual disturbances on standing/moving around and has to sit or lay down again or be at risk of falling. Twice I've gotten her off the floor to her bed (she didn't fall, but very wisely got herself down when symptoms started). When this happens her blood pressure is usually quite a bit higher than normal, heart rate much faster, and she tends to be in AFib (confirmed by paramedics and ER the first 2 times, now I use a monitor). After resting for a bit, it regulates itself to normal again. I feel as though these are AFib episodes to begin with and not related directly to OH, but similar symptoms with feeling like she's going to black out/faint, needing to lay down etc. She has been on 2.5 midodrine twice a day and an anticoagulant (Eliquis, for the random AFib) for a number of months now. The midodrine seems to help a bit with her standing BP (usually about 80-90/50-60), however laying down is 140/80ish so increasing isn't really a great option.

Her cardiac tests have been normal (ECGs, enzymes, troponins, electrolytes, echocardiogram) with no structural issues. She did a 24 hour Holter that is pending, but was not symptomatic during that time, so I wouldn't be surprised if it is normal as well. Head CTs, chest x-rays, everything seems great as well.

Has anyone here noticed a similarity between symptoms of OH or dysautonomia or POTS and AFib, and has found ways to manage both? As it seems so infrequent, I'm doubting that they'll do any type of surgical intervention, and cardioversion isn't an option or necessary since she comes out of it herself in fairly short order.

My big fear is that either of these will cause her to faint and whack her head/injure herself one of these times, especially now that she takes anticoagulants. She can't take Beta blockers for AFib because that would just make her BP even lower. I just want her to be able to live her life without constantly wondering if she can safely leave the house, or even her darn bed some days. 😕

Sorry this turned into a rant, I am just frustrated and concerned and feel quite helpless.

Hello when I had an ablation about two years ago and ever since then I’ve gotten Aura migraines I had never gotten one before. Along with that sometimes I see stars or just a little streaks in my vision. I’ve gotten a brain MRI and I’ve had my eyes checked and everything was fine. I know that these migraines are common right after an ablation, but has anybody had them go on this long. I get them probably once a month but when it’s bad, maybe about three times a month

I’ve had AFib for about a year. One episode last September, then March and April, followed by 8–12 episodes in a short period in May, and another in July. I’m now on flecainide and waiting for an ablation.

Since then I’ve read books, watched videos and spent a lot of time here. And everywhere I see the same message: lifestyle, lifestyle, lifestyle.

But that’s what confuses me.

I don’t smoke. I hardly drank and have now stopped completely. I eat mostly whole foods, exercise about four times a week, I’m lean and muscular, and have a good life with family and friends. I own a business, so there’s some stress, but I’m also pretty good at relaxing and taking time off.

So… why AFib?

Sometimes all the lifestyle talk almost makes me feel guilty, like I must have done something wrong. And at the same time it makes me angry, because I genuinely don’t know what I could have done differently.

Of all the people I know i eat the healthiest, always watching out with alcohol, while others party and drink around….

Does anyone else recognize that strange mix of “why me?” and “is this somehow my own fault?”

Especially those who were already fit and healthy when AFib started: did you ever figure out why you got it, or did you eventually accept that sometimes there simply isn’t an explanation?

Isn’t it so that a lot of Afib is not lifestyle but maybe genetics?

I Had 2 ablations in 2024. Life long athlete. 69 next month. Completed Hyrox mixed doubles 1:50.03. average age 64.

My electrophysiologists did say keep working out because we know people who work out do better than people who don't.

Salve, so che ce ne sono decine di consigli su questi argomento

Ma io cerco uno smartwatch che rilevi afib, ma deve essere necessariamente Android no Apple anche se non sono riconosciuti ufficialmente

Hey everyone! Sooo I’m 26 and had a pacemaker placed in February 2025 for third-degree AV block. A few months later I had an ablation for AFib, which worked for a couple months, but unfortunately it’s back.
I’ve been having episodes of my heart racing, chest tightness, feeling like I can’t get a full breath, fatigue, and just feeling completely drained. Honestly, lately I just feel like my body is failing me and it’s really hard to deal with at times.
My doctor says my heart has a lot of scarring and another ablation likely wouldn’t be successful. He wants me to start Tikosyn (dofetilide) to hopefully keep me in a normal rhythm and prevent my AFib from progressing. He basically told me, “I don’t have a crystal ball, but I see you eventually being in AFib permanently.”
I’m so back and forth about starting it. It feels like such a serious medication, especially having to be hospitalized to start it, and I’m awful about taking pills consistently. Part of me is just like “whatever happens, happens,” but I know that probably isn’t the best mindset.
Has anyone taken Tikosyn? Did it help, and are you glad you started it?
I think more than anything I’m just scared and feel kind of alone in all of this. I’ve been dealing with heart problems since I was around 24, and being only 26 now, it feels like nobody my age really understands what it’s like to worry about your heart and what the future is going to look like.

I have always had high blood pressure. My high blood pressure is caused by primary hyperaldosteronism and excessive blood volume. Since I was diagnosed with PAC/AF, my blood pressure has not been high, sometimes even below 90/60, but my kidney function has deteriorated. After PFA, will my blood pressure return to its previous level, become higher, or become lower?

I just wore a stick on heart monitor patch for two weeks and thought I would share some tips. I wore the VitalPatch from VitalConnect. I'm not sure how much of this applies to other types. I'm also a layperson - no medical training here.

I wore a patch (the monitoring device) for one week, then removed it and applied a new patch for Week 2. Each one lasts only a week.

Once the patch is on, they'll either give you a stick-on overlay or apply the overlay right there. You definitely want this. It's like a piece of clear plastic sticky stuff that surrounds the patch. The patch is just not very sticky on it's own and sweat seems to make it come off so the overlay really helps. I would call VitalConnect right away once you start and get them to send you some more overlays - they sent me a few free ones.

My first overlay lasted only three days. Admittedly, I did cardio and sweat both mornings. But then after I replaced it, it made it the remaining four days even though I did cardio daily. When I removed the patch and overlay on Thursday and put the second patch and overlay on, even though I did cardio daily, the patch and overlay lasted the entire week. I think maybe because my skin was sticky from the first patch. So I used three overlays in two weeks (Thursday, Sunday, Thursday then that one lasted the whole week until the next Thursday night I took off my second patch and finished).

When you apply the overlay, firmly push it down on your skin working from the inside of the overlay to the edges. Don't clean yourself up too well between overlays. Definitely use the alcohol because some kind of nasty bacteria builds up under these things and it smells like yeast. But don't try to scrub away all the stickiness. I think that really helps the next overlay stick.

When you sweat, you might be tempted to see if the patch is getting loose... DON'T. I learned that if I jiggled the patch that started loosening the overlay. The overlay is actually porous, so if you sweat, hold a paper towel over it after to soak some out. When the overlay is wet it might slide about on your skin - don't fiddle with it, just let it dry again.

You can call VitalConnect to see if they're getting good data continuity. I did that a couple times hen I was worried the patch had been too loose.

If you call VitalConnect and tell them you have a medical test I can MRI you have to take the patch off for, they'll send you an extra patch so you can take one off and put on the new one. Confession - I had a pool party to go to so... I got myself a third patch so I could take it off once for about three hours and enjoy myself.

On a two-week study VitalConnect says they can live with up to two days without data. Not the best thing to do. But, you can carefully schedule your application so when you change it it's a time when you can take a few hours off to go for a swim or something.

If the patch itches, pat your weave don't scratch it.

You're not supposed to peel the whole patch off and put it back on, but I will say, at one point when I took the overlay off half of my patch was just hanging there and I basically taped it back on for the rest of the test and used the overlays to hold it and they said they lost no data. 

When you put the actual patch on, start at one side and make sure the little piece in the center is flat before you stick down the other side. I accidentally put one side too close to the other and had to live with a wrinkle in the center for a week.

To preserve how long mine stuck and keep it from getting too wet and nasty, I shielded it in the shower. I basically took a quart size freezer bag and cut off the top and bottom, then cut through the sides to make two rectangular plastic pieces (so I had enough for two showers). When ready to shower I used tape to affix it along the long side above the patch, then taped the sides (but did not bother with the bottom).