Atrial Fibrillation

[dr_john]

I’ve been diagnosed with AF recently, I’m on a cocktail of beta blockers, anti coagulants etc etc. I’m not feeling too bad, mainly lack of energy. I spent a week on the cardiac ward a couple of months ago.

I’m under the care of my GP but also saw a private consultant a few days ago. He recommends cardio version therapy, where electric shocks are delivered to try and restore the heart’s correct rhythm. Anyone here have any direct or indirect experience of this?

PS I think I need to change my avatar….

[pvr]

I think Ronk and John both have (had) this

[1536Z4]

PS I think I need to change my avatar….

Not able to help myself but hope someone else has some info for you .

[IRD]

I’ve been diagnosed with AF recently, I’m on a cocktail of beta blockers, anti coagulants etc etc. I’m not feeling too bad, mainly lack of energy. I spent a week on the cardiac ward a couple of months ago.

I’m under the care of my GP but also saw a private consultant a few days ago. He recommends cardio version therapy, where electric shocks are delivered to try and restore the heart’s correct rhythm. Anyone here have any direct or indirect experience of this?

PS I think I need to change my avatar….

I have this problem too. So would be really interested in any responses you receive.

[Ian J]

I spent a week on the cardiac ward a couple of months ago.

Where about? My wife is a nurse on a cardiac ward at Burton Hospital which isn't too far from you

[john-e89]

Sorry to hear this Doc.

Perhaps obviously the level of AF dictates the type of treatment. As you'll no doubt know it's caused by rogue nerves in the left top chamber of the heart making the heart muscle flutter very quickly instead of the correct deep normal beats. Your tired because the heart isn't delivering the required amount of oxygen when it's fluttering. Beta blockers help to control the fluttering and anit coagulants prevent the blood from being flicked around the chamber and potentially leading to clots forming.

The idea of the electric shocks is to calm the rogue nerves down, and is quite successful, it does stop the condition getting worse in lots of patients, bit you know all this. If the AF gets to a stage where these treatments are not helping anymore, the next, and final step is an ablation, which Ronk an I have had. Depending on how severe and how long you've had the condition depends on the type of ablation they use. Ronk had the normal one, which uses a hot tip inserted in the groin, up into the right ventrical and then pushed into the left one to burn through the rogue nerves, with scar tissue forming creating a physical block. Mine was mis diagnosed for years so I had to have cryoablation, which uses a freezing cold tip to burn instead of a hot tip, which unfortunately paralysed my right phrenic nerve and left me on permanent oxygen for 2 years, but don't worry, it sounds like you're in early stages so you'd have a hot tip ablation if needed and you can't paralyse the nerve with that, and it's about a one in 10,000 chance of a paralysis an only with cryoablation.

I can't offer any help with the electric shock treatment as I didn't have it, but it's apparently very good and not too painful. I've rambled on as IRD said any info might be useful too. It's not nice having it as you'll both know. As far as I know the docs will try to keep it under control with beta blockers as an ablation is a pretty expensive op, but if it's really starting to have a major impact on your life and funds are available an ablation is a very successful treatment, not always permanent, but often is, and it does cancel the fluttering full stop. It can come back of course, but you can have up to 6 ablations.

Best of luck both of you.

[patriot66]

Hi Dr_John
Back in 2008 I had a burst appendix with complications which resulted in peritonitis followed by a 7 hour life-saving operation. Slowly made a full recovery but this escapade massively damaged my immune and metabolic systems. Life changing you might say. Since then I have had many episodes of abdominal adhesions and around 7 or 8 episodes of Atrial Fibrillation, 2 of which were quite serious and resulted in an ambulance ride and hospitalization. I've had electric shock treatment and even nitroglycerin under the tongue on those occasions. Something I've just learned to live with as I've tried ALL the drugs, beta blockers etc with little improvement and mostly just making me feel more dreadful. Ablation was discussed as the next step if necessary. Sitting here now I can feel a very slight arrhythmia on my left side and in my left ear, maybe a 1 or 2 out of 10 on my personal severity scale.
Last year I decided to make a few changes to my lifestyle to see if that may be beneficial. Went on a Keto diet and lost 4.5 stone, gave up beer, massively reduced my carbs intake, no dairy, no sugar, more dog walking, reduced my working hours to 6 hours a day max thereby bringing my stress levels way down etc etc and have to say I feel MUCH better on all fronts. Haven't had a bad episode in 18 months now

[IRD]

Sorry to hear this Doc.

Perhaps obviously the level of AF dictates the type of treatment. As you'll no doubt know it's caused by rogue nerves in the left top chamber of the heart making the heart muscle flutter very quickly instead of the correct deep normal beats. Your tired because the heart isn't delivering the required amount of oxygen when it's fluttering. Beta blockers help to control the fluttering and anit coagulants prevent the blood from being flicked around the chamber and potentially leading to clots forming.

The idea of the electric shocks is to calm the rogue nerves down, and is quite successful, it does stop the condition getting worse in lots of patients, bit you know all this. If the AF gets to a stage where these treatments are not helping anymore, the next, and final step is an ablation, which Ronk an I have had. Depending on how severe and how long you've had the condition depends on the type of ablation they use. Ronk had the normal one, which uses a hot tip inserted in the groin, up into the right ventrical and then pushed into the left one to burn through the rogue nerves, with scar tissue forming creating a physical block. Mine was mis diagnosed for years so I had to have cryoablation, which uses a freezing cold tip to burn instead of a hot tip, which unfortunately paralysed my right phrenic nerve and left me on permanent oxygen for 2 years, but don't worry, it sounds like you're in early stages so you'd have a hot tip ablation if needed and you can't paralyse the nerve with that, and it's about a one in 10,000 chance of a paralysis an only with cryoablation.

I can't offer any help with the electric shock treatment as I didn't have it, but it's apparently very good and not too painful. I've rambled on as IRD said any info might be useful too. It's not nice having it as you'll both know. As far as I know the docs will try to keep it under control with beta blockers as an ablation is a pretty expensive op, but if it's really starting to have a major impact on your life and funds are available an ablation is a very successful treatment, not always permanent, but often is, and it does cancel the fluttering full stop. It can come back of course, but you can have up to 6 ablations.

Best of luck both of you.

Thanks for the info. John.

[dr_john]

Thanks for the detailed description and good wishes John, appreciated buddy.

I think my present condition is not too severe, BP 115/70, pulse 75, efficiency 47%, and I think the meds are working - there has been adjustments to dosage levels which seem to be for the better. The cardio version is a step before ablation and I think worth a try.

[dr_john]

I spent a week on the cardiac ward a couple of months ago.

Where about? My wife is a nurse on a cardiac ward at Burton Hospital which isn't too far from you

Glenfield Hospital in Leicester. Great treatment and care.

[john-e89]

Thanks for the detailed description and good wishes John, appreciated buddy.

I think my present condition is not too severe, BP 115/70, pulse 75, efficiency 47%, and I think the meds are working - there has been adjustments to dosage levels which seem to be for the better. The cardio version is a step before ablation and I think worth a try.

One thing I found very useful Doc was a blood oximeter that goes on your finger tip, very accurate, cheap too, my consultant said I could pop a beta blocker if my sats dropped.

[john-e89]

Last bombardment post....

\I also bought an ECG machine like this, it's so easy to use. Download the app, it takes 30 second readings when you think you're out of rthymn, stores them on your phone, and you can send the results of, say, a 3 month period to your consultant. The chap I see has one, very very useful bits of kit.

[IRD]

Thanks for the detailed description and good wishes John, appreciated buddy.

I think my present condition is not too severe, BP 115/70, pulse 75, efficiency 47%, and I think the meds are working - there has been adjustments to dosage levels which seem to be for the better. The cardio version is a step before ablation and I think worth a try.

I hope it’s OK for me to chip into your post?
Kind Regards
Ian D.

[dr_john]

Thanks for the detailed description and good wishes John, appreciated buddy.

I think my present condition is not too severe, BP 115/70, pulse 75, efficiency 47%, and I think the meds are working - there has been adjustments to dosage levels which seem to be for the better. The cardio version is a step before ablation and I think worth a try.

I hope it’s OK for me to chip into your post?
Kind Regards
Ian D.

Absolutely Ian, no probs at all mate

[ronk]

Afternoon Dr J

I think it’s all about choosing the wrong parents!!!

I had the medication cocktail treatment and my AF was calmed for a while - then it returned- no rhyme nor reason to the trigger- I was offered an ablation with a local anaesthetic and it was successful for a while

Then I had the full big sleep operation and I’ve been ok since.

Can I suggest you buy yourself an iwatch?
It detects AF and will also download an ecg

Feel free tö pm me for more of my experiences

Between John and myself we have (unfortunately) a lot of Info - warts and all!