Exercise as a means to restore regular heart beat

[Kent29946]

I am a 62 year old male who was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation two years ago.  When episodes occur--usually in the evening or during the night--the only reliable and consistent way I have found to restore a regular heart beat is through exercising usually on an elliptical machine or treadmill for 10 to 30 minutes--gradually increasing the intensity of my effort. I currently take solotol and warfarin as prescribed by my doctor.  Does medical research confirm my personal experience with exercise as a way to restore my regular heart beat and should I continue to take the solotol and warfarin?  Is there anything else I should consider doing to deal with my atrial fibrillation?    

[nancy2016]

I am new to this community and have just been dx'd with A fib.  Wondering if anyone can give me some positives about the ablation procedure.

[Kent29946]

Ian,
My father was also 91 when he passed away.  May we both live as long as our fathers.  It is reassuring to know that with your pacemaker you are still working out, playing golf, and enjoying life.  Thanks for your welcome response.

Best Regards,
Kent    

[Kent29946]

Jerry,
Thanks for your detailed response.  I had wondered how someone deals with constant Afib.  It sounds like something you have been able to do by mentally adjusting to the condition while continuing to seek out the appropriate treatment.  I sense too, from reading your postings to others, that an important part of dealing with your condition is providing information/guidance to others like myself.  You can be sure that when I see future postings from you that I will read and consider them.

All the best,
Kent

[Kent29946]

Thanks for your "hearty" recommendation on ablation.  With the positive experience that you and others have had with the procedure, my anxiety about it is diminishing while the enhanced possibility of being episode free and returning to life as I knew it before a fib makes an ablation procedure all the more attractive.  I appreciate the reassurance

Kent

[scouser costa rica]

Kent,
      I have taken 200mg of amiodarone, plus1,25mg of Warafin daily and as this treatment lowered even more my already low sleeping HR, a pacemaker was installed to avoid Bradicardia. I was a high performance racing biker in my 20s and then my resting rate was 40-45 bpm.Who knows what it went down to while sleeping. Apart from avoiding stimulants such as coffee and limiting alcohol consumption I am living a normal life,working out or playing golf almost every day.
                                                          Regards Ian
PS My Dad passed away at 91 and most of the time did not take his medication without telling us
                                            

[Jerry_NJ]

Slow getting back.  I lost NSR in April of 2007, and when I return to AFib it is always all the time.  One good thing being my mind adjusts to the condition, I think, so i hardly notice other than a shortness of breath, and thus I slow down, no more running/jogging.

When I discussed with my cardiologist getting another electrocardioversion, the past one had held for about 1.5 years, aided by heavy doses of Propafenone,  he said we'll need to do another nuclear stress test and echocardiogram, it has been 3+ years since my last.  I had at the time a know leaky mitral valve problem, likely the cause of my AFib due to stretching of the artial chamber.

Well, the echocardiogram said my heart was enlarging to a dangerous point, thus: no more electrocardioversion, and time to talk to a surgeon about repair/replacement of the mitral valve. This didn't go down well with me, but when I asked "what if we do not do the surgery?" he said in my words "conjestive heart failure over the next 5 years."  I got the surgery done in November 2007, also had the maze to try to stop AFib.  The valve was repaired with a size controlling ring for the mitral valve opening and I was in sinus for about 30 days following surgery. Then, back to AFib, in fact it was AFlutter with a rest HR of 130.  I went on high dose Toprol and brought the rest HR below 90. I underwent another electrocardioversion in August 2008, went into RSR with a rest HR in the low 60s and was getting ready to go back to running/jogging..but within two weeks I went back AFib, full time.  

My ER says my condition does not justify a ablation as for me they have to "punch through" to the left-hand atrial chamber.  He offered some extra medications as a way, they require hospitalization to implement.  For now I have decided to live with AFib, and so I'm reading with a personal interest about people exercising with AFib.  

[Sweetwaterguy]

Apparently exercise works for you.  It did not work for me.  A couple of times I converted back to sinus rhythm in my sleep.  I was diagnosed at age 62-- three years ago.   Soon after I was diagnosed, I took a day hike to a favorite mountain lake in the wilderness area of the Wind River Mountains in Wyoming.  Just before starting the hike back from the lake, my heart went into a fib.  I had to hike two hours out, another hour riding my atv, and a another hour home in my vehicle.  It was a little anxiety producing, but I went to bed and woke up with my heart in normal rhythm.  
   Soon after,  I changed from my family doc to a cardiologist and was prescribed sotolol.  It was much more effective, but I did not like the tired feeling associated with it.   I had another episode while on sotolol and decided to go for ablation.  It has been two years now since ablation.  I got a great result and take no medication other than a daily aspirin and lipitor.  
   You did not ask for advice on ablation, but I do heartily (pun intended)
recommend it.  

[Kent29946]

I am glad to hear your ablation has been a complete success.  The fact that exercise worked for you for about 3 1/2 years gives me a measure point for my own situation while recognizing that individual circumstances are not the same.

Many thanks for sharing the information and my hopes that you will remain episode free.

Kent

[twinbee]

The exercise worked for me for about 3 1/2 years. So far my ablation has been a complete success. I had two short episodes of a-fib about 2 weeks after the ablation that converted on its own and have had no episodes since.

[Kent29946]

Ian,

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my question.  It is comforting to know that light exercise usually restores you to NSR.  It was while exercising that I noticed an irregular heartbeat.  It was a great relief when I discovered that exercise could restore me to NSR.  I infer that your experience with exercise goes back ten years.  Is that correct?  What treatment did you start ten years ago and has it changed in the ensuring years?  I sense that you have learned to live with the condition quite successfully for many years.

Kent

[Kent29946]

Twinbee,

Thanks for sharing your experience with me.  I was very interested in your doctor's comment that it was common for exercise to help some people convert back to NSR.  I was also interested that exercise worked for you for some time, but then it was no longer effective.  Realizing that everyone's experience seems to be different, I would be interested to know how long the exercise did work for you in converting back to NSR.  I hope that your January ablation was a success.  Have you experienced any episodes since then?

Kent

[Kent29946]

Jerry,
Thanks for responding to my first posting on this forum.  It is nice to know that people are willing to share their experience.  Your comment about the electrocardioversion is comforting.  I have wondered if it would help in my situation. Sounds like it should.  I am learning that AFib seems to be a very individualized experience.  I have spoken with others who said that exercise did not work for them and that, in fact, it seemed to be the cause of episodes.  So I appreciate and accept your point that exercise does not work for you.  How long have you had AFib full time?

Kent

[scouser costa rica]

I may have had Lone A-Fib since I was born,as my father had what he called  a "racing heart" I started treatment ten years ago when I was 62,when I finally checked with a doctor why my HR did not drop as quickly as in the past after exercise, A-Fib can increase with age. If I do light exrcise when in A-Fib I go back to NSR. Like you I also use an elliptical machine or sometimes my treadmill- It works most of the time.
                                            Regards
                                                        Ian

[twinbee]

I was diagnoised with a-fib/fluuter over 5 years ago. In the beginning I too was able to convert back to NSR by doing excercise. When I spoke to my doctor she said that this is common for some people, however I still had to take the meds (sotaolo, cardizem and coumadin). However, eventually the excercise thing stopped helping me and the only thing to get me back in NSR was to be cardioverted. So in January I decided to have an ablation done. The surgeon who did my ablation and regular EP also told me that it was common for a-fib to progress over the years.

[Jerry_NJ]

Warfarin is highly recommended even if one has AFib only occasionally.  

While I have outgrown (too old) getting good results from the procedure I can recommend an electrocardioversion as one method to get into sinus rhythm.  It worked for me in the past (usually for a year or so, then back to AFib) but I had/have AFib full time.  Given you go in/out of AFib I'd think there's a good chance meds can convert you to stable sinus.  Exercise does not put me in sinus. So here's one data point that says exercise doesn't work.