a-fibber

i have been going through this irregular heart beat for nine years now.   i have been cardioverted twice onec in march and now in august.  I have sleep apnea (OBS) and scheduled to have an pulmonary ablation in sept., what do i do????

[DeltaDawn23]

I have had Afib since 2003.  Had one episode, then went 7 years without one.  Then a couple that converted at home, lotsa stress.  This year once at Christmas and once in mid April and I had to be cardioverted.  I am now on Atenolol, Norpace, Coumadin and Xanax. The cardio said he would take me off the Norpace if I go a year without an episode.  I am now 4 months from the last one.  I also have pac's and short runs of tachycardia.  I double up on my beta blocker and Xanax when I have a stressful situation and that helps.  I also have sleep apnea and it is extremely important that it be treated appropriately.  I went to the Heart doctors sleep apnea clinic and got much better care.  Apparently sleep apnea is the cause of 50% of the Afib cases.  I just retired and hope the less stressful pace of life will help.  Hope some of my experience helps.  What is a pulmonary ablation?  Wishing you good luck.  

[Jayde25]

Hi Neesha

There is no doubt it is a frightening thing to have. Are you taking any medication for your heart? Have you tried any dietary  modifications. Have you noticed anything in particular that sets it off?
The big thing is not to panic, keep relaxed, do something that takes your mind off it, read, TV, cup of tea.
If you have confidence in your Dr then listen to him, but remember you are in charge of your health so ask all of the hard questions and make sure you get the answers.

[claytex]

Neesha:  I had afib for 13 years and had about 14-15 electro cardioversions ... not to mention the other deals..and the last couple of yearsI was having about 3-4 a year.  I had an ablation july of 2010 and have been fine since...I have been afib free for over a year now... life is great. September isnt far away... just tread water until then... It took 3-4 months for my heart to totally heal it seems... I had no problems with the ablation.. only had a few pvcs the first 6-8 weeks and none  since then ...just a nice regular heart beat... Its great now...bet they fix you up too.. Iwould  do the ablation again with out a second thought... If you have any questions about my ablation experience feel free to send me a message and I will share any info with you that youd like... hope this helps Claytex