Just diagnosed with A Fib and scared

[Carey01]

So I have had some degree of comfort knowing that all i have is pvc's and pac's.  Well, Friday night I awoke in the middle of the night with a racing heart like Ive never felt before.  I took my BP with my monitor (I do have hbp) and my pulse was 173!!!  and it felt like it.  so I went to the hosiptal and they immediatel said it was A Fib.  It took several hours of medication to ge tthe pulse below 150 but after about 10 hours it converted on its own.  THey had to stop giving me the medicine because at 5tam i had wha tthey called a sinkable episode.  Basically I felt like I couldnt breathe and my pulse dropped to 40 and I fainted.  It was horrfic.  Im now terrified of this new condition and wondering if the PACS brought it on. The ER doc said you never know -- could be almost anything for people who are prone to electrical issues.  Im now afraid to leave the house or resume my normal living.    I would love to hear from anyone successfully living with this.  Do I have a death sentence?  Im only 42.  Thanks so much for listening.

[kawagumby]

A follow-up to my last post. We're all different specimens, so what doesn't or does work for  one may do just the opposite for the other.  Toprol may be fine for you...just keep your eyes peeled all the time and do what you can without drugs to reduce the tendency toward electrical misfire.  Have your kidney function checked if they haven't been yet, you could also be building up certain conductors because the kidneys aren't clearing them normally. Be sure and stay hydrated too....

Good luck - I understand and share your frustration

[kawagumby]

Hi,
I just visited the ER this friday nite for the same thing. LOL - bah, my  heart is a strong one but the electrical end is a mess. I had some irregular beats that made me uncomfortable, and instead of resting I thought I'd go out and do some heavy jamm'n on my dirt bike. Bad move.....tachy tachy....AF that wouldn't abate.

A few years ago I was on Toprol XL, it seemed to help at first, but actually screwed me up big time in the long run. I took it for about two years as I steadily degenerated into an feeble old man. I have a athlete's heart with a slow rate, resting is about 50 bmp, and the toprol wouldn't allow my heart to gain speed fast enough even to feed blood to itself. Angina BIG TIME during exercise, worsening month by month.  Horrific stuff to wean yourself off of too. As your system tries to reset itself, there can be major irregular beat episodes, and I took my time as I gradually backed off of the low dose I was taking.  If you tend to be active, keep an eye out for side effects that may be worse than your original problem. After I dumped the Toprol, I gained my heart strength back over about 3-4 months, and now I can hike again without massive chest pain and have no breathing or heartbeat issues during any level of exercise. The Toprol actually increased my PVB's.  I was able to do what the Toprol was supposed to do by: 1. no artificial sweeteners. 2. Very little salt -most canned goods and cheese...yikes. 3. No NSAIDS, including aspirin.  4. Keep the blood sugar up - during exercise pop in a granola bar after 20 to 30 minutes, if my BS drops below 70 I become more prone to bad issues...etc. etc.     Do a google on Toprol - it is one of the most despised drugs by those who have dealt with the negatives, which, unfortunately seem to be pretty commonplace. My cardiologist had no clue.  

[cindy707]

Hi Carey......unless the doc told you something different the Toprol XL is providing you w. your safety net so that you can continue on w. your life here. You have no choice but to move forward and leave this to fate unless something else pops up.  I think the best thing we can do for ourselves is to divert ourselves and move forward because there is nothing to say that it will pop up again so every day you worry you lose a day of your life and lets face it w. 74.6 years as the norm we are all limited.  Let your doc make the decision on whether or not you need the EP studies Carey..they know your complete medical history and they have put you on the meds so that you can resume your life...you need to find a safe place in your mind and heart to deal w. this.....so is the Toprol working for you? If it is then you have your answer.....keep dancin' Carey...in other words live your life to the fullest like all normal healthy and not so healthy people do.....as Nike says..."Go for It"

[Carey01]

Bump

[Carey01]

So can i just go along with my life and my Toprol XL and live as usual?  I dont know how to move forward.  Some stuff I read makes it sound serious and others make it sound like just something that is bothersome.  I dont know how to approach it or if I should be considering an EP study or what?  

[Jerry_NJ]

I have taken Toprol XL 50 mg once a day and it had few if any side effects.  It did slow my Heat Rate (HR) down a bit, but not too much.

Subsequently I've move to a generic Metoprolol and have taken as much as 100 mg twice a day...that has side-effect, read what the pharmacy gives you for information on side effects there are many.  Most suffer from fatigue and some dizziness with high dose, but few symptoms with low dose, to me low is 50 mg or less.  Some can't take it at all.

If you like the taste of espresso you may be able to get a decaffeinated.  My wife likes the "designer coffees" and usually asks for decaf and skim milk for a (sounds like) latay, don't knon how to spell.

[Carey01]

I just got home from my follow up.  Im going on Toprol XL.  Anyone ever taken that?  ANy side effects?  Im just so scared at this point.  I do tend to burn the candle at both ends and I do drink a lot of coffee in the morning but not thrughout the day at all.  My last cup of coffee is usually around 9am and I dont drink cola at all.  But my coffee is 2 shots of espresso and water.  Not sure if that plays a part.  Im really anxious about haveing an EP study.  Has anyone had that?    

[itdood]

I think what you meant by "sinkable episode" was syncope.  It's pronounced like sin-co-PAY.

I'm sure the heavy duty meds they were giving you lead to the really slow HR.  Almost anyone with a heart rate of 40 (who isn't very athletic) would black out.

I agree with all the advise above .   I think if you were able to make enough lifestyle changes to eliminate the HBP without meds would be the most optimal way to ensure this reverses direction as you age.  Not sure if that's possible, sometimes it isn't and we have to use medical intervention to manage it.

[cindy707]

I think you can take Jerrys advice to the bank on this one.  I had the exact same thing happen to me about 7 months ago where i woke up at 1:30 in the morning in total a fib and also went to the E.R. where my pulse rate was up in the 200's at that point.  I had an ablation done (successful) 3 years ago and this was the first time since i had an issue.  By process of elimination we were able to determine what had set it off for me at least....1. I had had an incredibly stressful 3 days prior and forgot to take my antenolol, 2. I was burning the candle at both ends staying up super late doing work at home and not getting near enough sleep 3. I was loading caffeine into my system at a crazy rate 4. I was stressed out by my family the whole week 5. I had curbed all of my physical activity that week in order to complete the extra work.  We are pretty sure i did it to myself.  Like Jerry said tho an ablation is the way to go and no you did not just get a death sentence here.  Atrial Fib is treatable in most cases when the pt. is young as you are.  The ablations are no brainers...i know the fear that you feel that its going to come back at any minute and you will go thru it all over again...to be honest i still 7 months later am sensitive to that feelilng adding a little fear to the mix.  I switched things up and feel alot safer now in modifying my life slightly and picking my battles.  Do the docs have you on a beta blocker now to help you out w. this until you can get a more in depth answer?  Don't be afraid Carey...just get pro active and make an appt. today if you can w. a good heart doc to start a plan of action here.  It could have been a one time random episode that happened to you because you may have been doing what i was .....burning the candle at both ends tossing stress into the situation.  It is not uncommon to have it happen to you when you are asleep altho i know how scary it is.  The E,R, visit still haunts me a little w. the conversion as well but at least i recognize that there is a safety net out there for us when/if it happens again. Go get your life back and make the appt.  Good luck Carey.......

[Jerry_NJ]

Sorry to read you have joined the AFib crowd.  Do not consider it a death sentence any more than we all live under... life ends for us all, none get out alive.

At your young age a cure should be sought, perhaps an Ablation surgery.  But, it the episodes are rare perhaps your doctor would say live with it and take an aspirin a day to help guard against any clot formation that can result from AFib (clots are still very unlikely, but more likely than if one did not have AFib episodes).   There may be a low dose medication, such as a beta blocker, that would reduce all your rhythm problems.  Talk with a cardiologist, and try to get back to living your life.  

I am an old guy who didn't have any known AFib problems until in my mid 50s, but after years of being in and out of AFib I am now in permanent AFib.  It tends to get worse with age, that's another good reason to seek a cure/fix such as Ablation.