Looking for anyone who has had or been treated for atrial fibrillation. I'm 55 and a life long endurance athlete (I did my first 200 bike ride when I was 18 years old). I haven't always run but I've always been doing something: cycling, xc skiing, triathlons etc. Usually 10-15 hours/week.
Recently had 12 hours of a fib requiring conversion (shock in the ER). No heart disease, otherwise completely healthy. Echo shows heart is normal. I'm meeting with cardiologist next week. My googling shows a definite link between long-term endurance athletes and a fib. Anyone with experience.
Thanks,
Joe
Trails are hard!
Joe--I'm not one of the high mileage folks around here, but I did have afib and got treated with a double (both atria) ablation about 5 years ago. I was NOT a long term endurance athlete, but my cardio never did find a real reason for my afib. there is heart disease in my family.
It had started more than 5 years before that, but was largely controlled with meds until it come on full time. never had to get shocked to resolve, so happy about that. in fact, when my cardiologist asked me to go into the emergency room the next time I fluttered to get a real EKG, the nurses were a lot more concerned about the side effects than I was. it was mostly an annoyance--not serious like Rich Peverly the hockey player.
Since my ablations, I've done several halfs and my one and only full last June. Never was very fast, but one of the side effects of the light dose of meds I'm still on has been to lower my max heart rate. Still have an occasional flutter, but never for very long (no more than 5-10 beats).
Happy to answer any other questions--either here or via message. good luck and hope it works out for you.
eta--I turn 59 this year and my ablation was when I was 54.
Need a fast half for late fall. Then I need to actually train for it.
Just a dude.
I've recently started registering some a-fib and some fluttering on my pacemaker. How was the ablation surgery? They've mentioned it to me once as a possible option, and they've been working hard trying to get my drugs right. (Metoprolol and Digoxin)
-Kelly
Getting back in shape... Just need it to be a skinnier shape...
It wasn't too bad and results were definitely worth it. An overnight in hospital and some highly colored bruising in the groinal region. I found the 6 months of cumadin the most annoying. I'm taking rhythmol as maintenance.
Stumpy,
What is your dose of rhythmol? Does the rhythmol have any side effects? Are you on any other heart meds?
Are you still on a blood thinner?
Joe J
The middle of last year I had three separate episodes of Tachycardia (very, very rapid heart rate); the last of which lasted for over 2 and a half hours and subsided via a drug the ER injected. Found a Cardiologist who put me through a full battery of stress tests and MRI's including one with radioactive dye.
He diagnosed it as Supraventricular Tachychardia (SVT). They put me on 25 mg. per day of Metoprolol which seems to be doing what it was intended to do as I've had no further SVT events. (Knocking on wood). It took me a while to adapt to the drug since it, as Stumpy mentioned, tends to lower the heart rate. (A nurse told me to think of it as putting a blanket over your heart.) I'm training/running on it but i notice I don't ever venture into the higher HR zones - though this may be just general laziness and not a factor of the meds. But I can pretend. A couple of other minor side effects - a general feeling of fatigue (which passed eventually) and some vivid, colorful dreams.
Anyway, if you have any questions let me know.
Bill
"Some are the strong, silent type. You can't put your finger on exactly what it is they bring to the table until you run without them and then you realize that their steadiness fills a hole that leaks energy in their absence." - Kristin Armstrong
He diagnosed it as Supraventricular Tachychardia (SVT). They put me on 25 mg. per day of Metoprolol which seems to be doing what it was intended to do as I've had no further SVT events. (Knocking on wood). It took me a while to adapt to the drug since it, as Stumpy mentioned, tends to lower the heart rate. (A nurse told me to think of it as putting a blanket over your heart.) I'm training/running on it but i notice I don't ever venture into the higher HR zones - though this may be just general laziness and not a factor of the meds. But I can pretend. A couple of other minor side effects - a general feeling of fatigue (which passed eventually) and some vivid, colorful dreams. Anyway, if you have any questions let me know. Bill
Your max heartrate is probably down a bit. I started with 100mg a day of metoprolol, and my max heart rate went from mid 190s to the 160s. I've been working my meds over quite a bit, and they've added digoxin I think it is. That has helped my heart kinda get back to normal. Now I can get up in the high 170s, and actually got in the 180s in a race a while ago. So don't beat yourself up too much if you can't get it up to where you think it should be. It probably is the drugs and not laziness...
I'm 54 now and have run since I was 16 without much of a break. I started treatment for afib in Nov 2012. First with Metoprolol. It helped for about 1 month then afib came back so I got off of it the end of January 2013. After 2 weeks on a cardiac monitor I started Rhythmol. It never really worked. By April I couldn't run a block without afib & constant atrial flutter. May 15th, 2013 I had an ablation and felt better the next day (no atrial flutter). After a week off I slowly started running with Rhythmol until the end of August. No problems while on meds or after.
I am still really slow. Not sure if its physical or mental (maybe both) but I can't push myself or run too long without getting rundown (usually catch a cold too). I've worn a heart rate monitor for years. It's really hard to keep my heart rate low (<145 bpm). Hoping the spring weather helps but I'm reluctant to train too hard.
I'm very glad I had the ablation but never thought it would be so hard to get back into it.
Good luck!
Hamdog,
Where did you have your ablation done? Was it R heart ablation (for a flutter) or L heart ablation (pulmonary veins for a fib)?
Stumpy, What is your dose of rhythmol? Does the rhythmol have any side effects? Are you on any other heart meds? Are you still on a blood thinner? Thanks, Joe J
right now I'm on the lowest dose pill (20mg? not sure and not near my pill bottle) 2x a day. I also take hydrochlorothiazide and enalapril for BP (nicely under control) and a statin for cholesterol. oh yeah an aspirin and fish oil . Jeez sounds like a lot when you write it out. the blood thinner was only while I was in afib and for 6 months after the ablation. I only take my meds after I run in the morning, which was approved by my cardiologist.
the last time I took a stress test, he asked me to take them before and I made it up to about 140-150 bpm when I ended up with an irregular (but not afib) heart beat. what I got out of the explanation is that the rythmol works on afib by disrupting irregular beats, which apparently high HR mimics. So now i'm sure to not take meds before and keep the HR down while running. but I could see improvement as my fitness increased with going faster at the same effort and no adverse effects.
of course at the moment, my fitness is departing quickly as I wait out a strained hammy.
BTW--old hamdog, you had a much more relaxed doc than me--I had to wait over a month before I was allowed to run.
Hamdog, Where did you have your ablation done? Was it R heart ablation (for a flutter) or L heart ablation (pulmonary veins for a fib)?
I had it done at Mpls Heart Institute by Dr Katsiyiannis (great guy). I had both sides done. My Dr told me the procedure was "boring". No surprises. Good luck. I didn't realize how much afib affected me until I had the ablation.
I live in the Midwest so that is a good resource. Thank you.
The problem with rhythmol and other anti-arrhythmics is the are also proarrhythmic meaning they can also CAUSE arrhythmias. It is good you had a stress test while on the drug so you know what your "limit" HR is.