A Fib Drama

[doz650207 19]

I was sitting on the sofa yesterday when all of a sudden my heart went crazy. I took my pulse at it was at 173. I call my GP since my surgeon is 4 hours away any they got me right in. They did an EKG and found that my heart had gone into A Fib. After getting sent to the ER they said they were going to have to shock me back into rhythm. Just as they were about to knock me out and shock me I went back into normal sinus rhythm. They said since I has never had this issue before it could have been caused from the stress of surgery and my new diet. Has anyone else had this issue. I think it was just a fluke and hope it stays away...

[notime 340]

You've been through a tough time all right. I haven't had that experience and haven't heard of it on this board, so I have no words of wisdom. Like you, I hope it stays away. Good luck.

[Museum-Mama 196]

Wow. Ive not heard of such a thing! Glad you are ok. My heart rate was up from not getting enough fluids, but not that high. Only 120.

[JessicaAnn 564]

I have severe sinus tachycardia so for me, I can get that high often, but it can definitely be from the stress of surgery and your whole body trying to readjust.

[Arts137 1,811]

From:

http://www.stopafib.org/causes.cfm

In addition, atrial fibrillation can also happen to otherwise healthy people, especially when they are stressed or fatigued, have had too much caffeine or alcohol, have smoked, or have exercised too much. Other causes that are frequently mentioned include heart and other medications, recreational drugs, air pollution, chemicals and pesticides, and H. Pylori, which is often associated with ulcers. Another known risk factor is having too much or too little of some minerals in your body, such as Calcium, magnesium, or potassium.

It is becoming more and more common at younger ages, including young people in their teens and twenties.

Being overweight is often mentioned as a risk factor for afib, but normal and underweight people have it, too. One woman's doctor attributed her atrial fibrillation to weight, and it went away briefly after her gastric bypass surgery, but it soon returned, triggered by a sinus infection.

We are now learning from a number of studies about atrial fibrillation in families as recent research has found genetic clues about why afib runs in some families. To learn more, see Mayo Clinic Finds Gene Mutation Responsible for Atrial Fibrillation That Runs in Families and New Genetic Cause of Atrial Fibrillation Found.

About half of afib patients have obstructive sleep apnea, a stronger correlation than between afib and any other risk factors. There is also a high correlation between sleep apnea and other heart diseases, as sleep apnea is correlated with high levels of C-reactive Protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation that indicates the possible presence of heart disease. It's also possible that afib may cause sleep apnea as well. Afib, obstructive sleep apnea, and obesity all appear to be related conditions, so as we see a surge in obesity, we can expect to see more afib and obstructive sleep apnea, too.⁴

[Writergirl 230]

Did they talk to you about Potassium? I think it's very easy for electrolytes to get thrown out of whack when eating little and urinating a lot. I sometimes have heart palpitations and take one potassium, and it seems to get me back on track. However, too much potassium can also be a problem, so I would definitely talk to t he doctor about it.

[Flup 48]

Yikes, that's scary!

[need2bthin! 235]

I work in Electrophysiology, and I can tell you first hand A-Fib is very very common. Most people convert to sinus rhythm on their own, if not you can take an anti-arrhythmic drugs. Sometimes we do have to shock but if you develop persistent A-Fib you can have a pulmonary ablation to help to chronic A-fib. You will feel tired, have shortness of breath, and sometimes feel dizzy when your heart is out of rhythm. I would consult a cardiologist/electrophysiologist if it becomes worrisome. Hope all the best to you!

[doz650207 19]

Thanks everyone for your concern and recommendations. I have many questions to ask my doctor next Monday when I go in.

[Ahealthyme2013 39]

I was sitting on the sofa yesterday when all of a sudden my heart went crazy. I took my pulse at it was at 173. I call my GP since my surgeon is 4 hours away any they got me right in. They did an EKG and found that my heart had gone into A Fib. After getting sent to the ER they said they were going to have to shock me back into rhythm. Just as they were about to knock me out and shock me I went back into normal sinus rhythm. They said since I has never had this issue before it could have been caused from the stress of surgery and my new diet. Has anyone else had this issue. I think it was just a fluke and hope it stays away...

Sorry for your scary experience. I am Pre-op so I have no idea if it had anything to do with the surgery, but I have had superventricular tachycardia and had a catheter ablation to have it taken care of. I definitely remember how scary it is. Please seek a cardiologist if the symptoms persist so they can discuss treatment Options with you, if needed. They may want to put you on a beta blocker to treat the symptoms. I take one that works for that and my HBP. Good luck and hopefully it was an isolated incident.

[shawnee711 0]

I know this happened a long time ago, but how did it go?

I was heading to work the other night, and my heart started feeling very weird. Luckily, I am an RN on a cardiac floor so when I got to work, I listened to my heart, and heard it was very irregular, and tachy. Again, luckily I work on a cardiac floor, so my co-worker hooked me up to the ECG which read A-Fib. After speaking with one of the residents, I went down to the ED. Like your heart rate, mine went as high as 171, then down to 60. Also like you, my heart converted to NSR on its own. The whole episode lasted about 8-9 hours. I have not had any problems since that night. The only thing my blood work showed was my K was 3.2 (normal is 3.5 - 5.0). So I'm thinking that could've been the cause.

It's been a couple of years for you, did yours completely resolve? Did you ever find out what caused it?

Thanks and I hope all is well with you!