Post by From BobAnyone have AFib, what treatment have you received, Have you ever had a
cardioversion or abolation, what kind of results ?
Have been on Amiodarone & Coumadin, had one cardionversion, and AFib
returned within days afterward.
Interested in the experience and results of others. TIA
I've had Atrial Fibrillation since May 2000 and until recently it hasn't
caused me any trouble. During the first couple of years I was on
Amiodarone and Digoxin, but after 2 cardioversions had failed, one after
a week and one after 2 hours, it was decided that I would try to live
with it and I was put on Digoxin and Diltiazem and taken off Amiodorone.
On 1st December 2007 I felt my AF change suddenly and began getting very
breathless. I was despatched back to the cardiologist who couldn't find
anything wrong. I had every test known to man and then had them all
over again.
As I have Type 2 diabetes, I was having my annual eye check up and the
technician said that there was a slight deterioration but that he and
his boss thought it might not be related to diabetes at all, but
possibly due to "hidden" hypertension.
After being told that, the cardiologist found that there was a blood
pressure problem between the heart and the lungs which was leading to
the breathless, but a problem which wouldn't necessarily be shown up by
normal blood pressure reading.
The diagnosis was then said to be Diastolic Dysfunction and I was given
Perindropil which improved my breathlessness so that I felt back to
normal............except that it gave me permanenet unceasing rhinitis
and a dreadful 24 x 7 cough. This is apparently a known side effect and
most observable in women. I am one of those!
So now I'm on Aprovel as well as Digoxin and Diltiazem but sadly it's
not as effective as the Perindropil was.
Since, in the last few years, I've also had breast cancer followed by
chemotherapy, which affected me very badly, then followed by 18 months
of untreated breathlessness, I'm now really unfit, so I'm at present on
a cardiac rehabilitation course. If I'd been allowed to attend straight
after my AF, I might be a lot fitter than I am now, but it's only
available for Heart Failure patients. It should be noted that
chemotherapy *can* occasionally result in a deterioration in heart
conditions. They tested me thoroughly before hand, half-way through the
course and afterwards, when the AF was still OK, but whether or not it
was simply a coincidence that some time later my heart condition
deteriorated no-one can know.
The only good thing to come out of all this is that I finally applied
for and got a Blue Badge.
I hope I haven't frightened you with all this, because if you don't have
diabetes and don't develop cancer, your situation is unlikely to follow
the path mine has. People live very happily for many years with AF.
But whatever else you do, do make full use of the things your body *can*
do. Now that I'm unable to walk more than 50 yards without a rest, I
value and miss my previous healthiness more than ever.