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    jwcosta

    2 years, 7 months ago

    Hi all. I’m Joe. I’m 57 years old (will be 58 in April). I’ve been dealing with paroxysmal a-fib for 13-14 years now. The episodes used to be very infrequent and by doing a valsalva maneuver, I could usually get myself back into NSR quickly. But in recent years, they have become more frequent, often times coming on a couple of hours after a long bike ride or endurance workout and it’s a little more challenging to get back into NSR. A couple of years ago, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and placed on CPAP. That has helped. For me, triggers are alcohol and believe it or not, ibuprofen. Up until recently, I would have only a couple of drinks, at most, per month. On Christmas Eve, I had one whiskey cocktail and went into a-fib for 17 days! I have since decided to stop drinking alcohol and have explored some alcohol-free options….there are many out there. Also, I stopped taking ibuprofen, altogether. Just Tylenol now, if I need it for aches/pains. Interestingly, caffeine is not a trigger for me. I think an ablation procedure is inevitable for me. My cardiologist has said that we should consider it at such time that the episodes are interfering with my quality of life/ability to do the daily activities I want. Right now, the only thing I take is atenolol 25 mg, daily, mostly just for HR control in the event of an episode. Because of my (still younger) age and lack of other underlying issues, I do not need anticoagulant treatment. Still, these episodes, when then occur, are annoying, Often to get myself back into NSR, I do an indoor bike workout or rowing workout that includes a lot of intervals (like a HIIT-style workout). Sometimes it works. Other times it doesn’t, and I just have to wait it out. Anyway, curious to know if anyone else shares my experiences with a-fib. I’m also happy to have purchased the Frontier X, as I think it will be useful to my cardiologists if/when I have an episode.

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