i know several people who seem to doing OK with the meds & have not had an episode since starting the meds. hopefully they'll keep working for you.
are you taking a blood thinner & a beta blocker. that's what most of the AF peoplei know are taking. some differences in which types.

@callmedubious Yup

i don't eat a lot of meat but that has absolutely nothing to do with AF.
my arteries are plaque free. i'm 5ft 9 & 150 lbs & healthy/fit other than the AF.

thanks for replying.
i had a cardioversion in dec & when they 1st did an ECG the doc said i just had tachycardia & weren't going to do it. they then decided i had a little flutter & went ahead with cardioversion which reset my heart.
unfortunately the last cardioversion 2 weeks ago didn't work.

thanks for replying. i had never heard of a chemical cardioversion. i tried the pill in pocket((450 MGs of propafenone) but it hasn't worked ffor me.

@callmedubious good luck.

"Plus, I had at least one incident where I converted on my own."
did you self-medicate to convert?
i was able to convert myself probably 8 or 10 times over the years including early this yr but the last few times i tried didn't work.
i used a beta-blocker, magnesium, valium & a tylenol & after falling asleep for an hour or so i would wake up OK. but that stopped working. wondering, now, if i increased the dosage drastically if it work. matbe i'll try again.

@callmedubious no. I spontaneously went back to a normal rhythm. Don’t self medicate. See a doctor. Individuals with A-fib are at a much higher risk of stroke.

@Rob1948 ,
i know that's why i'm on eliquis.

thanks, waiting for appointment with cardiologist. i've heard that ablations don't always work but i really don't want to go on with this irregular heartbeat indefinitely.
oh well, i probably won't be around long regardless.

@callmedubious the ablations we’ve done have been very successful. The issue is sometimes completely different area becomes irritated. The interventional cardiologists don’t do ablations. They will need to refer you out.

@callmedubious A-fib is not a death sentence if it’s treated properly.

@Green_eyes ,
thanks, i probably won't get an ablation.
i'm just taking a BP med & although my BP is fine my pulse is irregular & too high. starts off usually in the hi 90s in the morn. used to be around 60 at rest & sometimes would even dip into the 40s. had 2 beers & a scotch last eve. so started today at 107.
i guess if i got on the right meds (including a beta blocker) & didn't drink at all, i could keep it pretty well under control. that would be 1 of my last pleasures taken away. so i seriously wonder--WTF's the point?

"You need to see an cardiac electrophysiologist."
never heard of them. are they just specialists which mange the electrocardioversion?
i thought cardioversion was fairly simple. just a matter of picking the right current out of 3. the last time i was zapped with each of the 3. but none worked.

@callmedubious there’s your run of the mill cardiologist: sees patients in the office, does stress tests and ECG, prescribes meds. Then you have your interventional cardiologists, there are two types.. we call them electrician and plumbers. The interventional cardiologists open open blockages with stents. The electrophysiologists are the ones who deal with advanced arrhythmia issues, pacemaker and defibrillator placements and ablations. Sorry it’s lengthy.. hearts are my thing.

@Green_eyes , thanks.

thanks, i'll write down tikosyn.

@callmedubious Oh, and thankfully it has gone generic now, drug name is Dofetilide. I am quite aware of my health and have detected absolutely no side effects, which was a worry at first. Hey, please let me know how things go for you!

." We tried 2 cardioversions (paddle shock)".
paddle shock? how long ago was that? i started getting mine 5 yrs ago & they just stick the leads on with adhesive discs.
are you aware of any patients on which a cardioversion didn't work but then a later cardioversion did work? or if they stop working is that pretty well it?

@callmedubious When I showed up in Afib, electrical cardioversion was the first thing tried, SOP. When that didn't hold I opted for the chemical cardioversion via Tikosyn, just a few weeks later. Ablation is best because it a)repairs the current to the right electrical track in your heart and b) you don't have to take a pill twice daily, which is not always convenient. The electrophys docs bring a brilliant melding of cardiac knowledge, computer science, and remote electronics to the table, and their work will improve your life tremendously!

@tinkercreek ,
the cardiologist i'm seeing (i hope) is an echocardiographer. would she do ablations?

@callmedubious Echocardiography is the ultrasound study of the heart, performed by an echo technician. Pretty much every cardiac workup includes an echo, thereby every cardiologist is an echocardiographer, but perhaps meaning this one also does the reading of the studies (not everyone does). Ablations are performed in a cath lab or most often the electrophysiology (EP) lab by a cardiologist specializing in EP. Hope that helps!

Sounds like our heartrates respond to stress in the same way! Glad you have such a good result with your meds, and hope that continues to work for you.

actually, it's the electrical signals to the heart get scrambled.
i've been on several SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) & valium for decades.
now on meds for hi blood pressure + a blood thinner.
i've got it pretty well under control but my pulse is irregular & way higher than it should be.
i don't get winded & can do pretty well anything physical but am waiting to see a cardiologist to see if anything can be done (maybe an ablation) or at least to make sure i'm on the right meds.
old age is lots of fun.. NOT..

@tinkercreek I never really thought of it as stress or a mental state because my flutter was always random. I could be doing the same thing and thinking about the same thing for hours, not in a stressful environment, and it would randomly flutter. I do know I am physically stressed and I know our mental and physical states are connected, but it was always hard for me to look at it as a mental thing. It would act up more during and after a stressful situation though.

I am actually off the meds for now. I found out my health insurance isn't too accepting of psychiatric visits, so I am searching for a regular doctor who is comfortable with prescribing those kinds of things. I only took if for a month, but I didn't have a single flutter once it kicked in. Once it started to leave my system, my heart was going haywire 24/7 for about 4 days. Once that stopped though, the flutters are less frequent than before. I am committed to getting back on those meds though. Was never a fan of anti-anxiety meds cause the 3 times I've tried Xanax I went into a mini coma and slept almost a full 24 hours.

not sure what you mean. i started having AF episodes in 2014 & have been electrocardioverted 8 times. the 9th cardioversion which i had just 2 weeks ago didn't work. now waiting to see cardiologist.
just wondering if anyone out there is or was in the situation i'm in now.

@callmedubious Cardiac Ablation is the standard preferred treatment these days, and works quite well. They use great technology in the electrophysiology lab to find and 'zap' the exact spot inside your heart that is derailing normal heart rhythm, like repairing a section of railway track to keep the train on. Best of luck to you!

@tinkercreek ,
thanks.