DISAPPEARING AF?

Hi Christine,

​I doubt it, it is there lurking away waiting for the right conditions to return and set it off. Almost certainly there will be a trigger which will do the job. However, as in my case, you can still be in AF and not know it - that is you can be in AF with no symptoms at all - I am such a case in point. I too had about 3 years of palpitations prior to being diagnosed. I was put on Bisoprolol and Warfarin. Warfarin was easy and still is and I self test for my INR. Bisoprolol was very hard for first 6 months but I perceivered with it and nowadays  I can say my last recorded AF event was in April 2015. Food and digestive issues (bloating) were a trigger for me but I consulted a Nutritionist who put me on a course of probiotics then advised me on a change of diet and that over the last 5 years + seems to have done the job. BUT I know I'm not cured and because my left atria has been damaged I know this rotten thing could return. I try and keep as fit as possible, try and keep weight off, keep blood pressure and heart rate low (currently around 127/72 with HR at 63). I was 65 when diagnosed in Jan 2010 and turn 72 this Sept. I also still work 30 to 40 hours a week driving a shuttle bus. So, basically I try and make life as easy as possible for the heart.

Good luck.

​John

Another good source of information is the forum on the AFA website.

AF is hard to catch on monitors ECGs etc in its early stages for paroxysmal AF. It will occurr erratically and maybe not very often. So maybe no it probably has not disappeared!

Youre quite lucky it was caught on a Holter Monitor.  Part of the process  of living with AF is working out if there are any particular triggers for episodes. Coffee, alcohol are common... for me it was always over exertion. You'll see people have different triggers. If you can spot these you can help avoid AF episodes.  And stop what youre doing if possible and try and have a nap! Can do the trick nicely

I started with minor episodes that gradually became longer and turbulent over time. Had not treatment to begin with and then various medications. Took me 30 years to get to the catheter ablation stage but people are different.

Significant thing is that your PAF was less frequent when you came off Bisoprolol.

I've found that my PAF was triggered by my bp meds (Ramipril then Candesartan). I'm now on Bisoprolol and have far fewer episodes than before. I believe that meds have a far bigger effect on af than the doctors would either know about or admit to.

As one GP put it to me ' do you want high bp or paf, it's your choice'.

 

You can adsolutely clear up PAF.

It is often triggered by specific food intolerances that appear to be individual, i.e., no size fits all. So you have to figure it out for yourself.

I completely cleared up my PAF when I realized that the damn antibiotics I had been taking off-and-on over the past 66 years were wiping out the good gut bacteria and replacing them with not-so-good ones. Most recent was doxycyclin which is the antibiotic I took and then started having AF episodes - not immediate though. 

My focus was on histamine in the gut which comes from certain foods and there are specific low histamine diets - not too restrictive btw. Certain gut bacteria also produce histamine, and therein lies a major problem.  Just as a starter, yogurt is a No-NO. Those bacteria do indeed produce histamine and in susceptible people can be a hindrance to clearing up PAF.

Frank 

Hi all. Thanks for all the replies and all the useful information. I don't think I've treated this diagnosis with the respect it deserves! I was told it was paroxysmal AF and at first it scared me but then it just seemed to go away. I know what you mean about being in AF but unaware - but every time I'm at the nurse for a check-up it's not there, also twice to see the consultant and no symptoms (he doesn't want to see me again). Good health to you all 😊