What does a fib feel like for you?

Oh and i should mention my last a fib episode was three months ago. I am not actually sure if it WAS my first episode as I've had weird heart Palps before that basically felt like my current a fib attacks. I just think I didn't get to the hospital in time to get a proper EKG of it before.

I believe it is all related to my ibs and i am feeling hopeless as my diet is very restricted already. I feel much better than I did but the trapped gas that messes with my vagus nerve has not really gotten much better. I have read lots of great advice and will be quitting pot and starting to exercise and take potassium and magnesium. I already quit alcohol after my episode three months ago.

Paroxysmal AF is violent. Mine starts with a feeling of my stomach turning over and then a rapid and very irregular heart beat which makes me feel sick and faint. I have to sit or lie down and it can last hours. Try to get  on the correct medication to stop these attacks. Get a good EP cardio doctor to advise you. AF can't kill you. If you are over 65 years you need to be on a blood thinner to reduce your risk of a stroke. AF is very common about one in 12 people will develop it in later life.

I remember my heart pounding what seemed like out of my chest.  No regular rhythm at all.. then just stopping.  I didn't know what it was and I continued on without seeing a doctor.  That went on for almost 2 years.  When I was diagnosed, it was continuous and at times I couldn't catch my breath if I moved quickly.  Medication can regulate your heartbeat.  Ultimately, untreated, I have learned the irrigular beat caused blood to pool in the heart and can cause clotting that lead to a stroke.  My suggestion; see a doctor when it happens.   I had a revolving door at Emergency to regulate my medication.  I had 2 "Shocks" as the primary resolve but they didn't work for me.  Now after almost a year since I was diagnosed, I am having an Ablasion done.   (In just 2 days)  I am scared and very excited a the same time.    Don't wait....  Life is too short ...  technology is amazing.. 

Regards.. 

Catching paroxysmal AF with a heart monitor is a right pain! I had it for years and knew what it was from my medical father and brother who both had Familial AF but proving it was not easy! Persistent AF tends to arrive if you ignore the AF! The objective is to prevent that from happening by getting treatment beforehand. Catheter Ablation success rates for permanent AF are not good.

For me episodes started out as If I had a minor "panic attack" where I did not want to move. But these were not of long duration. Over 20 years the symptoms became worse with an irregular banging of the heart rate over a significant period of time with severe breathlessness and and inability to move. At this point I ended up repeatedly in A&E with a blue flashing light! GPs started calling the ambulance and I rapidly learnt to do so myself 

You can feel your heart rate most easily by using two finger to your neck (right side). Push into your neck and move around until you find it. Tap your finger on a nearby surface to the beat you hear to check its regularity. With practice you wont need to tap a finger.

Try not to get stressed! Not easy but AF at the stage you describe can be treated relatively easily. You need an anticoagulant but that will depend on what the monitor finds...Stress can make things worse.

For me the trigger was always over exertion but they are many and varied

Get yourself a blood pressure monitor that will record your readings and take a reading(s) when you have a episode. Go to bed and sleep if you can - good way to get rid of an episode. If the BP is high persistently 160 plus go to ER. What country are you in? I say this and tend to forget that it can cost especially if youre in the USA 

My paroxysmal AF is certainly not violent (thankfully). It always seems to come on overnight, and I just feel sluggish and tired in the morning. My energy levels are perhaps a bit lower during the day, but not by much. It's the effect of the beta-blockers on energy levels that I find more annoying - to say the least.

I only know for certain that I am in AF once I have checked my heart rate.

I'm obviously one of the lucky ones. I've had AF for three years now. Currently I get a bout about every one or two weeks. They typically last 24-72 hours.

Alan