| Name | Diane |
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| Location | Milton, Washington |
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| Age | 50 |
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| Diagnosed condition | atrial fibrillation |
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| Years with condition | four |
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| Frequency of episodes | 7-14 days |
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| Duration of episodes | average around 18 hours |
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| Event preceding first AF | playing tennis |
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| General health | good, non smoker, light drinker. |
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| Current state | I try to stay very active but AF limits my aerobic activities. |
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| Triggers | I have "susceptible" times of the day. Ususally from 4 PM on. I usually get an increase in ectopic beats at this time. If I partake in alcohol, chocolate or bend over I may go into AF or sometimes it will occur when I'm just relaxing and doing nothing. Quite frequently I will go into AF after aerobic exercise when my heart rate is on the decline (vagal rebound). |
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| Preventions | I have two types of ectopic beats that send me into AF. The first one is the multiple skipped or extra beats which will send me into AF. If I can get my heart rate up with some light exercise I can sometimes fend off the AF. The other type is probably an atrial flutter or some kind of tackycardia (a series of short fast beats). With this type if I bear down (like having a bowell movement) or plug my nose and simulate blowing up a baloon I can sometimes prevent an occurance. Usually in the end the AF wins out but sometimes I can delay it. |
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| Current medications/side effects | Just started on Norpace after a three day stay in the hospital for observation while the drug was started. I am told I will still get the ectopic beats but hopefully they will not progress into AF. |
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| Past medications/side effects | Digoxin: Did well as sole medication for the first year after diagnosis. Atenolol: Doesn't keep me out of AF but does keep the heart rate down when I am in AF. Does affect my aerobic exercising. Flecanide: Bad experience with this. Didn't keep me out of AF and when I converted from AF to sinus rhythm I had long pauses (5 to 10 seconds) which would cause me to almost black out.
Calcium channel blocker: Had Af more frequently as well as bad ectopic beats when not in AF. Carvedilol: Made my asthma worse and severly limited my aerobic exercise.
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| History of surgery | none |
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| Future plans | My current electrophysiologist doesn't think the drugs are going to work for me. If the current drug (Norpace) doesn't work he recommends a dual chamber pacemaker and higher doses of drugs or a pulmonary vein ablation. |
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| Personal comments | I have paroxismal lone atrial fibrillation of the vagal variety. Knowing what I know now... I wish I wouldn't have been put on drugs at all. These drugs send you down a slippery slope. The drugs seem to work for a while but then your body develops a resistence to them and higher and higher levels are required until you virtually become addicted and can't get off of them. If I had to do it over again I wouldn't take daily drugs but only take a drug if I went into AF to keep the heart rate down. |
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| Check list |  acebutolol | amiodarone (cordarone,pacerone) | anisindione (miradon) |  atenolol (tenormin) | aspirin | azimilide | | bepridil | betaxolol | bisoprolol (monocor,emconcor) | | bretylium | bucindolol | carvedilol | | cibenzoline | dicumarol | digitoxin | | digoxin (lanoxin) | diltiazem (cardizem) | diphenylhydantoin | | disopyramide (norpace) | dofetilide (tikosyn) | dronedarone | | encainide | esmolol (brevibloc) | ersentilide | | flecainide (tambocor) | gallopamil | ibutilide (corvert) | | lidocaine | mibefradil | metoprolol (lopressor,toprol xl) | | mexiletine | moricizine | nadolol | | phenytoin | procainamide | propafanone (rythmol) | | propranolol (inderal) | quinapril (accupril) | quinidine (quinaglute) | | sotalol (betapace) | tedisamil | timolol | | tocainide | trandolapril (mavik) | valsartan (diovan) | | verapamil (calan,isoptin) | warfarin (coumadin) | asthma | | diabetes | GERD/acid reflux | hypertension | | hypotension | hyperthyroidism | hypothyroidism | | adrenergic | vagal | familial | | idiopathic/lone | paroxysmal | permanent/chronic | | atrial flutter | cardiomyopathy | CHF | | PAC | PVC | SVT | | syncope | bradycardia | tachycardia | | heart block | myocardial infarction | rheumatic heart diease | | sick sinus syndrome | stroke | WPW | | electrical cardioversion | defibrillator | pacemaker | | ablation | bypass | maze | | Male | Female | |
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