AFibbers Database: Suzanne

Name	Suzanne
Location	Massachusetts, USA
Age	55
Diagnosed condition	SVT and AFib
Years with condition	SVT - 10 years. AFib only recently diagnosed, but maybe had it for years?
Frequency of episodes	Could go for months / could happen several times a week
Duration of episodes	A few seconds or up to half an hour.
Event preceding first AF	stress
General health	overweight, non-smoker, non-drinker, poor exerciser due to other conditions
Current state	life severely compromised and constantly in fear of an attack
Triggers	An attack can be triggered by stress, being stuck in traffic, flying (I hate having an episode when I'm confined in a small space and so avoid it if I can), any and all alcohol, going ahead with heavy work (shovelling snow, etc) when I know I don't feel "right". Also, when I go on a restrictive diet .. Medifast, Atkins, low/no fat, or just calorie controlled, it seems to trigger my heart. The worse I eat, the better my heart seems to do! But, sometimes, just as I'm drifting off to sleep, I get an episode.
Preventions	1) When I used to drink, I was almost always woken up in the night with one. So I gave up booze completely 8 years ago. 2) When I was on Medifast and used a lot of diet soda (Aspartame) or on Atkins and ate a lot of jello (more Aspartame) I was unwell... so I avoid Aspartame. 3) After a few episodes following coffee and/or chocolate, I gave up caffeine. I feel like I'm constantly avoiding things & giving things up but I'm still not free of these dreadful symptoms. My life is so compromised now because of it and I live in constant fear or another attack. I'm only 55, but I live like an 80 year old; trying to stay calm, avoid stress and keep these episodes at bay. It's exhausting!
Current medications/side effects	Simvastatin (for cholesterol) - no side effects Atenolol - as needed - no side effects I'm on a 30 day heart monitor, and so far have captured many "events". As unpleasant as they were, I am grateful, since now I don't have to describe them to people any more.. they can see them for themselves. When I meet with my doc in a couple of weeks' time, we'll have a discussion about options, I guess.
History of surgery	Nothing heart-related. Emergency appendectomy, nasal polyps removed (7 times through the years).
Future plans	To follow through with this (electro-cardiologist) doc and see what she has to say about all this new data on me.
Personal comments	My husband is also a sufferer of AFib and he had a TIA three years ago, due to it. But, whereas I am almost always in synus rhythm, he is almost always in AFib. We are both seeing different doctors and hopefully one or both of us will see some improvement in our symptoms. We're both sick of this.
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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