| Name | BobS |
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| Location | Christchurch Dorset UK |
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| Age | 63 |
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| Diagnosed condition | PAF |
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| Years with condition | 20 |
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| Frequency of episodes | Approximately 2 per month |
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| Duration of episodes | 12 - 18 hours |
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| Event preceding first AF | None |
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| General health | Good general health apart from PAF - Light drinker - non smoker |
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| Current state | In sinus rhythm. |
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| Triggers | None that can be identified. Mostly I wake up with AF or it occurs very late in the evening. Often I find that I have AF when I've been sleeping on my left side. When in AF, lying on my LHS seems to aggrivate the condition. |
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| Preventions | None that work reliably. "Burping" does work in very early on-set (within first 3 - 4 AF beats, but nothing works when AF established. |
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| Current medications/side effects | Tambocor - No side effects at present. In the first few days I was slightly dizzy by these symptoms dissapeared in the first month or two.
Update. Use of Tambocor was not responsible for my Tinitus as I have now been using this for 6 months with no noticable increase in the ear problem. Under medical suggestion, I've stopped using the 75mg daily medication of Asprin.
Update - May 2007. In June 2006 I had a PV ablation at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital. After a month I had some atrial tachycardia and was prescribe diltaziam which I took for a week or so which slowed the heart rate to normal. I stopped the flecainide in August 2006 and had a 7 day Holter monitor in Dec 2006 which showed I was clear of any AF but I did have some occasional ectopic and missed beats. In March Dr Sopher stopped wararin and suggested I start 75mg daily aspirin. Since July 2006 have had no AF. |
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| Past medications/side effects | Tambocor for a trail 3 month period which did completely stop any AF episodes. However I believe it did start my Tinitus problems and whilst taking it I did feel somewhat "under the weather". My cardiologist said that I could change to amiodarone but pointed out that I would have to take this 3 times a day and it could have side effects that could be worse than the PAF.
Recently I had an increased number of AF episodes (approx 1 per day) lasting upto 18 hours duration. Having this PAF for a couple of weeks I've reverted to using Tambacor (50mg twice a day) under medical supervision. This has stopped the AF completely and have now been using this drug continuously for about 6 months with little or no side effects. |
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| History of surgery | None related to AF. I had a slipped disk operation about 5 years after first having AF.
Ablation 2006 Success. |
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| Future plans | I keep a log of the number, eposide length and date of AF. At present the AF frequency seems relatively constant but no clear pattern is apparent. |
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| Personal comments | I have had several tests for any heart irregularities but fortunately there appears to be no abnormalities.
My mother had AF in her later years after she was 70 or so - she lived to be 84. My sister has occasional bouts of AF and my brother has been diagnosed with left branch bundle block and also has attacks of AF. He is on warfarin and digoxin which to date seems to contol episodes. He is 52 and my sister 64. |
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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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