atrial fibrillation in cyclists

simon_edin

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking for some help. On Saturday on a nice easy run (16.5 miles hours in Stirling), my heart started to atrial flutter while going down hill, not pedalling.

Having had 2 other episodes of Lone atrial fibrillation , exactly 2 years apart (almost to the day), one that was fixed with a procedure called a cardio version and the other self corrected, I knew straight away that flutter is a precursor for Lone atrial fibrillation.

To cut a long boring story short, I had medication to get my heart back into a sinus rhythm.

This is a well known condition amongst endurance althetes, with the following having suffered from it, Bobby Julich, Stuart O'Grady, Tri-athletes Bruce Thomas, Greg Welch and most recently Sean Yates, the guy who won the Edinburgh Marathon.

The help I am looking for is to see if any of the Cycling plus forum members or friends and families has had Lone atrial fibrillation or atrial fibrillation that can offer advice/ guidance.

I am hopefully going to get a procedure called an RF Catheter Ablation, which is the same procedure that both Tony Blair and Alex Ferguson had a couple of years ago.

As much as its not a life threatening condition, it stressful knowing that every two almost to the day your heart rhythm

Thanks for reading this, hopefully someone will know someone, then I can get back to racing or at least back on my bike as soon as possible.

Bloke on a bikecp

Hello Simon,
A fellow sufferer here. (AF)
There's not really much more I can tell you. You've more or less covered it.
I would warn you to keep an eye on it though matey, and do not ever hesitate to talk to your G.P. if you think that it is getting worse or more frequent.
My atrial flutter is steadily becoming more and more frequent and is not being controlled by the drugs. I've had two attempts at Cardio Version with no improvement.
The situation I'm in at the moment is that I can do my usual commute (but with not too much sprinting) and I can also ride out at the weekend as long as I pootle. Any great effort on hills or sprints or anything that raises my heart rate can now set me off into AF. This is not a good place to be. [V] I did manage 45 miles yesterday (day off work) but it was rather slow.

Next month I'm booked in for an Ablation(Clicky). I really hope that this sorts it for me. I'm desperate to get back into long fast rides again.



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<font color="red"><b>Basil W Brush</b></font id="red">

simon_edin

Hi,

Thanks for the information, Good luck with the Ablation, I've read up a lot on it and it seems to cure the problem, I still cannot work out why I wasn't offer this the first time I went into AF.

You'll be back to knocking out fast times in no time at all.

Let me know how you get on.

Best of luck

Simon

wong

You need to see a cardiologist
If you need Radiofrequency ablation, try to make sure it is someone who has lots of experience. There is a definite learning curve to its success rate which is very user dependant ( most papers quote ~ >90% ).

http://www.cyclistclub.org.hk/main.htm
One thing better than a bicycle is a better bicycle

simon_edin

Hi Wong,

I already have an appointment to see a Cardiologist, I was just checking to see if any of the cyclists who read the forum can offer me any advice from their own experiences.

thanks

Rich99cp

Hi Simon,

Sorry to hear of your troubles.

Just to say that I too have suffered from a few bouts of AF (2 years apart strangely. I'm 48) and have been admitted to A&E. I've had lots of tests and seem to be prone to various harmless skipped beats as well. For me, it has meant trial and error with various tablets over a couple of years and have found the following has worked for me to keep my heart rate stable:
1) Ensure I keep properly hydrated and also make sure I take in plenty of electrolytes (sports drinks) to make up for those lost in sweat.
2) I take beta blockers about 40 mins before each ride.
3) I need to limit my max heart rate to 140 although the beta blockers chemically tend to limit this anyway. If it is a long ride, I take one afterwards as well.
4) If it is very hot, I really take it easy as for me, dehydration seems to be a trigger factor.

I wish you good luck and don't give up as I'm sure after some experimentation and patience, under the guidance of your cardiologist, you will find the right balance of treatment to keep you cycling.

Rich