Imagine getting off the plane and heading through the terminal. As you enter into arrivals, you see them, your daughter, son-in-law, and their two beautiful children. You want to run and give them the biggest of hugs because you have missed them terribly.
But you can not run. Your energy is at an all-time low, so even walking is difficult. Your breath is so short, there is no way you could run.
Are you happy? You are always happy to see your family, but the anxiety you feel steals the joy from deep in your soul.
Ms. Julie didn’t have to imagine this. When she came to our clinic in April of 2024, this was her life.
She has atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation or “AFib” is the most common type of abnormal heart rhythm. When someone is in AFib the upper heart chambers (atria), are not in sync with the lower chambers (ventricles). This causes blood flow issues where blood is not being fully pumped out of the heart, raising the risk of an ischemic stroke (increased chance of blood clot that could travel to the brain).
A person can have brief sporadic episodes of AFib frequently.
Often medications, exercise, low stress, and clean eating will manage the issues. Sometimes surgery is the recommended option.
In many cases, and in particular Ms. Julie’s case these were not real options.
Often the medications have difficult side effects but are used because they are better than the risk of a stroke. Ms. Julie did not tolerate the various medications well and could not work because she felt like a “Zombie”. She was on blood thinners that did not help the AFib, only reduced the chance of a blood clot.
Surgery, if it is an option at all, can have unrealistic wait times.
Ms. Julie, like many other people, was doomed to “Go Home and live with it”.
When Ms Julie came to our office, all she wanted was to get the AFib under control. During the consultation, Dr Holden determined that she was a good candidate for treatment, so he drew up a treatment plan for her and she started treatment that day.
It has not been an easy journey for her; she has had tough days and setbacks but the results have been wonderful.
One of the first things she noticed was her heart rate was slower than before. After several weeks of treatment, she went 10 full days without entering into AFib (versus nearly every day). After about 1 month, her husband said he was impressed that she was much less anxious and seemed better able to handle stress. At the end of two months, her episodes were very infrequent and when they did occur, they were very short.
The best part was the last time she went to see her grandkids, there was no anxiety and though she didn’t run, she gave them both a huge hug.
If you know someone going through this, let them know there is hope. If this is you, don’t wait, call us at 780-514-6111 and book a Consultation.
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