Friend of mine has AF badly, he’s a multiple world adventure racing winner and manages it doing that !

we have had a few AF threads over the last couple of years, people come on and say ‘i have af and i can still ride or my mate has af and he can compete in races’
when i read things like this, i assume that they are talking about paroxysmal fibrilation, where they have short bouts of af.
i cant believe that anyone with permanent af can race/compete/whatever at any kind of good standard.

@natrix

Thanks for the link, I wasn’t aware of that but more people self monitoring would really help us out. Sometimes we need a test on the morning of a day of treatment and getting one can be a real logistical nightmare!

Ton, I agree totally.

I had one very bad experience back in 2000 with AF. I was competing in a paintball tournament and got hit with a bout of AF in the closing seconds of a game. It was just before lunch, but I had to sit out the next game to be safe. At one point I thought things had settled down, so I left the safe area and walked outside to see how my team were doing. Within 20 yards, my eyesight had gone from normal to very small bits of daylight in a sea of black and I had to sit down. I was still there when the team got back 30 minutes later.

Luckily Flecainide works well for me (apart from the nausea etc) and I was right as rain a couple of hours later. There is no way I would have been able to run or do anything like that though.

Thought about this a lot over the weekend, don’t know if this will help or not. Its an email from Kevin he sent last year and as far as Im aware its the only time he has tried to describe what is happening to him and how he felt.

I’m Kevin, Tracey’s husband on Singletrack. I was diagnosed with AF just over two years ago aged 54. Had been bad for a while but didn’t know what was wrong with me. When it was finally diagnosed I was suffering for up 18 hours a day and I am told by Tracey that she could feel it in my sleep. I thought I was going to die before they diagnosed it and although I was working I felt crap all the time. Biking and other sports went out of the window as just like you any sign of effort or uphill and I thought I would pass out. I was put on a multitude of tablets and had all sorts of tests but nothing was working. I was then put on a waiting list for a cardiac ablation and am still waiting. It was very hard to go from riding most weekends and holidays in the Alps to doing nothing. It was dictating my whole life. I managed a few rides but the uphill’s and any effort seemed to be killing me. In August 2012 we went to the Alps on a pre-booked 2 weeks biking family holiday and I felt shattered every day. Even missed some days. In April this year I took matters into my own hands and set off to either get better or kill myself trying. By this time my quality of life had hit rock bottom. We spent some money and I had built a lighter do all bike and gave my Enduro to Abigale my youngest daughter. I joined a gym and with the help of work mates we went every weekday morning before work. When I got home at night I did the same, to become boring, 7 mile off road route every night. Not much of uphill’s apart from one half a mile from home. I also packed in drinking, caffeine and salt. The last uphill was gruelling at first and I had to push it up. But each day got better. Rain or shine I was out there. After three months I had lost 3 stone and was down to 12 and a half stone. The hills got better and I started to go out with Tracey and Abigale. They were amazed at the change in me.
We had booked to go back to Verbier in August and I told the girls this was to be my last trip with them. I visited the doctors two weeks before we went and told them I was stopping my medication, not really a good idea. We agreed that I could reduce it and see how it would go but was advised that biking in the alps was a no no. We went out and I had the best holiday I had had in a long time. Last week the hospital took me of all my meds. I haven’t suffered with any AF since June and will be going back to the Alps next year. It’s been long and hard and I still get tired. I don’t know if this will help you but If you feel like I did then keep digging in and try not to let it get you down. Two years ago Id had enough and thought the end was near. I now look forward to every day and can’t wait to be out in the Peak this weekend. I’m 57 on Friday and hope to be out on the bike weather permitting and then on the Peak Pootle on Sunday. I couldn’t explain to anyone what I was going through and still find it difficult to get it across

A further update

He had an appointment at Sheffield Northern General and after a long and frank discussion, which included me, turned down the cardiac ablation operation. Carries pills in the pocket just in case, but not had to use them [beta blockers and Flecainide].

He is still going to the gym every morning, out on his bike when he can, and looks shattered every night. We did Wharncliffe yesterday and apart from one big climb he managed everything.

We are going back to the Alps again this year and he’s looking forward to it.

Its a big worry for me and the girls but I don’t think and don’t want him to change. He thinks his AF is under control but is also aware that it can come back at any time.

Tracey, I was the recipient of the above email…..and it was one of the reasons I upped my miles a went for the 500 mile a month thing. I still cant ride offroad on anything challenging, but after my op (at Sheffield northern too) I am hoping I will be back offroad again with a vengeance.
I hope Kevin keeps well love……… 😀

Good luck with the op. Ill let him know.

Ton, you’re right, Nathan had bouts of it but recently it’s almost permanent and he did manage to race but hated it. He’s in next week for another crack at fixing it. I had it briefly and getting out of bed was enough for me.