A-Fib and Disney

[Jonell]

I was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation last October. My cardiologist could not find a specific reason for it and I'm only 37 years old. On the 3rd day during our last visit in Feb I had an episode but it lasted less than 2 minutes before I converted back to normal. I was stressed out at the time due to us being late for our golf tee time. After that incident I rented a ECV thinking maybe all of the walking was stressing my heart. I really don't want to rent an ECV this time but I'm afraid not to. Also I didn't ride any of the thrill rides last time due to being afraid they could send me into A-fib. Any A-fib sufferers out there that could give me some advise on how to handle the ECV and ride situation..Thanks

 

[jmartinez1895]

I do not have your condition, but my FIL does. I would get hte ECV, rent off site so you will have it the whole time. If you feel you don;t need it, you can park it and walk around, but you will have it in case you do need it and it. Also stay hydrated. This is one of the things my FIL has a hard time doing and for him it causes problems when he does not drink enough. If you feel that you are getting stress or over worked you can pop into a first aid station and rest for a bit as well. Have you talked to your doctors about the rides?

 

[Jonell]

I haven't talked to my MD yet, but I think I will. Some of the things he told me to avoid are alcohol, caffeine, sodium, and stress. I'm not a huge fan of thrill rides but BTM and EE are some of my faves, and it would be sad to know I can't ride them ever again. As far as the ECV, I guess it's more of the expense that I'm trying to avoid. I hate to spend $150 on something I may or may not need.

 

[jmartinez1895]

I haven't talked to my MD yet, but I think I will. Some of the things he told me to avoid are alcohol, caffeine, sodium, and stress. I'm not a huge fan of thrill rides but BTM and EE are some of my faves, and it would be sad to know I can't ride them ever again. As far as the ECV, I guess it's more of the expense that I'm trying to avoid. I hate to spend $150 on something I may or may not need.[/QUOTE]

I know how you feel, but your health is worth the $150. Also, that sounds cheaper than a trip to the ER and missing time out of your vacation. I hope that your doctor will be able to give you more info and I do hope that you area able to ride BTM and EE. Disney is a lot of walking, people often do not realize how much walking they do and I would assume that extra miles added to your daily routine could cause stress on your heart. Couple that with heat, humility and the stress of dealing with crowds and you might have a recipe for disaster.
What ever you chose to do, I hope that you have a safe and magical vacation.

 

[SueM in MN]

Talk to your doctor about rides, but also whether he thinks you need the ECV.
He may say that walking is not an issue for you at all, especially if your episodes are rare.
Even though it is scary to go through, some people have atrial fibrillation that is benign, especially if no cause for it happening can be found. So, you really need to talk to the doctor to find out if your case men's you should make any changes like avoiding walking or avoiding specific rides.

Besides caffeine, alcohol, sodium and stress, you really want to avoid dehydration. That alone can cause a rapid heart rate.