Hi RLR,
hope you are well! Haven't been on here for a while as although still getting the odd palp & flutters here & there they are manageable.
However, just wanted to get your opinion on something-last night my husband asked me to feel his pulse, he said he had just bent over & when he stood up his heart felt funny. I felt his pulse & it was kind of fast then slow & felt irregular. I suggested he try a couple of things but it persisted. He said his stomach felt uncomfortable, he wasn't breathless but felt his breathing wasn't quite right. He doesn't suffer from anxiety & although I suggested he go to Casualty he said he'd try to sleep it off! Anyway he didn't sleep very well (& neither did I!) & at 6:30am he still had it so I said to go to the hospital which he did.

They did an ECG & confirmed it was atrial fibrillation. By the time I got to the hospital he said his pulse had returned to a normal rhythm by itself & the nausea had gone. It had been irregular for about 10 hours.  
He had an ECG, a chest x-ray & then he saw the consultant who was very reassuring & said that any number of things could have triggered it & that it may not ever happen again.

Some background info-my husband is 46, he has been on medication for 4 years for high blood pressure which is controlled well by Lisinopril, he doesn't smoke, drinks moderately, exercises regularly & has a very active job walking long distances carrying a heavy bag. He recently paid for a heart scan to check for calcium deposits in the coronary arteries and he received excellent results from this.
Before this AF episode he had just started taking a very strong antibiotic for prostatitis & felt that he was fighting off a very mild cold. The consultant said that one of the side effects of this particular antibiotic was tachycardia.

The consultant has prescribed a betablocker on top of the Lisinopril & 75mg aspirin. He will need to have a 24 hour monitor at some point & go back to see the cardiologist.

Although he said he feels fine now he said it has shaken his confidence a little, which of course I totally understand. I am trying really hard not to worry myself but this evening I feel really shaky & upset although I haven't let my husband see how I'm feeling.

I'm not really sure what I want to ask you but I guess I just need to get some reassurance that he'll be OK but I know you can't really tell me that. Although he's taking aspirin now I'm really worried about a blood clot because he was in a fib for 10 hours. Should the aspirin prevent this risk & how long would he be at risk for after an a-fib episode? I think I just want to be able to reassure both him & myself that this is a manageable & treatable condition that, even if it does re-occur isn't anything to get worried about.

I appreciate you taking the time to reply to my post, it's been a long day & I just need a little friendly support & reassurance!!
Thanks again!
love Seffie xx

Hi RLR,
thanks very much for the reassuring reply!
Yes, it was rapid & irregular & from the ECG they said it was AF.
They have taken him straight off the antibiotic & so he will need to go back to see his doctor re: the prostate inflammation.
Can I just ask you a couple of quick questions?
What would be the predisposing factors for blood clotting?
Although he only drinks moderately is it still OK for him to drink alcohol as I read somewhere that this can be one of the triggers.
He flies regularly on business, if he had another episode whilst flying would he be OK if he couldn't get help until he landed as long as he was taking the aspirin?
Is the irregular rhythm dangerous or is it just the risk of a blood clot that's the main concern?

Sorry-that was 4 questions!!
Thanks very much, you have really helped & I'm sorry to ask you more questions it's just that these have only just occurred to me!!
Thanks again & I hope you are keeping well!!
love Seffie xx

Hi RLR,
thanks very much, both my husband & I found your reply extremely helpful!
Thanks again, take care!
love Seffie xx