What has helped me get to ths point and my feelings about running to docs, leaving with a bag of their drugs, is the fact that I've been supplementing for all my health and heart included, and my family genes. I deeply believe being at the lecture on grape seed extract and pycnogenol in 1995 have Saved Me grief. .
My husband also has A-fib if he didn’t have his Apple Watch ⌚️ he wouldn’t even know he’d had several “attacks “ the cardiologist said it’s not life threatening unless you get a blood clot due to the AFib , He has a tablet to take as soon as he gets a warning ( to stop blood clots ) it’s sorta strange Hubs gets a sorta thick head headache as a warning before the attacks ( he had 5 recorded by his watch all in a couple of hours ) he contacted the cardiologist who asked him to send the ECG that apparently records automatically if you have any heart warnings recorded on your watch / phone @Thomas Windom cause everything is recorded on the phone he only had to select the recordings and email straight to the Doctor ….. We might update our watches this Christmas we currently have a series 6, we normally get new releases of watches/ phones in October each year so we will wait till then
Probably everyone has some afib as they are aging. I would not even know I supposedly have "some" if the doc didn't tell me with her stethoscope. I believe I'm fine and maybe I should get a smart watch, oh probably not.
I would go see the specialist. Ultimately, it is just more information. And more information is always better. After, you can choose to disregard the suggestions, but at least you have their input. US News and World Report Rates US Hospitals Here is their ranking of the top Cardiac Hospitals in the Country: Best Hospitals for Cardiology & Heart Surgery https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings/cardiology-and-heart-surgery sorry about the difficulties. Take care now.
My brother-in-law has serious a-fib. Since he doesn't want a pacemaker installed, they prescribed him a vest that has some sort of defibrillator in it. Of course, he won't wear that, either.
Sam, I hear you and I also know that "go to a doc and they will find something and have you continue on and end up with their drugs". I'm an old hand at the doctor world, and as I said above getting older does have the afib issues....and if I do, it's very mild.
For me, the answer to the OP question, is that it is good to seek out a competent doctor as well as doing your own research. I had a-fib for about 15 years before i was able to have any kind of treatment for it, which caused my heart failure and kidney failure. It kept getting worse each year, but I had no insurance coverage until I reached age 65 and had medicare. I think that if I had seen a cardiologist sooner, they might have been able to keep the heart from getting as bad as it ended up being. Changing my diet to eat healthier foods has also helped me a lot, as well as the swimming and regular exercise; so I think that it is important to do your own research. When I started having afib attacks, it was NOT mild ! They only happened every few months, but then they were like having a wild bird floundering inside my chest, trying to escape, my heart beating wildly, and shaking my whole body. They continued that way over the years, but as the afib got worse, and my heart got weaker, I was in constant afib, and it was not as violent as it had been previously, because my heart was now just too weakened. I think that each person has to make the decision about when it is time to seek out medical treatment for a heart condition. If it is hindering you from living your life, then it probably needs to be addressed by a cardiologist.
If by "research" you mean coming on here and all the other social media sites and asking folks about it, or reading all the ads for the latest "natural", "organic" cure, I think I'll pass. OTOH, I've been using NIH and Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic web sites for years. And yes I already have a cardiologist.
I posted what I did to hear other's experiences with afib and if they rushed to doc, did research first and so on, as I mentioned I did NOT go to cardiac doc as my general doc keeps saying to do for going on 3 yrs now. I don't feel a panic to start the cardio journey NOW and who knows maybe I don't even need that route. thanks... And as I said early on here, I have a huge distrust in docs and govt, they both work hard to Govern us. Take control, etc etc
I don't trust retailers, yet I go to them when I need to buy something. I just weigh the prices, consider my options, and make my own decision as to whether I really want to buy something. Doctors should be treated similarly, only with added respect due to their education and knowledge. Doctors are free to persuade me to take a certain drug or agree to a procedure, but I don't let them tell me to take the drug or submit to the procedure.
I am fascinated by all the new issues that we never even heard of 40 years ago until drugs have made it to commercials. My youngest daughter had 'heart racing' issues. I had her taking magnesium in the form of burdock root, ( a very bioavailable magnesium). for another issue and she noticed it stopped her heart racing. So she takes it more often. You can dig your own, get it dried for tea and in capsules. Burdock root, dandelion root and chocolate mint (herb) make the yummiest and most healthful tea for almost everything.