Cycling with atrial fibrillation (AFib), arrhythmia and other heart issues

So, the cardio version that I mentioned in the first post happened on Tuesday. I was apprehensive - although it’s only for a short period, maybe 20 minutes, I hadn’t had a general anaesthetic for the best part of 40 years.

Staff were great, explaining things very clearly, checking in etc - I took some light pleasure in answering the anaesthetists “so, are you able to get round the shops?” by saying that I’m cycling regularly (albeit more conservatively than in the past” and playing singles county tennis (last match went north of two hours, very humid, so much that I had to change shorts; I was running on fumes at the end but so was the other chap; 10 minutes later and it was into a doubles). I appreciate that this was/is an unsubtle (not very) humblebrag but , then again, I was the youngest patient on the ward by 20 years.

I was told that they’d shock me up to 5 times but as it was I only needed 1 (I’m not sure that this particularly means anything but I’ve decided on no evidence that it’s a positive).

So, how do I feel as a result? Honestly, no difference (I was proper weary on Tuesday and Wednesday but that was the anaesthetic). I know it’s not clinical but I have been using the Apple Watch ECG function and it’s suggesting “sinus rhythm, no signs of AF “ (previously it was “signs of AF”) so that seems promising.

My exercise confidence has taken a knock though so it’s been slow and flat this weekend (this may also be due to a school friend dying on Wednesday, barely two months after his brother, from the year above, also died. No suggestion that health related but has given me pause). I’m sure exercise confidence will return, slow, steady, consistent.

Apologies for length and over sharing.