I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation at the age of 39.
That was a shock for me, but also a relief, because I thought that now that the doctors knew what I had, I could be helped. I had hope that my suffering would now come to an end and that I would be helped so that I would finally feel better again.
At the time of the diagnosis, I was 39 years old, married, my children were 8 and 13, and I was an assistant store manager at Rewe. I regularly practised Wun Hop Kuen Do kung fu and went jogging.
At first, I occasionally noticed that I felt restless. As if I was excited, like before an exam, for example. Later on, my sleep got worse. I would wake up at night with a racing heart and always this terrible restlessness. I had to go out, often in the middle of the night, I went for a walk. My wife often went with me. Then calm again. Sleep at last. Then startled awake again. These irregular and far too short nights naturally worsened my general condition.
After a few months, I started having these problems regularly. I would wake up at night and felt like I couldn't breathe. I also had panic attacks and was afraid to go to sleep. Of course, I also had them during the day, but my rushed lifestyle and carelessness meant that I didn't realise it at first.
One night it was so bad that I went to the emergency room. Once there, I was immediately examined. After some time, I was told that everything was fine and I was sent home again. My heart had calmed down again before the doctors could have diagnosed anything. So I put it all down to the stress of it all.
The anxiety and panic attacks remained as well as this indescribable restlessness inside me, as if I was being chased. I always had to be on the move or, even better, distract myself somehow or somewhere. Preferably from myself. I bought a watch with which I could check my pulse. At night, when I woke up and felt this panic and restlessness, I checked my pulse and was shocked. 130 to 160 beats in a minute, at a time when my resting heart rate shouldn't actually be higher than 70. That can't be normal.
I then went to the emergency room three more times over time. Again, nothing was diagnosed. It wasn't until my fourth visit that the restlessness and high, irregular pulse persisted and the doctors diagnosed atrial fibrillation. I was given a beta blocker and a rhythm-stabilising medication. I had to stay until my heart was back in sinus rhythm.
I thought, great, now the doctors know what you have. Everything will be fine now. But they couldn't help me. After some back and forth and the statement that I was far too young for cardiac arrhythmia, I was advised to have an ablation performed. An anaesthetic on the heart. I was scared, but I felt so bad that I decided to have it done, without success. Quite the opposite. Immediately after the ablation, it was discovered that I not only had atrial fibrillation, but also another type of arrhythmia. Atrial flutter.
Atrial fibrillation simply means a heartbeat that is irregular and often too fast.
Atrial flutter, on the other hand, is a very fast, regular or irregular rhythm that is usually very flat.
Both types of arrhythmia often cause blood clots in the heart cavities and frequently cause strokes.
What I had experienced up to that point was nothing compared to what I had to experience from then on, and the problems really started. Not only did the medication to stabilise my rhythm have no effect and I was prescribed amiodarone, which is a really bad drug with side effects such as shortening of the QT time in the heart, clouding of the lenses of the eyes, changes in the thyroid gland, deterioration in lung capacity, increase in liver values, headaches, sleep disorders, etc., etc. The list goes on and on. The list is endless. I had to go to the doctor every fortnight to have my heart, lungs, thyroid, liver and eyes checked.
My heart was now constantly alternating between the two arrhythmias and the normal sinus rhythm. In other words, from one minute to the next, my heart beat normally and calmly. Then very flat and beating up to 200 times a minute. Then 140 beats and unrhythmic, then again very fast or completely normal, a constant back and forth. I couldn't breathe and panicked again.
Then back to hospital. A cardioversion to restart my heart, so to speak. With a success of 2 hours. I was desperate and scared. Several times a day I was scared to death and had the feeling that my heart would jump out of my chest or stop, or that a blood clot would form and I would have a stroke. Of course, the children also noticed and they were scared for me.
I was given blood-thinning medication. Everything that was part of my everyday life before that time, everything I lived for, was no longer possible. Let alone kung fu. The blood thinning alone made martial arts out of the question.
I rang my trainer Sifu Ingo Pontow and told him that I could no longer take part in the training and told him about my experience. He listened to me and after a while he said: ‘We have a taiji group, I think that's just right for you.’
I was there the very next Tuesday and I was thrilled. I met my trainer Kai Schlupkothen, who then became my taiji sifu. That was over two years ago now.
I had read that Taiji can have a great effect if you practise it regularly. Also that it is scientifically proven. But I couldn't really believe it at first. I still went regularly and practised Chen Taiji. I stood in the standing column for 30 minutes and practised the silk exercises. I practised stepping forwards and backwards.
I quickly realised that I was becoming calmer and was more and more fascinated by this martial art. Especially after every training session, I felt calmer than I had for a very long time. I wanted to learn as much as possible about Chen Taiji, so I joined the WCTAG and looked at everything I could find on the internet. I bought books such as ‘Chen Classical Taijiquan in the Living Style’, ‘Pushing Hands’, ‘Chen Fake’ and DVDs ‘The Taiji Principle’ and ‘The 19 Form’. This was later followed by a few webinars.
Since then I have practised regularly every day, as often as I can. Atrial fibrillation is a misdirected energy at the atrium and I am firmly convinced that you can correct this by working on or with your chi, the energy work in Taiji.
Taiji achieved everything that medicine and doctors could not. My heart is calm and above all in sinus rhythm. It still beats a little too fast occasionally, but everything is within limits. And I continue to train. It took some time, of course, but I managed it. Thanks to taiji.
For me, Taiji is much more than just a relaxation method or a martial art. Taiji has given me my life back and I am very grateful for that.
Christian Röhl