"Every time I would have an episode I would think I am going to die, I am just going to die. That's all there is to it."

Faye Hutchins started battling atrial fibrillation back in 2006.

Faye said, “When I first began to notice this, it was like I would just be doing anything and all of the sudden my heart would start racing. My lifestyle had just about stopped because I was afraid to go anywhere. I was afraid it would happen if I went out.”

What Faye was experiencing is pretty common in a-fib patients.

"The symptoms of atrial fibrillation can be quite broad - sometimes weakness, fatigue, palpitations, sometimes passing-out spells."

Cardiologist Judson Colley is specifically trained in electro physiology, which is a specialty in heart rhythm abnormalities. He says atrial fibrillation is becoming more and more common and will continue to grow as the population ages. It's also being seen in younger people.

What happens if it's left untreated?

"There's two main risks, actually. One is the risk of stroke. Each patient has different risks according to the other conditions, and we assess those individually and make a decision of what type of medicines to use to minimize that risk of stroke.”

Doctors will first try medication to help control the condition, but if that doesn't work a procedure called ablation could be the answer.

"We have a special piece of equipment called carto, and this piece of equipment allows us to create the three dimensional shell up the left atrium and allows us the ability to guide our catheters inside the heart to these special areas of the heart that potentially cause the atrial fibrillation.”

Faye went through the procedure back in January of this year. She says the difference in the way she feels is like night and day.

“When I would have these episodes it would take my breath. I had no energy. But I've had such great results. I can go out and eat and not worry about having an episode while I'm in the restaurant and go to friend’s house and not worry."

If you'd like to know whether you're a candidate for ablation, you can get in contact with Dr. Colley's office for a consultation. That number is 850-769-0329.