AFib questions

Posted by peggyd @peggyd, Mar 23, 2016

Good morning! I'm almost 66 years old, with infrequent AFib and on Eliquis. Sunday evening I had a spectacular nosebleed and went to the ER, where the attending physician inserted an epistaxis nasal pack (the kind with the inflatable balloon). I'm getting it removed tomorrow. What can I expect when it comes out--besides my own reaction of dancing gleefully around the office? Blood? Clots? Scabs? A genie? Thanks for your help!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Heart Rhythm Conditions Support Group.

@jimana

Would love to have feedback from you A-fibbers. After several serious A-Fib events, having to have my heart stopped and restarted twice, being administered the "paddles" three times in the back of an ambulance, I wound up with a pacemaker and Rx for antiarrhythmic meds and beta blockers. All this started 1-1/2 years ago. The meds (or something) have resulted in the muscle weakness, some visual difficulties and balance issues that often accompany these meds as side effects. The effect on me seems much more sudden and dramatic that might be expected.

Although I remain fairly strong in some respects, I have found that I have zero strength when working with arms extended over my head, as in working on a high shelf or ceiling fixture. My arms, hands and eventually whole body tremble and shake and my arms fall with no ability to keep them raised. One doctor said this that it sounds like a cardiac issue, making me wonder if all my trauma has caused heart damage. Could this be attributed entirely to medicine side effects? Also I have read that this could well be a spinal issue. (I did have a compression fracture of L-1 vertebra two years ago.)

Has anyone had heart, medication or spinal problems that resulted in the kind of weakness I have described above? I am 80 years old, but this came on suddenly after the A-fib trauma events, pacemaker implant and start of the meds, all within a two day period.

Breathlessly awaiting your experience and wisdom. An echo ECG and treadmill stress test are to be scheduled soon.

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Sorry to hear of your several setbacks @jimana, but hope you treat as just that -- setbacks from which you climb back. You're on the right track with more coronary tests. They will point up some questions that you haven't received answers for from your medical team, so press for answers to any quandary you have, be sure you have a friend or family member on hand to confirm what you're told and to witness everything, and be thinking about where you'll get a second opinion on it all.

As for your meds, sometimes the symptoms you describe come from abrupt drops or increases in your daily dosages -- for example, forgetting to take a key pill for a day or two. These drugs require gradual phasing up or down in order to minimize adverse symptoms such as you describe. But I doubt your problems are attributable "entirely to medicine side effects." So renewed cardiac exams are in order, along with discussing with your medical team what they'd recommend as an exercise program.

I'm lucky, I guess, because my a-fib and its effect on my heart rate and blood pressure have benefited from relatively high doses of antiarrhythmic meds and beta blockers. Maybe my system was conditioned to accommodate a-fib symptoms by 20 years of hypertension and treatment therefor. But maybe exercise and diet also have had an effect.

Keep us posted on your course, and we'll be waiting to cheer you on to stable conditions. Martin

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@oldkarl @predictable Thanks for your input. Sounds like you both have had much more experience and education in this area than I have. Truth be known, I am not hankering for more experience, unless I can use it to help others as you have.

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@jimana

Would love to have feedback from you A-fibbers. After several serious A-Fib events, having to have my heart stopped and restarted twice, being administered the "paddles" three times in the back of an ambulance, I wound up with a pacemaker and Rx for antiarrhythmic meds and beta blockers. All this started 1-1/2 years ago. The meds (or something) have resulted in the muscle weakness, some visual difficulties and balance issues that often accompany these meds as side effects. The effect on me seems much more sudden and dramatic that might be expected.

Although I remain fairly strong in some respects, I have found that I have zero strength when working with arms extended over my head, as in working on a high shelf or ceiling fixture. My arms, hands and eventually whole body tremble and shake and my arms fall with no ability to keep them raised. One doctor said this that it sounds like a cardiac issue, making me wonder if all my trauma has caused heart damage. Could this be attributed entirely to medicine side effects? Also I have read that this could well be a spinal issue. (I did have a compression fracture of L-1 vertebra two years ago.)

Has anyone had heart, medication or spinal problems that resulted in the kind of weakness I have described above? I am 80 years old, but this came on suddenly after the A-fib trauma events, pacemaker implant and start of the meds, all within a two day period.

Breathlessly awaiting your experience and wisdom. An echo ECG and treadmill stress test are to be scheduled soon.

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The various heart maladies that you are going through are very disconcerting and I had the same reaction.

BUT. Remember that although scary the actions haven't killed you so with that in mind you have time to get things sorted out.

I have a implanted cardiac monitor called a loop and it is helping to pin down excess A and V random signals

This has helped not only in data and anxiety

Which in turn helps with the triggering. Of afib

After 2 ablations an angioplasty and  stent placement I ran for 5yrs with no afib. But as we all know. There. Is. No cure for the beast and  the
eternal battle to  control and not to let it control you

Explore every avenue and do not give in

Sent from AOL Mobile Mail
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@jimana

@oldkarl @predictable Thanks for your input. Sounds like you both have had much more experience and education in this area than I have. Truth be known, I am not hankering for more experience, unless I can use it to help others as you have.

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@jimana,  I would like to have just a little more experience. I would like to be around to experience the cure-all for my disorders. I just don&apos;t want to live another thousand years to do it.

Anyone can love one or two persons. Most can love several. Some can love hundreds. The world needs more who can love five or six billion at a time.

old karl

From Yachats, Oregon, USA as a gift for Jesus, his people, and for general community economic development. We believe that every person has a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of eternity.
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At this URL folks of any faith, ethnicity, race, nationality, wealth, gender or whatever will be able to download leadership programs for the sessions of a community workshop for literacy, for the study of Jesus, and for community economic development. The workshop is for church or other faith group, schools, economic groups, community, government organization, family, whatever.
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Just download material from Dropbox. Remember:
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Native people or Third World, victims
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http://bit.ly/1w7j4j8

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@jimana

Would love to have feedback from you A-fibbers. After several serious A-Fib events, having to have my heart stopped and restarted twice, being administered the "paddles" three times in the back of an ambulance, I wound up with a pacemaker and Rx for antiarrhythmic meds and beta blockers. All this started 1-1/2 years ago. The meds (or something) have resulted in the muscle weakness, some visual difficulties and balance issues that often accompany these meds as side effects. The effect on me seems much more sudden and dramatic that might be expected.

Although I remain fairly strong in some respects, I have found that I have zero strength when working with arms extended over my head, as in working on a high shelf or ceiling fixture. My arms, hands and eventually whole body tremble and shake and my arms fall with no ability to keep them raised. One doctor said this that it sounds like a cardiac issue, making me wonder if all my trauma has caused heart damage. Could this be attributed entirely to medicine side effects? Also I have read that this could well be a spinal issue. (I did have a compression fracture of L-1 vertebra two years ago.)

Has anyone had heart, medication or spinal problems that resulted in the kind of weakness I have described above? I am 80 years old, but this came on suddenly after the A-fib trauma events, pacemaker implant and start of the meds, all within a two day period.

Breathlessly awaiting your experience and wisdom. An echo ECG and treadmill stress test are to be scheduled soon.

Jump to this post

@twptrustrek Five years without an A-fib incident seems remarkable. One cardio said to me - if you've had A-fib, you will have it again - so I suppose most of us are waiting for the other shoe to drop. That being said, I feel very, very good, generally speaking and in fact, except for a few aches and pains and the weakness I mentioned, I feel better than I did 40 years ago. There is nothing fatalistic about the outlook, because I know we serve an All-Powerful, Sovereign God who loves us more than we can imagine. Thanks for your encouragement, and stay well.

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@jimana

@oldkarl @predictable Thanks for your input. Sounds like you both have had much more experience and education in this area than I have. Truth be known, I am not hankering for more experience, unless I can use it to help others as you have.

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@oldkarl My Brother, I see you and I are cut from the same cloth. In my opinion far too many folks just go to a doctor and effectively say, "Here I am doc. Fix me." We must study and learn to manage our own health care. Reading some of your material, I see that you are a faithful student, first of the Bible and secondly of the science (art?) of medicine. I appreciate our medical community but they cannot possibly know it all and they must admit that "we are fearfully and wonderfully made" and one size does not fit all. Thanks for your input.

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@jimana

@oldkarl @predictable Thanks for your input. Sounds like you both have had much more experience and education in this area than I have. Truth be known, I am not hankering for more experience, unless I can use it to help others as you have.

Jump to this post

I went through all the demons.    Depression why me anxiety anger and finally realized that only I could decide on my emotions and I began to educate question and feed my own strengths through these and faith and citing an uptdated list of only 5 New positives at the start of each day and I am a survivor for eight years now with the usual afib setbacks and to quote an old song. I am going to LIVE til I dieRegards to all

Sent from AOL Mobile Mail

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@jimana

@oldkarl @predictable Thanks for your input. Sounds like you both have had much more experience and education in this area than I have. Truth be known, I am not hankering for more experience, unless I can use it to help others as you have.

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Thanks, @jimana. Yes, I am troubled by this stuff. The “Here I am doc. Fix me.” quote runs up the cost for all of us, for starters. Another cost is what it does to the egos of the medicos we deal with. I am telling my docs now that I am no longer responding to office visits for protocol purposes. If they have a medical reason for me to come in, or if I have a problem for them to deal with, I will call for an appointment. But no more "this specialist just changed your whatever, so the protocol now calls for you to see your primary."

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@colleenyoung

Hi @billmichalski,
Welcome to Connect. Good for you with keeping up the exercise.
I moved your message to this thread so you could connect with other members with AFib. I also tag @Weedy @twptrustrek.

I have to admit, I'd be concerned if the sleeve of the suture is pointing out. Did the doctor say there was nothing to be worried about?

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This is long after your question, but my husband was told that in the event that he goes back into afib and does not know it, he is at high risk of a stroke. I can see that point, although he DOES know when he goes into afib, gets short of breath and feels his heart pound. But , the possibility of a stroke is a very high risk to take... Linda Libby, RN

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@colleenyoung

Hi @billmichalski,
Welcome to Connect. Good for you with keeping up the exercise.
I moved your message to this thread so you could connect with other members with AFib. I also tag @Weedy @twptrustrek.

I have to admit, I'd be concerned if the sleeve of the suture is pointing out. Did the doctor say there was nothing to be worried about?

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I understand it's routine for cardiologists to prescribe an anticoagulant drug to patients with a-fib, for the very reason @vermontrob said -- to minimize chances that blood clots will form in the blood left behind by poor contractions of the left atrium. In my case, it's Coumadin (Warfarin) for which there is an antidote that could save my life if I suffered a bad cut or other blood-letting. Martin

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