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Hi @catmom777. Just to be clear, a wine or two a day didn't trigger my Afib. Instead, it neutralized my Coumadin anticoagulant medication so that my risk of bleeding went to the ceiling. To deal with that, my medical team had me drop my Coumadin for two days. When I went back on, a clot had already formed during those two days; it traveled up to the hippocampus in my brain, causing a "small stroke." Thankfully, the stroke symptoms have been been minor -- slight imbalance when erect and walking, slight loss of memory, slight problem forming words. With physical therapy, my brain is learning again how my parts should work when I call on them, so the months-long recovery has begun. Martin
Replies to "Hi @catmom777. Just to be clear, a wine or two a day didn't trigger my Afib...."
Wow. I didn't know that. My docs here haven't told me very much. I am taking Eliquis. I don't know if that's the same thing as Coumadin or not. The warning on the label says not to take aspirin and that daily drinking of alcohol can cause stomach bleeding. I only have about four ounces now occasionally--no more often than once a week. If I go out to dinner and someone else is driving I may have a little more. Some restaurants serve more wine than others do, but I always drink the whole glass. I'm sure it's never more than eight ounces and is usually six, so I haven't worried about it. I keep track of my heart rate after having wine and have noticed no change. It seems getting very tired or very anxious are the things that set me into afib, and usually not for long. Need to learn to meditate and do yoga I think. A lot of people have told me that. I'm kind of an anxious person by nature.
I'm glad your stroke wasn't worse. A guy I know here had no idea he was at risk and had a major stroke. If his GF hadn't been home (she's a nurse--his good luck) he would have died. He said his vision went black, he called to his GF, then he said he doesn't remember anything. He was in ICU for five days and doesn't remember any of it. I don't know if his vision ever came back fully. I know it did partially, but he had to quit his teaching job for a long time, like two years, and couldn't drive. He is the luckiest person I know though, aside from the stroke. So lucky to have survived it.
I hope you get back to full function after your rehab. I've heard stories some people get back to where it's like they never had a stroke.
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If you google The Nature of Things 'Cholesterol', the documentary bottom line is, "only a man in his forties who has had a heart attack should be on statins." https://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/episodes/the-cholesterol-question
Very few of us were considered to have high cholesterol 15 years ago. But Big Pharma lowered 'normal' twice so that most people over 60 are according to them, statin candidates...and doctors toe the line. They have no choice. How can that be that ?... However, now cholesterol no longer seems to be the big deal Big Pharma would have you believe it is. It's CRP (c reactive protein) which is a marker of inflammation in the body. My husband who has had very high cholesterol since his twenties, (and refuses to take statins after watching the documentary) has normal CRP. He is a big walker, a good weight, doesn't smoke or drink and he eats plenty of vegetables.
Big Pharma declared that nearly all men over 60 and women over 75 are eligible for statins.
My elderly sister in law who at age 76 was a vibrant, big personality, younger than her years was put on statins for high cholesterol, lost weight from 140 down to 110 pounds, developed diabetes as a result of statin use, lost so much muscle mass and became very weak, fell and broke both hips and died last month...at age 80. Damned statins! And damned Big Pharma!