This is in response to the 1st "Heart Rhythms" entry (above)... 4 years ago (age 83) I was diagnosed with A-Fib. Over the next 30 months, (2-1/2 years) Cardiologists & Cardiology-Physician Assistants kept prescribing various pharmaceuticals, almost immediately I'd begin to have multiple debilitating Side Effects to Each & Every One of them ... when I'd go back to the Cardiology practice, the Cardiologist or P.A. would pass me on to another P.A. or Cardiologist who would write a New Prescriptions. Finally 2-1/2 years & 7 different Prescriptions (plus 7 different Dr.'s or P.A.'s later) ... Not 1 of the Prescriptions "worked", All of them resulted in multiple debilitating Side Effects ... the Last Cardiologist I visited told me to STOP Everything & let my body find Normal. At that Same time that last Cardiologist referred me to a Cardiac-Surgeon (Medical Professional #8). He ordered a 3-D CTA, which required an injection of Vsovue 370 dye. The Cardiology-Surgeon Assured me there would be No Side effects to the CTA. He was correct about the CTA - it was the Vsovue 370 dye that was So TOXIC. That little procedure literally put me in bed for the next 5 days with Severe side effects. Over the next YEAR side effects to the dye would come & go ... from time to time my fore-arms & lower legs felt like they were Sunburn'd while my hands & feet were NUMB (essentially No Feeling ... walked like a Robot & difficulty picking-up objects such as a fork to eat). Thankfully the arm/hand & leg/foot reaction would come & go ... it wasn't Constant. The 3-D CTA was 14 months ago, it's been 3 months since the last reaction, so hopefully it's run it's course!
I'm aware my heart isn't operating Normally, I'm No longer dealing with 'Laundry-Baskets-full' of Side Effects from Toxic Pharmaceuticals, however I'm AFRAID to go back to Cardiologists ... I feel like they've done more Harm than Good. When I told my Internal Med. Dr. that the last Cardiologist told me to STOP All of the heart-Prescription Med.'s that I'd been taking, my Internist suggested I take a Low Dose Aspirin at least every other day ... maybe about 4-5 days a week ... (If I miss a day now & then, not to worry). Frankly I feel better than I've felt since initially being diagnosed with A-Fib 4 years ago. When initially diagnosed I had NOT A CLUE I had A-Fib., the EKG was just a regular part of the 2-year check-up.
A few Friends & family members say they're concerned that I'm not taking any med's for A-Fib but I tell them, "quite frankly, when I was taking those med.'s I was afraid They Might KILL ME Before the A-Fib would/could!"