Cardiologist said the diagnosis is…………..
Afib flutter 100% of the time. So I am on Eliquis and Metoprolol and headed for a shock in 4-6 weeks.
Doc didn’t have me make any lifestyle changes which was good. Liked the doctor he has similar sense of humor. He also apologized that other EKG’s were missed diagnosed. He showed me on both the Mayo and my KARDIAmobile tracings how to recognize the flutter and you have to zoom in a bit.
I’ve had house payments that were less than 1 month of Eliquis.
Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Heart Rhythm Conditions Support Group.
Diltiazem helped me, too. I was on it prior to 2nd ablation and felt much better. I'm still on Metoprolol, but that's been explained to me as helping my heart to pump blood more forcefully, needed because of some leaky heart valves. I don't know if those of you who are taking it have that issue. It didn't help with rate control for me, either.
I'll Endorse the statement offered above: Find Good Dr.'s with Great Credentials.
Another A-Fib patient "Checking-In".
The community where I live has a Medical School. When I was diagnosed by my G.P. with A-Fib he referred me to a Cardiologist at the Local Med. School. She saw me Once, Next time went in I was seen by a Physician Assistant. I asked about the Cardiologist I'd seen before, the P.A. said, "Oh, She Retired"! ( l Later learned that Cardiologist Left & moved to a bigger/better University Medical School).
Not so Short end to a long story, after 18 months of seeing ONLY Physician Assistants (4 to be exact, No More Cardiologists) I asked my G.P. if she could help me see one of the Cardiologists on appointments instead. She smiled & said, "Probably Not. You can either go upstairs & make "A Big Stink" or simply consider a move to Another Cardiology Practice in town. I did Just As She instructed. The New Cardiologist & I were getting along Very Well until she Referred me to one of their Cardiac Surgeons. On our Initial visit he URGED Me to have a Surgical Procedure, have "Watchman" put in. My "Gut Instincts" said NO! He Assured me 'sooner or later you're going to NEED This' After some-more discussion I agreed to have the preliminary test necessary, a 3-D Scan of my heart, however before I agreed I asked him to describe "In Exact & Minuet Detail What would be involved in having Just the Scan!" He "breezed thru" like it was little more than having a Polaroid taken"! WRONG. It turned out to be Horrible. The Isovue 370 injection - (Most Potent one they have for 3-D Scans) caused The Worst Reaction I've Ever Had, & I Don't mean since this whole "Freight-Train Wreck A-Fib diagnosis" began!
THAT WAS IT! "I'd HAD IT!" I stopped going to the cardio Practice. Stopped going to Dr.'s All Together! PERIOD. My Body Desperately Need A Rest. I absolutely HAD to let it "De-Tox" from ALL the Medications that had been Shoved at me over the past 2-1/2 years ... I felt like a Zombie!
Last Month my Daughter called, (She lives in a larger city 90 miles away) One of the Cardiology Practices near her home had Just been up-graded, now equal to Mayo & Cleveland Clinic, she suggested I call & make an Appt.
OK? I called That Same Day, booked an appt. to see one of their Cardiologists +- 2 weeks hence. I took all my Medical/Heart files along, dropped them off the day before, so when we Saw the Dr. he could reviewed what I'd already had, he Actually said I'd had More Tests than They Generally Ever order. Conclusion: Because I have such limited cholesterol in my system, scan's show practically NO Plaque floating around in my corotid arteries, he would put me in a .07 to .04% Risk percentile for a Stroke. IF I HAD Had the procedure the Cardiologist (at Home) was URGING, it would lower that Stroke Risk to .05 to .03%.
It's Up to Us. (& He Added, '& There are Always Other Risks involved in Having Procedures other than Stroke.' ) Would I Like to think about it or schedule a Procedure with them? It should lower my Risk of a Stroke .02%!
(Need I say it didn't take my daughter & I Long to agree ... "Thanks, but No Thanks." (He didn't say anything, just smiled & nodded approval.
As we were leaving he thanked us for coming in & asked if we would like to come back. He said he seldom sees 87 Yr. Olds in as good shape as me. The A-Fib is The Only thing I Am being treated for, & if this hadn't happened I would be phanominally Well for my Age. He added my Mentally Alertness at 87. "Whatever You're Doing, Keep It Up ... Hope To See You Again.
Oct. 28th we're going back.
I helped my wife through her Breast Cancer, 1 hip replacement and 2 knee replacements all done at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix. This is why I chose Mayo as a starting point for my heart misfire. I like the doctor, his approach, the way we discussed things and I think Mayo is a good healthcare provider but time will prove me right or wrong.
I agreed the Cardio Version was a first step that I was willing to commit to. I don’t feel any side effects from the pre procedure medications; Eliquis (blood thinner) or Metoprolol (beta blocker), I don’t think the beta is doing much locking.
Now it a waiting game until the procedure. Maybe, if an unlikely storm blows into Phoenix before the procedure I can try flying a kite. I know I have several old metal skeleton keys.
Hi
I guess I will find out with the October ECHO.
I have also regurgitation and a slight leaky valve.
Interestingly though was the cardiologist saying to stop the bisoprolol for low heart rate and then finally low BP.
Have your PRO-BNP blood test taken.
cheri JOY
Wow that’s quite a story and the kind of ending I like to hear. Persistent ,persistent, persistent. I like to scare myself . I do a lot of research.get depressed and then go out and ride my bike 8 miles and get all the cobwebs out . Betsy wishes and good health
Amu45sin here.
Sorry you had to go through such awful care, and glad you are in excellent care now!!
Thank You So Much, & Bless You.
Be your on advocate! You are living example of this attitude. I applaud you for your persistence. The saga you describe is common scenario.
I was DX with PVC (Premature Ventricle Contraction) in 2023. When I had pre-op testing before carpal tunnel release surgery, my EKG result showed the PVC's. Red flag went up! I did not have any symptoms. I was fast tracked for holter monitor, stress test and echo cardiogram.
All in one week so I did not have to delay/reschedule surgery.
The PVC's would be a concern of Anesthesiologist. Not give clearance for surgery. After the testing determined my case was "mild" and could be treated with RX, I was put on Beta blocker.
Surgery went well with no complications. Cardio follow-ups were quick visits. My last one was in June of 2024. Doc said to return in a year!
I believe my heart rhythm abnormality is directly related to stress. When situations challenge my coping skills, heart will respond negatively. Seems logical: heart is a muscle. Under stress, muscles become tense.
I'm not fond of taking meds bc of the dreaded side-effects. I asked the Cardiologist to change my dose from 100mg to 50mg. He did not advise that. The pill is scored so I can halve it when I feel the need for lower dose.
We sometimes are cogs in the wheel of Big Pharma and clients of the Medical Caretakers who operate under the burden of government regulations.
Your earnest pursuit of a doctor who listens is admirable.
I am 73 y/o man, just happened to one day tell my PCP that while I was at work as a mental health therapist my heart rate had accelerated to 130 bpm and continued all day, but I was able to work, undisturbed, focused and then at the end of the work day the hr returned to normal. I have had similar experiences MAYBE 3 times in my whole life. My PCP referred me to a cardiologist just to be on the safe side. I went through some tests - STress test, echocardiogram, EKG and at the end of the day had a holter monitor put on my and was told to wear it for 7 days. I went home, read the instructions to press the red button if I notice anything in my chest going on. An hour after I got home from the testing (which wore me out - tired) I noticed my HR going up and it kept going - up from 90 bpm to around 130. I got a call almost immediately from God knows who, telling me she was monitoring the activity of the monitor -with an emergency code blue TONE IN HER VOICE "You have AFIB and I CALLED IN A PRESCRIPTION YOU NEED TO TAKE FOR YOUR PROTECTION! That bothered me - scared me. Then I remembered: Because I was told the day before to stop all use of propranolol, I had an aha moment, realizing for 36 hours I had not taken it! (btw if had been rx 30 years ago only for migraine prophylaxis). So I took my propranolol and within a few minutes my hr reduced to normal, thank goodness, right? Anyway , went to the followup and that is when I felt I was treated like a lab rat and the cardiologist only reviewed the results on the computer screen. No eye to eye, no empathy, reassurance or asking if I had questions - just kept telling the nurse what to type, including "AFIB". Then he walked out of the room as he told the nurse to tell me to take xarelto and amodirone (sp?). Nurse asked me to pick up the rx and I refused due to have been scared sh*tless of the side effects, and i was not yet convinced I had AFIB. I am going to a second opinion with all my printed results in hand. For the heck of it I asked my pharmacist how much the xarelto cost and it was $1750 for 3 month supply. Big pharma is not my friend. I have medicare advantage. Even at a discount it is not affordable. What do middle class and other income limited/deprived people do? So I am needing to trust aspirin and propranolol. How many others have gone through similar experiences? Please weigh in.
48 states have programs to help with drug costs. Pennsylvania has a two-tier income limit to include higher incomes; I'm guessing they all do.
Here's a link to the National Conference of State Legislators list of those programs:
https://www.ncsl.org/health/state-pharmaceutical-assistance-programs
I probably don't need to say this, but be sure you're on a legitimate website. Lots of people are throwing up websites that look okay but they have no connection to these programs.