@dreamtlc I just read your question and am unsure of your understanding. I hope you won't mind my statement. It's intended to correct what might (maybe not) be a misconception about the Watchman. The Watchman is a mesh, sort of like a thimble of wire, placed tight up against the rear wall of the Left Atrial Appendage (LAA). Its purpose is to prevent clots from leaking out of the LAA during, or weeks after, a bout of AF (atrial fibrillation). The risk is that a clot forming due to poor circulation in the volume of the LAA might become dislodged again, either due to happenstance or when normal sinus rhythm resumes and its higher flow and force wash the clot(s) out of the LAA and down into the left ventricle. From there, they would be forced up into the aorta and out to kidneys, the brain, the lungs, or to the heart's own arteries, where it will cause a thromboembolic event.
After a Watchman is installed, it gets infiltrated with, and closed off with, endothelial tissue which is meant to seal the front opening of the LAA...roughly speaking. This process, and any security if offers, does NOT prevent, OR encourage, any further atrial fibrillation. The Watchman is inert, and is strictly meant for security against clot formation inside the LAA. So, people who get a Watchman installed, and people who have a pacemaker installed, or an ICD, are not immune from arrhythmias of all kinds. They can still happen because those are electrical disorders, not blood flow problems that might cause clotting.
Again, if this is all well understood, please excuse me. I'm just going by the way you formulated your question.
I am going have the watchman operation on October14th. I was instructed by the surgeon that after the operation
I will continue the Plavix for about 6 weeks with low dose aspirin. If all looks good I will discontinue the Plavix and continue with the low dose aspirin. The Plavix was only a precautionary measure 1 week prior to the surgery.
I can keep you posted.
@dreamtlc I just read your question and am unsure of your understanding. I hope you won't mind my statement. It's intended to correct what might (maybe not) be a misconception about the Watchman. The Watchman is a mesh, sort of like a thimble of wire, placed tight up against the rear wall of the Left Atrial Appendage (LAA). Its purpose is to prevent clots from leaking out of the LAA during, or weeks after, a bout of AF (atrial fibrillation). The risk is that a clot forming due to poor circulation in the volume of the LAA might become dislodged again, either due to happenstance or when normal sinus rhythm resumes and its higher flow and force wash the clot(s) out of the LAA and down into the left ventricle. From there, they would be forced up into the aorta and out to kidneys, the brain, the lungs, or to the heart's own arteries, where it will cause a thromboembolic event.
After a Watchman is installed, it gets infiltrated with, and closed off with, endothelial tissue which is meant to seal the front opening of the LAA...roughly speaking. This process, and any security if offers, does NOT prevent, OR encourage, any further atrial fibrillation. The Watchman is inert, and is strictly meant for security against clot formation inside the LAA. So, people who get a Watchman installed, and people who have a pacemaker installed, or an ICD, are not immune from arrhythmias of all kinds. They can still happen because those are electrical disorders, not blood flow problems that might cause clotting.
Again, if this is all well understood, please excuse me. I'm just going by the way you formulated your question.
I am going have the watchman operation on October14th. I was instructed by the surgeon that after the operation
I will continue the Plavix for about 6 weeks with low dose aspirin. If all looks good I will discontinue the Plavix and continue with the low dose aspirin. The Plavix was only a precautionary measure 1 week prior to the surgery.
I can keep you posted.
I have had PAFib for about 3 years now, mostly at night. I initially agreed to take Xarelto. But after a massive GI bleed followed by 2 units of blood, I am unwilling to go back to that. Long story short, I just met with my EP for the first time. The plan is to do an ablation and Watchman. First, I need to have a scan to determine if my LAA is shaped/oriented appropriately for a Watchman. Can anyone tell me what kind of scan this will be? I also have an allergy issue to resolve before we can schedule the procedures. Then I should be good to go sometime early next year. I will be watching this space carefully. Thanks for all the info!
@alyon917 : I do not read anywhere that Eliquis would be given to a person with low blood pressure. Sounds like a medical mistake to me if the situation is what you describe. Perhaps what happened to you was not caused by Eliquis, but could have been made worse by it possibly. I think your experience is not what most people would experience. My husband has been taking Eliquis for about 5 years with no issues whatever.
@tsch
e
I was thinking similarly when I read alyon's posts. Eliquis does not in and of itself "cause" bleeding, nor does it rupture arteries, but it will enhance any bleeding the person may have from an injury or bleeding from another cause and make that bleeding worse. This poster mentioned he/she had a rupture of the "main colon artery" which could be the superior or inferior mesenteric arteries which supply blood to the colon, and likely there would have been another cause for the rupture. Bleeding from arteries (in particular large arteries) is always an emergency as the person can bleed out quickly and die without intervention, and it may be touch and go even with that. I'm sure his/her medical team was freaking out at the thought of their patient bleeding so profusely being on Eliquis, but the Eliquis wouldn't have caused that bleed and stopping it wouldn't make much difference if there were no other interventions to physically stop the arterial bleeding. Though of course there is enough consideration of the "what if's" and certain liability around the patient being on Eliquis so they're going to do what they can to get it out of the patient's system if that is possible.
I've also taken Eliquis for A-fib for 5 years now, and have had no problems with it. In fact I consider that Eliquis may have saved my life- besides considering the stroke prevention.
My experience is about an over 2 gram drop in my hemoglobin from one visit to my PCP the next one 6 months later. Testing showed that I had severe iron deficiency anemia, and the bleeding was coming from my GI tract. An EGD and colonoscopy showed I had a bleeding mass in my transverse colon- ie, cancer. My symptoms had been pretty much nonspecific, and I'd had a clear colonoscopy 4 years before this one, so no one had any idea that I might have cancer. I had a colon resection ( laparoscopic) and they removed the caecum, ascending colon and enough of the transverse colon to get past the tumor, as well as enough lymph nodes to make sure these were clear ( they were). That surgery was curative, there was no spread ( diagnosed as IIa adenocarcinoma), I didn't need chemo and I remain, so far, NED.
I figure the Eliquis I was taking made that tumor, already bleeding, bleed more, enough to drop the hemoglobin to where we noticed the drop. I'm not sure this would have happened, enough for the noticeable difference in hemoglobin over time, so quite possible this cancer would not have been detected until it got large enough to cause an obstruction, and spread to other organs. Anyway, that's my story.
@tsch
e
I was thinking similarly when I read alyon's posts. Eliquis does not in and of itself "cause" bleeding, nor does it rupture arteries, but it will enhance any bleeding the person may have from an injury or bleeding from another cause and make that bleeding worse. This poster mentioned he/she had a rupture of the "main colon artery" which could be the superior or inferior mesenteric arteries which supply blood to the colon, and likely there would have been another cause for the rupture. Bleeding from arteries (in particular large arteries) is always an emergency as the person can bleed out quickly and die without intervention, and it may be touch and go even with that. I'm sure his/her medical team was freaking out at the thought of their patient bleeding so profusely being on Eliquis, but the Eliquis wouldn't have caused that bleed and stopping it wouldn't make much difference if there were no other interventions to physically stop the arterial bleeding. Though of course there is enough consideration of the "what if's" and certain liability around the patient being on Eliquis so they're going to do what they can to get it out of the patient's system if that is possible.
I've also taken Eliquis for A-fib for 5 years now, and have had no problems with it. In fact I consider that Eliquis may have saved my life- besides considering the stroke prevention.
My experience is about an over 2 gram drop in my hemoglobin from one visit to my PCP the next one 6 months later. Testing showed that I had severe iron deficiency anemia, and the bleeding was coming from my GI tract. An EGD and colonoscopy showed I had a bleeding mass in my transverse colon- ie, cancer. My symptoms had been pretty much nonspecific, and I'd had a clear colonoscopy 4 years before this one, so no one had any idea that I might have cancer. I had a colon resection ( laparoscopic) and they removed the caecum, ascending colon and enough of the transverse colon to get past the tumor, as well as enough lymph nodes to make sure these were clear ( they were). That surgery was curative, there was no spread ( diagnosed as IIa adenocarcinoma), I didn't need chemo and I remain, so far, NED.
I figure the Eliquis I was taking made that tumor, already bleeding, bleed more, enough to drop the hemoglobin to where we noticed the drop. I'm not sure this would have happened, enough for the noticeable difference in hemoglobin over time, so quite possible this cancer would not have been detected until it got large enough to cause an obstruction, and spread to other organs. Anyway, that's my story.
@marybird
Maybe Eliquis helped with your cancer diagnosis. I believe severe anemia is always a cause for suspecting cancer. I am glad if it may have helped you. It seems some meds cause some people to have problems while others do not. I suspect sometimes people blame meds for symptoms that may not be due to a medication. But everyone is different.
I had a watchman 45 days ago Procedure was flawless and I was on my way home after 2 hours of laying flat. I go for the TEE in two days. And then if all healed properly I will stop the Plavix. I have never had a TEE so just curious if I will be able to eat or drink after the procedure. Everything I read says no. Any suggestions
I had a watchman 45 days ago Procedure was flawless and I was on my way home after 2 hours of laying flat. I go for the TEE in two days. And then if all healed properly I will stop the Plavix. I have never had a TEE so just curious if I will be able to eat or drink after the procedure. Everything I read says no. Any suggestions
@scottbliz It's very much dependent on the technique and skill of the operators/techs/physician and on the patient. The operator 'should' come to your bedside and ask you to open your mouth wide and say, 'Aaaaahhh...' while peering into your mouth. This gives that person a good approximation of any impediments or restrictions to the implements he has at his/her disposal. They may have to use a smaller implement if there is such a thing. Also, whether or not they use a lubricant or a desiccant spray to dry out the tissues lining the esophagus for better imaging, but the packaged and sterile implement itself can have been sprayed with a desiccant. The desiccant can make for a scratchy, irritated and apparently bone dry throat and pharyngeal tissue when you regain consciousness. I don't want to alarm you, but I have experienced that and it wasn't nice. I spoke with the anesthetist about my experience for my second ablation and he seemed pleased that I thought to mention it. He did a much better job and I was fine when I came to.
Will you be able to eat and drink after the TEE? It depends on you, your operating team, and the implement's design and any desiccants added, but you will probably have to ingest something before they let you go. You will have been anesthetized after all, even if briefly, and they'll want to see you walk around for a few minutes to make sure you have good and sustained blood pressure when erect, and that you can keep something down. Again, this is only based on my personal experience during two ablations...yours may vary considerably.
Ask these questions to your team when they come by for that 'Hello, I'm Dr. X and I'll be doing...' bedside chat.
@scottbliz It's very much dependent on the technique and skill of the operators/techs/physician and on the patient. The operator 'should' come to your bedside and ask you to open your mouth wide and say, 'Aaaaahhh...' while peering into your mouth. This gives that person a good approximation of any impediments or restrictions to the implements he has at his/her disposal. They may have to use a smaller implement if there is such a thing. Also, whether or not they use a lubricant or a desiccant spray to dry out the tissues lining the esophagus for better imaging, but the packaged and sterile implement itself can have been sprayed with a desiccant. The desiccant can make for a scratchy, irritated and apparently bone dry throat and pharyngeal tissue when you regain consciousness. I don't want to alarm you, but I have experienced that and it wasn't nice. I spoke with the anesthetist about my experience for my second ablation and he seemed pleased that I thought to mention it. He did a much better job and I was fine when I came to.
Will you be able to eat and drink after the TEE? It depends on you, your operating team, and the implement's design and any desiccants added, but you will probably have to ingest something before they let you go. You will have been anesthetized after all, even if briefly, and they'll want to see you walk around for a few minutes to make sure you have good and sustained blood pressure when erect, and that you can keep something down. Again, this is only based on my personal experience during two ablations...yours may vary considerably.
Ask these questions to your team when they come by for that 'Hello, I'm Dr. X and I'll be doing...' bedside chat.
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@dreamtlc I just read your question and am unsure of your understanding. I hope you won't mind my statement. It's intended to correct what might (maybe not) be a misconception about the Watchman. The Watchman is a mesh, sort of like a thimble of wire, placed tight up against the rear wall of the Left Atrial Appendage (LAA). Its purpose is to prevent clots from leaking out of the LAA during, or weeks after, a bout of AF (atrial fibrillation). The risk is that a clot forming due to poor circulation in the volume of the LAA might become dislodged again, either due to happenstance or when normal sinus rhythm resumes and its higher flow and force wash the clot(s) out of the LAA and down into the left ventricle. From there, they would be forced up into the aorta and out to kidneys, the brain, the lungs, or to the heart's own arteries, where it will cause a thromboembolic event.
After a Watchman is installed, it gets infiltrated with, and closed off with, endothelial tissue which is meant to seal the front opening of the LAA...roughly speaking. This process, and any security if offers, does NOT prevent, OR encourage, any further atrial fibrillation. The Watchman is inert, and is strictly meant for security against clot formation inside the LAA. So, people who get a Watchman installed, and people who have a pacemaker installed, or an ICD, are not immune from arrhythmias of all kinds. They can still happen because those are electrical disorders, not blood flow problems that might cause clotting.
Again, if this is all well understood, please excuse me. I'm just going by the way you formulated your question.
I am going have the watchman operation on October14th. I was instructed by the surgeon that after the operation
I will continue the Plavix for about 6 weeks with low dose aspirin. If all looks good I will discontinue the Plavix and continue with the low dose aspirin. The Plavix was only a precautionary measure 1 week prior to the surgery.
I can keep you posted.
@gloaming thanks for the info. It very helpful
@alyon917 thanks. Please keep me posted
I have had PAFib for about 3 years now, mostly at night. I initially agreed to take Xarelto. But after a massive GI bleed followed by 2 units of blood, I am unwilling to go back to that. Long story short, I just met with my EP for the first time. The plan is to do an ablation and Watchman. First, I need to have a scan to determine if my LAA is shaped/oriented appropriately for a Watchman. Can anyone tell me what kind of scan this will be? I also have an allergy issue to resolve before we can schedule the procedures. Then I should be good to go sometime early next year. I will be watching this space carefully. Thanks for all the info!
@tsch
e
I was thinking similarly when I read alyon's posts. Eliquis does not in and of itself "cause" bleeding, nor does it rupture arteries, but it will enhance any bleeding the person may have from an injury or bleeding from another cause and make that bleeding worse. This poster mentioned he/she had a rupture of the "main colon artery" which could be the superior or inferior mesenteric arteries which supply blood to the colon, and likely there would have been another cause for the rupture. Bleeding from arteries (in particular large arteries) is always an emergency as the person can bleed out quickly and die without intervention, and it may be touch and go even with that. I'm sure his/her medical team was freaking out at the thought of their patient bleeding so profusely being on Eliquis, but the Eliquis wouldn't have caused that bleed and stopping it wouldn't make much difference if there were no other interventions to physically stop the arterial bleeding. Though of course there is enough consideration of the "what if's" and certain liability around the patient being on Eliquis so they're going to do what they can to get it out of the patient's system if that is possible.
I've also taken Eliquis for A-fib for 5 years now, and have had no problems with it. In fact I consider that Eliquis may have saved my life- besides considering the stroke prevention.
My experience is about an over 2 gram drop in my hemoglobin from one visit to my PCP the next one 6 months later. Testing showed that I had severe iron deficiency anemia, and the bleeding was coming from my GI tract. An EGD and colonoscopy showed I had a bleeding mass in my transverse colon- ie, cancer. My symptoms had been pretty much nonspecific, and I'd had a clear colonoscopy 4 years before this one, so no one had any idea that I might have cancer. I had a colon resection ( laparoscopic) and they removed the caecum, ascending colon and enough of the transverse colon to get past the tumor, as well as enough lymph nodes to make sure these were clear ( they were). That surgery was curative, there was no spread ( diagnosed as IIa adenocarcinoma), I didn't need chemo and I remain, so far, NED.
I figure the Eliquis I was taking made that tumor, already bleeding, bleed more, enough to drop the hemoglobin to where we noticed the drop. I'm not sure this would have happened, enough for the noticeable difference in hemoglobin over time, so quite possible this cancer would not have been detected until it got large enough to cause an obstruction, and spread to other organs. Anyway, that's my story.
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3 Reactions@marybird
Maybe Eliquis helped with your cancer diagnosis. I believe severe anemia is always a cause for suspecting cancer. I am glad if it may have helped you. It seems some meds cause some people to have problems while others do not. I suspect sometimes people blame meds for symptoms that may not be due to a medication. But everyone is different.
I had a watchman 45 days ago Procedure was flawless and I was on my way home after 2 hours of laying flat. I go for the TEE in two days. And then if all healed properly I will stop the Plavix. I have never had a TEE so just curious if I will be able to eat or drink after the procedure. Everything I read says no. Any suggestions
@scottbliz It's very much dependent on the technique and skill of the operators/techs/physician and on the patient. The operator 'should' come to your bedside and ask you to open your mouth wide and say, 'Aaaaahhh...' while peering into your mouth. This gives that person a good approximation of any impediments or restrictions to the implements he has at his/her disposal. They may have to use a smaller implement if there is such a thing. Also, whether or not they use a lubricant or a desiccant spray to dry out the tissues lining the esophagus for better imaging, but the packaged and sterile implement itself can have been sprayed with a desiccant. The desiccant can make for a scratchy, irritated and apparently bone dry throat and pharyngeal tissue when you regain consciousness. I don't want to alarm you, but I have experienced that and it wasn't nice. I spoke with the anesthetist about my experience for my second ablation and he seemed pleased that I thought to mention it. He did a much better job and I was fine when I came to.
Will you be able to eat and drink after the TEE? It depends on you, your operating team, and the implement's design and any desiccants added, but you will probably have to ingest something before they let you go. You will have been anesthetized after all, even if briefly, and they'll want to see you walk around for a few minutes to make sure you have good and sustained blood pressure when erect, and that you can keep something down. Again, this is only based on my personal experience during two ablations...yours may vary considerably.
Ask these questions to your team when they come by for that 'Hello, I'm Dr. X and I'll be doing...' bedside chat.
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Helpful -
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1 Reaction@gloaming All of that is very helpful info and thankyou Greatly appreciated