I am sorry for your stroke and glad for any recovery that has been possible. Noone can tell us how long an afib episode has to be to pose a danger, but I read recently that research has shown that after 5.5 hours, a new approach would be short-term, one-month of anticoagulation. I have asked for this over the years. In my case, I always feel afib (and end up in ER due to tachycardia that comes with it) and monitors over 30 days have not shown any afib. Blood thinners pose risks too. I wonder if you had either silent afib or an episode that lasted too long, before the stroke. Glad you are doing well on Eliquia. Your story is what scares me, but so far blood thinners scare me more.