I am 74 years old and have chronic afib. I have had a cardioversion to try to put my heart back into rhythm but it only worked for 48 hours. A few years later I had a nuclear stress test because I was experiencing tightness in my chest on walking briskly or walking up two flights of stairs. The nuclear stress test showed no blocked arteries and no significant change to the heart generally, so no need for further intervention.
I take Ramipril and Diltiazem which keep my hypertension under control and take warfarin ( Coumadin) to ward off strokes. I have had two stomach haemorrhages so there is a tension between the risk of increased from the blood thinner and the risk of a stroke if I don’t take the blood thinner.
I am currently wondering whether to move from warfarin onto one of the newer oral anticoagulants but worry that the latter cannot be stopped in the event of a bleed as quickly as warfarin can. Any ideas on this anyone?