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Atrial Fibrillation and long-term management with medication
Heart Rhythm Conditions | Last Active: May 26, 2022 | Replies (65)Comment receiving replies
My mother is on Coumadin and I see the side effects. She has vascular dementia which I imagine may be worsened by high INR's. She has nosebleeds, large bruises, hematoma, and, most seriously, a gastric bleed that has resulted in severe anemia.
A doc took her off for 5 days without bridging her, for an endoscopy, and she had a stroke on day 5- in 2012. Her afib is continuous and she has a valve issue.
If my afib becomes more frequent and the episodes longer, I will definitely consider anti-coagulation. When I turned 65 I asked the doc if I could be scored 1.1 instead of going all the way to 2 on one day, my birthday.
Knock on wood I have just gone a year without afib. I don't eat after 5 which helps.
I was very interested in the idea of a Watchman at 75 due to increased risk of falls. One doc tried to talk me into a Watchman with one episode/year!
Good luck and thanks for the info. I agree with everything you wrote and you helped me think about this.
Replies to "My mother is on Coumadin and I see the side effects. She has vascular dementia which..."
The anecdote about your mother's experience with anticoagulants is horrifying. Almost makes me want to just give up (as it seems to be a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation), just following what makes ME most comfortable - especially considering how variable cardio recommendations are . (Sympathies re the vascular dementia. I hear it's just awful to cope with - not so much for the patient as for family.)
BTW my (almost) regular strenuous gym workouts are absolutely critical to avoiding AFIB.
As long as it's not too late, that is. Believe it or not, my BPM mostly rises to at least 145, and often as high as 165 or so without huffing and puffing. Far above the general guideline for my age. That's doing HIIT exercise (high intensity interval training). (If I do NOT follow this regime, I get more AFIB - in fact, it was after I slacked off that I came down with that constant tachycardia! ) Clearly everyone is very different in their heart function.
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Enjoyed the continued discussion.
Also VERY interested in the business of not eating after 5 PM. Even though I'd have to up that timetable by at least five hours being an extreme night owl (when do you go to bed?), I too have noticed late food consumption - especially excessive - is a major trigger for AFIB.
Alcohol too, and not just "excessive" amounts, but (almost) any is a trigger for me. (Hence I scarcely ever consume even just a little).
Since I'm still trying to get back to the KETO diet as getting slender definitely normalizes my lipid profile (think I mentioned my two brothers and I have an inherited lipid disorder. ).
FWIW I'm the only one not on statins and also (not a coincidence) the only one not obese. As I'm a real foodie this is hard.
Stay well!
Amanda