Thank you for taking the time to reply to my question. I'm 77 years old (female) so I expect body parts to start failing. This is the first serious medical issue I've had so I think I've done pretty well. My concern with this doctor is his not addressing my high blood pressure or the arrhythmia or seeming to care about my well being. He laughed when I asked about lifestyle changes. Yes, clots are a risk factor with afib but so is high blood pressure and I can't face trying to deal with the awful side effects of anti-coagulants. I can always change my mind. Whatever I do I'm taking a risk. And I will live with that. I'm seeing a different cardiologist now. We've started to get my blood pressure down and my heart rate stable. So far so good.