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Did your cardiologist explain the cardioversion procedure? I was an emergency Afib patient on July 24, 2015 and was cared for by an emergency doctor. He had me on cardizem 360 and lasix 160 and coumadin. I was miserable with hugely swollen legs (plus 3) and still in Afib. That doctor told me to go through the scheduled hip replacement surgery in Afib and then get a cardioversion later. When I saw my own cardiologist one month later (August 27th) in a different hospital and city he told me no surgeon would perform on a patient in Afib and I’d have the cardioversion immediately (September 11, 2015.) It was successful, heart back in rhythm, and I then had surgery October 19, 2015. I was 86 years old then and did not flip back into Afib during the surgery. You may want to ask your cardiologist if you are a candidate for cardioversion. If not, why not? <br><br>I got off the coumadin after 10 months because it was not compatible with my food requirements and I now take Pradaxa since May 10, 2016. Pradaxa has an excellent antidote and I have seen no side effects from taking it except it costs much more than coumadin. Report is that they are backing off of coumadin now because it can take up to 72 hours to stop bleeding. Much too long for safety.
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I had a Cardioversion a week ago and am in normal sinus rhythm now .i still take Elequis 5 mg 2 x d Diltiazem 180 2 x dand Flecainide 100 2 x d .All these make me very tired !
Welcome to Connect @2880. Great to hear that your cardioversion was a success. Will you have to continue taking all 3 medications? Have you talked to your cardiologist about your ongoing fatigue?
Hello ! <br>I am still on all drugs but have reduced Cardiazem to 120 mg -2x d .<br>Would love to not take that and the Flecanide - <br>Still in nsr but have a few palpatations in the evening .<br><br>
Since the cardio version I have had daily ( nightly) annoying palpitations and ringing in my ears . Can anyone identify with this??? Thanks!
Sadly today 9 days after Cardioversion - I am back in AFIB .
I also take eloquis 5mg 2x d and diltiazem240 mg1a day lipator and losartan
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@audree, welcome to our convocation on sharing medical experiences and hopes for speedy help in making the best of them. I'm sure everyone here is glad that you signed in and contributed so much to alleviating our concerns.
The heavy doses of Cardizem and Lasix you received in the emergency room make it clear that you were facing severe conditions, and it's encouraging that you did not get rushed prematurely into surgical procedures of consequence, largely because of your own insistence.
I was motivated to do some research by the comments you made about Coumadin, and would like to share 2 findings: First, the antidote for Pradaxa (which replaced your Coumadin) is Praxbind, given conditional approval last October by the FDA, but still in regulated studies and with limited use for only emergency surgery "in life threatening or uncontrolled bleeding." As such, it may be misleading to call it "an excellent antidote" yet, since its excellence is still to be demonstrated.
Second, Coumadin is not being abandoned because it takes "up to 72 hours to stop bleeding," but for other reasons of personal convenience of doctors and patients. In fact, "rapid reversal" in 10-15 minutes is expected with a combination of Vitamin K and the standard antidote or with frozen plasma injections, 4-6 hours with intravenous Vitamin K alone; it takes up to 72 hours only when Coumadin is omitted and wears off without any antidote added. Against that background, Coumadin remains a positive option for needed anticoagulants to prevent blood clots in cases of A-fib.
Your experience with an A-fib emergency and hip-replacement is heart-rending to hear, and it is reassuring to see your strength of character and the insights you developed and shared with us.