Heart Rhythm Conditions – Welcome to the group

Hhhhmmmmm...I was now told there is antidote for eliquis... might have to check that out again. No matter how low your risk is they will recommend blood thinners. I have been of the understanding that blood thinners also can cause stomach/intestinal bleeding also. My father in law passed away from a gut bleed caused by warfrin. Before my ablation I went off warfrin to a baby aspirin a day...with test of time and stability of my heart I will probably return to aspirin for as long as my risk factor is low. No it's not recommend by my doctor. But it is a choice as a patient that I get to make after weighing risk and benefits to how it affects my life. Blood thinner raises the risk of riding on motorcycle...bad deal...raises risk of injury at my job and has altered my responsibilities...bad deal...want my job back. Having a stroke bad deal...risk I am willing to take while my stroke risk is low...to keep my life as I know it for as long as possible. It's complicated. And there is no guarantee. Taking a blood thinner long term is probably in my future...as these drug also can serious side effects i wish to prolong thier use as long as possible. It's a risk either way...life for us will never be the same again...we make our decisions based on what we feel will give us the best quality o
f life. I have learned that quality of life means different things to different people. Some people are more willing to take greater risk to maintain a certain quality of life for as long as possible. That is the beauty of educating yourself about your condition then you can make reasonable decisions about your own treatment based on risk, benefits and quality of life. I have found the input of people on this forum to be very helpful.😊

Hi Mary @mklapperich. So glad you could share this information with us on your adventure with A-fib. It adds another layer of confidence that you and your medical team are on the path to long-term stabilization, and still another layer is likely to show up in your 6-month checkup. In my case, A-fib has not been so threatening. My symptoms are modest and relatively easy to deal with -- no racing heart rate and no ventricular reaction to the irregular atrial contractions. Two friends had ablations about two years ago, and they say they're glad they did and they are doing well.

My medication regimen may be instrumental in my case -- Carvedilol and Warfarin instead of Flecainide and Eliquis. I'm content with Warfarin to prevent blood clots, even though it failed me four months ago when I had two glasses of wine with dinner that spurred anticoagulation, and in adjusting that over the next two days, a clot got free and caused a "small stroke" and minor attenuation in the limbs on my right side. My doctors asked about switching to Xeralto, pointing out that (like Warfarin) there is an antidote to its blood-thinning power. I asked about Eliquis, but they advised there is no antidote on the market for that yet, so I opted to stay on Warfarin and immediately call 911 if I get ANY symptoms of stroke. They also advised against relying on Aspirin for clot-prevention in A-fib, mainly because doses that are large enough carry a risk of stomach and intestinal bleeding that occurs too readily in people over 70.

Welcome Mr. McCoy. I am Mary. New here too. I am sure with your 10 years of experience will be helpful to many people here. None of us can fathom what might be next around the corner...it makes today a sure thing. 😊

@1943 Hi this is Mary...mrk4445. Yes I experienced shortness of breath, and terrible fatigue. Had to push myself just to do my every day tasks and had to rest in between doing every day tasks like dishes and cleaning. For me not normal. Sit down to rest and fall asleep. Sleep 9 hours and wake up feeling exhausted like I was run over by a truck. It became my new normal way of feeling and it was robbing me of my life. I couldn't participate in my normal activities no longer. I would blow it off as aging or being out of shape. It wasn't. It was paroxsymal afib. I had an ablation procedure 5 months ago. Since my ablation I have gotten my life back. My energy level is back to normal. I have returned to everyday life symptom free. I have 6 month follow up soon. I am still on Fleconide for heart rythm and eliquis. At this point I do not know what my long term outlook is but I am grateful for relief of symptoms now. I would have an ablation again in a heart beat.💓 Maybe you would be a good candidate for an ablation or other procedure too. Maybe a consultation with your cardiologist could help explore the possibility and find find out if you are a good candidate...I hope you will find help and relief from your as I have.

I'm a new guy here. Moniker is Dick McCoy, one of the real McCoys 😁 & a 71 yr ol' fart. Retired law enforcement officer from NY, now live in rural north central PA. Diagnosed with Paroxsymal AFib about 10 yrs ago, Catheter Ablation on January 2015. Cardioversons in Sept 2015 & May 2018.
Currently controlled by Dilitiazem, Flecanide, Ramipril, & Atoravastatin. Also have a 4.3 TAA (Thoracic Ascending Aneurysm) that was found to be 4.0 about 3 yrs ago.
Trying to fathom what, if anything, my next step is. That's my life, in condensed version, and I'm stickin' to it!
~ Dick

Does anyone experience shortness ofbreath. Since being diagnosed with afi b and taking metropoolol and diliazem can't do anything without being out of breath.

Hi Eileena. All these conditions pose difficult challenges in our everyday life. Thanks for the information about home monitoring. I agree that our ecg in doctor's office is just a snapshot of a bigger unseen picture. It has been encouraging to hear the stories of others and the results of there procedures. I have learned much from participating in connect. Thanks for your post.

mrk4445
@mklapperich

I had a slightly different experience. I had PVCs that would NOT stop even after having a quad bypass. ( I believe the blockages were caused by the PVCs, but have no confirmation from my doctors.)

The ablation I had was for the PVCs that now even the Mayo Clinic indicates are far more damaging than Afibs. I had a single place generating those PVCs. My Cardiologist put me on an aspirin right after I had the bypass. He had me on Metropolol for a short while and switched to Carvedilol from which he took me off within 6 months, but due to frequent migraines that abated with the Carvedilol it was difficult to wean off. It took me 14 weeks of decreasing a single dose weekly to finally be off the Carvedilol, but it's been a year and no migraines.

I never took Warfarrin, only aspirin, a regular one, not a baby one.

I also donate blood every 8 weeks. When my cardiologist asked me why I'd want to donate blood I told him it is the ONLY natural blood thinner and causes your body to generate new blood cells after you donate. Of course there are age restrictions for donating blood and the blood bank did request I talk to my cardiologist about it.

I occasionally see a single PVC when I take an ECG reading at home. I use a little device attached to an iPod, but a different model can be placed on an iPhone or there is the iWatch band. This is from AliveCore and can be obtained from their company. It has helped me monitor my condition and I'd recommend you and almost everyone else in the world get one to help them and to help their doctors to see what is happening away from the clinics.

The ECGs we get in the clinic situation are only a snapshot and do not always help the over-all health picture the cardiologist needs to help guide your health. So, an effective method is to have the technology available at your home.

Sorry, did not mean to get preachy, but did want to share.

There is no guarantee tykosen will keep you out of AFib. Nor a guarantee that cardioversion will keep you in sinus. It s worth a try to give it a shot but it s not a cure- all. Everyone is different so results are not the same for all.

As my afib is continuing the physician is suggesting to give me Tykosin ( 5 doses) as inpatient and do the electro cardio version . Then continue with Tykosin. Does anyone knows it is safe and effective to come our of arterial fibrillation.
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