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I had untreated Afib with an arrhythmia and Aflutter
I had untreated Afib with arrhythmia and Aflutter for 10 years or more because my cardiologist would only put a Halter monitor on me for 24 hours. I told him that it didn’t happen every day but he said that was all he could do so it was never diagnosed by him. One night when I was having an Afib episode I went to the hospital where their monitor showed my heart beat going from 170 to 0 where it would stay stopped for 10 seconds and then start again and repeat the same rhythm for a total of 5 hours. The ER doctor asked me if I had been fainting and I told him yes and he said that was when my heart would stop for over 15 seconds. I was evacuated to a mainland hospital in Miami Beach and first put in cardiac intensive care for 3 nights and on the 4th day transferred to another room and a team of cardiologists showed up and finally diagnosed me and told me they would be putting in a pacemaker so my heart couldn’t go below 40 beats a minute and also put on 5 mg. Eliquis and 25 mg. Metoprolol Succinate 2 x a day each. About a year later, I had a coronary ablation which has been successful so far and my arrhythmia has stopped. The Eliquis is not bothering me and Collagen stopped the bruising I was getting from it so should I be on it the rest of my life?
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I am not an expert in this, I have zero medical training, but............yewbetcha! For life. Forgetting the wretched cardiologist, so-called, you were formally diagnosed at the ER and your behaviour was observed for several days. That team knows you by now, and they said you'd have to have at least one kind of intervention. For those with AF, even if it is rare, it can cause a stroke after several minutes when it does act up. That is why you're on the apixaban. Why you're still taking metoprolol is a mystery to me, but I also know hardly anything about you. I wouldn't dream of arguing with your ER team, but if your pacemaker is working, you have no other worries about tachyarrhythmia, no episodes in over a year, I don't see what metoprolol is doing for you other than possibly slowing your heart by 5-15 BPM that you wouldn't otherwise be showing....but that's just a guess.....again, I don't know your heart and what it would do if you weaned off the metoprolol over the next three weeks. This is something you should run past a bran' spankin' new cardiologist, someone who gives a s'''t about your health.
My 2 cents.
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3 ReactionsThank you. I had the pacemaker installed to stop the bradycardia so my heart wouldn’t bottom out anymore. I do have a new cardiologist because I moved up near the No. 1 hospital in Florida and he’s the one finding out what else is wrong with me and so far he’s doing a good job I think. He moves slowly as far as changing medicines preferring to put me through medical tests before changing medications. He tested me for hyperlipidemia and when it was positive he changed my statin to one that is known for lowering LDL cholesterol. Tachycardia is when your heart beat goes over 100 and that is why I’m on the metoprolol because it was at 170 that night I got medical intervention. It is meant to keep your heart from going too fast. And now since I had the ablation I guess I’ll just get observed for a while before any more changes are made.
@lisahar Yes, after an ablation there is typically a 10-12 week 'blanking period' where your heart is meant to settle, your mind as well if you get no more blips (it DOES happen during the blanking period, the odd short run of AF or PACs, and it is normal...), and all those lesions created by the RF or PFA method, or cryo, heal over and spread to the point where they close off the tissue sending out the rogue signals. Many EPs keep their patients on an AAD and on metoprolol for most/much of the blanking period. At some point, though, and about two weeks prior to the Holter monitor assessment or Zio Patch, you should....I would hope...be asked to stop the drugs. Thereafter, the monitoring for about 24 hours will/should reveal what the heart really wants to do. I would object to taking any cardiac medicine when having the monitoring day/nigh in case it masks what is really going on. But, you have to work with your EP and follow his/her instructions. They know you.
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1 ReactionSimilar situation for me I had afb for 3 years my doctor never send me to a cardiologist. I went to an amazing Cardiologist Dr. Jody Ritter he was a life saver. Change insurance I had ablations plus a watchman.
I don't want to take blood thinners for life. Hopefully I will stop taking blood thinners in the near future. You must get a second opinion ask questions a must long term medication side affects. I trusted my doctor of 14 years I went to the hospital 25 because it was HMO. Could not got to any doctor.
Wishing the best
@gloaming yes always a second option no matter what. Ask questions about your medication. I had a horrible experience with a a doctor of 14 years. I trusted her, I went to hospital over 25 times ni help. I went to see an amazing Cardiologist Dr Jody Ritter he saved my life. I ask questions side affects. Is hard to trust doctors this days but there are good ones out there. Take care
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