Peggy Heart disturbances and palpitations are listed as side effects occurring in less than 1% of the population. It just shows how differently individuals react - I can take Sudafed with no problems. Gillby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Nancy I rarely take any prescribed medication but 18 months ago, after a total knee replacement, I was given a general anaesthetic, a cocktail of different painkillers, and Pradaxa. I had been in sinus rhythm for over 8 years after ablation in Bordeaux. Two days after the surgery my heart rhythm felt very strange, not like AF pre-ablation, but definitely not right.. After investigationsby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Diane My understanding of Francesca's post was that she described the HIS bundle ablation so that she could explain how she was trying to avoid it. Gillby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Namur Thank you for your very useful and interesting post. Seems to me that looking for a single cause for lone AF is like looking for a single cause for stomach pain - it can be many things, singly or in combination. Supplementation is worth trying, and if it works for you that's great, but for many (most?) people it doesn't. Your point about 0.1% of people under 55 having LAF wby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Jackie Many thanks for all the information. I have just had a letter from my EP telling me that i can have fibrinogen tests here in London. How often do you think the test needs to be done? Gillby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
George, Peggy, Shannon, Hans I hang around here despite having no afib for almost 10 years because of the quality of the posts and the excellent information about current research. If afib were ever to rear its ugly head again I want to be well informed about the options available. This is especially important in the UK with all the cutbacks in the NHS - hospitals are having to ration treatmby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Monty I am very consistent. I take, daily: 750mg Chelated magnesium in tablet form plus a variable amount of Waller Water for magnesium bicarbonate 2000mg Taurine powder (used to take more but gradually reduced it with no ill effects) 4 teaspoons potassium gluconate powder (2160mg of potassium) I vary the amount of Waller Water to keep me at bowel tolerance. It was when I added the pby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Montos I have been in nsr for almost 10 years since my ablation in Bordeaux. The first year after the ablation I had a few ectopics but the number has increased almost every year since then. I sometimes get over 9,000 on a 24 hour Holter. The docs say they are a nuisance but not harmful. They used to be very uncomfortable, like being kicked in the chest every few seconds and I was consiby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Jackie I have been taking Nattokinase for over a year. I started with a dose of 6,000FU and later reduced it to 4,000, which I have been taking for the last 9 months. It is difficult to get fibrinogen tests in UK so I had one done in August 2011 while on holiday in the US. The Fibrinogen Activity score was 339. I am in the US again this week and had a repeat test. The score was 297.by Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Murray Don't want to rain on your parade but don't be too disappointed if it turns out to be a lot of ectopic activity and not AF. A year ago, after being given a certain pain killer after knee surgery, I spent a day in A&E because my heart rhythm felt very strange. It felt like AF but different from before my ablation. I was devastated at the thought that the beast might beby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Curt Search the board for posts by BarryG. He had his first ablation in India and said good things about the doctors there. It wasn't successful but his was an extremely difficult case, he subsequently had 4 ablations in Bordeaux and is now in nsr. Gillby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Shannon Thnk you for that splendid post. At my last annual checkup I asked my EP here in London about FIRM and he said 'There have been many false dawns, we have to wait and see'. Gill (successful ablation for long term persistent AF in Bordeaux January 2003)by Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Glaxo Smith Kline is to open up the detailed data from its clinical trials to the scrutiny of scientists in a bid to help the discovery of new medicines and end the suspicions of critics that it has secrets to hide:-by Gill - GENERAL HEALTH FORUM
Murray I am sitting in a hotel in Muscat, Oman, just done 5 days scuba diving and have to wait 24 hours before flying, too hot to go outside so I am playing with my iPad and found this article. You have probably seen it already, but I am posting the link just in case you haven't. It is very interesting and seems relevant to your situation. Gillby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
"The doctors prescribing the drugs don't know they don't do what they're meant to. Nor do their patients. The manufacturers know full well but they're not telling."by Gill - GENERAL HEALTH FORUM
McHale Years of paroxysmal AF, 18 months of long term persistent AF, couldn't walk upstairs without gasping for breath, couldn't exercise so gained a lot of weight..... Life was unbearable. January 2003, ablation in Bordeaux, almost 10 years of nsr, now I work out 3 times a week, have lost 84lbs, take no prescribed meds. Life is wonderful. No brainer for me. Even if AF starteby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Tom My excellent GP said that cardiologists are terrified by stroke risk because they see so many people who have had damaging strokes, and that's why they push for anticoagulation even for people in nsr. GPs see a wider range of patients so have a more balanced view IMO. I listen to all the information and do as much research as I can, then make my own decisions. Gillby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
I second what McHale said, thank you Hans. Last year at my annual checkup I saw an EP, not my usual one, who said that my Chads2Vasc score was 2 - one for being female and one for being over age 65, so I should be on Warfarin, even though I have been in sinus rhythm for almost 10 years since ablation in Bordeaux. I declined. My GP says that since I don't have Afib the Chads2Vasc doesnby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Samh When an ablation is successful, with no complications, it gives you your life back. Next January it will be 10 years of nsr for me since my ablation by Professor Haissaguerre in Bordeaux, after years of paroxysmal AF and 18 months of persistent AF. At 75 years of age I take no prescribed medications and do 3 scuba diving trips a year to remote places. I exercise 3 times a week and watby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Seems to me that some inexperienced EPs are keen to go for ablation quickly because they need to do as many as possible to increase their expertise. The top EPs are already experts so might be more cautious. I know everyone has to learn, but I wouldn't want an inexperienced EP practising on me. One constant theme on the board is that success rates depend on the skill and experience ofby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
$10,000 net cost for a cardioversion? I had three before my ablation, 2 external and 1 internal, total cost to me was zero. In UK the NHS may have its drawbacks but I am very glad I live here and not in the USA. Gillby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Alexandra I always listen to the doctors, do the research, and then make my own decisions. In your place I would do what TomC suggests, ie say you are going to take it regularly, go through the 2 hours in A&E, then take it as PIP. Just out of interest, before my Bordeaux ablation Prof. Haissaguerre gave me a prescription for Flecainide and told me to start taking it immediately, no tesby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Heather and Siri A useful technique (from assertiveness training) is 'the broken record'. You say 'I would like to be referred to Professor Schilling at Barts because the skill and experience of the EP is the most important thing for success.' Whatever your GP says in reply, you just say exactly the same thing again. And again. Don't argue or explain, just keep sayby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Murray I think you should ask yourself what benefit you would get from taking part. At the moment you have a good plan and it seems to be working. You have a 50% chance of being put on a different plan. In your place I would decline. Gillby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Kay Don't leave it too long if you are moving towards persistent AF. The left atrium becomes enlarged and that makes ablation much more difficult or even impossible. Read Murray's story on this board. Gillby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Siri Richard Schilling has been mentioned on this forum several times. You can find the posts by using the search function with his name. You could certainly ask your GP to refer you to him at Barts, and if he suggests elsewhere then you just keep insisting that it has to be Professor Schilling. You might have to fight to get referred to the person you choose, but it is worth the effort inby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Siri Lots of good advice in the posts above. A couple more things - if ever you decide to have an ablation be aware that it is a very difficult procedure for an EP to perform, and success rates are poor for those who haven't done very many. Of course they all have to practise before they get good at it, but I wouldn't want a novice practising on me. I would want an EP who had doneby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Siri 11 years ago when I first went to my excellent GP because my AF was happening more often and lasting longer, she told me that the standard treatment was warfarin and digoxyn, (which was not correct) but rather than prescribe it she referred me to a cardiologist. He wanted to give me medication but I had read about a new procedure called radiofrequency ablation and said I was interestedby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM
Adrian If everyone did that then the results of the study wouldn't have much valididty. That would mean less information for AFers in the future. Gillby Gill - AFIBBERS FORUM