I did a sleep study post-ablation and was diagnosed as mild OSA. I chose septoplasty (deviated septum surgery) over CPAP or dental device. I think it helped but haven’t re-done the sleep study since. I would not re-do the septoplasty. It was hell. Lots of pain. The opioids gave me short (< 10 second) runs of AF so I flushed them and just used ibuprofen. That only dulled the pain, so I drank beby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
I'm specifically referring to caffeine. So I will only drink decaf coffee and absolutely no sodas. There are a bunch more reasons to stay away from sodas other than caffeine as well. Even the so-called diet ones. As for the decaf coffee, I'll buy the Starbucks brand at the grocery store. I don't know if they're organically sourced or not, but I'm sure whatever I order atby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteCarey Coffee doesn't cause afib or flutter. In fact, there's evidence that it's helpful. Caffeine was a sure-fire way to a PAC storm for me in the year of my AF (2015). I have completely avoided it since. I won’t order a coffee at a restaurant unless I can see the server pour it from the orange decanter. On a few occasions that I haven’t, I suspect it was poured from the rby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
It is so specific to the individual. It’s tough to say. I could drink beer until the cows come home and it won’t matter. It probably depends on the vagal vs adrenergic mediators of AF. Nonetheless it’s not really good for you, and avoiding it is always the best choice even if it sucks.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Really good EPs have even longer waits. 6 months.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quoteallserene . My doctor who retired this week recommended a highly rated electrophysologist and I have made an appointment for 17th July. Earliest available date ! That's the trouble with good ones, there is a long wait to see them. I left a phone message 3 days ago to touch base but he didn't reply.. That’s why we want to “team up” a cardiologist and electrophysiologist. You’lby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
This is why we want to be seeing a cardiologist and/or electrophysiologist for atrial arrhythmia. Hospitals and general practitioners are not where we want to go. I hope you have at least a cardiologist. Do you? If not, I’d get one right away.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quoteallserene I thought the hospital was a chaotic contradictory schizophrenic frenetic dump Yes. Most ERs are. Bear in mind they exist to stabilize life threatening conditions. Anything less than that is going to get scoffed at or treated with a sledgehammer approach to get you out of there ASAP. I’ve done the drill myself and regretted it.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quoteallserene My current dilemma is wanting to get off Eliquis and the 25 mg (spit tablet my idea) Metoprolol.. You could just call your doctor's office and ask for a Metoprolol RX for 25mg tablets and then cut them in half to achieve 12.5mg. That's really low and shouldn't cause you long pauses. Remember always that metoprolol comes in extended release (met. succinate) which shby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
I would only say that operator skill matters WAY more than fancy equipment. When you opt for ablation you want the best doctor you can afford, not the best machine.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
PVC for sure. As long as you’re not having tens of thousands of them then it’s not really a major concern. They’re annoying as hell, I know. Electrolyte supplementation can help with those, too.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yuck. My last breakthrough was April 2018, so I blame April. Makes as much sense as anything else!by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Would a topical analgesic work? Aspercreme or Tiger balm? Probably not but worth a shot.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Bayer shot themselves in the foot by refusing to trial Xarelto in a 2x/day formulation because they were hell-bent on beating Pradaxa. Just google Xarelto and DCRI and you will find loads of stuff critical of the ROCKET-AF trial. Bottom line - DOACs are too powerful and fast acting for single dosing. It needs to be two a day, and Eliquis was smart enough to do this. Medicare is really doing itby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Medicare approves ablation for AF so everyone else should too. That’s pretty much the standard in this country. It used to be that you needed to fail on two medications first but I don’t think that’s true anymore. Even if it were that’s not hard to do for most afibbers. Who is the insurer?by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yikes! How can you gulp frozen stuff? There may also be a correlation between ingesting too much of anything too quickly and the need to essentially hold our breath as whatever it is we decided to swallow like we were a snake has to transit the esophagus. The quick build up of serum CO2 can also be arrhythmogenic (in addition, oddly enough, can also do the opposite). Serum CO2 does affect atriby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Edit: thinking about something elseby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
I’ve never measured blood glucose or ketones. Perhaps I should. My definition of adaptation is simply how I feel while not eating. Which is fine. I do not experience hunger nor are my mental capacities diminished in any way. I work full time as an integrated circuit designer for high-speed serial links. I also do word puzzles all the time (NYT Saturday edition anyone?) and usually solve them on rby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteDavidK P.S. I plan to put up separate posts each time as the forum software doesn't put the most recently commented-on posts at the top. That would probably be the number one upgrade I could think of for the forum software. I’m sure Shannon and his helpers are working on it. Computers are a pain. And I’m an engineer of all things!by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteElizabeth I don't know how people can go for days without eating anything and believe that it is good for them. Liz It just depends on one’s level of keto-adaptation. When blood sugar (glucose) drops low for an extended period of time, the body responds by metabolizing fat into ketones. The brain and muscles can use these as energy. The caveat being, of course, that you aren’t diabby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
I did it last June after a bike ride when I guzzled a cold water. It’s not uncommon.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Perhaps you could taper Eliquis by going from the 5mg BID to the 2.5mg BID for a week or so before stopping. I doubt there’s any clinical data on that but I’ll bet no one would see a problem with it.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
You describe an adrenergic trigger as it happened basically at the same time you were exercising. Vagal triggers would be hours after exercise, often evenings. Depending on the dose of metoprolol you may find it hard to increase your heart rate to what it was before. What is the dosage? 25mg 2x/day is pretty much the low end with 125mg 2x/day being the high end. Some folks cut the 25mg pills in hby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Initial conditions, I expect. If, in fact, it decays more quickly than Eliquis then the starting point must be higher so that it stays in therapeutic range for a day. As I recall there was a minor bit of skullduggery regarding Xarelto's clinical trials. Johnson & Johnson contracted Duke University's Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) to do the trials and they specifically skippedby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
The statin has nothing to do with a-fib. That's a cholesterol drug. The metoprolol is a beta-blocker, which is a rate-control medication. It slows your heart rate. Did the AF episode occur during exercise or afterwards? If afterwards, how long after? How did the AF episode end (on its own or cardioversion)? How long was it? A bit more information could help us give better advice. As for eby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Xarelto is one-a-day versus the two-a-day for Eliquis. Therefore Xarelto has a longer serum half-life. Missing or shifting a dose by 12 hours isn't going to change much. I wouldn't get too terribly worried as long as you get back on schedule.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yes. I graduated North Carolina State University with a master’s degree in electrical engineering back in 1998. Hence the username. Cardioversion is the standard treatment for AF in an emergent situation. Just about every cardiologist or ER will do that. If the episode is less than 48 hours old they will anticoagulate you and do it pretty much right away. If it has been longer then you’ll getby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
An ICD for a-fib? That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. ICDs are for ventricular arrhythmias. I’ve heard of pacemakers for a-fib in the context of patients who experience long pauses when converting from AF to NSR, but that’s it.by wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
I, for one, can't hear a thing when I'm using it. The ultrasonic link is susceptible to background noise. I can't get a good reading anywhere but a quiet room. Wind, which is white noise, and bird chirps, which are akin to a wideband frequency modulation, will drive mine nuts. I don't know that you blame the Kardia for that or the iPhone that I use. Could be either, no way toby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM
What we like to advise folks considering an ablation is to choose the best EP possible for themselves. Criteria are: 1. How many complex, left-atrial ablations has he/she done? We want this number in the thousands. 2. What is his/her success rate? We define this as complete freedom from atrial arrhythmia WITHOUT the use of medication, both anti-arrhythmics and beta blockers (unless betas areby wolfpack - AFIBBERS FORUM