![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Liz, you have afib. I said you should expect to remain on Tikosyn indefinitely unless you get an ablation because there's no reason to think your afib will just go away on its own. It won't. The cardioversion just stops the afib going on now. It doesn't prevent future episodes but the Tikosyn does. That's the whole idea. Get you on Tikosyn to prevent future episodes and then cby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
You'll very likely convert on your own during the stay. If you don't, they'll cardiovert you before you leave. After all, you're there, so why make a separate trip back? Most likely that will work and the Tikosyn will keep you in NSR from there on out. If the Tikosyn works for you without unwanted side effects, you should expect to remain on it indefinitely, or until you hby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I definitely see P waves. But P waves being present or not aren't the justification for a Watchman. If you're in the US it will mainly depend on whether you can tolerate anticoagulants. If you can and you haven't had any major bleeding problems, it's unlikely a Watchman would be covered.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteElizabeth I could go to the ER near me to get cardioverted but as my heart rate is under 100 they probably will have me sit there waiting a long time or maybe they won't do it either. Yep, that's the most likely outcome. They'll put you on a diltiazem drip and let you lay there for hours. But since you're not in physical distress and don't have a high heart rate,by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I agree with the others. Asking for your records is perfectly reasonable and to be expected, but demanding you stop seeing the other EP is not. I can see him being concerned about you shopping for the advice or prescriptions you want, or even getting dual prescriptions that might conflict, but he should be able to address that if and when it happens.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotemwcf You’ll know it was a success if you had AF weekly or monthly before the ablation and no AF for a year or more after the ablation whether or not the AAD was/is continued. If the AADs were ineffective before the procedure and effective afterward, that's certainly an improvement, but the standard used by EPs is that success = freedom from all atrial tachy-arrhythmias without AADs onby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteGeorgeN I'm pretty sure Carey & Smackman's lack of "p" wave is due to LAA isolation. Actually, in my case I think it's mainly due to the multiple ablations, two of which were fairly extensive. The end result is my left atrium has large amounts of tissue that are isolated and can't contribute to pumping, which is reflected as small P waves. So even if I sby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yeah, we're kind of similar. The P wave was a factor for me as well. Both of us are off-label judgement calls by Natale. I'm good with it.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotecolindo I would say, Hans knows a lot of stuff that Carey doesn't. And I would say the opposite is also true, especially if we're comparing things Hans said over a decade ago with the information available to him at the time. I hear "Hans said...." quite often on this forum as if it's a citation of gospel fact. It's not. Hans is a sharp engineer, and good at rby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotekeeferbdeefer While not optimal, I'm OK with this. I've heard people say that the ablation wasn't successful unless you can go off the meds. Have the majority of you been able to drop all meds? Or do you take things to keep PACs and such at bay? If you never come off the antiarrhythmics then you'll never know if your ablation was successful or not. If you stop the drugby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteGill I seem to recall that Hans (founder and previous moderator of this site) said that AF did not increase stroke risk. But that was a while ago. I doubt he said that, or at least not so broadly. If he said it I would expect he was more specific and nuanced, because stating that afib doesn't increase stroke risk is flatly false and Hans wasn't prone to flatly false statementsby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotecirenepurzalot Thanks. I wonder why afib isn’t included in the calculation of the chadsvasc score? Seems like it should be a factor due to the LAA. Afib wasn't included in the original CHADS score because the CHADS score assumes you have afib. Having afib is built into the score, so it really just doesn't apply to people who don't have afib. You have a good point about tby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
You have a good drug plan. I've heard of people paying $200+ for Tikosyn.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
5 mg is the normal dose for afib. The 2.5 mg dosage is used for: ● Age ≥80 years ● Body weight ≤60 kg (132 lbs) ● Kidney dysfunction ● Prophylaxis against DVTs I take 2.5 mg off-label as a substitute for aspirin (I have a Watchman and the Watchman protocol is aspirin for life).by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
The key word there is "may." The combination is very common and doesn't usually cause any problems.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Unless something else is going on there shouldn't be any bed restriction. I was allowed to wander around and do anything I wanted as long as I stayed within range of the monitoring system. That gave me access to the entire cardiology ward, the hallways within a few hundred feet, and the family waiting room that had vending machines. It was a boring 3 days but otherwise no big deal.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotecirenepurzalot Has anyone taken eliquis with diltiazem cd? Millions of people. That's an extremely common combination. If you're worried about interactions there shouldn't be any.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotecaliforniagal I'd like to lower my Xarelto to 15 mg /day but my cardiologist says all adults should have 20 mg. The 15 mg dosage is for people with impaired kidney function. If you had impaired kidney function, taking the 15 mg dose would provide provide adequate protection, but if you have normal kidney function, taking the 15 mg dose would not provide adequate protection. I don'by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Tikosyn is usually pretty effective but I would check Tikosyn prices and what your Medicare drug plan will pay. It tends to be pretty expensive. A lot of EPs will advise against ablations for someone your age as a kneejerk response,. but the top guys usually don't.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
The need for tapering depends on dosage and how long you were taking it. Short prescriptions don't usually need to be tapered down.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I didn't even know policies like that were available. It seems to be a stopgap sort of policy you would buy to cover a short gap in coverage, like for a month or a few weeks or so, not a policy you would rely on for continued coverage. Looks to me like you're out of luck until you can buy a real policy.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotecirenepurzalot National General (Network by Aetna) Aetna open choice ppo Okay, it's Aetna. No, you don't have a problem. I thought maybe you bought some ultra-cheap coverage from some dodgy company. But you didn't buy this policy before 2010, right? If you did, it's possible you actually do have pre-existing conditions exclusions. Otherwise, you can't and donby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
What you've been cautioned against are NSAIDS, which stands for Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs. That would be things like ibuprofen. Prednisone is steroidal, so it's perfectly fine. Take it without worry.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I think Allofus is right. Can you name the plan? I'd like to have a look at it online.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotecirenepurzalot .... would they decide to open a case before approval? Or can they do it afterwards? Sounds like they can only do it before, according to what you said. I just dont know if I fall under pre-existing or not, as they define. If they're talking about what I think they're talking about, it's the other way around. A review happens when the insurance company deniesby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Once they approve it and you do the procedure, they have to cover it.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotecaliforniagal Carey, I have mild a-fib and have been on 50 mg Metroprolol tartrate -prn ('as needed') for 3 years. I've also been on Xarelto, 20 mg daily, as an anticoagulant. I'd like to get off the Xarelto and use alternative sources for blood thinning. Taking the Xarelto AND a decent daily intake of fish oils thins my blood too much (spontaneous capillary breakage/by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotepmcaz AND...I only showed who I'm using, not trying to convince anyone he's the person to use. My real questions is: Why do I not see OTHER doctors being recommended (other than Natale)? This board CAN make you feel like if it's not Dr. Natale, it's a lesser choice, so to speak. Well, the reality is it would be a lesser choice. But other doctors do get recommendeby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
We'd have to see how the pre-existing clause is worded. I've never heard of anyone being denied over a pre-existing conditions clause. All you can do is let them submit for approval and find out what the insurance company says.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I'm sure he's a fine doctor but 1000 is not a lot of ablations. It's an average experience level.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM