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It doesn't have to be someone like Natale, but you do want someone who's done a lot of them. The watchman.com site has a lookup tool and it says there are a dozen or more centers in Michigan doing the procedure. Most are in Detroit, of course. I'll do some asking around and see if we can identify who would be the best choice.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteThe Anti-Fib Ultimately intellectual advancement should not be held back by worrying about how a newcomer perceives the information presented on the site. I agree with that in principle, and I believe Shannon does too, but I think it's quite different when the information is extremely attractive to people who are desperate and it's potentially harmful. (And I include "didnby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I would take Mandrola's opinions with a big grain of salt. I have no idea why he's talking about the sinus node because an afib ablation doesn't touch that either. Inflammation from the burn lines is more than enough to explain the elevated heart rate. The vagal nerve doesn't need to be involved.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
You may be a good candidate for a Watchman. You can find out by going here and clicking on "Getting Started". It asks a short series of questions and then emails you a response on whether they think you're a candidate.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yep, all part of a normal ablation. Everyone's experiences are different, so it's neither normal nor abnormal. In fact, if you're not taking any sort of antiarrhythmic drug and you haven't had any ectopics or even full blown afib for 11 days, then you're doing great and better than most.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotekeeferbdeefer Just a quick follow-up Carey. I've not read that Felcanide will lower heart rate. Have you or others found that it does ever so slightly? Perhaps enough to offset a potential rise due to the afib procedure itself. Yes, it can lower heart rate slightly. It did for me. Not sure where you heard that the increased heart rate after ablation indicates the vagus nerve was bby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Keefer, welcome to the forum. Although an increased heart rate is typical after an ablation, lack of it isn't something I'd worry about. That's particularly true if you're still taking flecainide. Are you also taking a beta blocker by any chance?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
If you're in afib and have been since November 9th, you're persistent. You're right that fixing it might involve ablating your LAA. Tough to ablate and it really calls for someone of Natale's skill level. If your rate isn't that high and you're not experiencing severe symptoms, doing nothing is a reasonable option. You can live a perfectly long, healthy life by juby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteElizabeth If I would ever have an ablation, they no doubt ablat the LAA and I would still be on a blood thinner, well we shall see. There's no reason to assume it would be necessary to ablate your LAA. But I'm curious about your statement that you're "still in AF." How long have you been in afib now? I didn't see where you first said you were.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
To be clear, the length of the posts had nothing to do with the decision to move it. LOL... If length of posts was a factor, I'd have to move all of Shannon's posts to GH.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotescdcdoc My ENT told me in no uncertain terms am I to use Afin with a history of Afib even after my successful ablation and with Rx of Sotalol 120 mg bid. Why are you on sotalol after an ablation that you consider successful?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yeah, I despise BBs. They make me feel like someone tied lead weights to my arms and legs. And they're kind of a reflex prescription for most EPs. Walk into any cardiologist's office with afib and you'll be walking out with a prescription for metoprolol with directions to take it daily no matter how infrequent your afib episodes. I usually tell people if they're not on flecainby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I would suggest shouting it from the rooftops when more than one person has produced the results. And his approach isn't harmless at all. And it hasn't been "hidden away." And like I said, neither Shannon or I could remember moving it, so if you're going to pick someone to blame then please try to be fair.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Look at the "views" column in the forum index of both forums. Hundreds of people visit this site every day. This topic alone already has 70 views and many others have 200-300 views in just a week or so. The GH forum has a fraction of that viewership. That's an important thing for people to understand. For every person who posts here regularly, there are probably 100 other "by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I don't know where you heard that amio doesn't work for vagal afib but I don't believe that to be true at all. If it were true it wouldn't work for a huge number of afib patients, probably the majority, but in fact it works for almost all afib patients. Is it a drug with nasty side effects when used long-term? You betcha. Should it be used long-term for afib? No, almost never,by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Colindo, Shannon is traveling this week and won't be able to respond until Monday, so I gave him a call and we talked this over. Neither of us can remember which one of us moved it, but we're in agreement on why it was moved. First, let me say that having a post moved to the General Health forum isn't a demotion or negative in any way. That section is every bit as importanby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotehwkmn05 The triggers are mostly irrelevant once we are in an episode, however there are certain meds that actually aggravate vagally induced episodes such as digitalis due to its vagotonic action, failing to convert and causing more harm. That's been my point all along. Vagal vs adrenergic only refers to what tends to trigger episodes. Once triggered, the two are utterly identical diby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteGeorgeN Wonder if you were a treating doc, would you treat a young (34), fit, paroxysmal afibber who gets episodes 3x/year with afib rates in the 150's BPM, a resting HR of 50 and BP of 100/60 with a chronic dose of a beta blocker? Nope, sure wouldn't, but not because I thought their afib was vagal or not. I wouldn't prescribe daily BBs for anyone unless I thought it had actby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteElizabeth If a person has always gotten their episodes in the evening while resting or sleep, seems to be more than legend, the Beta Blocker harmed me. Beta blockers can cause heart block in anyone, not just people with afib, so anecdotal experiences don't tell us anything. What I'm looking for is evidence (ie, published clinical studies) that vagal afib is harmed by (or benby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotewolfpack Beta blockers may be contraindicated in cases of vagal AF. I hear this over and over on this forum but I have yet to see a single credible source of evidence to support it. Can someone help me out here and show me something more than legend and anecdote?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I don't believe that to be true. Besides, most people have both vagal and adrenergic triggers, so what would you do for them if the treatments differ?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Well, what you describe sure sounds like RCAT. You might consider buying a Kardia to record it so you'll know for sure and you can show the cardiologist when you finally see one. Quotebriar Can I maybe check with you one thing however, why do you think an ablation ASAP given age? Because afib does one thing predictably: It progresses over time. At some point, your episodes will likelyby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Respiratory cycle-dependent atrial tachycardia (RCAT) is very rare. What makes you think you're experiencing it? If you are, the options for treatment are the same as for afib: drugs, ablation, or do nothing. It's actually a form of focal atrial tachycardia, so it's the same as afib originating from random individual locations in the atria. If you choose ablation, since youby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
This is all interesting theoretical stuff. Now find me some people who experience afib after taking NSAIDs and you'll begin to convince me.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I don't think you'll find any cardiologists who don't believe in vagal afib, but it's not treated differently. The only differences between vagal and adrenergic afib are the things that trigger it. But once triggered, it's just afib and there's no difference between them. It's the same disease with the same causes and the same treatment.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sure, EPs will always tell patients with afib to avoid them because of the bleed risk, but I've never heard any EP suggest avoiding them because they trigger afib. Never heard a patient say they're triggered by them either. I think it's very likely that the only association between NSAIDs and afib is a common factor. For example, one thing we can be sure of is that someone takinby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotesafib Where are you getting this? There is plenty of evidence in the literature of increased risk of AF associated with NSAIDs. At the least, some caution should be observed wrt dosage and duration. I get it from the real world where multiple EPs have told me and others that NSAIDs are perfectly fine for short-term use. I already mentioned that duration needs to be limited. Yes, there'by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
No, even a 12-lead can't provide that information. Honestly, I don't think the 6L has much practical use for the average afib sufferer. It might be useful for other conditions, but afib is just a bunch of chaos and not much can be gleaned from an ECG beyond "Yep, that's afib."by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
NSAIDs are perfectly fine with afib. No problem for anyone I've ever heard of. And your doc is right that it's okay to take them short-term with blood thinners.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I dealt with flutter as my primary problem for several years, and if you want to see a rhythm that will fool almost any doctor, even many EPs, it's flutter with a variable rate. Until that happened to me I didn't even know such a thing existed. The variable rate makes it look irregular, so it looks just like afib. It fools the Kardia too, and with only lead I on a Kardia it's imposby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM