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Quotejpeters Carey, you can count on pharm to be pure and thinking of you. I expect nothing of the sort. I expect them to chase profits at all costs, including destroying lives if necessary. That's why the FDA and similar regulatory bodies exist in other countries. What I expect is drug manufacturers to meet FDA manufacturing requirements, and the fact is that supplement manufacturersby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Beta blockers have the same effect on me. They make me feel like someone tied bowling balls to my arms and legs. Merely climbing a single flight of stairs becomes a chore, and doing any serious cycling is almost impossible. I found them utterly intolerable. So much so that I'd rather be in afib. Afib at a rate of 180 is less limiting to me than 100 mg of metoprolol because the afib eventuallby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotejpeters "Founded in 1968, Now Foods is one of the country's most respected names in healthy living supplements. Located in Bloomingdale, Illinois, Now's state-of-the art, 209,000 square-foot facility manufactures more than 900 unique items, all priced affordably" Just bought some policosanol Just because it's manufactured in the US doesn't mean it's anby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotehwkmn05 Aspirin can easily be replaced by several supplements, but hey to each his own. What makes supplements better than aspirin? Aspirin is arguably every bit as "natural" as any "supplement," and it has very well known properties. It's also not counterfeited, nor contaminated with heavy metals and pesticides Chinese factories don't bother screening for inby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteJackie Carey - The mentioning of raising cholesterol undoubtedly came from the findings that those with higher cholesterol and aging... tend not to have the problems with Alzheimer's dementia that can be common with very low cholesterol levels. The advocates for higher levels of the good cholesterol, HDL, have been indicating for several years now why 'cholesterol is not the enemby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteJackie While it can provide relief from pain and certainly, if one thinks they may be having a stroke, some advocate for taking aspirin immediately. However, it’s important to be aware of the many studies indicating the risks of aspirin usage. I don't know who advocates that but unless you have your own home CT scanner and can differentiate between an embolic and hemorrhagic stroby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotehwkmn05 Raise cholesterol levels to where they should be instead of producing unnatural drug induced low levels, and toss the aspirin out the window. Huh? How did cholesterol come into this? There's never been any question that aspirin works -- as an antiplatelet drug. If you've got an artificial device in contact with blood flow, such as stents, artificial valves, LAA occlusiby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I've had more than one ablation at two centers and neither of them required a repeat CT. I think they'll be fine with the one they have since it's so recent.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotemwcf Maybe if AF can’t be induced after a 1hr PVI then no F.C. A one hour PVI? Is it cryo? That would be almost impossibly fast for an RF PVI.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Depends on the length of the procedure and how long you're going to be required to lie flat. Personally, I find them a blessing. During an ablation you're pumped full of fluid, and then if you have to lie flat for six more hours, that Foley will be your best friend. They're inserted after you're unconscious and that's really the only uncomfortable part, so you wonby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotejpeters 90% better than being on an anti-coagulent? I'd be happy with no increased risk No, that's overall, but it's still 40% superior to warfarin. Basically, it puts you into the same level of risk as people who've never had afib, and it frees you from anticoagulants and the risks they carry. In particular, if you have an isolated LAA it frees you from being tethereby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotejpeters I'll be interested in comparisons following the six months. Be great if there is no increased risk when taken off all protective therapy. The results are already out there. Never mind increased risk, stroke risk is decreased by over 90%.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotejpeters Conclusions: Thrombus formation on LAA occlusion devices was relatively frequent and was strongly associated with a higher risk of ischemic stroke on follow-up. Yes, I've seen that study. Many of the patients received no anticoagulants or antiplatelet therapy, which explains the high incidence of device thrombus. These devices were, in fact, developed for people who canby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotejpeters So after an LAA isolation, how do you proceed with a surgery? Heparin. They replace your anticoagulant with heparin a few days before the surgery and then stop it right before the surgery. Heparin has a very short half-life, so instead of being without protection for days they can stop the heparin just hours before the procedure and then resume your normal OAC as soon as it'sby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Unless you have other factors that give you a really high CHADS score or you've had your LAA isolated, I don't think 48 hours is anything to worry about. It's a trivial increased risk.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Ah, I see, it was the ehrlichiosis that caused the dehydration. In your other post you said a tick bite caused it, which puzzled me. Yeah, ehrlichiosis can be a rough disease if it's not diagnosed early. I don't understand why they had a hard time diagnosing it. I've had it myself but I was treated immediately and was completely well again within days. I guess it's because I lby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
How would a tick bite cause dehydration? I live in an area rife with ticks and I do a lot of hiking, so I've been bitten by ticks probably over a hundred times. Other than a little localized inflammation at the bite site, I've never experienced any sort of symptoms whatsoever from a tick bite, and certainly not an increase in afib. Dehydration is a powerful trigger for afib, so if youby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
How long do you have to be off the Eliquis? And was there a know cause of the PE?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteKen Carey, I checked and it was one month on Coumadin, not two weeks . That's been bumped up. The current standard of care calls for at least two months.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Those are all questions for the doctor who's doing the endoscopy. (And you didn't say what supplements you're taking.) Discuss your concerns about the PE. If s/he feels there's a significant risk then they can bridge you with heparin, which would allow the time without anticoagulation protection to be measured in hours rather than days.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotetobherd so if you don't have it anymore, is it relevant? Yes. Although eliminating the afib reduces your stroke risk considerably, the remaining risk factors measured by CHADS-Vasc still apply. But it does change the equation. For example, if you're a CHADS 2 with afib, without question you should be on an anticoagulant, but without the afib now you're a judgement call aby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteKen He was good 11.5 years ago, so I would imagine he is better now. I never experienced a "blanking period" and took no meds after the ablation except for Coumadin for two weeks. Nice, but I can virtually guarantee he doesn't follow that protocol anymore. Only two weeks on an anticoagulant post-ablation would be considered malpractice these days.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotejpeters That's pretty scary...because it's so removed from circulation that it won't dissolve, even if on thinners? It's not so much that the anticoagulant isn't dissolving clots, but rather that it's preventing them from forming in the first place. The LAA contracts like the rest of the heart, so if the LAA is electrically isolated it may cease to contract adby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotetobherd Peak emptying LA appendage velocity was 58.5 cm/sec in Feb. of 2015. Then it seemed to be 32 cm/sec on Sept 2015 from a TEE. That first number is excellent and would allow you to stop anticoagulants, but that second number is woefully short of adequate. TCAI explained to me that measuring LAA flow velocity is a difficult skill that most echo technicians don't do properly, eby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotelibby I was on Flecainide 100 mg twice a day before my ablation. Beginning this past Monday I am down to 50 mg twice per day for two weeks and then going off (hopefully for good). Now and then throughout the day I feel a little off, like my heart rate is slightly higher or lower than my body wants it to be (like trying to run on a beta blocker), but when I feel my pulse everything feels totaby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
It sounds like Natale isolated the LAA during your ablation. If so, they should have had you do a TEE six months after the procedure in order to measure the flow velocity in and out of your LAA. If you didn't meet the minimum flow requirements, you would have been instructed to remain on anticoagulants for life. If you don't remember all of these details, call TCAI and ask to speak withby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
The question isn't really how long an ablation lasts. A well done ablation lasts forever. However, what can happen is the atrial myopathy that underlies afib can progress, and a new source of ectopy can develop later that's outside the areas isolated by the ablation. If that happens, afib can return. So it's not that your ablation wore out somehow. Rather, your afib progressed andby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
As I said, PACs and afib go hand in hand. They both share the same underlying cause, so trying to puzzle out the cause and effect is a useless errand. So yes, an ablation will address the PACs as well as the afib. I can't promise what the results will be, but if the ablation is thorough and done well, you will be free of both when it's over. We've all been where you are now, trby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotedartisskis To be honest I would be upset if this time because of my LAA I would need to be on AC for life. This is exactly because I am still young and it i really do not want to be dependent over any pills. I also was told that there is a possibility to close LAA surgically or via Watchman device the only challenge would be to prove that for me would be beneficial to do it instead of beingby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi HikerGirl, welcome to the forum. Sorry you're having to deal with this, especially being so young. You're a complicated case. Your EP is saying the propafenone is causing the 200+ flutter so the usual answer would be to add a beta blocker, but with the SSS and a resting heart rate of 30-40 that would be a very bad idea. I'm not sure why he thinks an ablation would be risky bby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM