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Aspirin is getting a bad rap because it deserves a bad rap. It's not particularly effective at preventing strokes due to afib, it carries significant bleed risks, it's very dangerous for children and adolescents, and it can cause stomach ulceration. People like to think it's safer than anticoagulants, but that's just not true. It's every bit as dangerous, if not more so.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yes, you can have afib below 100 or even below 85. Yes, it can come and go. However, it usually behaves about the same way in one person so if you've had a fast, very irregular rhythm in the past that's what you should expect. Without a Kardia or some other recording device, it's impossible to say what you experienced. Could be you've got some mixed atrial flutter and afib. Flby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteEnfibber Rate control drugs: any advice looking at my Doppler and numbers? I don't think rate control is fine science. You start with a beta blocker, preferably one that minimizes fatigue such as bystolic, and then arrive at a final choice based on trial and error.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quoterocketritch I agree with you, unfortuantely that has not been my experience. Maybe Friday . Embrace the power of patient refusal. If you calmly and politely say the words, "I refuse _____" then they have no choice but abide by your decision and find another solution, and the only other solution is anesthesia, which they should be doing in the first place. All they're tryinby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotewolfpack My other idea for a username, death2tarheels, failed the “nice” test. LOL! (Former resident of Cary, NC)by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
It's a similar diameter and they don't go as far down, but I really can't imagine any reason to gargle that wretched crap and get gagged by a tube when they can just knock you out for a few minutes instead. With propofol, you'll be clear headed 20 minutes later.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotetobherd As for coffee, I do drink some now, but it was after I drank about 1/2 cup of Starbucks coffee that I had my very first Afib episode...so caffeine can definitely be a trigger...at least it was for me. A single event is a coincidence, not a trigger. Think about it: you're always doing something immediately before every afib episode, so there's always going to be somethingby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Both flecainide and bisoprolol lower your heart rate, and bisoprolol also lowers your BP. The high BP you've observed is probably your heart compensating for the low pulse in order to maintain adequate blood flow. Either or both the drugs could be responsible for how you're feeling, but you said you took bisoprolol alone for two years and I presume it didn't make you feel thisby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
You've taken flecainide before with no adverse effects, right? And you have beta blockers to take with it, which eliminates the risk of 1:1 conduction, so I don't see much risk at all here. Flecainide has been around a very long time and has an excellent safety profile. I would take it.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Caffeine in normal doses isn't an afib trigger, and in fact there's evidence that it may be beneficial.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
The trouble with asking this sort of question is the people who get a one-and-done don't tend to show up on afib forums. Most of them just go about their lives and we never hear from them. Therefore, forums like this tend to be dominated by people new to afib, people who've had failed ablations, and people who are managing their afib medically but not having an easy time of it.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Both TEEs and CVs are done under conscious sedation by some physicians. Terrible practice, IMO, but it is done.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotekong2018 This make me really nervous. I'm flying to Singapore next month with a 14 hour flight to Hong Kong, 3 hour layover, then another 4 hour flight to Singapore. I so worry about the 14 hour flight. If I got afib on the flight and take flecainide, then if it triggers 1:1 conduction, am I doomed? My EP had never mentioned I should take beta blocker with flecainide, but the cardiologiby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotetsco Thanks for the info.....I've only done that at my EPs direction for 15 of 20 years. And he failed to ever mention that. It's a rare side effect, but a very serious one. It's kind of odd. Some EPs are fanatical about including a beta blocker with flecainide for that reason, while others don't bother at all. Having experienced flutter with 1:1 conduction, which is whby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I would avoid NSAIDs whenever possible and limit them to short-term use when absolutely needed, just as your EP recommended. They have a well known risk of bleeds with prolonged use even without anticoagulants. I would avoid pseudoephedrine entirely until your afib is completely controlled by ablation (found in many cold/flu/allergy meds). Most other OTC meds are probably harmless but therby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quoterocketritch The cardioversion is set for this Friday @ 8am. So I am sure my day there will start sometime around 6am. Of course this will involve another TEE witch I really despise but my guess is that the cardioversion will make the TEE seem like childs play. Both procedures should be a complete breeze. If you've had a TEE in the past without anesthesia, demand it this time. It'by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteThe Anti-Fib But even with Ablation, how many have had a one-only Ablation from a Top-Tier Ablationists including Natale, and then totally conquered AFIB. I don't have those numbers but I believe they're quite high, actually.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteThe Anti-Fib Managing and minimizing AFIB more realistic than totally conquering it. I disagree. An ablation by a top EP will end your afib with near certainty, and I see no benefit whatsoever to waiting. Six episodes is enough to establish that you do have afib and it's not going away. The drugs used to manage afib are all potentially dangerous, usually come with unpleasant side effeby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
An ablation by an expert ablationist such as Natale is the only cure currently available. Instead of losing hope and searching for solutions that aren't there, just pick up the phone.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
There's plenty of research going on, and they're getting closer to fully understanding afib, but they're just not there yet. My personal prediction is that afib is a genetic disease. You're born with the afib gene or you're not. Lifestyle choices can influence when your afib manifests itself, and perhaps even if it manifests itself, but you have to have the underlyingby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotekong2018 By the way, could ablation make it worse? If done by someone of Natale's caliber, no. If done by an EP with inadequate training and experience, yes. I've been down both paths so I know this from experience.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteEnfibber Unlike a cold or tumor, there is no virus or distinct anatomic abnormality to blame for a sudden onset of AFib: this is why I hoped for a not near-zero chance. Actually, there probably is a distinct anatomic abnormality to blame. Do a search on atrial myopathy. For example,by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotekong2018 I've also tried all triggers that people had ever mentioned but none of them do me any difference, including coffee, red wine and other booze, tea, soda, sweetener, barbecue, Chinese food with MSG, running, jumping, sleeping on left and right side, suddenly bending down or twisting body, gluten, wheat, etc. I used to think mine was vagal afib, as it only happened when I wasby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Just to be safe I would advise contacting a cardiologist and getting checked out. Afib can cause mild chest pain in some people with no heart disease, but that's a little unusual. Afib reduces cardiac output, typically something on the order of about 15%. If you have a partial blockage somewhere, a 15% reduction in blood flow combined with the increased workload of the high heart rate couldby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks for the correction about him practicing in SF and for posting all this info. It will be helpful to others. I knew there had been changes to his SF situation but, like I said, wasn't really paying attention.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Have you ever had a stress test or angiogram some other cardiac workup?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteEnfibber My cardiologist believes that antiarrythmics will do no good in my case. He also thinks that electric cardioversion would be a treatment that is much worse than the disease and with little chance to improve the symptoms. For this stage, he is for a natural path. I wasn't on a Holter monitoring but a Polar HR monitor shows 80-120 idle. Moderate walk is 120, slightly pushing oby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I also doubt it was making your afib worse. Afib can be plenty bad without any help from things like that. The symptoms you describe sound like the symptoms I experienced myself and which I've heard many others describe. And I've had enough heart imaging studies to know I don't have any myocardial bridges.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Tarantula, you're right that aspirin causes more bleeding than NOACs. It's also significantly less effective at preventing clots due to afib than the NOACs. And maybe most importantly, the effects of aspirin last a full 8 to 9 days and there is no reversal agent. The effects of NOACs disappear within about 24-48 hours. The fact that you had a minor rectal bleed may or may not be relby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteMadeline Carey, My 1st sentence told you I had paroxysmal Afib. All the rest of your ?s were also answered in my note if you would re-read it. 4 episodes in one month's time of monitoring. I gave the whole story as I was hoping to give a full picture & get some answers to these specifics. I detailed quite a bit which should give enough information for a detailed reply. One cby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM