QuoteNotLyingAboutMyAfib Carey - you wrote ". It has no effect on the ultimate outcome." Wouldn't more time in NSR keep the heart from learning non-nsr rhythms? No way is 6 days enough time for remodeling to occur. The success of the ablation depends solely on the EP finding all the sources of AF and creating durable lesions with no gaps around those sources. If he does that, tby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteKen The reduced blood flow has a significant impact on performance. For some people but not everyone. I know several runners and cyclists who compete during AF. And I once had to pedal home 5 miles in hilly terrain with a heart rate of 250. I was a bit slower, and it sucked doing it, but I was able. Most people are on the floor gasping and thinking they're going to die with a rate likby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteKen So, what to EPs say about exercising while IN an episode of afib? If you can tolerate it and you don't have other conditions that preclude it, there's no reason not to. As I've pointed out before, there are afibbers out there running marathons, competing in triathlons, professional basketball players, professional cyclists, and so on. https://www.everydayhealth.com/atby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Like I said, everyone's different, and Natale is more likely to write textbooks than follow them. He put me on Multaq for 30 days and you for 60. Neither one of those periods are the full blanking period, so clearly he's not following such a simple criteria. And I know other patients of his who got other antiarrhythmics instead. So how does he choose which drug and how long for each patby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
So if you get on a treadmill and steadily notch up the speed and incline until you're running at your maximum speed on a steep incline, your HR won't exceed 120 even with no drugs on-board?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
No need for guilt because stopping or continuing Multaq isn't going to affect the success of your ablation one way or another. Either it was fully successful or it wasn't. All the Multaq was intended to do was to keep things quiet during the blanking period, and all that does is keep you more comfortable. It has no effect on the ultimate outcome.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Natale put me on Multaq for a month. I tried to stop early after 2 weeks but AF started creeping back in so I restarted the Multaq. A week later I tried again and I've been in NSR ever since. That was 3 years ago. The thing is, this depends on so many patient-specific and doctor-specific factors that I don't know what these answers are going to tell you. If you look at my previous, uby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
It's unlikely that 6 days will make a difference.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
By any chance are you taking a beta blocker, diltiazem or verapamil?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I don't know what device you're using to make these recordings but I recommend that you stop believing its opinions. A single short pause in a 12-second recording doesn't make it irregular, as your calipers prove. And just because you see some PVCs in a recording doesn't mean it's irregular, as your device seems to think.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Agree with wetting the electrodes. ECG electrodes come with a conductive gel pre-applied at the factory, and saliva is almost as good since it contains salt. Another thing to do is ignore the first 10 seconds because noise tends to be greatest at the start of the recording.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
There's some noise in the recording and a few PVCs, but otherwise I agree that it's NSR.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotewalt It is the “structural heart disease” reference which I qualify under that is a concern to me. I understand, but what is this structural heart disease you speak of?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteAnd I was advised I could exercise as hard as I liked. Or is that the wrong advice? No, that was not wrong advice. There is no general contraindication for exercise, even intense exercise, just because you have afib. This notion that afib is debilitating or renders you an invalid, and especially the notion that exercise is dangerous for you needs to be squashed right now. If you donby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotewalt Based on discussion and linked study I should probably not be on flec due to structural heart disease concerns. Have you had a prior heart attack or have you been diagnosed with heart failure? If so, then yeah, you need to bring it up with your doc sooner rather than later. Otherwise, it can wait and probably isn't a problem.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Okay, so I'll quit saying it happens to everyone, but it does happen to the vast majority, and in any case it's nothing to worry about one way or another. It worries many people, and my point is that it's extremely common and there's no need to worry about it.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotekeeferbdeefer That elevated heart rate is normal and to be expected following an ablation. Everyone experiences it. It will gradually come down but it will probably take months, possibly as long as a year. It's nothing to worry about, so keep up the walking and hoops! Not everyone. It troubles me when that is written/said. It is not an absolute, but I agree very common. My rate didby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
That elevated heart rate is normal and to be expected following an ablation. Everyone experiences it. It will gradually come down but it will probably take months, possibly as long as a year. It's nothing to worry about, so keep up the walking and hoops!by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
All we can do is guess what would happen. The only way to know is to find out. Stop the flec, wait 2 weeks, see what happens. If things get worse, resume the flec and the experiment is over. But if nothing happens, try the same experiment with the metoprolol. With any luck you'll be off one or both drugs in a month.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
And the answer is... some ectopics. Neither of those ECGs shows AF. Both are NSR. There is some irregularity but it's just because you're throwing some PACs, which is to be expected following an ablation. You're good, man. You can check with your NP but I think she's likely to tell you those recordings aren't concerning in the least and to stay the course. The more inby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Doing that will have the opposite effect. All the antiarrhythmics are more effective when blood serum levels of the drug reach their full steady-state levels, and that takes days of taking the drug regularly to achieve. Cycling will just reduce effectiveness as your serum levels drop and then take days more to return to normal when you resume the drug. I don't think I would use steroid-abusiby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I think that's specific advice for you and your unique situation. It's good that you're following that advice, but the following is for everyone else: There are people out there who can terminate their AF with exercise. I could never terminate my AF with exercise but I could terminate my flutter with it. I did so regularly by jogging up and down stairs, walking briskly up steepby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
There aren't many hard and fast rules for when sutures are needed, but your wound bleeding for two days exceeded one of them by 47 hours and 45 minutes. If you can't stop the bleeding with 15 minutes of constant, firm pressure on the wound, then you need to see someone. An urgent care center would be an okay place to start for most small wounds. This is a decent summary of when sutuby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
If you cut yourself bad enough to warrant stitches but didn't get them, you can't blame Eliquis for the prolonged bleeding.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Moving is exercise, but a brief, single event that happens only occasionally doesn't do much for you. One thing you should consider is that your heart's response to exercise is a very good measure of cardiovascular fitness. For example, I use a hill near where I live as a fitness measure. I know that if I bike up that hill at 10 mph, my HR will hit 140 if I'm seriously deconditby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Mg oxide is a waste of money since it has such a pathetically low absorption rate (4%). The product with 7 different types is a silly gimmick. The other choices are all kind of a tossup and will provide similar results. Choose based on product quality, price, and how well you tolerate it. What nobody should expect is dramatic results or quick results. It won't cure your AF and it takes manyby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Is that EP aware that there are people out there who have been in longstanding persistent AF for years and who also run marathons, triathlons, etc. and suffer absolutely no ill effects? That's the strangest advice I've ever heard come from an EP. Exercise that keeps your HR under 100 can hardly be called exercise for someone who's physically fit and doesn't even approach anby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I'll try to remember to do that. It's kind of funny how this thread morphed from a serious question about anticoagulants to Halloween and sugar goblins.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Nah, I live on a small street in a semi-rural/residential area. The kids who trick or treat here tend to be young and usually accompanied by parents, and the few older ones tend to be pretty decent kids. I expect they'll be okay. And we're known for giving out high-quality treats (typically Hershey chocolate almond bars), but I still think the kids will be respectful. I like where I livby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I've never heard of ERs seeing a higher influx of AF patients after Halloween and I doubt that happens. As an EMT I never noticed any uptick. After certain holidays, yes, but not Halloween. And those other holidays are due to alcohol, not sugar, hence the term Holiday Heart Syndrome. As for sugar goblins coming to the door, that won't be happening at my house. A bowl of individuallyby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM