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I don't understand your answer. Whether to have a cardioversion or not isn't a complicated question and I'm getting the impression you haven't told your EP you're out of rhythm. I really don't understand what you're doing. Why do you have three cardiologists? How can you possibly manage advice from three separate specialists?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Wait, your EP expects you to just put up with a heart rate of 125 for two months?! I find it hard to believe they would say that, but if it's true then find another EP. That is dangerous and irresponsible. If the ER cardioverted you before at a rate like you're experiencing now then there's no reason they won't do so again. Head over there as soon as you can. As for CBby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotesmackman Can someone show me where the Donut hole goes away in 2021? My 2021 Silverscripts Plan now Aetna Medicare shows a 2021 donut hole at $4130. The donut hole does not go away in 2021. My mistake. I thought it was going to be eliminated in 2021 but apparently it's still an ongoing process of eliminating it slowly year by year. The details are explained here: Quote You may havby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Welcome to the forum and sorry the cardioversion didn't last, but that's quite typical, actually. The fact that it didn't last doesn't have any particular meaning. Cardioversions only interrupt the arrhythmia; they don't treat the disease in any way. So now you have afib and it's probably not just a one-off from temporary dehydration or something like that sinceby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteNotLyingAboutMyAfib My whacked EKG - Well, not really all that whacked, actually. It's pretty much perfectly normal except for a PVC and a couple of PACs, which would be normal for a post-ablation patient.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
That's the weird thing I mentioned above. It just doesn't seem to affect some people much at all, while nearly disabling others.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteNotLyingAboutMyAfib For insurance and other reasons, I'll have to pull the trigger on #2 in early December. I really hope I don't need a 2nd and any tips that would keep me off the table would be appreciated. Been there, done that with the insurance thing. Don't ever ask me how much I hate insurance companies unless you have time on your hands. There's littleby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteKleinkp Metopropol has what I can tell has zero effect on me physically but I rarely push my body to max cardio levels, not my thing. My exercise is hobby farming i.e bailing hay, digging, hauling and gardening etc. Is there long term concerns if metopropol has no visible side effects. That's the weird thing about it. Many people take BBs with no noticeable effects while it almost dby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yeah, beta blockers are excellent rate limiters, and limiting your heart rate is an excellent way to make even modest exercise much more difficult. I'm impressed that you were able to get your HR to 150 at all. Metoprolol limited my HR to 105. I could do nothing whatsoever to raise it higher than that, and even just climbing a flight of stairs felt like a chore. When I was taking it, my wifeby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Many, if not most people, experience arrhythmias during the blanking period. There's even evidence that atrial flutter during the late stages tends to be somewhat predictive of long term success. But there's no reason to just put up with the discomfort. Did Natale prescribe an antiarrhythmic? He usually does. If not, get on the phone to the NP and ask for something.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
He's definitely rather handicapped right now when it comes to typing.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotesusan.d ELIQUIS IS COVERED FOR OVER 90% OF PATIENTS WITH COMMERCIAL & MEDICARE PART D PLANS As of January 3, 2020 That's new. People on Medicare didn't used to be eligible at all.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
The first ECG you posted was indeed a hot mess, but it was a hot mess of ectopics. Looks like a mix of PACs and a few PVCs. Nothing to worry about. And just know that nothing going on here is going to cause you to die in your sleep.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I don't think people on Medicare are eligible for those coupons.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
The tombstone ECG you mention refers to an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), also known as a heart attack. STEMIs are not caused by low heart rates or low O2 levels; they're caused by blockages in cardiac arteries. I think you're reading way too much into this and exaggerating the potential consequences. I would follow the NPs advice, and not wearing that monitor might notby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I googled it and this appears to be the explanation: QuoteMost international and Canadian pharmacies that supply U.S. patients accept payment only by personal check or an international money order. Unfortunately, they can no longer accept credit cards from U.S. citizens because credit card companies like VISA and Mastercard have been pressured by Big Pharma which has a strong interest in pby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
The donut hole is scheduled to go away in 2021. We've always been able to get drugs from Canada. It's perfectly legal. I use and recommend https://www.planetdrugsdirect.com/ Totally reputable and reliable. To place an order you have to fax or email them a copy of your prescription, so you'll need to get a paper copy from your doc. You're then supposed to mail the origiby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotecolindo Carey, can you set up a page so we can add the abbreviations as we come across them. Would that help? That's exactly what I had in mind. I'll post a starter list today.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteShannon Good idea Colindo, We do have an abbreviation section within the main website I also think it's a great idea. I always try to spell out medical terms and put the abbreviation in parens on first use (eg, "atrial fibrillation (AF)") so everyone knows what I'm talking about even if it's their first visit here, but not everyone does that and I don't alwayby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Mouth breathing in and of itself isn't a problem for the heart. The problem is the anatomical structure of your throat and/or obesity. If tissues in your throat "collapse" during sleep and block your airway, that's going to happen whether you're breathing through your mouth or your nose. If you don't have OSA then you don't. If you do, perhaps mouth breath exaceby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
The anticoagulants used for AF aren't the preferred choice in COVID treatment, but it's what we've got. No doctor is going to give you a prescription for heparin because it's administered by injection and requires monitoring. Lovanox is a substitute and also injected but it can be self-administered at home. But I doubt any doctor would give you a Lovanox prescription as a propby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Querciten is very common in many foods, so if you're eating a diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, and grains then it's hard to imagine why supplementing with it would be beneficial. (Just eating more fruits and vegetables would be cheaper.) And since it's so commonly found in so many foods, I think it's extremely unlikely it has any interaction with dofetilide.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
If you're a CHADS 0 and beyond three months post-ablation, your EP will probably be okay with you stopping. The ectopics don't matter. But NLAMA has a point about Eliquis and COVID. I wouldn't be in a rush to stop it right now. If you do stop it, consider keeping what you have left over and maybe even refilling it for another month or two and keeping those bottles on hand.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yep, I think dehydration and the electrolyte imbalances it causes is a universal trigger that affects virtually everyone. It's really underappreciated even by EPs. Several years ago when I read about John Mandrola's single AF episode the first thought that came to my mind was that he was seriously dehydrated. A hot humid day, two hours on the bike, he's feeling "hot, sweaty anby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteNotLyingAboutMyAfib While we're at it anyone seen the cost related to an ECV? I think it's about $4700 here in Texas. That's the fantasy price hospitals bill everything at. It's like how they bill $200K for an ablation but accept payment of less than $40K. No insurance company would pay anywhere near that for a cardioversion. As a general rule of thumb they'llby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Ah, the three tries probably explains it. The usual protocol would be to start with 100J then go to 200J and then 360J if it didn't work. So you took three shocks to the same two small patches of skin with the last one being the highest power they use. Probably no surprise you've got some irritation. The fentanyl and etomidate are a bit unusual but protocols on what to use vary a lotby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I agree with Pompon. It's coincidence until you repeat it several times. Remember, right before an AF episode starts of stops, you were doing something. If you conclude there's a cause/effect relationship there based on one instance, after a while you'll have a list of things that cause or stop your AF that's pretty much everything you do.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Too many joules and/or sensitive skin and/or incorrectly applied pads. If the pads aren't applied firmly such that there are no air gaps, air gaps can create sparks, which can burn the skin. I guess I've got tough skin or I'm just lucky. I've been cardioverted 15-20 times, almost always with 100, which always worked with one shot, but a few times with 200J and once with 36by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Oh yeah, absolutely. I left the assumed "at sea level" unspoken. How long have you been at 7500? I would think SpO2 would climb once you've been there a few weeks and fully acclimated and made a bunch more red cells.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I assume those guidelines refer to sleep apnea, not during waking hours. So not less than 90% is mild OSA, which sounds about right. Someone without OSA should be 95% or better almost all the time while sleeping. When I wore a recording pulse ox for 3 nights in a row, I saw only a single brief dip to 93% and the rest of the time I was in the upper 90s. That's about what I would expect for soby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM