My intention is to remain on TIKOSYN for as long as it is working for me and keeping me in NSR, etc. My LA continues to shrink; how much and how far is anyone's guess but they hope it will drop AT LEAST down below 50mm. and hopefully back to its 'normal' size.... in the 40 range. I can afford to wait as long as it is working, but regretably, it does not continue to work or cannotby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Nancy:et Contemplate the obesity issue, the Type II Diabetes issue and the aFib issue. It is likely that all of this is masking other afflictions. I know that in my case it was a rapid downhill spiral out of control with hypothyroidism, diabetes, weight control issues, obstructive sleep apnea, etc. etc. End result? Asides from several weeks in hospital of which almost a month was in intensiby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
I desire to purchase a portable ECG (3 lead) that will record to SD RAMcards. And suggestions as to what is the latest and best available at a reasonable price? I am going to need a box of electrodes as well and the ECG should come with software for analyzing the lengthy strip. At issue is that presently an ECG shows a snapshot in time of perhaps a minute or with a Holter monitor perhaps oneby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hey folks! This EVENT monitor (not Holter) has AUTOMATIC AFIB EVENT DETECTION! I thought I was buming the "EVENT" button accidentally, but that may not be the case... won't find out for a few weeks until I see Dr. V at Southlake. I noted the number of events would climb by one when I wasn't looking! Hmmmm. Wonder what it classifies as an aFib event (I am wearing two leads/by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks for the responses. Am going to buy one of those portable ECG's. Wondering if one can add something like an SD RAM card to it to get more than a 30 second strip (i.e. carry it around all day and keep the electrodes on to watch for the more obvious signs of aFib on ECG). I get lots of hints of aFib, look at the pulse oximeter and discover that my heart rate is elevated to about 110by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Geez. I've been on TIKOSYN since Dec 2011 and cannot, for the life of me, despite ingesting every trigger I know, get 30 seconds of aFib needed to qualify for a research study. I suppose this shows us that (a) no single med is forever; and (b) different strokes for different folks, TIKOSYN is not for everyone as I have been told. I am hoping it lasts long enough to permit me, in NSR,by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Ken: Please read first post in series. I do indeed have aFib and am on TIKOSYN and generally in NSR I believe. I am wondering, while on TIKOSYN which will tend to keep my pulse evenly spaced, how do I recognize aFib? I used to be able to see it on my pulse oximeter as heart beats all over the place. They are now regularly spaced but vary in intensity and speed, along with a bunch of skippedby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
The only advice I can offer is to avoid the Vitamin D suppositories like the plague. They taste AWFUL! Murray Lby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
researcher, THANKS very much. Driving me crazy now. Last night when I layed down (on right side) to go to bed at midnight, I had a string of skipped beats and on viewing the pulse oximeter and feeling my carotid felt varying intensity in the pulse as well. Who knows? I pushed the event button a couple of times so they could get an ECG strip (3 of them over six minutes actually). We shall seeby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
I am presently wearing an "EVENT MONITOR" from NorthEast Monitoring (Model DR200/HE). It is being used in "EVENT MODE" as opposed to being used as a Holter Monitor. Interestingly, it has an 'automatic aFib detection" setting but I have no idea if it is engaged or not, excepting the fact that today I pressed the EVENT button five times and recorded what I was feelby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
There are some fantastic ECG tutorials regarding afib and aflutter, mostly on youtube. Have just tripped over them and am spending some time learning how to read an ECG over the next week or so. Well worth a look.by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
The last time my heart rate was at 170bpm I was in Critical Care (one step ABOVE intensive care) and they were fighting to get it down before I popped a vein. I, of course, was in lala land and oblivious.by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yep. That's an issue. I am going to discuss the ramifications with my EP. Tonight I ate Chinese Food for dinner. MSG, salt, TWO regular cokes (caffeine and glucose overload), on ice (ice cold drinks), with loads of salt in it and on it, high carb, etc. Here I am some three hours later and NADA! NOTHING! ZIP! ZILCH! Not even a twinge. Go figure. But eat right, supplement and take myby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Well. First.... make that thirty seconds. This PACE cardiac monitor is an ongoing ECG loop recorder that, when the EVENT button is pushed, records and transmits a two minute strip; one minute prior to the EVENT button push and one minute after. It will store up to thirty suspect events before you MUST transmit. My last recorded aFib event was December when I began TIKOSYN. Although I mayby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
We took a ride in the ambulance the other day with my better half who was experiencing severe chest pain and radiating down her arm. Enzyme tests and ECG returned normal. Now, we are going to do the stress test thingy. In Ontario it is all free of charge (sorta) except for the ambulance ride (Why? Beats the heck out of me.) At least we have a certain level of peace of mind at this point knoby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
A few years back I was diagnosed as having fibromyalgia when I complained of pain in various parts of my body. General inflammation? Don't know, but an improved diet and supplementation seemed to make a huge difference and today, with the exception of a pulled achilles tendon that does not want to go away and leave me alone and the usual arthritis, I seem to be fibromyalgia free. Just FWIWby Murray L - GENERAL HEALTH FORUM
Jackie, et. al. Thank you for the awesome posts. I will be kept busy for a while. Got hooked up on a PACE loop cardiography monitor today. I push the button whenever I feel a twinge and transmit via telephone line to the cardiology center at Southlake for inspection. They get a two minute strip; one minute prior to the EVENT button push and one minute after the push. The monitor will storeby Murray L - GENERAL HEALTH FORUM
If you cannot absolutely be certain that any radiating effect in your arms is muscular I would suggest wholeheartedly that you get it checked out asap. Radiating pain in the arm(s) is a classic sign of heart troubles. Better safe than sorry.by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
The latest event monitors are, apparently, quite sophisticated and produce an excellent ECG on a loop basis over two weeks. One simply presses a button on the box to highlight the event if something is felt. In any event (pardon the pun) I will report back tomorrow as I am going to visit PACE (Partners in Advanced Cardiac Evaluation?) to get wired up for two weeks of monitoring.by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Gill: Thanks very much for that reference. An interesting article indeed and one cannot help but wonder what the dofetilide is doing and how long it will last. Alas, the side effects are intermittent but gaining strength. "Fat head" for hours in the mornings often accompanied by nausea sufficient to awaken me. (One Gravol takes care of the nausea but the 'fat head" remainsby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Not X-Ray readings but certainly echocardiography readings. My left atrium was enlarged to 60mm and in NSR has shrunk to 56mm thus far. I was in permanent aFib 24/7 for a year or more in order for this enlargement to take place and am told that I should expect it may take the same time to shrink. Not a happy situation. You should find out what they mean when they say "the heart is enlarby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Dr. Verma is an outstanding human being to be sure. Knowledgeable, caring, experienced, inquisitive and so on. I don't think one could find much better in an EP between Dr. Verma and Dr. Khaykin at Southlake.by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
I am on TIKOSYN and Warfarin with a little Metoprolol thrown in for good measure as nobody knows who put me on it and nobody wants to take me off of it. Go figure. My instructions on discharge from hospital in NSR were that if I believed that I was in aFib at ANY time I should present myself at the hospital for ECV and monitoring within 12 hours of it starting. I have had a few episodes ofby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Why does everyone say Warfarin is 'terrible stuff'? Benefits of aspirin over Warfarin? Tnks.by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
My Dad took a bad fall last month, suffering a concussion, broken shoulder, elbow and wrist and a broken cheekbone with bleeding into his sinus cavities. They needed to reverse his Warfarin rapidly. What they did was AND TAKE NOTE! They stopped the Warfarin, of course. The gave him I/V Vitamin K which would have returned his INR to "normal" in about 8 hours or so. AND, they adminisby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
As it turns out, there is plenty of information on the CABANA study online and I highly recommend it to your perusal as it would appear to me that over the next few years it is going to prove that ablation is a first-line treatment for aFib and will attract significant investment in the cutting edge technology needed to improve success rates along with cutting edge training (just don't put mby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Frankly, since we are throwing etiquette to the wind here (get it?), if I were to have started with 800mg. of Magnesium daily I would have had to put a seat belt on the toilet. No, actually I would have had to put an F135 harness on the toilet and worn a hemet. And goggles. I started out at 200mg at bedtime, added 100mg in the morning and then increased that to 200mg. I have added 100mg atby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
The effect of different treatment strategies on left atrial size in patients with lone paroxysmal atrial fibrillation-a prospective cohort study. Liu Z, Ling Z, Su L, Wu J, Lan X, Chen Y, Du H, She Q, Yin Y. Source Department of Cardiology, The 2nd Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing University of Medical Sciences, China ===================================================================by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks Jackie!by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sorry to be a pest. Am trying to assemble data on left atrium enlargement primarily due to aFib; and shrinkage on attaining NSR. In my case aFib resulted in enlargement to 60mm. (too large to do an ablation). On attaining NSR with TIKOSYN last December my left atrium has shrunk to 56mm. and I am getting mixed indications that it will continue to shrink while in NSR and at the same time thatby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM