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Louise, I am not far behind at 61, and am sticking with Warfarin despite the inconvenience. I was told early on that I must regulate my Vitamin K, dark green leafy veggies and settle on a pattern of consuming same, which I have tried to do. My INR is generally around 2.5 and that's where I'd like it to stay. I have had a couple of bleeds that turned into serious problems, one requiriby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Interesting concept. I am in the exact OPPOSITE situation with a Left Atrium at 55mm at present and waiting for it to drop under 50 mm to enhance chances of a successful ablation. I don't imagine that a woman's heart is much smaller than the average normal sized heart. Anyone?by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
IMHO, as has been stated on here several times, the "standard" in aFib is a 12 lead ECG and the newer machines even have computerized algorithms to analyze the strip before it even starts printing. "aFib", "bundle branch block" etc., truly amazing technology. Now, having said that, it sure would be nice to have something that might, at least, HINT at an aFib episodby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Just read the latest issue of the aFib report and boy, the article on Pradaxa was dead on. If you are on Pradaxa, get the HECK OFF IT NOW! My Dad, at 93, had a fall and was bleeding internally. Are you taking blood thinners? Yep. Oh. Oh. Pradaxa? Nope Warfarin... been taking it for decades. Administered antidote(s). Internal bleeding stopped. Life saved. Had my dad been on Pradaxa, heby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
We went out for a bite of late lunch/early dinner last night before a meeting. I had a huge greek salad with no dressing and some fish in it. Delightful. Then home to get into tux and off to meeting to help set up the hall. Was a bit tired but felt pretty good overall. I could not recall what it felt like to be in aFib and then I recalled taking my son to the Toronto Air Show a few years ago.by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hey, McHale! Glad to see you took the plunge. Do you know what your Left Atrium Size was going into the OR? I'm sitting at 55mm and Dr. Verma says that at that size my chances of a successful ablation are diminished; that I am on TIKOSYN and in 100%NSR with tolerable side effects, and my best bet is to hang in there until my LA shrinks, but there are no guarantees. My ejection fraction iby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Congrats and best wishes for a speedy recovery. BTW, any idea what your LA size was going into the OR? And your ejection fraction? Inquisitive minds want to know. Murray Lby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
l spent a significant amount of time in afib (two years plUs) prior to Starting TKOSYN and have been in NSR Since DEC 2011. was 60mm at that time and just had echo today. l am down to about 55 and holding. The EP Said flat out that I might continue to shrink and l might not. My ejection fraction is 60% he said. With my hypertension gone and HbAlc back to normal 1 may See improvement over the nextby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
RonB Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Gianfranco - I am headed into my ablation this > Coming Monday in Bordeaux, and so I am very > interested in hearing more about your journey. I > have been all over the supplements etc but could > be one to ignore them when the afib abates. I > know better but - out of sight out of mind!! > >by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
I would visit the ER; get bloodwork done pronto to check things like serum Potassium. I know that my heart "calm" is only maintained with an optimal level of Potassium. And of course Magnesium. Had the guy in the bed next to me convert spontaneously when they gave him IV Magnesium! Sorry to hear of your aggravations. I agree that I would rather see NSR than sit and wait for a spoby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thank you for thinking of me Christy.... think my EP appointment and examination is next week so am starting to get anxious to see if my LA has continued to shrink. Fingers crossed.by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Christy: Thank you very much for that. If you only knew the half of it!! I could swear I was on the other side while in my coma in critical care while I had acute bacterial pneumonia after H1N1 in 2009. They had so many lines in to me that I was poked all the way up one arm, across my chest and down the other arm. They needed all of those lines to keep me going and pump drugs into me, incredby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Dan: We think of you often. Yours was a horrific experience to be sure and your sharing that experience has made all of us just that much more educated when we juggle the decision to ablate. It gives us impetus to ask the hard questions (like, is it YOU Dr. X that will be hands on during the entire procedure and not some dumb medical school flunky?). It gives us the RIGHT to ask such questionsby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thank you Christy for your comments; it is heartening to see (pardon the pun by the way) that an ablation at 55mm LA size can indeed by successful. Interesting that you were referred to a cardio concurrent to your chemo, etc. And the timing of your aFib , I believe, was no coincidence. I had Influenza A/H1N1 in summer 2009 and spent two weeks on total life support as a result of the followiby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Truthfully, I don't know how much it CAN or WILL shrink; I am simply told the longer I remain in NSR with normal BP the better. So I am surmising that shrinkage is indeed possible. In fact, when I began TIKOSYN and NSR, my LA size was 60mm. It is now down to something in the order of 54mm. as of about 8 or so months ago. I am hoping at my next follow up in about two weeks it will have shby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
I have a similar story but in my case it was with a quack cardiologist more interested in colonics than medicine and playing with big Pharma on their cruises, etc. While he let me sit my LA grew from 49mm to 60 mm diameter. He attempted electrocardioversion to no avail (he did everything just exactly wrong). My point? I now treat my heart and my body like my car. Only the best for it. I dby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Christy: Thanks very much for sharing your info. MY LA is at 55mm at present and this is via echocardiogram. I am due to visit my EP in 2 weeks after having been in NSR since Dec 2011 on TIKOSYN which is beginning to show some side effects that are not happy ones but are essentially discomfort and harmless. My EP suggests I wait until at least in the 40's (mm) LA size before any considerby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sounds to me like normal size and contributes to a successful ablation. I just wanna get under 50mm. like I was when first diagnosed and treated by a quack cardiologist. 40 would be a happy number for me to be sure.by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Interesting information; I will have questions next month when I see my EP. Wondering if anyone has details of the SIZE of their left atrium? I was at 60mm. (no ablation); Now at 55mm (maybe ablation) and looking for something in the 40's (yes ablation possible) and preferably closer to 40ish (good chance for a one shot successful ablation), according to my EP, who has a great track recoby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Oh Peggy. I wish we ALL had that magic wand and wayback machine in working order. I know that there are PLENTY of things that I would have done differently and at the top of the list would have been taking better care of myself. My granddad had a couple of good sayings, one of which was "If I knew I was going to live this long I wouldn't have screwed around with my body so much".by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
I have to put in my two cents worth here. A nominal heart rate is essential for overall heart health long term. As I am led to believe, the heart is made to beat X number of times depending on its health. Even in aFib, with Metoprolol they tried to maintain my rate in the 70ish range.by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks for the clarification Peggy. It would be interesting to know what your left atrium sizes were during your journey. Seems to me that in my case, anyway, both aFib and hypertension contributed to my rapid LA enlargement. And even after attaining NSR via TIKOSYN, the shrinkage was quite slow, with the EP saying "it took years to get you to 60mm LA size... it is likely to take years toby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
If my serum Potassium were at 3.6 I think I would probably be paralysed as well. I must keep my Potassium above 4.2 and preferably 4.5 in order to maintain a calm heart, else I get skipped beats/ectopic beats/you name it. My heart does the 'hokey-pokey'. Keep the Potassium up and my heart is calm. I am an aFibber on TIKOSYN (dofetilide) since December 2011 and in NSR, praying for myby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
I think there is something to this. Went vegetarian 8 weeks ago. Hypertension.... gone. Diabetes..... from "get on insulin" to all medications are gone excepting perhaps one or two Metformin a day. Heart? Calmer than ever but it varies. Methane production? Priceless. Sufficient to power a small city. I think that the attempt of my gut to break down all the fibre and process it is caby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Folks, Pradaxa, et. al., are all life threatening medications. They are convenient to be sure, but the trade off is that they can cause severe bleeding and there is no known antidote. Unlike Warfarin, where there is at least one know antidote in Vitamin K and another, I believe, in a medication made from blood plasma. My father suffered at fall at 93 last year and was bleeding internally. Tby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Peggy: You are fortunate indeed as aFib has not 'grabbed you' it would appear and your episodes are few and far between and short. I hope that they will stay that way. I have been doing some reading and I believe that 'permanent' aFib (24/7) will cause a rapid expansion of the Left Atrium with Hypertension being a major contributor as well. I had both. I am now in NSR sby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
When diagnosed I had a Left Atrium Size, measured by echocardiogram, of about 50mm. By the time the quack got around to doing an unsuccessful ECV and referring me to a good EP my Left Atrium had enlarged to 60mm!. I was advised that the normal size would have been 40mm or so, and that I wanted to be, at least, in the 40's in order to increase my odds of a successful ablation. Further I waby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
McHale Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hi Stephen, > Good to hear no remodeling or enlargement. My > atrium shrank from 4.4-4.6 to 3.0 cm after being > on Flec for 13 months after my last stress test > showed on 5/12 last year. > Hopefully it stayed the same even though I haven't > been in rhythm about 30% of the time. > &by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Out of curiousity, have you had bloodwork done recently? Wondering what your Potassium level was (and Sodium). I find I have a very similar phenomenon when my Potassium level drops below about 4.2 and it disappears on bringing Potassium up to 4.5+ (be careful). When placed on a monitor my EP suggested that they were "skipped beats". Hard to tell the difference without a detailed Eby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
I have had a Foley twice in my lifetime and it was NO FUN. I was in tears when they took the Foley out the last time. Next time I am going to take some heavy duty narcotics, some tranq's and a shot of single malt scotch before they remove it. Going in, they used freezing in gel form and it was painless. It would not have mattered anyway as I was in so much pain BEFORE insertion that I haby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM