That is typical insurance company song and dance routine Don! Don't give up too quickly. Get Scripps involved and have your EP there write them a letter explaining why this is especially important for you. Zag the same time, can you not switch back again to BCBS at least for this year? It may take a bit of extra effort and hassle but I bet it will work out in the end. Shannonby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
In PA definitely go to University of Penn, but never just rely on a medical center's name or general rep when seeking out the best individual EP to have their hands on your catheters for those golden several hours in the EP Lab. It is the experience and skill of the actual EP whose hands will be on your catheter during those critical hours they have your hearts care as their 100% priority tby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Welcome RJS4, You have gotten a wealth of good advice/tips above including from GeorgeN, Wolfpack Jackie and SAFIB/Peter already. They all have real merit and are important to digest and understand, including Peter's caution about ruling out a possible Sinus-Node dysfunction to some degree that could be a factor in your significantly Brady resting HR of 40bpm. As Peter noted, ruling ouby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yes Carey you are right!, I did a report on the likely demise of the 'Lone AFIB' diagnostic descriptor in a past issue of The AFIB Report about 1.5 to 2 years ago with the advent of more subtle distinctions of subclinical cardiomyopathy in the early days being the likely culprit behind most early AFIB after all!! I even removed 'Lone AFIB' from the title of this website!by Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Jennifer, Do Not postpone your current ablation schedule for your husband with Dr N. Since he only started Amio in April the two plus months off of it will be enough time so as not to mask triggers under isoproterenol (Isuprel) challenge phase toward end of the ablation procedure (Isuprel is very strong uber adrenaline-like drug used to reveal acute reconnection and immature triggers thaby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Welcome Fibrillator. Please send me a PM with your cell number and I will try to call you in the next two days. Im just back home in Sedona from an AFIB conference in Dallas last week and am catching up on a stack of things the next two days, but would like to discuss your situation in more detail which will be easier and more thorough to do via the back and forth of a phone conversation to stby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Excellent advice Carey and welcome to the forum! Carey is an old timer too who has been around the block a few times as well. Just finished up day two of Mellanie's excellent Stop-AFIB.org patient conference here in Dallas. Meeting a lot of Afibbers here in Dallas too who will also be joining our forum as well. Cheers! Shannonby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Welcome Michael777, Your experiences with what appears to have been a CTI (Cavo-tricuspid-Isthmus Flutter) are normal, though most often a successful CTI Flutter has little to no recurrence. Also, the article you posted promoted some questionable ideas. Firstly, typical right atrial flutter is not the same thing as AFIB ( and just to get you started on the right foot the acronym is spelledby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sounds good GG! Glad you are already aware to ask your local Cardio or EP what their policy is on accepting KARDIA ECG strips. A lot of folks tend to go on a Kardia PDF mailing spree, often inundating their doctors support staff in the early weeks after discovering this very handy tool! So it's fest that you instictively knew to check first with your Cardio's office ... I know thby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yes Greyhound girl, Don't waste money sending in analysis for a fee. You can learn soon enough to understand if you are having actual arrhythmia or not. Also, please dont send in frequent PAC and PVC strips to your EP or Cardios office. That is a fast way to wear out one's welcome if done too often, especially for largely benign ECGs like runs of ectopy. For unusual and/or scaryby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi DavrosT, Glad to here you are 6 weeks into your blanking period and so far only report what seems to be short runs of PACs/PVCs. These are NOT signs of arrhythmia activity and are very common to variable degrees after an ablation, so do not count them as breakthroughs at all. The rapid temporary rise of HR often from bending over too quickly is also very common in the early months postby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Good to hear from. you Rita, I recall some of your posts from long ago, welcome back, though its a dubious honor as it usually means a revisit from the beast for those who have been absent a long time. And definitely go get the atypical flutter ablation, though it may not be strictly from the scar pattern of your original ablation. Almost always atypical flutter arising in an uno predictablby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Vincent No, having a pacemaker installed is not common done, in the absence of deep bradycardia, for controlling early stage AFIB. Some less progressive EPs will default to an AV-Node ablation with many older folks, which will include requiring a pacemaker implant as well, since once the AV-Node is ablated the person is 100% pacemaker dependent for life! This scenario does not cure the AFIBby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Liz, After a successful LAA isolation, there is a 58% average risk of having to either stay on a OAC drug long term or go for LAA closure via an occlusion device like the Watchman or Amulet, or a ligation procedure like an Atriclip or LARIAT. If the person does not have a CHADsVASc of 2+ or higher then they can often stop all OAC after a successful LAA Closure so long as they are free fromby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
DavrosT, Those descriptions you cite above are all very familiar to most afibber's who have had an ablation during their blanking period. Your heart is going through a lot of healing from the inflammation due to the lesions created inside during the ablation, and periodically your heart may have ectopic runs of PVCs or PACs as well as possibly short runs of AFIB or AFlutter. Just watcby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Great to hear Ken, these are the kind of repeat stories of long term success from those here having completed an expert ablation process in the hands of Dr. Natale that we so often read on this forum going back over 15+ years now (and this testimony would go back 3 years longer still, but the first 3 to 4 years of this forum's archives got lost when transferring to this Forum platform many yby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yes Gordon, Low dose aspirin is no longer prescribed for prevention of AFIB related stroke or TIA ... in other words it is no longer used for LAA-based clot elimination ... primarily because the overwhelming weight of the evidence over the last 10 to 15 years shows the very meager impact it has on addressing AFIB embolism, is countered far more by the significantly larger risk of serious bleedby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
That all sounds like a perfectly reasonable plan Don, especially vetting your particular case and working through the best options for you long term with Dr Natale who did such an first class job on your index ablation that required LAA isolation to begin with. And I agree, Dr Natale absolutely has no incentive to push a procedure on you, or on anyone, that he isn't entirely confident isby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
It certainly could be one indicator DavrosT, but confirm how long he had done 200 a year and if that includes only him and not other operators at his center too. In addition make sure the number quoted as their own personal volume of ablations only includes AFIB and left atrial flutter ablations in the left atrium and no stat padding is going on by lumping in the often more numerous and much simpby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks Jackie and yes no doubt that your list was just to choose one of two natural agents from and I agree they are all very good potential choices! I just wanted to clarify with so many new comers on the forum now to be careful not to double up on too many of potentially good things, in this case. And that list is where I would start as well in making a careful choice for non-medical standarby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Don, Please consider setting up a consult with Dr Natale before even considering stopping Eliquis on your own, as someone after having LAA isolation which has shown a too low over all mechanical function to pass with flying colors. You can then discuss your thoughts about Watchman, Atriclip etc and let him tell you directly where we are in the real world progress made in this field as experby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
LeAnn don't worry too much about the female risk most Cardio's and EPs don't unless advanced age as well goes along with being female, even still many think that this one metric of adding a point for being female is overkill. Relative to 81mg of aspirin ... it is decidedly NOT recommended for LAA/AFIB stroke/TIA prevention at all any longer. It used to be, but many studies in reby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Good to hear David! It seems you are off to a good start and by adopting the self-health and electrolyte repletion recommendations throughout this special forum and website you will only stack the deck in your favor long term and really help the post ablation recovery processes as well. Best wishes and keep in touch! Shannonfby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
NickC, we can likely figure out the type of AFIB your elderly friend or relative has. There are three basic types: 1. Paroxysmal AFIB (PAF) typically early to advanced stages in which the AFIb starts and stops on its own without intervention, typically, within 7 days of onset of an episode. 2. Persistent AFIB (PersAF) When unbroken 24/7 AFIB lasts for 7 full days or longer up to 1 yearby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Welcome DavrosT Yes blanking period activity is not infrequent. Since you got your ablation so early after diagnosis you may not yet have learned of the blanking period but this denotes the first 90 days post ablation when the variable rate of scar formation and maturation growing out of the initially mostly uniform degree of fresh burns, and it is not until the bulk of the intended scars fromby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
You are welcome Cindy, You can find here: The Strategy Protocol and also refind it in the future via the yellow horizontal box link above titled 'AFIB Resources' on this forum header. It is the second link just below the top far left link out of the six yellow box links at the top of this forum page. Note too, that 'The Strategy - Metabolic Cardiology' article written by oby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Waking up in the early morning hours with a startled or jarred response and with a fast heart rate is very often caused by a cascade of hormonal changes highlighted by temporary nocturnal hypoglycemia that can result from too low cortisol function at that very time of night when our normal and variable cortisol levels are at there lowest nadir. Cortisol is one of our most essential hormones,by Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
AnneH, Don't believe everything you hear or read! That alone can help reduce the fear factor to a good degree and before long with the right knowledge and understanding you can find a resource like this special forum and website a great antidote to the things we fear about AFIB. Like any procedure AFIB ablation can be fraught with complications, but compared to most minimally invasiveby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Clay and Cindy, Clay ... I recall your typical right-sided CTI flutter ablation was a non-event itself, as it certainly should be, though your CTI Flutter circuit was not durably ablated in the first attempt and had to be redone by Dr Natale on the way out of your AFIB ablation just over 3 months ago. CTI flutter is supposed to carry a hight rate of success, which it typically does, but Iveby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sounds good Carol, Have a good trip! Shannonby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM