The mind is a world and theory building machine always looking to find rationales and reasons for one effect or another and eager to find patterns in the midst of diversity .. not infrequently finding these apparent patterns in the midst of random diversity. And not infrequently, that innate desire and characteristic of the human mind to find a connection leads to some interesting, even if faby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
How are you doing Montos, you can just keep the reports going in this thread. Hope you are doing fine and resting comfortably in NSR by now. Shannonby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
In addition to George's pointers about Vagal AF signs, keep In mind too that as AFIB progresses from paroxysmal PV based triggering toward increasing substrate based disease and triggering the distinction between vagal snd adrenergic can begin to lose its practical relevance. In there words, once and initial being vagal does it imply you are always going to be predominantly vagal respondinby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Best wishes Montos rest up and sleep well! Shannonby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Liz and all, It would be very interesting to contact all those on the list who might still have the same contactable email addresses and who wish to respond. The thing is, if every single one is still AFIB free after 8 plus years since last reporting, either that is a true miracle or there could be at least some degree of reporting bias. You wouldnt expect all 70 from any group of Afibbersby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Mork, While I've been all for improving diet and IC magnesium, potassium and other key nutrient supplemental protocols for ages , as everyone here who has followed the forum for years knows, neverhness your statement above that removing excess fibrosis can 'cure' AFIB is a highly speculative conjecture. There is a big gulf between limited animal studies and biochemical/ pby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Montos, by all means tell them you insist only one of the three do the procedure. I would demand after flying halfway around the world to have them confirm ONLY one of the three have their hands on any catheters the entire procedure .. If any training is in lived in your procedure tell them you want the trainees involved in an observational and not hands on capacity and that should include froby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Great to hear Ken!! You did everything by the book as far as I'm concerned and we have simply witnessed an undeniable and highly impressive degree of consistently good outcomes from those who choose to do so and follow the overall guidelines evolved here over the last 16 years, both with nutrient repletion and life style/risk factor management and specifically in holding very high standardsby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yes researcher, I imagine all of those variables you mention in your post directly above this one do, indeed, come into play to variable degrees and thus skew the real world effect of this gender issue. Also, keep in mind that a number of other studies looking at other CVD procedures besides AFIB ablation, like PCI, CABG and even pacemaker/ICD installs have noted a similar degree of increasby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Read the large mets analysis on the issue I summarized in the current April/May issue of The AFIB Report.. The Italtian study has some interesting info that is also discussed in the larger mets analysus findings as well, but their gender difference may have more to do with Italian specific population and EPs within the study and perhaps their relative lack if reticence in offering ablation to womby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Has she had a good adrenal work up by a skilled Functional medicine or BHRT ( bio-identical hormone replacement therapy trained MD?). These manifestations 'can' at times be triggered by borderline to full blown Addisons disease as well. A good endocrinologist should be able to help in that regard too. A thorough 24 hour urine steroid/adrenal hormone panel and likely an ACTH- stimulatby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
In the last issue of AFIB Report we looked at another meta analysis of looking specifically at women versus men. and will those issues noted above are part of the equation, the higher complications are also driven largely by the much later age and ore advanced degree of AFIB that the majority of women are at before they are recommended or make it for catheter ablation. This bias too is prevalentby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Jackie, Do remind me if you recall too, when we start the website revamp which Im aiming to get going in the coming next month or two, about adding the dates. I'll need your help too since you penned a number of those articles and will costact Hans and see if he has dates on the rest to at least list them in date context as well. Shannonby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sounds great Rosemarie! so glad to hear your super news and continue to enjoy that wonderful NSR from here on! Be well, Shannonby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Fiat 127, Several of the folks at Silicon Valley are quite expert EPs... I think you meant Dr Roger Winkle rather than a 'Dr Hinkle' (unless someone by that name is now at Silicon Valley too?) And Dr Winkle is the director of Silicon Valley and he is a skilled ablationist and a fine man from all reports. While interviewing too in the area, be aware that Dr Andrea Natale does abby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Very good report Jackie, thanks for sharing it! Shannonby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Great to hear McHale, Two years flew by in one sense and in another it seems like 10! You followed through on each step of the way and it has paid off Ina big way! You are more than welcome and it's easy when you make the right choices as you did. Take it easy and hopefully the work load is less demanding in the coming years. Be well Buddy, Shannonby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Montos, The adrenal insufficiency connection is a top likely culprit as a possible strong associate to the hard steady heart beat pounding you experience, especially with the background of a high tone of anxiety and worry in general. It is such a common and vastly missed entirely, and/or underdisgnosised, yuyculprit behind a host of such physical symptoms. Alas, so few docs are properlyby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
HI Moerk and Peggy, Yes indeed there are a good number of folks who have been able to quell the beast for the long term with dedicated nutritional and life style modification methods i.e. The Strategy .. which why this is the first and on-going step in our comprehensive and truly holistic approach to using ALL the best tools in our tool kit to address such a complex and multi-facited conditionby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Great news Ken, will catch up when I get back from Europe middle of next week. Cheers! Shannonby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sounds great Lasik1, the relatively minor things you feel now will seem even more trivial Ina couple days. The sorish throat is from the intubation tube it will press rather quickly. The focal chest discomfort upon breathing in deeply especially is just from The pericardial inflammation from having a branding iron inside your heart for a while.. That too will fade in the coming days ... Take sby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Keith, good to hear and Dr Munger is a good one for sure and has been around the block for a long while. Take it easy and heal up enjoying the NSR. Cheers! Shannonby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
No groups doing really significant work use six months now as a success metric, unless its for a specific comparison to another study that uses that benchmark, but most now have one year as the minimum and many use 20 months +/- 4 to 6 months as a study endpoint. The key thing in all this kind of discussion, is that we can play around and find all kinds of middling to horrible stats from largeby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yeah Paul, the best tip for 'shaving down there' is DONT ... let the pros do it if you don't have a sterile electric razor or especially if you don't have a sterile razor blade type razor, You'll only likely nick your self all up or get a rash which is just what you don't want to have prior to them making a venous puncture into each side of the femoral veins on theby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Great to hear from you too Annie!,, Im over in Europe .. Brussels at the moment.. heading back to Amsterdam in two days and then home on Tuesday so have been a little out of pocket lately. Your case was certainly one of the most challenging Ive sense far .. my own difficult one included ... and to see you doing so well when everyone else (except Dr Natale) was insisting you absolutely had to hby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
No worries Lasik1, Could not be in better hands as you now know. And you don't have to go bungie jumping off the University of Texas Tower either to get your heart misbehaving. Dr N has a whole concoction of goodies in his bag of tricks that will jump start that AFIB on cue while you are gladly asleep already. Keep us posted and best wishes though you wont need them. You moved past wisby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
HI Travis, Its caused from individual pacing cells being temporarily stunned and knocked out of commission, not so much a vagus nerve issue, and indeed as George said, is associated with generally more robust and effective longer term ablations. Almost invariably the original HR will be recovered after some time, general from 6 months to a year and in some cases lasting 2+ years as did mine beby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
No problem at all Que, Flutter conversion in the first couple weeks is not at all uncommon, even with what often turns out to be perfectly good one and done procedures. You had persistent AFIB at a young age of 45, but so far have been able to avoid LAA isolation.Dr Hao can do the ECV blindfolded while juggling boiling eggs... Dr Natale likely would not have been the one doing a ECV even haby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
Wonderful news Susan!, So glad it all turned out as expected and in such fine form! And thank you and Scott too for the help in referring Magdalena and I to your friend who had gone through a renal cell carcinoma nephrectomy. His tips too along with our other stalwart RCC poster JayB here really helped us both prepare her for her big operation and recovery. She is doing dramatically better tooby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM
In my analysis .. and I am far from alone ... this is a very misleading study which I reviewed carefully last August when it first came out. I am traveling now and dont have the time to write a formal reply to yet another confusing report from the cardio EP world There are so many great studies that are well structured and carried out and there are a good number that have some real flaws or thatby Shannon - AFIBBERS FORUM