As most of you know I'm suffering long back from PAF and can't remember how was my life before it , I was on bisoprolol and warfarin earlier and I was happy when it was working , till I reached a point where beta blocker and flecainide were not working anymore and the attacks maybe weekly , then two cardiversions then ablation and the suffering is going on
I'm on sotalol again and warfarin and I'm willing to take them as a candy if they will stop the episodes
I'm on warfarin since 13 years now what ever the side effects I'm thanking god that warfarin is there to protect me from any possible stroke till now
I can understand that there are some side effects for few of us but I think we should compare between the benefits and negative impacts and since I know AF good most of us will find drugs as blessing
Am I right?
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Maitha
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I agree Maitha. There seems to be an unhealthy reluctance to accept ones lot and take the pills. I really don't understand it either. I would take anything to not have the symptoms. Mind you if the drugs don't stop the episodes then there is an argument that maybe they are a waste of time and should not be taken but personally I would always discuss this with my consultant.
I j ust want you to know after suffering with AF for 13 yrs, Warfarin, countless drugs , periods of sheer hell, 16 cardioversions, 2 Ablations there is life after AF , been in sinus R 18 mths after 2nd Ablation, off warfarin and only take Beta blocker. So never give up hoping! don't get stressed, stay away from alcohol, get a gd cardiologist, Gps do not understand AF and never will,good luck.
You are right. GP's do not understand afib at all, and most cardiologist do not either--a good electro-physiologist with understanding of cell biology and nutrition and supplements will always be very helpful and if they have highly informed and trained nurse practitioners working with them who know all this info about nutrition and supplements that is an addition to what you can figure out on your own by reading every body's research from all over the world--if you have questions or want the full article without paying for it, e mail the corresponding researcher of the article-he will thank you for your interest and send you by e mail, free of charge his entire research article.
When my primary care doctor, near my home, finally saw a normal sinu s rhytm and a heart rate of 72, she was so relieved she said THANK YOUR CARDIOLOGIST!!! I thought she was going to get on her knees and pray. Every time I saw her she was afraid I was going to have a fatal event since my resting heart rate was 175. The first time I saw her I think her hands started to shake-0she probably wanted to send me to a hospital right away--which would have been the right thing to do .I told her I had an electrophysiologist-who I referred myself to with the help of my faxing multiple pages of abnormal ekg's, as I was not satisfied witht eh advis and skill of the cardiologists I had seen. I guess I cannot blame her. She was just glad Iwas on warfarin. I did tell her I was scheduled for an ablation and she wanted to know why I was not using the one electrophysilogist in their hospital system--i told --because my electro=physiologist is better aas he had a residency at the Cleveland Clinic and also publishes many research articles and writes text books and teaches in a Medical School. the hospital where he has the electrophysiology lab with 3 other electrophysiologists- is the 3rd best place in the entire USA for heart patients (the 1st to are Mayo clinic and Cleveland clinic). the Primary's electrophysiologist has none of the other's qualifications.--you can see e the good result.
I believe that all medications are designed to treat defects but for sure there will be side effects somewhere else but should be minor comparing with the main complain
AF is so annoying and life threatening without anticoagulant , let's focus on the positive side of our medicine and try to ignore or at least don't focus on the negative side effects if minor
Also as I understood medications here are not a cure , they are just to keep us safe and comfortable as much as possible
All what I want right now is to stop those episodes and live normal life for few days at least a week! I will drink whatever medication to have that
Maybe some of you may find my words so tough but actually I have been through a lot and I do appreciate the value of being healthy as the top blessing human being can have ever
Yes I agree with you, whenever I am in hospital the first thing they ask is am I on Warfarin and I always say, "I am thank goodness". I have alarms on my phone so that I take all my medication at the right time, like you I am only too happy to take them if they keep the AF at bay. Can I ask you how long were you AF free before it broke out again? Wendy
I take my 14 scripts of varying tablets often, questioned but never not taken. I have been on warfarin since 1992 do not like needles but do not want a stroke either.
Good idea Sabina. I have given up reading the bumf that comes with any medication because I think it's the way the pharmaceutical industry protects itself from lawsuits! Take the medication, give it a week or so and your body will tell you if it's OK for you.
Recently I decided not to read the medicine leaflet , actually we don't need another thing to drive us more anxious
I'm little bit better after ablation ,I'm having new brand of irrythemia ( tachycardia ) , similar symptoms but little easier but more frequent
So I'm still on medication and advised for second ablation soon
As my doctor said I'm from the 5-10% unlucky patients who had unsuccessful ablation ( don't believe that since from my reading here 5-10% only the success from first time) am I wrong? Hope so
Sorry your ablation was not as successful as you would have wished but hope the next one will complete the cure. I'm still waiting for a date for mine but I suspect that irregular Warfarin readings will delay it. AF is a distressing condition but maybe there will be a 100% cure one day - not in our lifetime I suspect.Stay positive!!!
Maitha it is still very early days. Don't give up on your ablation yet. I was still having tachycardias and ectopics six months down the lone but it all went quiet in the end.
Thanks for your good wishes. Hope you feel better day by day and that the second ablation is 100% successful if you decide to go ahead with it. Stay strong and positive x x
Hi all its strange the different advice we are all given. I am told that while in AF you can not have a stroke and that asprin is as good as warfarin for stroke prevention but without the major risks ?
Whoever told you that lives on a different planet mate on both counts. For a start more people get stomach bleeding from aspirin that warfarin yet it does nothing for stroke prevention. Sadly there are still far too many doctors including cardiologists who live in the dark ages.
I know I heard the same about asprin trouble is I don't want to touch warfarin as then that's it you've become a hospital patient for the rest of your life
I have paroxysmal AF and have never taken aspirin. Have been on Warfarin for two years and am glad to be on it, believing that it keeps me safe. I am not a continuous 'hospital patient', the surgery keeps an eye on my INR. Other than this, I have had very good treatment for my AF, and am tons better than when first diagnosed 6 years ago, when I was really poorly. I lead a normal life now, apart from getting tired quite quickly, but then I don't expect miracles, I am 70! Don't be afraid of Warfarin - it's literally a lifesaver. Keep well, Carrie
Hi Carrie my concern with warfarin is that i am still a very active sportsman which often results in lots of cuts and bruises as my cardiologist says to me ' you know the answer' stop the drinking and you will stop the Afib. As a rugby player that's a big step but I dare say I'll get there !!
I don't want to encourage excessive drinking, but I've never been a drinker and suffered with Paroxysmal AF for years. For me, stress and temperature were more of a trigger (sometimes nothing was the trigger, it just happened!) But anything in excess is bad for us, so moderate the booze AND the rough sports, but remember that it's quality of life that matters in the final analysis.
I am also physically fit and very active I just finished a 200 mile bike ride over three days I work all week and play the guitar and sing in a busy band. I drink about 8 pints over the weekend. I know I should slow it down bit. They put me on warfarin in feb this year and they just can't get it stable . I know people say it doesn't matter how much you take as long as you are in range. But I don't like taking such high dosages 12 mg it might be thinning my blood but at this amount I do worry what else it's doing,
Guess we all tend to grumble about taking meds .... unfortunately some of them can cause nasty side effects and can make you wonder if you'll ever feel "right" again! AF is such a pain in the butt as there are few visible effects of it; & some of my family & friends seem to gloss over it because of that.... just hope they never find out just how it can meddle in your life. I rarely read the contra indications leaflet as I think they are written for the protection for the drug companies against litigation. Just wish more doctors/cardio were on the ball regarding the necessity for anti coagulants to be prescribed for us... a stroke is not something I wish to try out.
However, there are new procedures in the pipeline & one day we'll all be sorted. It can be difficult to keep a positive attitude all the time but at least on here we can vent our anger/worries/needs without being made to feel silly or stupid.
Live life and enjoy what you can do.... as there are worse ailments that people have to cope with.....
I liked your way of thinking , and I agree it is hard to keep on positive thinking while having AF , as you said at least we can complain and understand each other's suffering not like others
after a successful ablation, i am on 40 mg sotalol twice a day. Both treatments work very well, but require reasonable patient intervention:
1- sotalol depletes your body of potassium and magnesium, as well as trace minerals in general and some vitamins.
2-atrial fibrillation, among genetic causes, also is caused by magnesium deficiency, which is common on the standard american diet, but also on a healthy diet because most soils worldewide are very or somewhat magnesium depleted, and the food only gets what it can from it's soil.
3- while still in the hospital, morning after the ablation, i had an ekg every half hour--all were normal except before I was ab out to leave. the electrophysiologist had a blood test taken for potassium and magnesiuim. Both were low. I had not eaten, or taken my usual supplements for many hours--so he gave me 2 bananas and an iv of magnesium sulfate. after that my ekg was normal. He told me to make sure I got enough potassium, magnesium, and trace mins; but not to take any mag supplements within 3 hours of taking sotalol. So far this has worked out very well. I do a gym workout 3 times a week (weights and cardio) and a tai chi class twice a week.
In the cardio I keep my heart rate between 80 and 115--but do 2 spikes of fast peddling to get the rate to 150-170 ( 170 is 110% of my max);, these spikes are done for 1-2 minutes; after I slow down, the heart rate immediately goes to 85 when I cool down it goes to the 60's ---70's. In other words there is normal heart rate variability and since the MAP (mean arterial pressure__whether your vital organs and extremities are getting enough blood -should be 80- 90's)--less than 65 means you are going to have a stroke or heart attack--the MAP remains 80-90's.
The bp and rate are good and the sinus rhtym is always normal.BUT the diet includes raw goat milk, pastured eggs and meat form areas where farms have pristine land that has never been developed, dumped on, industrialized or depleted, wild caught salmon and sardines, organic fruits and veg's. Also, once a day, or every other day a protein shake (very pure protein powder also from grass fed cows A2 type) I also noticed that unless I eat enough protein I do not remain in NSR --for me 180 lbs.--I seem to need 85--100 G/day. I do weight training, and not only skeletal muscles , but the heart is also a muscle and of course gets a pretty good workout--so it need protein to repair. I also take 500 mg. different kinds of magnesiuim, 30 mg coq10 twice a day and some salmon oil, ocuguard p;lus, and reduced bio available B's (ex. Jarrow B-Right)-this works fantastically well for me--BUT that does not mean that what I do is necessarily good for everyone--since we are alkl different as to genetics, allergies, APO E type, whether or not we have the 5MTHFR polymorphism, etc. etc etc.
Main point here: the patient has some responsibility for his health and this requires quite a bit of investigation and reading on that person's part and determining which info source is actually reliable ( abit of a task- get a dictionary-). some times I feel like I am back in school and someone will be giving me a test.
However I feel very well with all this. foods, supplemetns, ablation,a dn rx's.--somehow in th right combo and amount.
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