14 days post-ablation in Wales.

[jennydog]

I have just returned home from an appointment with my GP and I feel thoroughly deflated. I was greeted with " Hello, how can I help you?"

She didn't seem impressed that I had no bruising and that I have not felt my heart at all, NOT ONCE. Fortunately I had photocopied the medication details which I had been given. This showed the change from warfarin to dabigatran. She said that she didn't know much about it but warned that if I had blood in urine or anywhere else then I was to report it. If I banged my head then I was to seek medical help.

She gave me a repeat prescription for the dabigatran - no mention of the Welsh NHS refusing to fund the new anti-coagulants.

I have relatively low blood pressure and since the ablation my heart rate has been steady at about 65. Pre-ablation it was about 80.

I had a ' no energy' day yesterday and I am having to pace myself as I get tired very easily. Considering that they found an enlarged atria and odd plumbing I have to be pleased with my progress to date. My only problem is a hacking cough.

[Loo53]

Sorry to hear of your docs attitude Jennydog but at least you got your meds. I've got no cough now sorry to hearvyouve still got yours. And I have days when I'm full of beans and other days when I'm not so energetic. Take it easy.

[Hidden]

Jennydog.You got your meds without a fight...So well done you...cx

[jeanjeannie50]

Hi Jenny - It's good to hear that you haven't been aware of your heart since your ablation. I'm certainly impressed that you had no bruising, it sounds as though you're doing really well and a pulse of 65 is brilliant. It's still fairly early days after your ablation and those feeling tired days are quite normal, mind you I know of people without AF who also have them .

I'm going to start taking Dabigatran fairly soon, so would love to hear how you get on with it. I'm just waiting for the letter from my EP to get to my GP so that he can prescribe it for me. My GP has told me that he doesn't know much about it and usually prescribes Rivoxerban (spelling).

Hope your cough soon gets better.

Best wishes

Jean

[jennydog in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thanks Jean. Re the dabigatran , they had to check my kidney function before I could start to take it and there needs to be an annual check. I have to take an antacid for 2 months too. Something is causing my abdomen to rumble occasionally. There are warnings about stomach problems and possible laxative effects. The rumblings are unlike anything I have experienced before - I would be mortified if it happened in company!

Good luck with it!

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to jennydog]

Oh no! I have a problem with an acid stomach anyway and also a weakness in one kidney. Think I may need to have another chat with my GP. Thank you for letting me know.

[CDreamer in reply to jeanjeannie50]

The trick with Dabigatran is to take it with food, or just after and to drink a full glass of water with it and to take it 12 hourly. I had a few gastric problems in the first few months, mainly heartburn. You need an acid stomach so there are some foods, such as carbohydrates, which may induce a more alkaline stomach which induces fermentation in the stomach, hence the wind. Try taking it with fruit or veg or a smoothie, no carbs! Makes a huge difference.

[jennydog in reply to CDreamer]

CDreamer, thank you so much for this advice. I have been taking it for 2 weeks now and, rumblings apart, it seems fine. There was one day last week when I thought that I'd have to go back to warfarin but it's settled down.

I hope that you are feeling better right now.

[Hidden]

Well, a small miracle getting the Dabigatran in Wales, I hope it works for you... When your GP says go to hospital if you bang your head, I'm wondering how hard because I've occasionally knocked myself - though I'm on warfarin. Does that make a difference, do you think? Now wondering if we all need to wander round with crash helmets on!

Lis

[jennydog]

Hi Lis, I was careful to head the post with 'Wales.' so that you would pick up on it.

I was a bit taken-aback when the GP remarked about banging one's head. Nobody had said anything about that before and it would apply to warfarin too. It's all relative, isn't it?

About a month ago I had a huge bruise on my arm after gardening yet I was not even aware that I had banged it.

For several years we had a run of temporary GPs. Every single one of them said that I was to call an ambulance if I had an AF attack. I never did. There would have been a shuttle service between Holywell and Bodelwyddan! That said, a bad head bang might be checkable by a simple X-ray for damage.

Very best wishes.