Ok it's only been a few days since my CV but I've been told I have to stay on them until I see the doctor for a check up which could be months away.
I'm totally aware I may slip back into AF but if I sty in good rhythm, do I really have to stay on Pradaxa for that long?
Mark you would be taking a huge risk coming off anticoagulants. A cardioversion has, in no way, cured your AF. You say that you "might slip back into AF". Sorry to burst any bubbles Mark but you still have AF and you will certainly have further AF episodes. The first of these may come tomorrow or it may be more than a year away, but it will come. And to have this condition without anticoagulation is to be at least 5 times more likely to have a stroke than someone of similar profile in the general population without AF.
It's just occurred to me...You do mean a cardioversion - not an ablation?
Cardioversion - not Ablation.
Many on this forum would say for life. I am still taking +5 months after ablation and not suffered any AF. Sorry to disillusion you.
I do hope that your consultant has been clear about the risks of stroke regarding AF? If not please do look it up. If you have an AF induced stroke you will be far less likely to survive and if you do the stroke is much more likely to do a lot of damage. The Pradaxa will help protect you from that increased stroke risk and as AnticoagulantNow says - why would you want to take that risk? Cardio version is only a very tempory solution, some last hours, some days and sometimes months or years but it will come back.
I had a cardio version 10 days ago, may heart is still in a normal rhythm and I'm still taking 5 drugs including warfarin. The only one I stopped was digoxin . I have a follow up appt with the hospital in October so 2 months from the cardio. I've already had a stroke and have recovered 100% , so I accept that I will be on warfarin for the rest of my life. Better to be safe than sorry
Lisa
Surely the underlying cause would denote whether you get AF again? Isn't AF really a symptom of something else that has triggered it?
It really surprises how little the doctors do about finding the cause .
As I understand things lots of things can cause AF, but once you have it that's it, you have it. It comes and goes if it's PAF but it will not go away forever.
I think there are a lot of doctors looking at what causes it, but it is very complicated at the molecular level and they haven't worked it out yet, there are lots of triggers, mine were red wine, caffeine, stress, getting over tired and some other foods.
None of which have anything to do with anti-coagulation which had absolutely no affect upon AF, just lessens your risk of having a stroke, which you are x5 more likely automatically because you have AF, even though you may be in NSR right now,
There are lots of possible causes: rightdiagnosis.com/symptoms...
Think mine was alcohol and extreme exercise induced. With a mix of dehydration thrown in for good measure!
So are you saying if you're in normal sinus rhythm you still have AF (irregular heart beat?). I thought the irregular heart beat made you more likely to get a stroke. Not NSR.?
I love the way this article lists 77 possible causes of AF - one of which is "unknown cause"!
We sometimes want to think of the body as a machine and medics as knowing everything about it; that there is a cause and effect and, given a condition, they should be able to "fix" it.
I guess this just shows us that the body is very complicated and we don't know much!
Like the big C they're likely to be multiple causes, some of which you may never know. But I dare say if you cut a tumour out, and change nothing in the way you live. There's always a chance it will grow straight back.
After all, most of the meds do nothing to cure AF. They just mask the symptoms.
No, if in NSR no irregular heartbeat, however if you have had one incident of AF your stroke risk of x5 continues and therefor, like it or not, we continue to take anti-coagulants, most for life.
Ill not give in to having a normal life just yet CD.
AF may be a risk factor (causative) or a risk marker (bystander) for clinical associations. If AF is a risk factor, terminating it would reasonably be expected to have an impact on the clinical outcome; if AF is a risk marker, terminating it would not be expected to have an impact on the clinical outcome.
I am in permanent AF
Other than very rare occasions I don't have any symptoms/awareness of it.
After a successful CV I thought all was ok but after year or so I checked pulse and it was back.
God knows how long I had it again and as I was on Asprin only how long I was at risk.
Warfarin for life now and don't think twice about it.
Good luck
Thank you R1 - did you ever find the cause of the original AF? Aspirin is a no go for the prevention of AF strokes it seems.
Not really I have Asthma and once was quite bad due to a virus, they seem to think/guess that it could be that or work related stress but can't say for certain
Agree strongly re aspirin
That's one thing I really notice with AF. How your emotional state really effects your physicalality. A small amount of stress at work and I could really feel that goldfish flapping under my chest. I guess the trick is to become more responsible, that is be able to respond to stressful situations with entering the fight flight mode
How do you get a cardioversion or an ablation? 
Hospital appointment how long do you have to wait! 
Long haul travel a few months after succesful cardioversion
How long to take blood thinner for I frequent paroxysmal AF?
PVI successful after long week 
