Dr Sanjay Gupta .."AF and Strokes the... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Dr Sanjay Gupta .."AF and Strokes the question nobody can seem to answer"
Excellent
So interesting, now we know the facts! Thank you for posting Steve.
Thank you so much Sanjay. I have AF and left ventricle dilated cardiomyopathy. These are controlled with bisopralol, digoxin and candesartan. I usually have blood pressure on the low to normal side.My cardiologist, backed up by my GP, wants me to take anticoagulants to prevent stroke. I am 66 and weigh 7st 10Ibs.
However, I have extensive bronchiectasis which I have had and managed since I was three years old. I cannot take warfarin because I lose so much fluid in different amounts through emptying my lungs that it would make it difficult to balance the INR. I have tried rivaroxaban and apixaban. With both drugs I was ok for about a year then had bleeds from my lungs and and itching. The bleeds were not major enough to require hospital treatment and stopped when I stopped the anticoagulant. Having looked at the UK sites, regarding these drugs,bronchiectasis is a major contra indication because of the risk of heavy bleeding from the lungs. I bruise easily as I use a steroid inhaler and when on the anticoagulants my arms are almost covered with horrible, painful bruises.
I live in dread of bleeding from my lungs. When I am beginning an exacerbation my sputum shows signs of blood and When I take oral antibiotics I have to come off the anticoagulants because of drug interactions.
So I have taken myself off anticoagulation and am on my own with this because every doctor I see quotes the AF/ stroke theory at me, raises their eyebrows and tells me I am taking a massive risk. Unfortunately in my experience many doctors know very little of bronchiectasis.Only my chest consultant said that she would expect to be seeing me with a large bleed when told I was on anticoagulants.
So I am on my own trying to juggle bleed?/stroke? It is very worrying and I have felt very alone.
Your video has given me some consolation in that The only co morbidity which I have is the cardiomyopathy, which is helped by drug therapy. I am generally active, not overweight and do not have high blood pressure.
Thank you for reading this.
Thank you. 😀
Great video - what a wonderfully clear explanation of issues that are so often misunderstood 
AF is a "marker" for stroke; the major causes lie in co-morbidities.
However, AF does have psychological effects that might interact with stroke risk. We become hyper aware of every beat, notice every ectopic, live and breathe an awareness of our hearts, live fearfully. In trying to avoid AF, we run the risk of becoming timid, and more sedentary. It can be a psychological spiral. yet avoiding activity is possibly the worst thing we can do for our health - for it leads to stagnation, weight gain, reduced blood flow, and increased stroke risk.
Thomps95 so true what you have said in your last para. I certainly fell into that category at the beginning of my journey 24+ years ago.
Excellent explanation from Dr Gupta clarifying the points raised in the thread started by dave1950 So very helpful of Dr Gupta - as usual.
Thank you for posting it Steve.
Thank you again Steve for posting this. As usual Dr Gupta explains it all so well
Love the way Dr Gupta explains it all his posts are making me feel more positive and very informed.......thank you
Thank you so much Sanjay for taking the trouble to explain this. I'm so glad I asked this question that had been bothering me and as a retired scientist I like to have logical explanations which this is
Thank you very much for this clear explanation Dr Gupta, and thank you to Steve too. I have been resisting my GP's insistence that I take anticoagulants. I take enough meds in my opinion (as well as permanent AF I also have hypothyroidism and the usual age related problems - osteoarthritis. But I also had microscopic polyarteritis (now called small cell vasculitis) which badly affected my kidneys and lungs and will of course have permanently damaged some of my blood vessels. I do bruise very easily, which I thought was proof I don't need to take anything other than aspirin. Having listened to Dr Gupta's clear and very helpful explanation I now think maybe I should take anticoagulants - I don't want to, but I don't want to have a stroke either.
Thank you for this very informative video, I had my first AF experience this week and am very shocked and concerned about it, still coming to terms with the fact that I have to take 2 drugs from now on for the rest of my life. Your video has calmed my fears and I will do more research and look at your other videos to grow my understanding. this forum is also very helpful.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Dr Sanjay Gupta
