Hi everyone I am new here and am very thankful for all the great topics! I will try to make my long story short! I had a stroke in June. Two embolic spots on my brain. Drs said it coming from the heart. They did a TEE found what they thought was a PFO. Turns out I had a ASD above PFO but Dr repaired it . While the Dr was repairing the hole my heart went into AF. They gave me meds with no change. I had a cardio version that lasted 5 days. Back to a fib. A second cardio version lasted two weeks. No afib right now but one Dr says the heart will heal and this will go away- the other cardiologist says I will probably have this forever! Very frustrating! I am on Elequist, cardizam, baby aspirin, and a statin. Wondering what caused this first the afib or the hole? Hoping for a happy ending!
What came first?: Hi everyone I am new... - Atrial Fibrillati...
What came first?
Hello Sunny. I had a small TIA some years ago .I was slim, quite active, good blood pressure so the docs. were left wondering. Then I had an echocardiogram and a doc. spotted a hole....medium size. He put me on his 'little list'(he was a specialist in PFOs ) and I went in for a day job to close the hole...successfully.BUT I still have to take an anticoagulant...and for all time. However, before the TIA I often felt tired for no good reason BUT not now....it was also suggested that together with the TIA, around the same time, I may have had a small embolism.We all have clots all the time and they break up but with a hole in the heart they seem to whoosh through the hole without breaking up .....this was my docs. suggestion.I had a brain scan at the time of the TIA and unlike you I was ok.
Being on the blood thinners doesn't seem to be a problem for me so far but I really hate the afib! I am dizzy and feel very lethargic! It is slowly getting to be a smaller amount of time that I am in it but I don't know what the future holds. The one cardiologist told me that I was in a-flutter- I think that is a fairly controlled afib? IDK but thanks for your story all information helps!
Fibrillation and flutter are two different animals. Fib is in he left atrium and flutter in the right.
That's an interesting response! I have three cardiologists now I will surely ask them that question! I think my electrical cardiologist said it was a medication controlled afib but not sure!
Flutter is a fast regular beat emanating from the right atrium which may trigger fibrillation in the left in some patients. They show as quite different on ECG with flutter as a regular but fast saw tooth pattern .' Atrial fibrillation has no pattern whatsoever and is a completely random irregular trace with no p wave.
Thanks for the info. I wore a halter monitor for one month and had a smaller device on two weeks prior to my procedure for the PFO. Before the procedure no a-fib was noted but after the closure and during the closing it was full blown afib. The doctors are debating among themselves whether I will continue in afib or stop after the heart repairs itself. I guess only time will tell. One Dr is a plumber the other the electrician and the third the surgeon that did the procedure! Lots of hands in this one- its a bit complicated! Thanks for your info
Bit of a chicken and egg question I think.
I have a PFO but only discovered during an RF ablation in 2013. A bubble test was performed at the time but it was considered benign so was not treated. I have a lifetime history of migraines which is linked to PFO.
I have had AF for at least 10 years, been on anticoagulants for the last year and a bit. I also have 2 spots on the brain but my neurologist told me we are allowed one per decade of age before concern.
I don’t take any other heart meds, still have periods of AF when aggravated by infection or triggered by stress or Vagal.
I had a suspected TIA quite recently which resolved quickly.
Many factors may be linked but determining cause and affect is very difficult.
How do you think it would help to know?
Well if it was strictly from the hole my stroke risk has been fixed! If not then I still have a risk of more strokes from the afib. I am 53 and the stroke I had in June was very scary for me. I had aphasia which rectified itself and confusion. I really don't want that to happen again. I had migraines when I was a teen but none recently. That was an interesting comment about the spots on the brain. One per decade? I would rather have none!
Don’t think that is possible! I am 66 and have 2 - my neurologist thinks that is good going considering all my issues!
I think stroke risk can never be be ‘fixed’ and worrying about it may increase your BP which is not good.
I know these issues are very scary but we have to live in the moment and enjoy. I am so happy my TIA resolved but it has caused other restrictions. I find daily Mindfulness practice helpful and use a little App (not free) called Calm which I love because it has such good explanations.
The only certainty in life is uncertainty. Someone once told me to only worry about things that you have some sort of control over - very sensible advice I have tried to follow since.
Best wishes CD.
Hi, I’m just concerned to hear you’re on Eliquis and baby aspirin...did your doctor recommend this? I had a bout of AF and dr discovered that I also had an ASD - although closed I have been in chronic AF for 14 years. Trying to get the most out of every day. Good luck with it all.
At one time I was on adult dose aspirin, Plavix and Eliquis! They recently took me off the Plavix and dropped down the aspirin to baby dose! My GP questioned all my blood thinners and the cardiologist realized I was left on Plavix- from the initial stroke! I started in June after the stroke taking Plavix and baby aspirin. Then when they gave me the second cardioversion they put me on Eliquis not realizing I was on Plavix too! What is wrong with being on baby aspirin and Eliquis? I have never had any issues so far.
Update on AFIB after Doctor visit
Attitude Change
Pace maker 
Ablation for afib rvr
having my first AFib
