Diagnosed with Afib 3 yrs ago and put on Flecainide and Eliquis. Have not been in Afib since then. No flutters, nothing at all. I am having increased side effects of brain fog, shortness of breath on exertion, anxiety, lethargy, etc., presumably from one of the meds.
My husband has Parkinson’s and I am his caregiver, so I need to be more in control of my faculties than I am now. Cardio suggested I confer with an associate who has performed many Watchman procedures with 95% success rate. We had a consult and he laid it all out to me about being able to get off meds shortly after the procedure. I am wondering if anyone out there has had Watchman and if they are doing okay.
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Storyjo1
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It does sound as though there has been some sort of misunderstanding - the Watchman has no affect on the AF so you will still have symptoms. Watchman device enables people who can’t tolerate anti-coagulants to stop taking them ie Eliquis.
But I suspect IF you have no AFib (you could have without feeling it) - then it is more likely the Flecainide causing the symptoms. If you stop the Flecainide - the AF may return?
Have you had 7 day monitor?
I think you may need to go back and check with your Doctor as to why the Watchman? What does he hope the outcome will be? Does it meet your expectations and if not - is it right for you and why? I would hate for you to go through the procedure and then find at the other end that your QOL has not improved - as you expected.
I know of someone quite recently on the forum who had the device inserted and they seemed very happy - put ‘Watchman’ in the search box at the top of the page and all threads talking about it will come up.
Afib is an uneven heart beat. When you have shortness of breath is your heartbeat different from usual - difficult to read, all-over-the-place etc? If so you are probably experiencing AF but differently from before you took medication.
If your heartbeat is always as steady as usual, regardless of other symptoms, then you are probably not experiencing AF. In that case, why not discuss (preferably with an EP - electrophysicist - who is an expert in AF and other arrhythmias) reducing the flecainide slowly, to see if your heart continues to beat normally despite the symptoms you describe. Then you will know if you still need the flecainide, and can discuss other possible treatments with him.
Cardiologists are not experts in arrythmias, so, either way, I would recommend consulting an EP.
Electrophysiologist - a cardiologist who is trained in the electrics of the heart and who performs ablations. Cardiologists are often not familiar with latest thinking and techniques regarding arrythmias.
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