I (53 year old, non smoker, over weight) had radio frequency ablation in April 2019, following blanking period and cardioversion June 4th 2019, all running well. No episode of Afib, EF 55+, feel good.
Surgeon okayed stopping meds (all) October 2019
Now (December) they want me back on ALL meds after months of doing well. Plus still feel good.
Should I tell them to forget it?
Not sure you should ignore their advice but I would ask for the reasons why...
What are the medications they want you to restart? It does sound as if you were taken off them all a little too soon.
what are the meds they want you to recommence?
Any other health issues? Hypertension, diabetic etc etc?
If anticoagulation was one of the meds then I agree wholeheartedly. There is plenty of evidence that even successful ablation does not remove stroke risk. In fact the ablation itself can cause the internal surface of the atrium to change allowing pooling to occur . More and more people are advised to remain on anticoagulation post ablation. Since you have not mentioned what other drugs you have re-started further comment is inapropriate.
Same question from a few others.. hopefully my reply to you is visible to them.
I was taking Eliquis (blood thinner), carvedilol, amiodrone, entresto, Spironolactone, and 81 mg aspirin.
July I was talked with surgeon and we agreed to stop amiodrone as my rythm is good and my concerns for the side affects.
Mid October I had follow up with the surgeon and we agreed to stop remaining drugs as I quickly recognize when I am in Afib, have had normal rythm for past 100 days, and my desire to stop taking all the drugs.
Now it is late December and a different cardiologist wants me back on everything. Rythm still good, I take no other meds except an anti acid as needed. Only change is some weight gain due to holiday season.... I feel great.
Finally mind was at ease following 3 years of Afib battle....
I am having echocardiogram next week and will wear a monitor for a week. I'm confident all is well. Fell like doctors just want the insurance money. Grrr
I would agree with Bob - I wouldn’t stop the anti-coagulants, especially as it’s only 100 days since ablation - 12 months after no AF maybe????
All the other meds would be optional risk:benefit assessment & if HR & rhythm is good then I would have thoughts risks of harm would outweigh possible benefits. As we do things SO differently in the UK money is not a consideration here.
Hi Bob, have they said why, has something happened?
Nothing happened. Feel good.
No, you need to find out their reasoning.
Boils down to different opinion from different doctors.
I would ask them why, and if the answer doesn't make a lot of sense, get a second opinion.
In the mean time, try this to help out your afib situation:
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After 9 years of trying different foods and logging EVERYTHING I ate, I found sugar (and to a lesser degree, salt – i.e. dehydration) was triggering my Afib. Doctors don't want to hear this - there is no money in telling patients to eat less sugar. Each person has a different sugar threshold - and it changes as you get older, so you need to count every gram of sugar you eat every day (including natural sugars in fruits, etc.). My tolerance level was 190 grams of sugar per day 8 years ago, 85 grams a year and a half ago, and 60 grams today, so AFIB episodes are more frequent and last longer (this is why all doctors agree that afib gets worse as you get older). If you keep your intake of sugar below your threshold level your AFIB will not happen again (easier said than done of course). It's not the food - it's the sugar (or salt - see below) IN the food that's causing your problems. Try it and you will see - should only take you 1 or 2 months of trial-and-error to find your threshold level. And for the record - ALL sugars are treated the same (honey, refined, agave, natural sugars in fruits, etc.). I successfully triggered AFIB by eating a bunch of plums and peaches one day just to test it out. In addition, I have noticed that moderate (afternoon) exercise (7-mile bike ride or 5-mile hike in the park) often puts my Afib heart back in to normal rhythm a couple hours later. Don’t know why – perhaps you burn off the excess sugars in your blood/muscles or sweat out excess salt?? I also found that strenuous exercise does no good – perhaps you make yourself dehydrated??
I'm pretty sure that Afib is caused by a gland(s) - like the Pancreas, Thyroid (sends signals to the heart to increase speed or strength of beat), Adrenal Gland (sends signals to increase heart rate), Sympathetic Nerve (increases heart rate) or Vagus Nerve (decreases heart rate), Hypothalamus Gland or others - or an organ that, in our old age, is not working well anymore and excess sugar or dehydration is causing them to send mixed signals to the heart - for example telling the heart to beat fast and slow at the same time - which causes it to skip beats, etc. I can't prove that (and neither can my doctors), but I have a very strong suspicion that that is the root cause of our Afib problems. I am working on this with a Nutritionist and hope to get some definitive proof in a few months.
Also, in addition to sugar, if you are dehydrated - this will trigger AFIB as well. It seems (but I have no proof of this) that a little uptick of salt in your blood is being treated the same as an uptick of sugar - both cause AFIB episodes. (I’m not a doctor – it may be the sugar in your muscles/organs and not in your blood, don’t know). In any case you have to keep hydrated, and not eat too much salt. The root problem is that our bodies are not processing sugar/salt properly and no doctor knows why, but the AFIB seems to be a symptom of this and not the primary problem, but medicine is not advanced enough to know the core reason that causes AFIB at this time. You can have a healthy heart and still have Afib – something inside us is triggering it when we eat too much sugar or get (even a little) dehydrated. Find out the core reason for this and you will be a millionaire and make the cover of Time Magazine! Good luck! - Rick Hyer
PS – there is a study backing up this data you can view at:
https//cardiab.biomedcentral.com/a...
Very. Very Interesting.
My case well could have been alchohol sugars... not now as lifestyle changes.
Now dealing with doctors with different opinions.
Thanks
Feeling Bummed out!!
Feeling Nervous
Weird feeling in chest.
6 years since ablation number 1 (of 5)
Just feeling sad
