Afib still after ablation in 2013

Andree-

No pacemaker, I only had the heart ablation. I have lots of head pressure and when I sleep in the middle of the night Im awaken by my heart beating fast and when i sit its up to 100 standing 130 . I made an appt. Im ion atenolo but it makes my bp low and its already low.

Hi Devin

I'm also on atenolol. 

The head pressure sounds awful. 

So, your heart still goes into AF when you're taking atenolol regularly?

I take 1/2 tab each morning now. 

I used to only take 1/2 tab when my heart went into AF - usually when this happens, 6 monthly, it goes up to 180 beats per min, when I would take 1/2 tablet sometimes it would take about 1/2 hr to slow, but if it didn't I had to go into hospital to have an injection in the stomach to bring it down. 

Taking 1/2 tab daily for me still makes me feel like my heart is pounding but it has slowed my blood pressure (although I never had trouble with this) and it has lowered my heart rate, although that was always on the slow side anyway.

Another cardiologist wrote a prescription for Rivaroxaban (Xarelto) for me. They were quite expensive and another doctor said I shouldn't take them as I have stomach ulcers, but the cardiologist who wrote the prescription said no probs.  However, I got the prescription filled, but never took them & I'm glad I didn't, as reading on the internet this drug has caused considerable problems for people.

An 'echo' (ultrasound of your heart) can give a good indication aparently of what's going in with your heart valves if you haven't had one - as it's external, it's not invasive at all.

Hope the cardiologist can sort something out for you.  I know, it causes a lot of anxiety which isn't good for our heart either.

 

Yes Im a nervous wreck with this which makes my heart race. I just need a med that doesnt lower my bp as much. Some nights its 84/52. I hope i dont another ablation.

Thank you so much on your insight!

Devin,

Beta blockers, i.e. the atenolol will lower our heart rate and blood pressure & aparently blood pressure is usually lower at night.

Some doctors suggest eating smaller but more frequently can help. 

I certainly hope you don't have to need another ablation.

I know it's easy to say, but try to not think about your heart beat; try to engage in something that you enjoy, i.e. music, tv, etc to take your mind off it, as anxiety always increases our heart rate.  (Sorry, you've heard this before)

I've just had kidney stones removed as well which stuffed my AF around as well & ended up in ICU.  I'm trying to keep my mind off my AF, but it's not easy as once I start thinking about it, it sends me into anxiety & I can feel my heart pounding.

Good luck Devin; hope the cardiologist can get it under control. Might be worth getting a second opinion from another cardiologist too as they often see things differently.

I understand the anxiety part. As I get older it gets harder.lol I actually made an appt with a new cardiologist. My old said I needed to deaden my veins?? Ouch!!

Kidney stones not good!! Hope you are feeling better!

Glad you have made an appointment with new cardiologist.

Hopefully they will be very thorough with you & get to the bottom of it all & fix everything as well as they can so you don't have to suffer anxiety.

Yes, kidney stones not much fun indeed. I knew I had them as the symptoms were right on for them, but my first lot of scans didn't show any.  Then I went to another GP & he sent me to a different place for scans, which showed a kidney stone the size of a peanut M&M     Makes you wonder how the first lot of scans didn't show it.  It further shows we do need to try different GP's & Specialists if we don't get satisfaction from the first one; and don't be shy about hurting the feelings of these GP's or Specialists; it's $$ for them, but our bodies are more important than their $$.  I could have had my kidney stones out months ago if the first GP & scans were done properly.

Good luck  

Wow thats a big kidney stone. Btw you know a whole bunch about the medical part of things.

Im out of state trying to get answers on head pressure. Great Dr but shes done her part and on her end shes done but she suggested heart issues with pressure since it started with heart issues. Ive lost so much behind this plus bedridden for 7 months. Ugghh..

I do a whole lot of research when medical problems come up. I try and not take medication unless absolutely necessary as I feel doctors are too quick to prescribe meds for us which aren't good for us.

I'm so sorry for you being bedridden for so long; that's awful, and it makes it hard to catch up on things.

Hope it all goes well.

 

Devin,

Rivaroxiban is an anticoagulant to prevent blood clots & a possible  stroke, having a stroke is the biggest for anyone with AF, &

theses are Not at all expensive drugs, so i dont know who told you this.

if you suffer with AF it is very important to have some kind of anticoagulant, & especially if you are 65 years old or older with AF, because at this age you are at risk of getting a stroke even if you dont

have AF.

Good luck

Rivaroxiban is three times the price of Atenolol actually.

However, Devin was discussing Atenolol not Rivaroxiban.

Anticoagulant costs per annum to the NHS UK

 

Warfrin £383 per patient per annum  including monitoring...

Dabigatran £803

Rivaroxaban £767

Apixaban £803

all the figures above are from the internet

Yes i know, but my answer was to your post above to Devin, where you stated you did not take the prescibed Rivaroxiban.

Quote:> Another cardiologist wrote a prescription for Rivaroxaban (Xarelto) for me. They were quite expensive and another doctor said I shouldn't take them as I have stomach ulcers, but the cardiologist who wrote the prescription said no probs.  However, I got the prescription filled, but never took them

Not sure what you're really getting at.

Blood thinners are necessary for AF sufferers. I only mentioned Rivoraxaban was more expensive than Atenolol and Rivoraxaban seemed not suitable for me, and from what I had heard from other cardiologists, wasn't a suitable drug.