Posted , 8 users are following.
I have no symptoms. Only ECG reveals my AFib.
(It was discovered by accident.)
It ain't broke so why fix it? Why ablation? Why drugs?
(I am on warfarin to reduce stroke likelihood.)
0 likes, 13 replies
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smdock12 masonc
Posted
afiblady smdock12
Posted
I am inclined to give up my meds too except for anticoagulant. I am on metoprolol 50 mg twice a day. An hour or so after I take my evening dose I get pacs, pvc, flips and flops. HR stays 65-85 but feels like afib. Lasts about 3 hours and then settles down. I am wondering if my meds aren't causing the skipped beats. I will be regular all day and feel nothing till evening med. my kardia reads unclassified at those times.
I would like to know what your son thinks. Or anyone else. Self treat almost sounds as good as what doctors can come up with. I think they just have to guess too since everyone is different.
hhanover masonc
Posted
Masonc, go immediately to a casino. Your luck is hot! Many people find out about their afib when they are in the hospital after having a stroke. Afib makes us more likely to have a stroke, so most of us are on some sort of anti coagulant regimen. I have been through all those rhythm control medicines the doctors recommend and I didn't like any of them, nor were they effective. Atrial fibrillation, but for the stroke risk, is not a life threatening or a life shortening condition. You're good. Keep your blood thin, give up knife juggling and get on with this great life.
smdock12 hhanover
Posted
bea28340 hhanover
Posted
Hi I have paramoxil AF for 2 years had 4 episodes quite scary I'm on warfarin now but doc as given me Flecainide have you tried it for irregular heart flutter I have heart bpm of 47/51 normally ?
hhanover bea28340
Posted
Bea, Flecainide did not work for me. I developed atrial flutter and what is called long QT syndrome. Some killer thing about the ECG. Lots of patients take the drug and get by quite well, I just wasn't one of them. I also have a slow heart rate in between the oddball calypso runs, but with time they have either lessened or I have become accustomed to them. Doctors pay more attention to you for the first few years which may be prompted by the nature of the disease. It starts our paroxysmal and often the intervals between events gets shorter until it is there all the time. Some people never get to the chronic stage. Weirdly enough, there is theory to the effect that constant afib is less of a stroke risk than the constant in and out of paroxysmal. Many people swear by the effectiveness of ablation of the areas around the openings of the pulmonary veins in the left atrium and I applaud them. I don't know of any long term studies supporting that glowing assessment, but there are plenty of anecdotal accounts which are very cheery.
My version of advice is to do what your doctor says to do. Bring up the bad news you find on the internet and have him/her explain it. Keep track of your INR so your blood gets neither too thick nor too thin, and otherwise ignore the afib to the best of your ability. With only a little attention paid to the situation, your life expectancy is completely normal. I am 78, have had the disease for forty years and am about as active as a guy with "1938" on his birth certificate has any right to be. Good luck.
bea28340 hhanover
Posted
Thank you so much you have really cheered me up I don't really have any symptoms apart from fast heart every 6 months and fluttering at times 😊
bea28340
Posted
I'm just going to take a tablet if I go into afib see if that helps instead of ringing an ambulance 👍
Kerrytwins masonc
Posted
I also got afib when I was 58, without many symptoms. The main issue for me was not being to do vigorous, hiking uphill, going up stairs, worrying about spending time at high elevations and not being to be able to do some things I really wanted to accomplish. Now after 2 ablations,, I am in sinus rythym. I now feel that I can live the rest of my life without being compromised.Exercise and being active are so important for my well-being.
That being said, my father led a very active, adventure filled life up until his mid 80s. I also have 2 siblings with afib,not doing any procedures, just aspirin. Choose your path based on what feels right for you.It is a risk to have an ablation, I think the younger the easier it is to go thru surgery and the ablation and newer techniques are miraculous. Dr. Mead in Palo Alto is incredible. Good luck on your journey!
masonc
Posted
O 1. People do not die of AFib
O 2. AFib is an indicator of an underlying problem, call it X
O 3. People may be disabled little or much by problem X
O 4. People may die as a direct result of problem X
O 5. Treating AFib symptoms does nothing about problem X
O 6. The treatment of AFib symptoms may be a serious diversion
from treatment of problem X, which may be neglected.
John5006 masonc
Posted
Good luck.
masonc John5006
Posted
masonc
Posted
I'm rattling along and comments are desired:
I saw my cardiologist yesterday. I now know how to recognize,
on an ECG, the difference between atrial fibrillation (AFib)
and atrial flutter.
Flutter is a rythmic wobble in the ECG baseline. My flutter
usually has about four beats per heart beat. Fibrillation appears
as an erratic noise on the ECG baseline.
I now know that I had a lot of flutter in the first two months,
ending abruptly on April 2, 2016. After that there were two
8-hour incidents of AFib, then in Sept. 2016 several severe but
brief bedtime incidents of AFib. During these incidents I had
about ten missing beats per minute. After 5 to 10 minutes of
bed rest my heart settled down to a steady rhythym,
finally at 66.
I have never felt any symptoms whatsoever. Only the ECG or
my pulse reveals the problem. (by the way, I'm 95, which may
somehow explain my lack of symptoms)
I use my PC-80B toy frequently and took a 5-hour record to
try to learn what I was doing to cause these brief AFib's. The
cardiologist said they are regarded as "*random*" and implied
I was wasting my time trying to explain them.
I'm still going to try. If there is a cause for stopping (a few
minutes bed rest), there must be a cause for their starting. No?