Pauline

What operation were you having when going into AF?

I had AF after aortic valve replacement that was fixed by cardioversion. 18 months later I had a colonoscopy and went back into AF after the probe stimulated my vagus nerve.

Hi Pauline

Well done on the weight loss - I was under 60 when diagnosed with AF and since my BP was OK and other than the AF I had no other health issues it was decided I do not yet have to be on warfarin although I have been told it is  likely in the future - glad your symptoms are under control.

Don't go on warfarin, you will have to have blood tests almost every week.

my private specialist put me on Rivaroxaban , one tiny tablet once a day, that's all you need its anticoagulant 

Hi Pauline, I was diagnosed with AF last June, it came out of the blue as I was making tea, fast heartbeat and irregular pulse, I was given Bisoprolol, (a beta blocker and warfarin). It helped to slow down the heart but I still felt the horrible 'knocking' mostly during the night, I was eventually prescribled digoxin which seemed to calm things down a lot. In October I had a cardioversion which up to now has been successful, I am keeping my fingers crossed. I have asked if anyone has had a successful cardioversion which has lasted but so far have had no responses, I am sure that there is someone out there who has but perhaps after they have been 'done' they no longer use the site. Anyway, on to the warfarin. When first prescribed you do need to visit a warfarin clinic just to check you are on the correct dose, in my case it only took a couple of weeks, I am on 3mg for 4 days and 4mg the rest. I then went fortnightly and now go once a month, the first few visits are usually at the local hospital but again, once you are stabalised you can go to your local surgery or health centre. I am the biggest baby in the wold and don't like needles but it is not scary and does not hurt!! People say that you have to be careful about what you eat and drink, I love green leafy veg which can cause a problem if you have too much as they make vitamin K which is a blood clotting vitamin, however, the nurses told me that you can eat this but in moderation, so as long as you are not having huge portions every day it is fine. You can also have some alcohol, again in moderation if you stick to your units, don't go mad but I enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine over Christmas and I'm fine. As for warfarin itself, it has been tried and tested over years, it is indeen the best thing to take to prevent a stroke, aspirin is no where near as good. The new drugs are supposed to be as good, apparently they don't require you go for testing every few weeks but my GP tells me that there is not enough data known about their prolonged use as they are still fairly new. I am 64, 65 in a few months, never had a pill other than paracetamol in my life so having AF was a bit of a shock, however, with medication it is manageable and hopefully you will lead a full life. Cheers, 

Hi AF can caused blood clots. I was in AF and developed a mural thrombosis. I'm 44 and on warfarin. Warfarin may be your best option, look into it and speak to the anticoagultion service for advice. I hope your OK.