Comments for Atrial Fibrillation Blog

Comment on Does Alcohol Put You At Risk for Atrial Fibrillation? by mstudzinski

mstudzinski — Thu, 10 May 2012 02:11:51 +0000

I am a 64 year old male who was athletic my whole life. I went into A Fib before a colonoscopy procedure and after the prep the night before. I suspect the Fleets laxative caused it. I was in A Fib and needed to be cardioverted to get out. Lasted for 7 years. It reoccured and I needed to be cardioverted 4 more times withn a year and half. I was then having problems with fatigue and accelerated heartbeat. The whole time I was taking different meds to try to control it. My cardiologist told me I was a candidate for ablation which was a shock because he had told me a year earlier that ablation needed to be refined.
I had the ablation procedure done and even though I was on the table for 8 hours it was succesful. I will be in rythm with no signs of A Fib for 1 year in July. I have heard of some others having a reoccurance but hears hoping.
Oh, I almost forgot 3 months later I went in for a checkup and told them I had heartburn whenever I exerted myself. 2 stents later I feel I am very lucky.
If anyone has not seen “Forks over knives” make it a priority. It’s on Netflix and for heart patients it will be a game changer.

Comment on Atrial Fibrillation & Anticoagulants–StopAfib.org interviews Dr. Daniel Singer by Mellanie

Mellanie — Sun, 06 May 2012 02:31:25 +0000

Carol,

None of the new drugs have reversal agents yet. However, all have a much shorter half-life than warfarin, so their effect doesn’t last nearly as long. And the reversal agent for warfarin doesn’t work instantly, and doesn’t always work. Thus warfarin has a higher rate of bleeds and deaths than the new agents.

The reason there is so much hype around the new drugs and no one complains about the old ones is that the drug companies putting out the new drugs have deep pockets that a lot of folks are trying to tap into. For this reason, there is so much hype out there, and so many journalists stirring up controversy to get their articles read, so please be careful of what you read and don’t believe half of it.

Mellanie

Comment on Join StopAfib.org & Heart Rhythm Society for May 9th Event in Boston for Cardiac Arrhythmia Awareness Month in Massachusetts by pradaxa attorneys

pradaxa attorneys — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:50:43 +0000

Wish I could join that event. Anyways, congratulations for your ideea and best of luck ,

Comment on Atrial Fibrillation & Anticoagulants–StopAfib.org interviews Dr. Daniel Singer by CarolZhu

CarolZhu — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:02:05 +0000

I know that Pradaxa has no reversal agent for bleeding: won’t this cause an issue all types of bleeds and not just cerebral hemorrhages? Do the other new drugs have an antidote?
http://www.newsinferno.com/pharmaceuticals/is-pradaxa-worth-the-risks/36437

Comment on Does Stress Cause Atrial Fibrillation? by KenSturmer

KenSturmer — Tue, 01 May 2012 22:09:48 +0000

@SSD I am in a similar situation to yours. I take a combination of drugs for afib, which I really would rather not take. I know my afib is brought on by stress. I have been fine for three years, just had an echo and my heart was fine as well as my EKG. Then this past week, I put a deposit on a home I am trying to buy. Whammo! I have been having short outbreaks of afib. Today I made the mistake of trying to work outside in the hot sun ( here in Florida ). I was fine for awhile then while trying to trim some bushes I felt a thump, then another, then another. By the time I got in the house, I knew I was experiencing a break out afib episode. I got some ice and put behind my neck, and sat down and did some deep breathing exercises. Within a short time it stopped. I’m sure this is from the stress of worrying over this house! I’d hate to end up in the hospital, because of acheiving the dream of having my own home. I like you, wish I could find a way to overcome this naturally.

Comment on Get Your Afib Questions Answered by Cleveland Clinic Atrial Fibrillation Experts on Live Chat by mitralvalve2

mitralvalve2 — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:57:59 +0000

This is certainly a marvelous article. Thank you for taking a few minutes to summarize this all out for us. It is a great guide!

http://www.themitralvalve.org(Heart Valve Repair)

Comment on Do You Have Sleep Apnea and Atrial Fibrillation? Why Does It Matter? by jlwyatt11

jlwyatt11 — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 03:38:25 +0000

I was diagnose with sleep apnea in 2008. I have been using my CPAP faithfully since. I have had 4 episodes of afib. in last 11 years, at intervals of 3 to 4 years. The 1st two times in 2000 and 2004 I went back into sinus fib or regular rhythem on my own. The last two times I decided to go to the hospital and both times they said I have afib. I asked why if it episodic? They said basically better safe than sorry to take Calcium blockers. I’ve been worried about taking this medicine since. Has anyone else had this experience. IS there a support group somewhere?

Comment on Vote Yes to Ask the FDA to List Vitamin K on Food Labels by jimana

jimana — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 00:12:09 +0000

After having a heart attack 8 years ago, my wife had numerous episodes of A-fib and has been taking Cardizem which controls it quite effectively. She has also, for some years, been taking a Vitamin K complex (K1 and K2) for osteoporosis. She takes no other blood thinners.
My question is, since her now-infrequent episodes of A-fim put her at risk for clotting and possible stroke, would it be best to stop the Vitamin K since it promotes clotting, especially in view of the fact that she is vegetarian and eats large quantities of green, leafy veggies?

Comment on Vote Yes to Ask the FDA to List Vitamin K on Food Labels by jenmcleanfoster

jenmcleanfoster — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:24:45 +0000

As a parent of a 4 year old on warfarin (valve replacement due to congenital heart disease), I applaud you for helping work toward better Vitamin K information on food labels. It’s hard enough to get kids to eat vegetables – when we don’t know whether foods may impact his INR, it’s doubly tough.

Comment on The Role of Coffee in Atrial Fibrillation by patcee

patcee — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:46:34 +0000

My dr. wanted to switch me to Pradaxa but I don’t like the idea of not having regular blood checks to see what’s going on with it. There are some scary stories about it as far as internal bleeding. It seems to me you just take it and hope it is working – without monthly tests to make sure.