Looking for advice after cardiologist appointment

Hi again

I made a thread a month or two back about being diagnosed with a fib and everyone was so knowledgeable and helpful.

In short, I’m now 28 and have had a fib since mid 2018. I am on flecainide and betablocker. Otherwise very healthy. Not fat and don’t smoke or drink.

I met with the cardiologist today and he said not to have an ablation yet and to remain on flec since I tolerate it well. If it stops working then it’s time for an ablation. He said the chance of stroke during the procedure is 1/500 for me - and could go as high as 1/100 for some people (ie old and diabetes etc). Based on this he said it’s better not to take that risk if I’m fine at the moment on the meds.

He did suggest I drop my flec from 200mg a day to 100mg to see if I’m still fine on that (I was put on 200 immediately which seemed quite a high dose).

Just thought I would check in if that is an OK approach. I hear flec eventually stops working so an ablation is basically inevitable anyway right? Will it have a lower chance of being effective if I wait? (With the flec I’m not in afib unless I forget a dose). I am on health insurance now and my a fib will be covered in 3 years time so could go for an ablation then rather than waiting for the public healthy system.

I’m just really scared of the afib progressing and being stuck with this later in life in an uncontrollable state. The cardiologist also said magnesium doesn’t do anything but I think I will keep taking it because everyone else says otherwise and keep with a healthy lifestyle as well.

Thanks again.

Sounds like you have a good Cardiologist. If/when it comes back your insurance should help pay for a top operator to ablate. Never know, by that time some other solution might be found given even many firm science 'facts' have a half life.
Good Luck!

There are side effects to the Anti-Arrythmics Drugs like Flecainide, so using the least effective dose makes sense, later you can increase the dosage if it becomes less effective. Magnesium has helped many people in varying degrees but have never been a Cure for AFIB. You might be too young and otherwise healthy to jump into an Ablation, especially if you are maintaining NSR on a low dose of Flecainide. It seems as though you haven't given enough time to figure out if there are any resolvable triggers like modifying your Weight Training regimen.

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Zb3
I am on health insurance now and my a fib will be covered in 3 years time so could go for an ablation then rather than waiting for the public healthy system.

I don't understand this. Why will it take 3 years for an ablation to be covered?

If I recall correctly, the poster lives in New Zealand. Insurance laws differ from the US, I would assume.

Flec @ 100mg + BB seems like a perfectly reasonable short-to-mid-term solution, especially if you tolerate it well.

Poo-pooing the mag is commonplace in the mainstream whitecoat community. Ignore it. Find a source that works well for you and figure out your limits, and enjoy the benefits of taking it. I'm assuming healthy kidneys, of course.

I knew he's from NZ and I'm sure their insurance laws are different, but I don't get why there would be a wait like that.

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wolfpack
Poo-pooing the mag is commonplace in the mainstream whitecoat community. Ignore it.

This is true. It's all about how well a doctor keeps up with their continuing medical education. I was actually prescribed magnesium by my EP five years ago. My serum levels were perfectly normal, but he knew those levels don't really mean much.

What wolfpack says.

Hi guys

Thank you for your responses. Yes I live in New Zealand. We have a public health system which covers most things (including ablations) but there are waiting lists and I guess things are managed based on priority as well. Health insurance is not compulsory. If you do decide to take out health insurance (say to ensure you always have access to the best care and do not have to wait), then most policies will not cover pre existing conditions. The policy I have taken out will cover conditions that you had prior to taking out the policy, but coverage for those conditions will only commence after 3 years continuous cover.

I asked the cardiologist if weight lifting could have caused my afib and he said probably not. Nevertheless I have listened to advice here and tried to lift lighter weights for more reps instead (not going over 80% of my 1RM for compound exercises).

What is the best type of magnesium to get? I just have some brand I’ve got from the supermarket so I can probably upgrade in that regard.

You can try any brand but I stick to those that use Albion labs label which is patented and superior to other brands. I tested dozens of magnesium brands and types and settled with MAGSRT by jigsaw. It’s bascially magnesium malate but it’s slow release which means it will last longer and won’t give you any diarrhea as most forms eventually will. It costs more but worth it in my opinion. You can find the brand on amazon for around $40 dollars for a 2 month supply. See link.

[www.amazon.com]



MAGSRT IS THE ONLY TIME-RELEASE MAGNESIUM SUPPLEMENT WITH PEER-REVIEWED CLINICAL TRIAL
Provides 500mg of sustained release Magnesium Malate in a daily (malate form of magnesium is 85% absorbable)
Bound to malic acid, which helps the body create more energy found in the Krebs' cycle and are necessary to generate cellular energy
Highly-absorbable, premium organic form – dimagnesium malate from Albion Labs

Magnesium bisglycinate chelate is also good. You can get that powdered and just mix it in water.

Avoid magnesium oxide. It's just about useless. Magnesium citrate is better but very laxative. Those two are the likeliest finds in things like grocery stores. To upgrade you'll need to visit a vitamin store or the interwebs.

One emerging, and unfortunate, thing to look out for with not just magnesium but any supplement is sourcing. China has been on a real buying spree of health-oriented stuff. While not necessarily a bad thing it does raise the question of quality control and contamination. My take on it is, the stuff costs a bunch anyway, so why not pay the extra dollars for US or North American products? I don't know how being in New Zealand affects that, as I would imagine just about everything is imported, and how one goes about verifying origins of things. Just a caveat to keep in mind as you research your options.

Thank you guys. I will look into the magnesium types you have suggested