Eliquis and my new Cardiologist.

With an isolated LAA and low flow velocity, I wouldn't consider stopping Eliquis for even a single day. If the procedure was truly necessary and the doctor refused to follow the bridging protocol, I'd find another, more reasonable doctor. If I had to drive 100 miles, so be it. We both flew to Austin to obtain the best, so a two-hour drive is nothing.

It’s more than possible that the emergency means NOW. Unfortunately, I have seen several surgeries that had to happen immediately such as a blockage In the digestive system. So everyone does not have the luxury of going from Hospital to Hospital.

Sure, emergencies are a different thing. Nothing you can do there other than make the doctors aware of your risk factors and hope for the best.

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Carey
The trouble is, even having that protocol doesn't mean a doctor will be willing to follow it. I've heard from a couple of patients who had surgeons refuse to do procedures despite having the protocol sent to them directly by Austin.

This is why I am very scared to go through my ablation scheduled in a few weeks. I just cannot see myself getting my LAA isolated. From experiencing my family (father having 14 strokes, brother 7, mother etc,) all dying a shell of their former lives and dignity— drooling and losing their control to inexperienced caregivers, I fear the odds of a stroke since I have to have future surgeries and procedures and will be at the mercy of iatrogenic medical staff who is not as experienced and knowledgeable as Natale in the proper bridging and in the future when I am old and decrepit to the mercy of caregivers being compliant in Eliquis dosing.

As I mentioned before, you should definitely get all needed surgeries and procedures done BEFORE doing an ablation that might leave your LAA isolated.

Can’t happen. I’m a human zipper for surgeries plus I get regular colonoscopies. Your logic only applies if I get my last surgery and colonoscopy in my lifetime before a LAA ablation.

I’m scheduled in 20 days but my son alerted me on the spike of covid19. Its a 69% spike increase in 2 days. Also Los Robles hospital is near the beach and people trek from Los Angeles to Ventura County, CA spreading the virus...so even a sleepy town like Thousand Oaks is showing a spike.

I don’t see many wearing masks. If they don’t like a mask, they will hate a respirator.

Susan. Thousand Oaks is 30 miles from Ventura beaches by Freeway. The majority of the LA population that go to Ventura or beaches North of Ventura live less than an hour inland from Thousand Oaks so there's no reason for them to stop on the way.
If you don't stop on your way to Los Robles I'd think you'd be safe from that worry as I'm sure you can't get in the hospital without a mask.

You cannot get into Los Robles hospital without a mask. There is a non-social distancing line at the entrance which is a risk. 2 staff workers sit next to each other at a makeshift card table taking temperatures without social distancing among themselves. I was there 4 times during the past 45 days during my two recent ECV (testing one day, ECV the next). However social distancing among staff is pitiful. Nurses and doctors take their masks off when they are among themselves as well but put the masks back on when near patients. Masks are not 100%. Many medical staff have had gotten COVID in the world even when protected by a mask without symptoms. Masks cuts down on covid19 but it isn’t fail safe. I asked a few nurses in the Cath lab when was their last covid19 test? They laughed and said never. The admitting department is strict however and they wipe down the patient tablets between patients.

You don’t know from janitorial to food prep if hospital employees have visited the nearby beaches or malls or practiced social distancing off duty and didn’t wear a mask. The following is a link to the effectiveness of mask types. I feel there are risks.

[filti.com]
Cotton masks are only 2.5% effective -if for example you are near others at public gatherings who are not wearing a mask.

Smackman - I have been through 7 cardiologists in last 2 years. After realizing and backed by the science, that they are the most inept and ignorant of all of the American disease management systems white coat clowns.

EG - 1st cardiologist never followed up on 2015 245 CAC score.

Same group prescribed statins that are proven to accelerate plaque accumulation.

Never addressed primary issues that likely led to AFIB and atherosclerosis in the first f'ing place.. hyperglycemic and hyperinsulinemic spikes!

Said "lifestyle change" but never discussed in detail but only referred to RDs that gave guaranteed to fail 50% carb med diet advice that wouldn't address T2.

Since then - just monkey standard of don't care medicine from every cardiologist I've come across. Current one argues for statins 90% of visit, says CAC regression is impossible (yet there are my 2 scans) and advises a Loma Linda vegan diet which is essentially what put me here in the first damn place.

So don't worry about pissing off a cardiologist. They all need Clockwork Orange style retraining.