This past Augusti i was diagnosed with par. Afib.i had it for several years before but they never caught it till i went to er. So,doctor gave me a choice whether to go on thinner. He gave me two horrific scenarios, one with a stroke the other with bleeding. I have one point for being 68 and i guess at,that time one for being female. so i chose not to. So three weeks ago i slipped on ice and fell and cut my arm. I was glad i wasnt on thinner. Then i got flu which may have triggered a five hour afib. I came out of it after taking milk of magnesia. That might have been a coincidence. I usually have one or two a year. When my brother was ill, i had them frequently. My question is : right after and for up to a month is your risk of stroke even more than the per centages they give on charts. Is it really high and then settles back down? Thanks. Also, how do you figure out what your burden is?

That cut on your arm wouldn't have been a big deal. Many people really overestimate how much anticoagulants make you bleed (aspirin is worse).

Your risk of stroke during and after an afib episode is elevated. I don't believe anyone has quantified exactly how much, but does it matter? The risk that stroke presents to you is far greater than the risk of bleeding. If I were in your shoes I would at least take anticoagulants during and for a week or two after an episode.

That is what i was afraid of. I was prescribed eliquis 2x a day. Thanks for the advice. I will take it.