Update from Shannon

Just a note for those wishing to log into the forum recently and register to add new posts or start threads who had had some difficulty doing so. A few of you got stuck during a brief few days glitch when, I too, was locked out from even accessing the Phorum administration page from middle of last week through this past Sunday. That issue has now been solved, thankfully, and anyone wanting to register for the first time for posting on the forum can do so now.

I also have been out of commission somewhat the ten days after returning from Dallas where I attended the STOP-AFIB conference hosted by my friend Mellanie True Hills who invited me to attend her annual patient-oriented AFIB conference. By the way, the event was a very well organized and professional AFIB conference and was a pleasure to attend. Mellanie and her staff did a bang up job of putting it all together and I was very impressed by their efforts and great results .. Super job Mellanie!

A medical issue with my vision also appeared over the last ten days that I feel is worth discussing to increase awareness among all of us in our late 50s and older so that if any of you experience similar syptoms you know that a rather urgent visit to your eye doctor is warranted. After returning from Dallas last Monday, the 19th, and during the two hour drive home from Phoenix airport to Sedona, I started noticing this large brownish 'floater' drifting across my right eye vision, it was odd and rather annoying to say the least. Once home that evening when it was dark, the 'floater' was joined by periodic flashes of light in a thin crescent moon shape flash in the far right periphery of my vision as well.

The next morning I called my eye doctor first thing who said to come in right away, and a thorough exam turned up what is called a Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD) with a Weiss Ring. That just means that the vitreous which is a large sack making up the inner eye ball shape, form and solidity with a gel-like vitreous filling the sack like membrane, begins to dry out some and the gel in the back of the eye starts turning to liquid with age ... and in my case is far more common in folks like me with life-long severe myopia or nearsightedness. The Weiss ring bit indicates a ligament attached to the optic nerve has pulled free which is a good thing in a way as there is no more tension from that ligament to possibly tear that part where the ligament attaches to the retina.

Thankfully, though, there was as yet no retinal tear or retinal detachment found, which is the main concern from a PVD, as either event can potentially lead to total blindness in that eye unless treated with laser surgery pretty quickly.

I was told to take it easy, especially avoiding vigorous exercise for a month and be on high alert for any increase in number of much smaller 'Floaters' and/or increase in flashes of light, with the order to call my eye doc immediately, even over the weekend or at night, should either anomaly increase. Since no retina tear had occurred my eye doc gave me a 90% chance it would not happen and 10% chance it still could occur at any time over the next 30 to 45 days.

Well, as luck would have it, two days ago this latest Monday around noon, I suddenly noticed an explosion of tiny dark round 'floaters' that look like tiny round red blood cells in a microscope slide, but that were basically dark and without any color flooding my vision and that I could only see against a blue sky backdrop. Hence another urgent visit with the eye doc for a very extensive eye exam that revealed a hemorrhage around the optic nerve.

This led to referral yesterday to an eye surgeon and Retinal Specialist who confirmed everything, and alas he did discover that my retina had torn off the optic nerve and thus the hemorrhage and lots of small "floaters' were indeed a lot of red blood cells! The Retinal Specialist then did a Laser surgery on my right eye using 86 Laser burns through my eye to the very back wall to basically 'tack weld' the tear in my retina onto the back wall of my eye ball and hopefully arrest any further tear or total retinal detachment that could easily endanger my vision in my right eye.

So that is my little saga the past week plus, and hence my relative scarcity here on the Phorum since leaving for Dallas two weeks ago. I'm doing okay today with only minor eye discomfort and its rather amazing they can shoot 86 laser blasts through the Iris to the back wall of the eye without leaving even the slightest visible scar or evidence at all!

I still have to be careful and not overdo things the next month while I'm still at high risk for more tearing of the retina, but the surgeon doesn't expect any more problems.

Im taking today and tomorrow off and then plan on beginning to write an update in the form of a half-size AFIB Report with some interesting news and topics that I'll share both here on the Forum and send to our newsletter subscribers when finished as well.

Keep my experience in mind should any of you have a sudden onset of 'floaters' and/or flashing lights in your outer corner peripheral vision, and don't try to just ignore it as something g that will surely pass. Those symptoms which are increasing common as we age and especially if you have strong myopia or nearsightness, demand your action to get to an eye doctor pronto.

I so appreciate the many of you who so often contribute here on our forum and keeping our community vital and so helpful to so many .. thank you all!

Forum Update

Travis and I are in the process of implementing some updates to the forum that may allow us to upgrade the existing Phorum Platform as is, and if all goes well it looks like we may not have to migrate this Phorum platform we have used for many years now to another newer Platform after all! And yet, we should still be able to do away with the existing universal log in with 'afibbers' username and '2sesame' password I am told.

Eliminating this initial login process that is cumbersome for us all, has been a big goal in our overall revamp and it was only there to keep spammers from overrunning the forum. If its true that we can prevent the spammers now without requiring such a login just to access the forum, that will open up the entire forum to search engines across the web and introduce this wonderful resource to far more afibbers who have no clue we exist now!

The Phorum platform developer in Germany has assured us he can bring about the needed upgrades to allow us to drop the initial forum login, but until we confirm this in fact and implement the new upgrades, please understand that the universal login to access the forum will still be required ... just wanted to give you all an idea of what is coming!

Be well all,
Shannon



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2016 09:29AM by Shannon.

Dear Shannon,
Keeping you in my prayers and hoping for a speedy recovery.

Yesterday I had a TEE and at first it looked like my clot was gone. When the doc read it again he saw that there was a very tiny piece visible with residue. Not sure if I articulated that correctly. Nurse Curry emailed me and said Dr. Natale said to keep my October 10 ablation appointment. He will do another TEE the day of ablation. I'm traveling from Michigan and I'm just a tad bit nervous but.....I'm going to still keep my appointment because I truly believe in Dr. Natale. I was truly disappointed yesterday thinking I would definitely have to reschedule and now today I am feeling inspired.

Take care of yourself Shannon. I so appreciate all you do for this website.
Best regards,
Pamela

Thanks Pamela, I'm doing just fine and nothing to be concerned about though I appreciate your best wishes.

And I would not worry at all about the very tiny remnant of the clot found on TEE, as it's almost a certainty that such a very small remnant clot seen recently on TEE will invariable be dissolved prior to your touch up ablation in Austin after such a long successs after your index ablation with Dr Natale over 9 years ago. Truly, Eiquis should get that job done well before you leave for Texas, a conviction echoed by Natale and his staff having no hesitation in you coming for your already set ablation date.

Don't spend another moment worrying about that.

And best wishes too, I'm sure Dr Natale will be happy to see both you and Mike seeing him again after the long 9 + years of success from your first ablations with him. A LOT has changed with big improvements in 3D mapping systems, Smart Flow irrigated catheters that also have contact force sensors now in the tips, much improved ICE (Intra-Cardiac-Echocardiography) cameras as well as major improvements in ablation techniques and overall understanding of the ablation process and how to individualize treatment for each patient based on what their own atrial condition presents to the EP in real time during an expert ablation.

All the staff are 10 years more experienced too so you both are going to experience a much more refined and nuanced process in Austin compared to the already impressively successful index ablations you both have greatly benefitted from the past nine years that was done by Dr. Natale at Cleveland Clinic a long time ago.

Be well and best wishes for upcoming touch up ablations.

Shannon



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/07/2016 11:48AM by Shannon.

Shannon,

Be well buddy!

George

Shannon,

A few years ago, I too had "an explosion of black floaters", and regular eye docs didn't see the very beginning of a left eye retinal detachment, which was way up in the upper outer quadrant of my left eye. But a great RETINAL SPECIALIST, in the Denver area, DID see it, and he immediately lasered it--the slight "unzipping" shut, preventing a full blown retinal detachment! That doc's name is Dr. John D. Zilis, M.D. (retinal specialist type of eye doc/ophthalmologist).

After recovering, I still had many residual black floaters, so I asked a nice nutritionist at a Vitamin Cottage health food store what I could do about the floaters. She showed me a little booklet about eye care, that mentioned how some folks using HYALURONIC ACID for their arthritis, noticed a nice side effect of the H.A., namely--fewer floaters!

Since that day, I've been taking 100 mg. of H.A. (Hyaluronic Acid), by mouth, with well water, twice a day, after meals.

In my case, the H.A. seems to have greatly decreased those pesky floaters.

Good luck, and thanks for your stewardship of this website!

Carol (cell: 970-531-5000, fsds@rkymtnhi.com , [cantbreathesuspectvcd.com] --wife of a-fib husband.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2016 12:38PM by Carol.

All the best to you, Shannon. Sight is so precious. Heal quickly. Joycexx

Get well my friend. Take care of yourself while the eye heals.

I will be keeping you in my prayers, Shannon. Thank you for all you do!

S -- So sorry to hear of the eye probs.

Know pretty much what you're probably going through... have had two detachments in the last five years in the same eye. And lost a lot of vision as a result. The good part is that I was able to be corrected (new lens prescription) to a decent status, keeping me very functional.

Once one experiences these scary episodes we REALLY realize and appreciate how precious sight truly is.

Wanna reinforce to our forum members one of your key messages: DON'T delay in contacting your eye specialist if you notice abnormalities... new floaters, flashing lights, dark spots, a "curtain"-like obstruction, or other unusual happenings in your eyes.

All the best!

/L

Hi Shannon - Sorry about the late response. I hope by now you are noticing both improvement and less discomfort.
What an ordeal. Glad you were able to get help quickly.

Relax and take care of yourself as the first priority.
Kind regards,
Jackie

I haven't been regularly on the Phorum, but I do check in, and was dismayed to read your account of your eye saga, Shannon. I am so sorry you experienced such an ordeal! Please take all the time you need to fully recover. Am sending a stream of healing thoughts.

Louise

Shannon,
Wow I should come here more often, sorry to hear of this recent episode as if you haven't been thru enough to deal with with your afib, lariat leak and ankle! All the while taking caring of us as if we were your family!
I too have been getting streaks of rainbow like lights flashing in a as you put in a "thin crescent moon shape flash in the far right periphery of my vision". in both eyes like when I move my head left and right for the better part of 6 months.
I read it might be my caratoid arteries or detached retina, but on a recent checkup with mom I had her ophthalmologist check me out and my eyes are perfectly normal.Also my cardiologist also checked my carotoid artieries and they sounded good.

Talk Soon my friend,

McHale

Shannon,

I read your posts with great enthusiasm and I soak up all the wise and comforting words as well as the no fuss well researched information you give us all. When I am having an episode of AF in the middle of a long dark night and that little beast called 'fear' is sitting on my shoulder, he is quickly banished by logging in to this site and reading yours and other contributors words of wisdom.

I hope this event is just a small hiccup and is quickly resolved, and you'll be back at the head of the batting order in no time at all.
Take care of yourself and be well. Sending loads of positive energy across the miles.

Hi Shannon, sorry to read about your eye problems. You have been through a lot and always smartly and with an optimism that lifts all of up. Wishing the best for you. Dennis

Thinking of you. Keep well.
Murray

Murray L

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Tikosyn uptake Dec 2011 500ug b.i.d. NSR since!
Herein lies opinion, not professional advice, which all are well advised to seek.