Researcher: I certainly instinctively agree with your assessment, but we need to recognize that the studies described in the article do not support the idea that a somewhat increased level of ionizing radiation is detrimental to health. It seems the reality is that a somewhat increased level of ionizing radiation exposure stimulates the body to repair more problems than the radiation causes.by Wil Schuemann - GENERAL HEALTH FORUM
Tom B. has posted 5 messages in this thread clearly stating his objections to even examining the content of the article referenced, plus stimulating 4 messages responding to his messages. Now that Tom B. has clearly and forcefully expressed his objections to examing the studies examined in the referenced article, I hope he will voluntarily refrain from posting further messages in this thread, soby Wil Schuemann - GENERAL HEALTH FORUM
Tom B. I said, "I've read your message several times, trying to determine what your point is. The best I can come up with is that you are mocking both the author of the article and his message." You said, "No, you weren't misinterpreting my intent." Why would you chose to distract attention away from the studies referenced in the article by mocking the articlby Wil Schuemann - GENERAL HEALTH FORUM
Tom B: I believe experiments which deliberately increase a person's exposure to ionizing radiation are considered unethical because of the possibility of the experiment actually doing harm to the study group. Only accidentally created situations: (1) which involve large numbers of people; (2) which involve known increased levels of ionizing radiation; and (3) for which a suitable controlby Wil Schuemann - GENERAL HEALTH FORUM
Tom B: I've read your message several times, trying to determine what your point is. The best I can come up with is that you are mocking both the author of the article and his message. If I am misinterpreting your intent, I apologize. The author's article presents summaries of the results of four large well-constructed studies which show that low, but larger than normal levels ofby Wil Schuemann - GENERAL HEALTH FORUM
Some years ago there were contentious discussions on this site regarding whether the ionizing radiation absorbed during ablation (x-ray imaging) was damaging to future health. The discussions expanded to include the potential damaging effects on future health of non-ionizing radiation (power line, radio, cell phone, and computer monitor radiation). I haven't been a regular visitor here foby Wil Schuemann - GENERAL HEALTH FORUM
I have a Hewlett Packard 4755A PageWriter II, which is a standard medical office ECG (used to be called EKG) machine, likely identical to (or equivalent to) the machine the nurse used to generate your (so called) 12 lead ECG printout(s). I haven't used this ECG since I got my Holter monitor. It comes with: four sealed print heads (four packages of one printhead each); three sealed paby Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
Your fear about the known ablation risk(s), needs to be balanced by fear about the very real (and probably relentless) damage a-fib/flutter can cause. Data about the risk(s) of ablation are well documented. Data about the risk(s) of not having an ablation are essentially non-existent. The more or less typical sequence resulting from a-fib/flutter is: (1) slow enlargement/damage to the left aby Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
Rereading all the above posts, it occurs to me that Dan's message is primarily intended for completely uninformed a-fibbers/flutterers. Dan's argument seems to be that medical advertising hype, and the ablation industry's (supposed) lack of integrity, are causing the uninformed to have unreasonable expectations of ablation. But, this forum consists substantially of the highly inby Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
The idea that human efforts can flourish without the presence of corruption is childishly naive. The important distinctions should involve: (1) the degree of corruption; and (2) the motives behind the corruption, where corruption is defined as "not exactly following the rules". This naturally leads us to the source of the rules, which usually involves a political process: and it shouldby Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
There is one situation where the a-flutter heart rate is not regular, and in this situation the pulse can seem irregular and similar to a-fib's irregularity. Such a condition exists when the conduction ratio (the number of atrial waves passing over the A-V node for each ventricular beat) is unstable. The conduction ratio is always a whole number (2:1, 3:1, 4:1). If one's heart is operby Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
The users here have thoroughly investigated and discussed all the potential risks associated with ablation. The information available here is at least as good, and possibly/probably better, than any information given by an EP to a patient. Therefore asking for answers from an EP is seldom useful. Researching the information contained on this web site is the clearly superior choice. Once an ablby Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
Go look at Hans' data. Then: (1) make an appointment with the EP who has the highest reported success rate, (2) tell that EP you understand the risks involved in ablation; and (3) ask what you must do to obtain an ablation. Then, follow through by doing what you were told to do. If you follow these instructions you will minimize your suffering and maximize your chances that you will be helby Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
I was fully aware of the presence of a-fib from the moment it suddenly appeared (after a frustrating all night session analyzing a German patent). However, my brain was capable of both sensing all the goings on in my chest, or completely ignoring those sensations while going about daily life. Either way, my permanent a-fib was asymptomatic in that there was no significant effect on my daily liby Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
Asymptomatic a-fib does not mean the pulse rate magically becomes steady. In this forum asymptomatic a-fib means no noticeable discomfort, though the heart rate is irregular. I was asymptomatic, with permanent a-fib, for nearly five years before my successful ablation(s). I never noticed my irregular heart rate unless I was specifically measuring my heart rate.by Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
In late 2004 or early 2005 I posted a number of messages detailing: (1) how permanent a-fib leads to physical heart geometry change; (2) which can affect the physical geometry of the heart valve support structure; which (3) can cause valve leakage. In those messages, the (misleading) medical terminology used to describe heart valve leakage was explained (so-called mild leakage is actually veryby Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
I purchased the Horiba C-131 potassium and C122 sodium instruments. I was scheduled to have a basic metabolic blood test last week. I got up at 0600. At 0700 I obtained saliva readings of 5.3 mMol/L for potassium, and 200 ppm for sodium, from the Horiba instruments. (I've not been able to find a correlation table to convert saliva sodium ppm to sodium blood plasma mMol/L) The blood sby Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
Obviously, anything is possible. But: (1) 150 bpm is a common flutter frequency (representing a 2:1 conduction ratio - my flutter runs at 130 bpm); and (2) flutter commonly appears sometime after a successful ablation for a-fib (my flutter appeared 2 months after a successful ablation). A-flutter post-successful-ablation is typically treated with a second ablation if the flutter becomes troubby Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
Beginning some time during the two years after my successful ablation, apparently my left kidney began to atrophy (though I didn't know it was happening). During (very approximately) the third year following the ablation, I experienced a slow anomalous weight loss (without a change in my food intake), an occasional sharp pain on my forward left side just below the rib cage, slightly increaseby Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
I too tried mixed 3/6/9 capsules, many years ago, without noticing any effect. I'm trying your idea. It will be months before I'll be able to report the result of the experiment. Here's hoping it goes well.by Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
I seem to remember, based on many posts over the years, that Flecainide typically becomes ineffective after taking it daily for a year or two. Does that characterize your situation?by Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
You seem to be assuming your high blood pressure must be caused by an excessively vigorous heart. But, it could also be caused by excessive constriction of the vascular system, even in the presence of a relatively quiet heart.by Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
Let your cardio write the prescription for Flecainide. After you have the Flecainide you can experiment with PIP. Your Cardio needed be told what you are actually doing. You should perhaps also have him give you a prescription for a beta blocker. The usual routine is to take the beta blocker and shortly thereafter take the Flecainide. You can look into the many posts here describing PIP techniqby Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
We are all different, but in my case a 100 mg of Flecainide once each episode (once each two days in your case), and given that the PIP Flecainide dose hasn't completely disappeared by the end of the two days and would therefore still be having a beneficial effect, would substantially reduce your total Flecainide intake. Even if you increased the PIP Flecainide dose to a full loading 300 mgby Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
If your reaction to Flecainide is similar to mine (weakness and strong visual processing distortion) you will quickly opt to eliminate the daily dosing and change to a PIP approach. The PIP approach produces no side effects in me, and prevents my body from acclimating to the Flecainide. Your choices are: (1) eliminate ever going into a-fib, but suffer the long term effects of the daily ingestioby Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
The long term health risks of low levels of radiation exposure is not an area I follow closely. However, I'm aware that in the area of physics research there are worries that all governmental low level radiation risk estimates could be based on a false premise. That premise is that radiation risk is proportional to radiation exposure. There is anecdotal evidence that the lowest radiation riby Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
The routes to a-fib can be quite varied. For those aged 60+ it may be that intense exercise substantially increases the probability of a-fib appearing, just as it may be being sedentary substantially increases the probability of a-fib appearing, but for a different reason. In that way the study might have erroneously concluded that intense exercise did not increase the probability of a-fib appearby Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
The HP ECG unit I have is of the type used in medical offices to obtain ECGs. It produces the standard 8.5" x 11" plot of 12 separate heart waveforms used to analyze the electrical behavior of the heart. To my knowledge, no one has examined the current offerings of Holters on the market, nor the current prices. Four or so years ago prices ranged from the low two thousand up to low foby Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
If you want to ease into this instrumentation thing for much less money than purchasing a Holter requires, I still have the Hewlett Packard desktop medical office quality ECG I used before I obtained my Holter four years ago. The main differences are: (1) the HP ties you to a non-portable instrument during the recording; and (2) it samples your heart waveform for some seconds, rather than the 24by Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM
Atrial tachycardia will more often exhibit a steady beat rate. Atrial flutter can exhibit a constant rate (constant conduction ratio), or can flip between two rates (conduction ratio changing back and forth, sometimes quickly, causing a-flutter to feel like a-fib). If you throw in some ectopics the situation becomes even more difficult to analyze. I can't tell the difference between theby Wil Schuemann - AFIBBERS FORUM