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A forum for discussing other health-related topics and information of general interest not directly related to AFIB.
Re: 100% afib, but normal heart rate. - Today
That can be a perfectly valid choice for some people if your afib is asymptomatic. A few questions.... Is it asymptomatic? Any other meds? How old are you and how physically active? Do you have any other medical conditions? And above all, what's your CHADS-Vasc score?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Supporting Afibbers.org - Yesterday
Quoteacantha I'm not a paypal fan. is there an address a check can be sent? You don't need a PayPal account to donate. You really don't even need to use them at all. Just click the "Donate with debit or credit card" button on the donation page. We just use them as our credit card processing agent because they don't charge non-profits a fee for processing the transaby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Ablation scheduled - Yesterday
Quotemjamesone So a female in the US with no other issues is a 2 at age 65, but a female in Europe with the same profile is a 1. I don't have the 2019 guidelines handy, but as I recall the female point isn't counted until she reaches 75.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Ablation scheduled - Yesterday
QuotePamelaJean Does that mean if I am able to stop a year after a successful ablation I would be put back on it when I turn 75 the following year? Probably not. If your EP judges your risk low enough to come off anticoagulants at all then it's unlikely they would be so arbitrary as to say you have to restart on your 75th birthday. Quote Is it normal to not have a cardiologist followby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Ablation scheduled - 2 days ago
The point for being female is a risk modifier, not a risk in and of itself. It counts if you have other risk factors, but it doesn't count on its own. So a man with a CHADS score of 0 is considered the same as a woman with a score of 1. Anticoagulation isn't recommended for either. However, since everyone gets another point at 75, that means the female point will count again when you tby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: 2 yrs post ablation and now PVCs and thumps - 4 days ago
Quotemjamesone That's because health forums are subject to selection bias. People with unsuccessful ablations are more likely to post. I've been making that point for years. People who get successful ablations just go on with their lives. They don't post to afib forums. Sure, there are people like me and others here who've had successful ablations and remain active, but I cby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Edema - 9 days ago
It doesn't always require surgery, but vascular surgeons are the ones who diagnose and treat the condition. You should follow-up on that referral.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Edema - 10 days ago
Compression stockings will probably help a lot. And don't get them online. Go to a place that sells real ones that have to be measured to fit you. One way to tell if it's simple edema or if it's veinous insufficiency is whether the swelling extends to the tops of your feet (where your shoelaces are). If so, it's edema. If not, it may be peripheral vascular disease and you nby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: confirmation on the need for water - 10 days ago
A catheter doesn't increase urine production. It just means that urine will exit the body as it's produced instead of being stored in the bladder.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Edema - 10 days ago
Edema where? Your ankles? Lots of things can cause edema, including some drugs (esp calcium channel blockers like amlodipine and diltiazem). And no, edema is not a normal part of aging.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Post ablation questions - 22 days ago
Jackie logged into the forum today at 1:30 PM ET.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: HF and afib/flutter - 22 days ago
Quotebettylou4488 I should add- I go to the UofMich. they are having a war with BCBS and I may not be able to see them in a few months unless they iron things out. I have made an HFpEF appointment at Cleveland in August. You can't seen an EP there unless referred by another cardiologist. So the HF is first. (Also made appointment with adult congenital folks but not sure how good they arby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Multaq and low dose amitriptyline - 26 days ago
QuotePamelaJean No labs or EKG since I started Multaq so wouldn’t that be needed sooner rather than later? There's no need for that if you're taking Multaq alone. I spent a while on Multaq and my EP never felt the need to monitor that, and he's a stickler for stuff like that.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Multaq and low dose amitriptyline - 28 days ago
An ablation can be successful despite thyroid problems, but getting the thyroid in order first would be a good idea. If you can stop the amitriptyline without harm then that would be the safest thing to do until you talk to your EP and get an EKG. As for the aspirin AND Eliquis, that seems like a lot more than necessary. And if you've been spitting up blood it's definitely more tby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Multaq and low dose amitriptyline - 28 days ago
The pharmacy can't do anything about it, so say something to the doctor. It may be okay in your case, but I think it's at least worth a conversation and possibly some EKG monitoring. The issue is that Multaq can cause lengthening of the QT interval and so does amitriptyline, so the two combined can potentially be dangerous. That may not be a problem for you, but it definitely warrants aby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Potassium intake - 4 weeks ago
QuoteEricY Has anyone asked their Dr. if there is a test to determine your potassium and magnesium levels at a cellular level? For magnesium, yes. For potassium, not that I know of and I don't think such a test would be useful. Potassium is constantly moving between the vascular space, dissolved in plasma, and the intracellular space in muscle cells. When muscles cells contract and relaxby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: deteremining afib status - 4 weeks ago
It does, but like I said, it will require some EKG interpretation skills to know if what you're looking at is of atrial or ventricular origin. But even without those skills, it will identify afib for you. But it won't identify things like flutter, SVT, etc, which often go hand in hand with afib, and that's where the EKG interpretation comes in. You can pay Kardia to have a cardioloby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: deteremining afib status - 4 weeks ago
Quoteacantha If there are devices that can separate the upper an lower chambers, that would be great. Sure, it's called a 12-lead EKG. And among consumer devices there's the Kardia 6L. However, neither one is going to show you separate recordings for atrial and ventricular beats. You'll have to learn some EKG interpretation to understand that information.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Newly diagnosed with Afib - 4 weeks ago
Quotejustjoe906 As far as the Apixaban blood thinner, is anyone on this and if so any issues with it? I've read several sites that mention the sides effects and all not good. Changing toothbrush for instance, heavy bleeding if cut and brain bleeds if you hit your head among others. I don't know what you've been reading but I recommend finding better sources. I've been on itby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Post ablation questions - 4 weeks ago
QuoteEricY I should have mentioned earlier I have been on both Metoprolol and Flecainide for over 10 years. Relevant info! Yeah, you should definitely taper the metoprolol.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Post ablation questions - 4 weeks ago
I've started and stopped both flecainide and metoprolol several times, both cold turkey. Flecainide doesn't need weaning, but beta blockers do if you've been on them a long time (more than a few months). I was never on metoprolol more than about a year and stopping cold turkey was still no problem for me. So it's really individual. I would stop all of them cold turkey, anby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: PFA vs. RF - 6 weeks ago
The advantage of PFA is safety and time, not efficacy.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Tikosyn question - 6 weeks ago
Tikosyn after an ablation is rather unusual, and especially when the EP says it may be long-term. Tikosyn is a heavy hitter. Most EPs would use something milder like Multaq, sotalol, or flecainide (flec probably not indicated with the cardiomyopathy). Anyway, iit's reasonable to prescribe an antiarrhythmic following an ablation, but only for a short period, typically a month or so. Saying iby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Fluoroscopy - 7 weeks ago
QuoteQwackertoo What is the difference between a touch up ablation w/Watchman placement vs a Re-Do with Watchman placement? When appointment is made within 3 days after the initial ablation? A touch-up procedure is finding the spots where afib signals are getting past the previous ablation lines. It's usually one or two burns vs dozens for a full ablation. And the Watchman is no more thby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: Fluoroscopy - 7 weeks ago
A touch-up ablation and Watchman should be much shorter than your initial procedure. And there's really no way around fluoroscopy. They have to know exactly where they are in the heart and they also need to check the Watchman for leaks. So minimizing the time they use it is really all they can do.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: What % of EPs are capable of isolating LAA? - 7 weeks ago
Quotejasams I believe Natale does an electrical isolation of the laa when he does a watchman, since doing one after a watchman is much more complicated and prone to problems. This is not correct. Natale isolates the LAA only if the LAA is in fact a source of afib or flutter. The LAA can be isolated with a Watchman in place, but you're right that it does make it a little more complicated.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
GLP-1 drugs lower AF risk regardless of weight loss - 7 weeks ago
The following is a summary of a paper presented at HRS 2026 today. EMBARGOED UNTIL THURSDAY, APRIL 23 AT 11:00 AM CT / 12:00 PM ET NEW STUDY LINKS GLP-1 MEDICATIONS TO LOWER RISK OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION, INDEPENDENT OF WEIGHT LOSS CHICAGO, IL, APRIL 23, 2026 – A new study analyzing data from more than 13,000 patients found that people using the increasingly popular weight-loss drugs knoby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Re: generic for Xarelto - 7 weeks ago
They are not. Generic 2.5 mg is available in the US but none of the other dosages are yet. Not sure why that is but I would expect it will rectify itself fairly soon.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM