Hi Jackie; glad to see you on the mend and in NSR!by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
All I can do is put in my two cents worth here. I got a CMS50EW pulse oximeter (recording) for dealing with my OSA a while back. I CLEARLY showed by Afib and after TIKOSYN it clearly showed by NSR. Quite the gizmo. We have a friend with diagnosed aFib who is afraid to do anything about it. I put the pulse oximeter on my finger, on my wife's finger, on HIS wife's finger and then on Hby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
I can only relate to you what I discussed with my EP last month. I have been on TIKOSYN since December 2011 and supposedly in NSR during that time. My LA has shrunk from 60mm to 49mm making me a decent candidate for an ablation, however my EP, who does several every week, suggests that I am sitting with a 100% solution assuming I am in NSR 100% of the time. So the way we have left things is simby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Asides from the question of being on blood thinners one needs to consider the benefit versus the risk of being on blood thinners. For example, a relatively young man that works around heavy machinery all day may want to temper his decision on taking blood thinners and WHAT KIND of blood thinners. These new wonder drug blood thinners that require only occasional INR testing present an entirely nby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sending wishes for a speedy and uneventful recovery for Richmond Hill, Ontario - Jackie has been a wonderful voice of good counsel and reason in difficult times as we all know and I wish there were some way to repay the kindness asides from simply sending good wishes. Get well soon Jackie! Murray L Richmond Hill, Ontarioby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
EVERYONE fails drug treatment IMHO. I have been very lucky with TIKOSYN and have had NSR since Dec 2011 and my LA has shrunk from 60mm to what is now likely about 49mm. In range for a successful ablation; more so than at 60mm in any event. Not everyone is good to go for an ablation out of the gate. I was not. At this point my EP is quite willing to do an ablation (he studied with Natale) bby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Jackie, et. al. I cannot thank the members of this forum enough for their contributions and information which CERTAINLY helped me to enter and maintain NSR and perhaps eliminate the skipped beats as well (I have a few here and there but nothing like it was). I am thinking that one has to listen (read) between the lines here and in doing so one comes away with the feeling that thay are quite hby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
I am sorry George, but am a bit foggy the last few weeks due to accident and passing of father and .... well, essentially I do not get the link between sleep apnea and magnesium intake. Truly. Excepting as might have been suggested, the "trigger point" for AFIB. My personal opinion would be that if I am shooting, I want to be shooting the largest caliber and with as many rounds perby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
For the record I had my one year follow up with my EP this week. A thorough echocardiogram indicates that my Left Atrium has shrunk back to 51mm. Some of you may recall that I began my journey in the 40's, managed to to reach 60mm through the use of a bad choice in cardiologists that knew little about EP and AFIB, etc. On reaching 60mm I was electroardioverted... that is to say they attemby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sorry I cannot speak from ablation experience but, in general, when it comes to medicine and invasive treatment especially, the keywords MUST be "caution and knowledge" or "better safe than sorry". Therefore, on a personal basis, my personal policy is simply that if I am not expecting a certain reaction or symptom, pain included, I will want an explanation FROM SOMEONE WHOby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
This is, indeed, a progressive disease and if you are eligible for ablation I would jump on it. My first cardiologist messed around with me for some time (two years) and then a year after aFib diagnosis, allowing my left atrium to enlarge to 60mm and putting me in the "ablation not recommended" category. I was started on TIKOSYN and have been in NSR since December 2011 as a result (afby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Just watch out for the Magnesium suppositories! They taste awful.by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Now available for Android phones? Outstanding! I'm going to look and see! I want concrete printable proof of skipped beats, PACs, PVC's or aFib episodes going forward. Hoping that I will be in a position to request ablation in June at my recall with my EP. The side effects of the TIKOSYN are knocking the heck out of me more and more. Increasing insomnia, fatigue, trembling, a feeliby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
I now have my serum potassium checked along with INR, etc., twice a month. I find that if I keep my serum potassium in the 4.5 to 5.0 range my heart seems to be calm; drop below 4.5 and I am guaranteed in granite to have skipped heartbeats and chest pressure. I wore an advanced heart monitor from PACE cardiology for almost a month to determine this and accept it as accurate. PACE cardiology heby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
This reminds me of a trip to Morocco in the 80's when the entire charter flight had violent diarrhea except for myself and my friends (that would be about 350 people for 4 washrooms). Some were taken off the plane on stretchers. And the dinner served? Stewed lamb and prunes on couscous. I am at a loss after hearing so many years of those taking magnesium to tolerance and having 'thby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
An interesting situation and a straw poll for my fellow aFibbers: As a matter of necessity (food, shelter) I continue to work at 61 and although my mornings are somewhat dicey at times, I'm pretty much okay on the job. Here's the question. Does one mention or acknowledge that they have aFib? Over the past few weeks I have been speaking with family and friends and aFib has come uby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Jean: Thank you for that response. EXACTLY what folks on the board need to know. 1. We are each an experiment of ONE 2. TIKOSYN is not for everyone. In my case I must avoid aFib sessions like the plague and remain in NSR to allow my left atrium to shrink to the point where my odds for a good ablation are somewhat substantial (At 60mm they were pretty much zip?). Anyway, one year and downby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Oh. My. My cousin in NJ had a wonderful private health care plan when he worked for the bank up until about 1.5 years ago when he had to take retirement. He was a 35 year survivor of MALIGNANT MELANOMA, a very aggressive form of cancer and he had, for a long time, several MRI's each year to determine if the cancer had popped up again, always catching it early and being able to deal withby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
I was put on an advanced event monitor for several weeks that was smart enough to sense an 'event' even whilst sleeping and record one minute of ICG before and after the sensed event. Or if I pushed the EVENT button on the event monitor. When the monitor filled up I simply downloaded by telephone (not cellular) to PACE and they went into my file. In the end, the PAC's, PVCby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
I have aFib since 2009 presumably, diagnosed in 2010, resolved finally by Dr. Verma in 2011 (Dec) with TIKOSYN 500ucg b.i.d. So far so good and am looking for an ablation/ablations as soon as possible. In Ontario all costs related to aFib are covered for the most part by Ontario Health Insurance Plan which is FREE to all residents of Ontario. (Our taxes are high) My wife and I are lookingby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
I went and had a monitor hooked up that I could remove for showering in the AM and wore it for three weeks. It was set to record any anomalies automatically in addition to having an EVENT button should I feel ANYTHING happening. When full one transmitted the file from the monitor over the phone to the cardiology lab for one's file and carried on. They showed NSR on Tikosyn for the three wby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
I see no mention of probiotic suppositories. My strong recommendation is to avoid them as they taste terrible. I am taking probiotic beads morning and night designed to hold off release until they reach my intestines. My wife, on the other hand, is taking the same that are designed to release in her stomache. Need to know what we are taking. It has taken time, but my regiment of probiotics hby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
From my last post on this topic, please do not get the idea that I smack everyone.... that would be crazy. I just smack everyone that bugs me. (Just kidding of course) When I left the hospital after my uptake of Tikosyn in December 2011 I sat with a nurse practitioner in the cardiac arrhythmia wing and the words still ring in my ears "Avoid stress and anxiety at all costs. You MUST letby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
You have an appropriate "handle" as I am male and I simply SMACK anyone that disagrees with me, causes me anxiety or just gets in my way. Don't know if it helps my anxiety much but it sure makes life worth living. Murray smackman Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > My Anxiety continues to raise its ugly head. > Whenever I feel a Heart &by Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
I have skipped beats on a regular basis causing chest pressure and thumping heartbeats. Scarey as hell. I find, in my personal case, that a huge ingestion of POTASSIUM will get rid of the skipped beats within 30 minutes. I take either a cup or two of low sodium V8 or Mott's (about 1.5g per cup) or I will dissolve a couple of heaping tablespoons of Potassium Gluconate in seltzer water and dby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
The most popular machine last year was the Resmed S9 Auto. It collected data on an SD ramcard which you could then dump into your computer and get piles of data. I often set the timer on my pulse oximeter and recorded all night, matching data from each. What an eyeopener! Even went so far as to get an Accutor BP monitor to monitor my BP automatically for a while during sleep and that was an eby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
The Respironics S9 Auto comes with a heated humidifier which I use only on the driest and coldest of days.... it also comes with a heated hose and this I crank up and play with until I get some room temperature air flowing despite environment. Makes sleep all that more comfy and solid. I believe it was a huge trigger for aFib before getting it squared away. OSA is not something you want to triby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
Have a look at the Quattro Pro full face mask. It has a forehead brace that relieved the pressure on the bridge of my nose and the rubber gasket that seals to your face is designed to work with 0 - 20 cmH2O pressure.... and feels like a pillow. I love it and have several. I wash them in Control III antibacterial agent when I have gone through all of them. I let them soak for a half hour or moby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM
I have been using an APAP (CPAP) machine for some time along with minute quantity of infused O2 in order to sleep without popping a vein. Trust me when I say that your first step to recovery is to deal with outstanding issues like sleep apnea - and trust me when I tell you that sleep apnea is NOT a minor affliction. Sleep apnea KILLS. If you are having trouble dealing with it I can suggest tby Murray L - AFIBBERS FORUM