Hi all, Just thought I'd check in and let you know that I've gone over 2.5 years without afib. I had battled the dread disease for over 5 years with various degrees of success, but finally gave up on the supplement route when I went persistent after having an infection. (magnesium supplements would actually trigger afib in my case, as would just about anything I tried...yikes!) The prby Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
The article said hypothyroidism LOWERS the risk of afib, hyperthyroidism increases it. eh, I am hypothyroidic and I got afib. PeggyM, yes I second-guess doctors and use the internet for info (among other sources). It once saved my life.by Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
If you go past the 48 hr mark without converting, you should probably be on blood thinners. I know from experience you can throw a clot by that time - it's not worth the crap-shoot imo.by Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
I think it depends on the individual, in my case magnesium supplements would trigger afib. Even the smallest amounts would cause an increase in ectopics the same day, and an afib episode the next.by Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
McHale's tale is a good story framework many of us can relate to. Can you imagine what our world would be like if the ablation procedure did not exist?by Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
The problem with the drug alternative, is that in some cases-such as myself, the only experienced near-death situations are the result of drugs, not the underlying condition. I almost bit the big one while on Toprol XL and had a horrible high BPM lengthy tachy while on flec. We're all different, and if someone can sustain the life they want without an ablation that is great, but that wasn&by Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
Glad you enjoyed the ride! But, yeah, it is rough on the old bod.... Oh, to be young again, eh?by Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
John21 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Hi Tom, Thanks for the report and glad things are > going well! I'm 6 weeks post ablation and still > taking it easy, but I was wondering about your > return to hard exercise. I would eventually like > to be able to exercise with some intensity, even > if for only brief periods. How have youby Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
No single impulse depolarizes the atria so there are no P waves during afib. One way to tell if it is NOT afib is to see P waves - if that is the case then it is another type of irregular arrhythmia.by Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi all, Well, this weekend marked one year since I had my second (touch-up) ablation done by Dr. Patrawala of Silicon Valley Cardiology. That touch-up caught a small break in the initial burns around the PV's and also remedied some hot spots found elsewhere outside the left atrium. Zero afib since then, but there is still an occasional hot spot somewhere that brings a low speed tachy nowby Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
Were you able to check BP during the episode that brought on the pronounced weakness?by Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
Every morning I take my blood pressure....the left arm first then the right. The left arm would be 10 points or so lower than the right. I thought, hmmm, I hope this isn't some kind of blockage. Then after months of this, I started taking my right arm first, and guess what? It was lower than the left by about 10 points. The process of taking my own blood pressure was making it go up!by Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
Liz, He said it was a disease "of riches" meaning excesses .. and he may be right (many of us don't need to be wealthy to eat too much bad food). Let's face it, western society is "rich" when compared to many others when talking about foods, medicines, etc, even free time. I never had much extra money, but when I think of my own history....drinking caffiene in theby Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
I warmed all my food and drinks for several months after my ablation - it really helps.by Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
Good move Jackie...best of luck!by Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
I've had the exact same kinds of fibrinogen levels while taking nattokinase. If one were to just look at my results, it would seem the nattokinase actually raised the fibrinogen levels. Just like now, some suggested it was the particular brand....so I tried other brands...same results. At that time I had no specific injuries, but do suffer from some arthritis pain. As with so many drugsby Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
Don't forget that PSA elevations occur up to 88 percent perfectly healthy people with no cancer. My dad had PSA's that would go up and down for seemingly no reason. He died in his late 80's and never had prostate cancer issues. There's reason some insurances won't even cover PSA tests.by Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
I have dealt with chronic prostatitis for about 15 years. My last flare-up triggered the persistent afib that convinced me to get an ablation. cipro didn't do the trick for me and I tried it several times. What worked for me was the combo of doxycycline and septra DS (they are complementary meaning they both are more effective when taken together). Taking for less than 3 months durby Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
I decided that eating fish would be more beneficial than just taking the oil, so I ate 3 oz of wild salmon daily. After six months of this, my LDL was higher than ever contributing to a total cholesterol of 240. . Yikes. I dropped the daily fish and retested 3 months later and my LDL had dropped over 20 points and my VLDL had dropped 3 points. In both tests, however, my triglicerides were welby Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
GeorgeN Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Tom, > > As to niacin, Dr. Gundry published on why... > while lowering cholesterol, it raises the level of > LP PLA2, an inflammation marker > < > bstract/124/21_MeetingAbstracts/A16318 > > George Thanks George, that was very interesting - I guess it remains to be seen if any yeby Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
One thing that has been bothering me about LDL, HDL, VLDL, etc. target levels, is that so many persons (as much as 40 percent of ER visitors I have read) have heart attacks with perfect lipid panels. Many other have high levels and never have a heart attack. Another paradox is brought about by the recently released as well as re-hashed older niacin studies that now universally discount thatby Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
My touch-up ablation gave me back my somewhat normal life - I couldn't believe the number of trouble spots they found, second-time around. From my own experience, as well as friends who've gone through this process...two ablations are often key to long-term success. About triggers...if one needs to avoid common foods to reduce afib, the problem isn't the foods. Get the heart fby Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
Fish oil is a blood thinner also.by Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
They generally didn't live long enough to have problems like afib.by Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
Perhaps I'm missing something here. EMF....electromotive force? The earth's magnetic field can generate it, visible light is electro-magnetic.... anything from gamma to radio waves can generate it - that's what we live in, and did so when we were all still knuckle-draggers. I am Mr. Inflammation....no kidding....arthritis, torn body parts, pain is everywhere all time....by Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
I am subclinically hypothyroidic, a few minor symptoms present themselves which can be controlled with non-drug means to raise metabolism. About 15 years ago a doc put me on the lowest dose of synthroid, and after exactly 30 days I experienced 180 bpm tachy for about 3 hours. This was my first experience with heart rhythm problems. Of course, I quit the stuff immediately. Careful dietby Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
McHale Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > The charges for my overnight hospital stay after > my ablation were denied and deemed unnecessary. > The reason given is that most ablations do not > require an overnight stay and my blood pressure, > breathing and other vitals were all normal. I > guess I should have just got off the gurney > nauby Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
What happens is the heart becomes more sensitive to any stimulus, whether from foods, the wrong amount or kinds of supplements, posture, and even exposure to rapid temperature changes. Take a step back and look at what is happening...the heart has foci (cells that can generate heartbeats, rightly or wrongly initiated) that become more irritable to stimuli that would NOT affect normal foci. Theby Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
Jackie, Do you have any documentation for your dis'n the product that isn't just heresay?by Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM
My two ablations had several charges refused by medicare, including those for a second doctor who seemingly was there as a student. Since most of the ablation patients are likely on medicare, and most ablationists don't refuse medicare,,,I'd bet they're still making some profit :-), as is the facility that houses their procedure.by Tom B - AFIBBERS FORUM