MBBS is an international medical degree awarded in some other countries. It's equivalent to an MD and someone with an MBBS can practice in the US after completing the same requirements a foreign MD would have to complete (usually passing the graduate medical exam and completing a residency). So he's as much an MD as anyone else in the building with an MD after their name.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
It's not that time critical. A few days won't matter. And no, it's not bad to have a procedure following the DST change. Remember, that happens on Saturday night so everyone gets a day and a half to adjust. I wouldn't be the least bit concerned about any of that. I echo Daisy's question. I wouldn't do the procedure if you're just getting an unnamed EP. It coby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
It's long been known that some people do experience symptoms even after an AV node ablation, but nowhere near the symptoms they'd be experiencing if the AV node was still functional. Susan seems to be one of the "lucky" ones. But resorting to amio seems to me a very harsh solution.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
It's true. Funding research is always a struggle because there are far more medical problems in the world than there is money.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
It shouldn't matter what your upper chambers are doing. The connection between them and your ventricles has been severed. So your ventricular rate (your pulse) remains normal during all this, right?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotecalvin Like all medical systems they are profit driven, I'm not sure there is any incentive to find a cause because there is lots of money to be made prescribing meds and preforming procedures. That's my gut feeling I would hope I am wrong. I think you are wrong. The doctors and centers that make money off procedures aren't the ones who are going to find the cause. That'by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotesusan.d Ps. I was shocked when this head cardiologist suggested I start amio. Isn’t that the reason for an AV node ablation? You mean he recommended it now? What on earth for? What's he trying to accomplish?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotesusan.d What side effects (I.e. racing hr) should I expect from dipyridamole and is it similar to adenosine? Actually I just googled the drug and nuclear scan and some get both drugs. Is dipyridamole a nuclear material? Yes, a rapid heart rate. That's the whole point of a stress test. No, it's unrelated to adenosine and totally unlike it. No, it is not a nuclear materialby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotetindellery Thank you for the info. An ablation has been suggested a few time by my cardiologist but he said it's 50% successful that people won't have to have it again, so I'm leary but keeping it as an option. This is why you seek advice from an electrophysiologist (EP), not a general cardiologist. Your cardiologist is wrong. The average EP will generally have a 70-75% succby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I get it. Trust me, I do. I've been where you're at and I spent several years there. You'll find a way out of this, maybe even this year.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yeah, those are compensatory pauses caused by the PACs. They're about 1.2 seconds long, so not dangerous, but I'm sure they don't feel good. But why do you think the beta blockers are causing them? Without the BBs you'd be in tachycardia, right? That doesn't feel good either and it's more harmful than short pauses, which aren't actually harmful.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Dealing with reflux is way out of my wheelhouse. You probably know more about it than I do, but I would assume that you don't want a drug in the same class as famotidine, which is a histamine-2 blocker. Maybe something like Prilosec, which is a PPI? Talk to the GI doc who prescribed the famotidine, and if it wasn't a GI doc, find one and do a consult.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteDini Based on the comment above are you saying that a PFA wouldn’t be successful because of my now persistent Afib, therefore would having the traditional RFA be a better option? If you're referring to my comment, then what I meant was PFA alone might not be successful because it provides only a PVI ablation and persistent afib usually involves more than just the pulmonary veins. Butby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Well, there's another reason to try an alternative. There are lots of choices.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotesusan.d I just google translated my report. The test they want me to take is a stress cardiac mapping with dipyridamole. Is that chemical a form of adenosine? No, they're unrelated.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Since an MRI takes a while, I would expect they'll use dipyridamole or dobutamine since adenosine is so short acting. And yes, whatever they use is going to increase your heart rate. That's the whole point of a stress test.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
There is no interaction between flecainide and amoxicillin, but there is a moderate interaction between famotidine and flecainide. You might want to ask the doctor who prescribed the famotidine if there's another option. Incidentally, I answered your question based on the interactions checker at drugs.com. It's reliable and very useful.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Barb, I hope you don't mind but I edited your post to conceal your email address from spammer email harvesting bots. Anybody can read this forum without signing up, which means spammers run bots that scan it for email addresses to harvest. When they find one, it gets added to a list. That list will then be sold and distributed and your email address will never be removed from it. So it'by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Wow, great outcome and great story! Could be very helpful to our European followers. If you want to copy and paste this to a new topic so it appears on page 1 that would be fine with me. This is an old thread so it appears on page 5 or something like that, so most people won't see it.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yes, he's okay. That happened years ago and he fully recovered.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yes, it does. That's why people who've been on beta blockers for a long time have to wean off slowly. Your body overrides it by producing more adrenaline and by creating new receptors.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Okay, glad to hear you're still doing the consult and I totally understand your need for relief. We're all rooting for you to find it permanently.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Megan, did you really mean a sinus node ablation? Or did you mean an AV node ablation? Very different things.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
PFA can only do a PVI, and I'll be surprised if that's sufficient to terminate persistent afib. Most likely the EP will have to do a combination procedure PFA/RF, or a second RF ablation.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
I think the ones on the bottom shelf are early models.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
You're having a hard time catching a break. I'm sorry.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Multaq is an antiarrhythmic, so the goal is eliminating arrhythmias, such as atrial tachycardia. When you say it has slowed your heart rate down, how much do you mean? What is it at night now and what was it without the Multaq? A QT of 480-510 is concerning, but how did you calculate it? Can you get in to see someone who can get a 12-lead on you, even if it's just a walk-in clinic?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sounds like you're looking for more of a textbook, like something a med student might use in a course on the subject. Is that about right?by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yeah, they do have a major interaction. Multaq can raise your serum levels of colchicine to dangerous levels. You should stop one or the other until you talk to your EP.by Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM