QuoteCarey Ah, the three tries probably explains it. The usual protocol would be to start with 100J then go to 200J and then 360J if it didn't work. So you took three shocks to the same two small patches of skin with the last one being the highest power they use. Probably no surprise you've got some irritation. The fentanyl and etomidate are a bit unusual but protocols on what to useby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks all. Interesting I recall them talking about joules. I wonder if I can find that info. I have been cardioverted 5-10 times I think.. So why more or less joules? They also had to do it 3 times. They also gave me fentanyl along w/ etamadate (sp??) .. I had never gotten the fentanyl. it was at an ER.by bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
I take lasix every other day (20 mg).. not Afib related.. my pee habits depend even on what I eat. If I want to shed a lot of water I take it before I eat but I also like to take it after I eat so I can get some extra potassium in me via food (usually I will eat a potato with an avocado on those days.). Sometimes it is like I never took it and sometimes I need to stay near a bathroom but it isby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
What do you all do to help the itch from the burns after cardioversion? Silver Sulfadiazine cream has helped before but is not presently. Anyone have ideas?by bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
I know nothing of a lot of those supplements above-- I do take 20 mg Lasix every other day and sometimes I drain out my nutrients such as Mg and Potassium. one thing I have started doing for potassium is being very conscious about what I eat for breakfast on the Lasix days.. mostly this is to keep PVCs at bay.. but I will have potatoes with avocado for breakfast. I might pop a medjolol date asby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
thanks for the reply-- I'm still on the fence but got into a couple ortho docs this week.by bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
so did your EP give his blessing? I emailed mine and they said ... 'whatever the practitioner says." I told them- he's arrogant and says of course it is OK. lol. I have a 430 appt.. I'm still deciding.by bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
I asked similar question re cortisone shots last week- I went for a cold laser treatment today for my shoulder. As I sat there and felt zaps I thought hmm... maybe this isn't a good idea w/ Afib. I was fine. But curious-- anyone have experience with cold or hot laser and know about if it can trigger Afib? thanksby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
so you get ozone injections? that is cool. my dentist uses ozone but I don't think he'd give me a shot in the shoulder LOL.by bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
thanks. good idea on trying a lesser amount the first time.by bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks George. I was looking at nebulizers awhile back. A friend sent me a link to a $200 one..Amazon much cheaper. What did you end up with? Did you already get the iodine and hydrogen peroxide? I have a hard time finding the latter. I wasn't sure I you can just buy iodine or what to buy. I had a chiropractor once (Dr. Tent .. some people know of him) give me iodine but that bottle iby bettylou4488 - GENERAL HEALTH FORUM
I saw hydroxychloroquine has been discussed but have a specific question. I have several cardiologists.. a congenital ... EP.. and functional (Dr. Kahn). I know that if you are on the anti-arrhythmia drugs then you aren't suppose to take the hydroxychloroquine. I told my EP that I was tempted to go off dofetilide (I take 125) in case I get covid. (I have those congenital issues which Iby bettylou4488 - GENERAL HEALTH FORUM
Many thanks!! I will pick that up!by bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
I am a lurker that comes and goes from here but I noticed this thread and thought I would share an app my husband found called "d-minder". You use it when you go out in the sun to gauge how much Vit. D you are getting-- and if you are in the sun it goes straight in the bod. Of course my husband gets twice as much per minute because he takes his top off and I don't have a privacy fby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
I have tendentious and going effusion in a shoulder. Weighing options as it can be quite painful and mobility is down. One option is cortisone shot. I thought hmm.. I know steroids internally can affect heart rhythm-- but can cortisone shots? I did a quick search on the forum but didn't see anything. Thanksby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thanks.. I did talk to my congenital doc yesterday.. he did not have a reason. They said something like.. "sometimes we don't follow that." um ok. LOL. I am doing an EKG in a week on the 125.. I feel OK with that. the first night I was on the 125 I slept like a baby. which seems odd to me.by bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteCarey Any cardiologist can get you started on Tikosyn. . I am just curious on this b/c I have an adult congenital cardiologist.. and an EP cardiologist. and my adult congenital's nurse said that he would not prescribe it and there is extra training involved to be able to prescribe it. I am just curious. I have been on it a year trying to still sort it out a bit (QT interval stuff.)by bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Before dofetilide it fit the criteria of being an candidate.. it was below 400. When I took the 500 mcg they let me go home from the hospital with it around 508. Then they let me stay on the 250 with it being the same. Now it actually went up a smidge to 511.. but I was having oodles of PVCs when they did this last ECG. So they took me to 125 mcg and I am suppose to get an ECG in a week. Soby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
I know this has been discussed but I was told at my EP appt yesterday that the whole "female" part of the CHAD score ... that if you have JUST that then it doesn't count but if you have more than just being a female then it counts. That makes ZERO sense. right? I was on xeralto but then had an aortic stent (see below) and was on aspirin for that and bleeding out of everywhere sby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
I have been dealing with a fair amount of anxiety (because of life stuff)... I am on dofetilide. So that limits what I can take. I do take Xanax (a half a 0.25) and my new psychiatrist isn't all that concerned about it but it isn't helping much. I take for sleep and sometimes during the day. She suggested we try a small dose of gabapentin. I think this is the same stuff as "gaby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
I should add i have a zio patch on for 2 weeks and i am hoping this may help with my decision... if i have no afib then i may go off it. I'll keep ya postedby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
I just wanted to update you all that i had a very good discussion with the EP today about many things. ON the xeralto, he said.. it is up to me and he supported it either way and laid out what he felt the risks were. i am going to stay on it till i decide if i want to go off it. I am fairly young (52) so going to just think thru it. (I am a 1 2 or 3 depending on how you look at the numbers.)by bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
EP appointment tomorrow.. doing a little light reading. I know web MD isn't the end all be all but found the following. I am wondering about the study that was referenced but also a blood test can be done to determine risk? Anyone know anything about that? At three and five years, the rates of stroke, mini-stroke and major bleeding were higher with any blood thinner, compared with no tby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
So was it the dofetiide or the metrop that was causing your issues? Mine i think was the metrop. I am still on the dofetilide. Thanks I am trying to understand is this truly "heart failure" in the CHAD score or is it simply a drug reaction on the heart.. if that makes sense.by bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
So after being in Afib 3 times i went to hospital to get on dofetilide in January. I went home on that, xeralto and metropopol. As a point of history, a about 6 years ago i went on metrop for high BP and PVCs. The side effects were so bad .. could not even walk across the room. Went off it (on advice of doc). Well this time got home- same thing.. But was also gaining a lb a day. I think iby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
i also know a friend local who does PIP eliquis. I am trying to also understand that CHAD score .. does PIP factor in and how. Like if i am NOT in A-fib does my risk go up or is it simply because i was in Afib at one time. EP doc tomorrowby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteCarey Yes, subtracting the female point is legit so you're a 1. That's according to the new afib guidelines just issued in January (that's posted here somewhere). Being a 1 it's a judgement call. You've got some other issues going on that your docs are probably factoring in so I don't know what I would do if I were in your shoes, but with your complex issuesby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteCarey Do you know your CHADS-Vasc score? It's hard to have a discussion about this without knowing it. You can calculate it here. so... funny i just talked w/ the doc on this tonight. I am female .. which i told him doesn't count (He said that is up for debate). i have had high BP and i did have a high BNP recently right after the hospital (like 333 I think) at one point I thiby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteCarey do i NEED to take this for a YEAR (at least?) What's your afib situation? Are you having episodes? If not, when was the last one? You say you're a CHADs-Vasc 1, so that means anticoagulants are a judgement call. The biggest factor in that decision is going to be afib activity. The other question is how long do you expect to need ibuprofen? It's not that ibuproby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM