I had my annual post-ablation follow up with Dr Natale on December 13th. I am afib free for one year now. This was my only ablation for my paroxysmal A-fib of at least 6 years duration. I am very grateful for how helpful this forum has been to me. I have learned so much from all of your helpful posts. Most importantly, how to pick the right EP for your procedure although nothing is ever guaranteeby frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thank you to everyone who responded to my post. Your comments are always helpful. I decided to stay with a Supplement Plan for at least another year. This will allow me the freedom to go to any provider I choose including Natale. I signed up for a Supplement Plan G which covers almost all of my medical expenses except for the plan B deductible.by frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
Jake, I am looking at the United Healthcare advantage plans offered in my area. Orange County California. I will examine them more closely to see if there was something that is similar to yours but I don't think so. They have a freedom plus which allows you to go outside of the network but at a $40 copay for office visits I don't think it covers procedures. I will check more closely. Yoby frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
I had an ablation by Dr Natale on December 15th 2020. At the time I had paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with a 51% burden. He ablated a lot of areas and I have been afib free ever since. Currently I can save a lot of money by enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan in my area which includes all the doctors I am currently seeing except Natale. This plan and does include EPs with good reputations. Mby frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
I had an ablation by Dr Natale on December 15th 2020. At the time I had paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with a 51% burden. He ablated a lot of areas and I have been afib free ever since. Currently I can save a lot of money by enrolling in a Medicare Advantage plan in my area which includes all the doctors I am currently seeing except Natale. This plan and does include EPs with good reputations. Mby frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
I personally would not get an ablation from a Dr with less than a thousand or more ablations under their belt and a very low complication rate and a high success rate. I would look for a high volume center. IMHO.by frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
I tortured myself last year over the same decision that you are facing. I did wind up canceling with my local EP and went to Natale [ based on guidance and stories that I got from this forum]. I had a successful ablation and it wound up being much more extensive then I thought it would be. I had paroxysmal A-fib for about 6 years and I required much more then PVI. I would question your EP thorougby frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
California girl, I recently read of a study which showed that high supplementation with Omega 3 fatty acids resulted in increased afib. I think there were a few studies showing these results. You can Google it.by frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Tony. I had my ablation in December and was put on 80 mg of sotalol twice a day. During the first few weeks I had a couple of breakthrough afib episodes but since then I've been in NSR. I was taken off the sotalol at the three-month mark. So for me it served the purpose well. I did feel a little more tired than usual on the sotalol but it wasn't extreme. I did feel that it interferedby frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
I thought PFA can only be used for PVI. Is this correct?by frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteCarey You're a CHADS 1 now but in 7 months you're going to be a 2. Being a CHADS 2 means stopping Eliquis is a judgement call. Natale's judgement is that you can stop it, and I know he's very conservative about stroke risk, so you should feel confident in that decision. However, if you want to hedge your bets and feel a little more comfortable when you're 75 and abovby frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotesmackman Was your LAA isolated? No.by frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hello all, I have posted only a few times in this forum but I follow frequently. I am happy to announce that at 6 months post ablation my Zio patch came back A-fib free for the 7 days I wore it. Dr. Natale told me that I no longer have to take my Eliquis. While I was very happy to hear this I find that I am now very nervous about doing this even though I hold doctor Natale in very high regardby frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
Happy New Year to all of the wonderful supportive people on this godsend of a forum. You have been so helpful to me in my struggles with afib. May we all have a safe, healthy, and peaceful 2021.by frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thank you Carey and everyone else who responded to my post. Your input is helpful to me in sorting out what I want and need to do. Thank you. Currently I am in NSR so I feel much more relaxed. However overall I have not been feeling great since my ablation on the 15th of December. I do not have my pre ablation energy back yet and the last few days I have felt really fatigued. I suspect the sotaby frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
NLAMA - thank you for your feedback and I hope that you will be able to get off the flecainide soon and remain in NSR. Cary - sotalol makes me very nervous because of the danger of torsade. I reluctantly agreed to go on it at 80 mg b i d. I would not take it at a higher dosage. I understand that some may think I'm overreacting but that is how I see it. I wonder if flecainide is a safer antiby frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
Lani- thank you for sharing your story it is very helpful and encouraging. Congratulations on your 7 months in NSR and hopefully many more to come.by frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sue - I am not wanting to add metoprolol to the sotalol. I am asking about dropping the sotalol and only go on metoprolol when my heart rate is too high. Unfortunately I do not have a local EP. I saw a cardiologist for the first time last month but may not return to him. This is on my to do list.by frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
I had my ablation on December 15th. I was placed on sotalol 80 mg b i d. This is the first time that I am taking an antiarrhythmic. I was in NSR up until early this morning. About 5:30 A M I woke up in a fib and I've been in afib now for about 12 hours. I was hoping that I would self convert sooner but it hasn't happened. Is 12 hours or longer of being in afib during the blanking periodby frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
I'm still new at posting on this site. My previous post was meant to start a new topic. Please view it that wayby frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
I had my ablation on December 15th. I was put on 80 mg of sotalol b i d. I was not on an antiarrhythmic prior to my ablation. I was in NSR up until early this morning. I have now been in AFib for about 12 hours. Is this usual during the blanking period? Is 12 hours too long? My nurse practitioner is not in the office and the one covering asked for my heart rate and blood pressure which I was ableby frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
Sue, the sotalol was started after I left the hospital. But unfortunately I spoke too soon yesterday as I went into afib at about 5am this morning. It's now 2 p.m. and I'm still in AFib. Very discouraging but I understand that this happens during the blanking period and does not mean failure. Good luck to you.by frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
I had my ablation on December 15th and was placed on sotalol 80 mg twice a day. So far so good. I remain in NSR. I expressed my concerns to dr. Natale but he said that at the low dose it would not be a problem. So far that has been the case. Everyone's different but that is my experience.by frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
Dweller, thank you for your input. While only a sample of 1 your grandma's experience is very encouraging for me. 50 years in AFib and she was able to make it to 95, awesome! You said you have had A-fib for 25 years now. How are you doing with your afib and have you had any ablations? I realize that there is no one solution that fits everyone. I am just very skeptical about medical intervenby frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
To merri: A-fib burden is the percentage of time that you spend in AFib.by frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
Thank you all for your comments. I have an appointment this coming Friday with a new cardiologist. Hopefully he can be someone that I can work with to manage my AFib. My overall view of medical care is "less is more." And I believe the body will try to heal itself although I realize that's not always possible.by frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
GeorgeN - "if your rate in afib is <100 BPM, then not to worry (some are)." Are there studies that back this up? This is the type of information I am seeking but haven't found yet in my search. My EF is good @63.by frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM
This is my first post on this forum. I am 73 years old and was diagnosed with afib in 2012. It was discovered when I had an EKG in preparation for a colonoscopy. It came as a shock as I had no symptoms. Since my overall health was excellent the cardiologist I saw told me only to take aspirin and return when I turned 70 or if I develop symptoms. When I turned 69 I contacted an electrophysiologistby frankangelo - AFIBBERS FORUM