GeorgeN : If I have time, I will ask my EP about that later this week. I was wondering about that also. Maybe the EKG machine can measure all of the tiny P-waves caused by fibrillation not visisible to the eye on the print-out. Also I was refering not just to AFIB, but also to A-Flutter.by The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
Shannon: About the 1:1 ratio: The EKG's (3 of them) actually say Atrial Tachyardia, not Flutter, a nurse and my Doctor told me it was Flutter, it does sort of look like it, but how can they not just raed the top desription on the EKG? I will ask the Doctor to clarify this, I have heard of the EKG machines making mis-diagnosises. Also I see that the rest of the EKG's of AFIB, show anby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
GeorgeN Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------ > "my EKG has shown AFIB, with an Atrial rate of 102 > How do you read an atrial rate on an ECG? George, The Atrial rate is not showing up on any of the 1-page printouts of the EKG's. It is however showing up in the detailed EKG description in the medical records from the Hospital. The Atrial rate iby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
I think your getting ahead of yourself a little bit. If your Vagal-mediated, and all of your episodes occur in your sleep, then you should follow through on a formal sleep study, and have the results analyzed by maybe to sleep Doctors. I suggest keeping a detailed log of everything you did preceeding any future attacks, to follow up on the the trigger aviodance route. As for the Ablation,by The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
MarkROBO): How about some test to see what the stuff is? I think a "fluid cytology" or something like that would tell you more info, or at least rule out other possibilities. Alot of people have cronic sinus fluid drainage down the back of the throat, but I don't think that thickness of consistency is normal. Your not grossly dehydrated are you? I always got drainage downby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
Shannon: I had 2 full sleep studies, then they told me I absolutely had to use a CPAP machine. I was in bad shape at that point, with persistent AFIB, and Heart Failure with EF of 35-40%. I hated the CPAP so much, so I got a 3rd sleep test done at home, where they measured by Oxygenation rate on some kind of Holter Monitor. I was fine on that 3rd test using my own techniques, which basicallyby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
My Heart Failure was resolved. From EF of 20% to 64%, and Echo's have been good for 3 years now. What was bad, was that upon referral from my EP, I went to ER room, took the 300 Flec (1st time that high of dose), and then had an EKG done. My Doctor faxed them orders for STAT treatment, but they somehow got misplaced. It was a busy day at this ER room. Now the EKG was normal AFIB atby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
When I take Flecainide PIP at even only 250+mg, I get the following side effects: Having trouble speaking (as in finishing sentences). Difficulty moving around ( as im starting to walk, then collapsing to my knees after taking several steps). And at 300mg bolus dose (PIP) I start to pass out, and struggle to stay alert. These side effects are transient, only lasting for 30-90 minutes, corby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
Obviously being overweight is a big factor in the Sleep Apnea caused by the supine position that Jackie referred to. This can also be a factor on otherwise healthy younger males. The more muscle tissue in the front area of the neck causes an increased risk of the tissue falling back on the airway. Otherwise healthy football players and weight lifters are susseptible to this issue. The Doctorsby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
It's definately worth trying, magnesium in particular, you might even me able to get off the Anti-arthymics, like I did.by The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
"Shannon, who is the Dr. that will perform ECV without anesthesia? I always wanted to know what it was really like, and I could never never talk my Doctors into it." Anti-AFIB, no doc in his right mind will try an ECV without anesthesia. I had it once only due to a country ER doc not understanding how Propofol works and he took 4 minutes to inject 100mg and I told him I needed 115mby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
Depends on alot of factors: How long have you stayed in NSR previously after ECV? -- if the odds are good you get several months it's probably worth it to go ECV. Symptoms bearable in AFIB? -- if symptoms bother you, more likely to go for ECV. You should change something first before another ECV. More Mg, or add a new Anti-arrthymic, also look for triby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
What is your problem? AFIB? Was this test done in NSR? How long since last episode? Corresponding low DHEA, T and Cortisol makes sense, in the scenario of Adrenal Fatigue. Low Cortisol can cause vulnerability to AFIB. If you haven't already, you might consider supplementation with DHEA and/or Pregnenolone under the care of a HRT Doctor or specialist. In some far gone cases of Adby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
If you haven't had a sleep study done, you will probably be surprised at you much you snore. I concur with what Jackie said. I you don't have one, I would get a pulse oxymeter. They run like $25 on Ebay, this will show your oxygenation rate. You can tape it on your finger, and glance at it while you are lying down, or have someone monitor it while you sleep, until you get a realby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
Not enough info here why he would do such a thing, is the there something else going on, like poor ejection fraction? Maybe he just wanted you to have it on hand, in case you had an episode, and wanted or needed it. I doubt anyone here would want to take Pradaxa if everything OK in NSR all the time.by The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
At one time, like 27 years ago, my resting pulse rate was 33. Now it is in the 50's, and I have had an EP Doctor tell me that I have Bradycardia, and should get a pace-maker, to rasie my Heart-rate, not taking into account that cardiovascular activity normally does lower RHR.by The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
Robo11: In your althlete days, what happened? Did you stretch out your Atria too much from the high load you put on it with high intensity training? A stretched out Atria predisposes one to AFIB. I have read numerous times, that it does happen to elite cardiovascularly trained athletes. After you quit training through the Atria should returned to normal, although maybe something to do withby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
What kind of athlete were you? Age now? Well no reason to exercise during your short episodes anyway. Flec is a "use dependent" drug which means the faster the Heart rate, the more pronounced the effects of the drug are. I would get another opinion from another EP Doctor about your rate control. Do you have an EP Doctor, or just regular Cardio Dr? I mentioned the Flutter-by The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
Another well-written and informative post from Shannon, Thankyou. You commonly reference highly skilled elite EP Ablationists, in reference to Ablation success. Has there been any studies on the success rates of just a sub-set of elite Ablationists vs. all Ablationists? I do believe it has been studied based on Elite, or high-volume Medical Centers.by The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
Many reasons why, for one, the long-term success rate goes down as time goes on. 6 months is not very far into it, but great if you if it has worked so far. I was trying to differentiate between Flutter-Ablations and AFIB Ablations. with Flutter-Ablations being a much safer bet for success with much less trauma to the Heart, and much less tissue is destroyed (ablated). I will post more later,by The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
I was just wondering about that, I don't remember reading about a differential between whether or a not an AFIBer is Vagal or not in the Flec protocols. In any regard 200bpm is not at all a controlled Heart rate, and the Diltizem appears to not be working.by The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
Is the 200bpm an AFIB rate, or a Flutter rate? Have you tried other rate control methods? 200bpm is not very controlled. I have no trouble trouble rate controlling in the 70's. Flec is known to cause/increase Flutter, as I understand it, a Beta-Blocker is the normal protocol, to protect against the 1:1 ratio while on Flec. I am not a proponent of Ablations, but a Flutter-Ablationby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
Why stop exercising 12 years ago? I exercise right through my episodes (am rate-controlled), and am more likely to convert spontaneously after a hard exhausting work-out. I don't know how that finding on your Echo effects exercise though. 12 hours in 3 years is not much AFIB. How long have been on 300 Flecianide? Flecainide does'nt even work preventively for some people, especialby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
Magnesium has been used, by IV infusion in a Hospital. you could try taking Magnesium pills. Start at a low dose like 400mg/day, and then titrate up to see what your system can handle. you get diarehha when you've taken too much. PIP with Flec or Propafenone is the main two drugs. Is dangerous should be done under Doctor's care, and monitored in Hospital the 1st time around, as taby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
Shannon: Alot of issues here maybe I will start a separate Anti-Ablation thread later on, as to keep the focus on the original post. I appreciate the feedback of correcting me if I am wrong. On the 12-lead EKG detecting normal Atrial pumping via the P-wave: While this an indication of full normalization, it still seems to me that this would not show if the LAA is functioning normally, andby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
That is what I meant to say, only way to know for sure that Atrial stunning is not occuring is via getting a TEE. I meant to imply that their was uncertainty or the possibility of stunning, I never meant to imply that Atrial Stunning would always occur for days. Anticoagulation is given not just to deal with exsisting clots, but to prevent potential clots and their is always uncertainty wheby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
Lynn how frequent are your episodes? You said weekly, does that literally 52 episodes a year? As far as I know if your in known NSR for longer than 20 days, then you don't need to be Anti-Coagulated. At least that is what I do, and I have LAF with a Chads score 0. I have been told that even if there was a clot in the Atria, that after 20 days it is reabsobed into the Atria wall, and bby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
P-waves don't show if the Atria is contracting like you want it to: There is Electrical Stunning of the Atria (no p-wave) There is Mechanical stunning of the Atria (normal electrical activity (p-wave), but muscles still not contracting) And there is mechanical stunning of the LAA (left atrial appendage) even while Atria is contracting. LAA functioning usually takes longer than Atriaby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
RonB I said "patient often", doesn't mean all patients. You sound like you are most indeed in steady NSR. There obvouisly is a wide spectrum of how well or often patients accurately monitor thier Heart rythm status. Doctors in US assume most patients are niave about the details of their Heart rythm status. I've consistently heard the figure that the Doctors think that oby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM
If your having episodes every week, then I think most all Cardio Dr.'s would recomend anti-coagulation. When the Atria Fibrillates, the blood is stagnant in ther Atria, and thus the increased risk of stroke. Even after you convert back to NSR, the Atria muscle is stunned, and does not contract for a period of time from several days, even up to 3 weeks. That is why the more freqent the eby The Anti-Fib - AFIBBERS FORUM