Re: Afib questions...quick answers please....

[Guest guest]

> The episodes that he is noticing are relatively infrequent...maybe 1-

> 2 per week, and he thinks they are lasting only a few minutes.

> Yesterdays was 3 hours, but they freaked him out when they said we

> need to admit you and cardiovert you in the am....he has never been

> in the hospital, and they make him nervous, so that did not help.

>

,

It looks like part of the problem is that they don't know how often he

is in afib. Perhaps a 30 day monitor, although a nuisance to him,

would be appropriate.

If I understand you correctly, the fib could be detected at the pulse

in his neck? What my old cardio told me when I was wigged out about

identifying afib (this as early days for me), was to live my life,

avoid triggers, and take my pulse twice a day (in your husband's case

at the neck (don't press too hard on the carotid artery, which could

be dangerous). If I was in sinus, to cruise on. If I was in afib and

stayed there for several hours, to call her office.

It does sound, imho, that he is not taking enough beta blocker, or his

heart rate would not be that high.

Hospitals make me nervous too.

[Guest guest]

(Snip)

> Today, during a follow up, he was having an afib attack. He could

> feel it. Heart rate was around 150. But, while still in the office,

> he thought it had ended...it had not...this was the concern.

(snip)

>

: The doctors are concerned because there is a five-fold

increase in stroke to those who stay in afib longer than 48-hours.

There are many people (including your husband) who cannot reliably

detect when they go into or out of afib --- thus there is no way for

them to know of the need for prompt cardioversion. Thus the doctors

prescribed coumadin to essentially negate the chance of stroke. The

risk of stroke is greatly reduced (eliminated?) for those who are

adequately anti-coagulated (INR between 2.0 - 3.0).

H, Charlotte NC

[Guest guest]

- I hope by the time you read this you are both back home

and resting.

I am 54 yrs old and was diagnosed last Sept with afib . The doctors

in the ER gave me an RX for coumadin and my wife and I were confused

and I was scared to take it.( I didn't have much faith in the ER

docs.)

I went to my reg doctor and he put me in touch with a cardio doc who

explained that I need to take the coumadin to prevent clots.

About two months later I went back and they did a cardio version.

Since then I have had three more.

THEN I found this site and got all the help and info from all these

good people and just two days ago I had another attack and I refused

to go to the ER and converted on my own.

It is still scary but I feel much better after sharing all the

experiences from the members of this group.

So stay in touch and everyone here will help you and your husband

through it !!!

Pete Upstste NY

IN NSR!!!!

- In AFIBsupport , " myhooch2002 " <mduarte13@h...>

wrote:

> Hello everyone,

>

> My 36 year old husband was diagnosed with Lone Afib in July

(episodes

> started in April). He was started by a doc at Ma General on Toperol

> 25 mg. and aspirin. We thought it was helping.

>

> Today, during a follow up, he was having an afib attack. He could

> feel it. Heart rate was around 150. But, while still in the office,

> he thought it had ended...it had not...this was the concern. The

doc

> COULD NOT pick up the episode in his wrist, could feel it on his

> neck, and also with the stethiscope...they decided they wanted to

> admit him (which he was not happy about)...he was not having any

> other side effects btw...once hooked up to the monitor, the episode

> continued for about 3 hours. The intention was to do an echo and

> cardiovert in the am, but he converted himself, and to then start

him

> on sotalol and coumadin.

>

> He is still at the hospital, and as I said converted himself, and

> hopefully will stay in sinus rhythm...can anyone give me any

insight

> into these two drugs? I feel like they are throwing the drugs

around

> like they are tic tacs

>

> Thanks so much for any insight you can all give...

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the info...they did not want to up the beta blocker dose

much...it drops his heart rate into the 50's on the 25 mg dose.

> > The episodes that he is noticing are relatively

infrequent...maybe 1-

> > 2 per week, and he thinks they are lasting only a few minutes.

> > Yesterdays was 3 hours, but they freaked him out when they said

we

> > need to admit you and cardiovert you in the am....he has never

been

> > in the hospital, and they make him nervous, so that did not help.

> >

>

> ,

>

> It looks like part of the problem is that they don't know how often

he

> is in afib. Perhaps a 30 day monitor, although a nuisance to him,

> would be appropriate.

>

> If I understand you correctly, the fib could be detected at the

pulse

> in his neck? What my old cardio told me when I was wigged out about

> identifying afib (this as early days for me), was to live my life,

> avoid triggers, and take my pulse twice a day (in your husband's

case

> at the neck (don't press too hard on the carotid artery, which could

> be dangerous). If I was in sinus, to cruise on. If I was in afib

and

> stayed there for several hours, to call her office.

>

> It does sound, imho, that he is not taking enough beta blocker, or

his

> heart rate would not be that high.

>

> Hospitals make me nervous too.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the info...they did not want to up the beta blocker dose

much...it drops his heart rate into the 50's on the 25 mg dose.

> > The episodes that he is noticing are relatively

infrequent...maybe 1-

> > 2 per week, and he thinks they are lasting only a few minutes.

> > Yesterdays was 3 hours, but they freaked him out when they said

we

> > need to admit you and cardiovert you in the am....he has never

been

> > in the hospital, and they make him nervous, so that did not help.

> >

>

> ,

>

> It looks like part of the problem is that they don't know how often

he

> is in afib. Perhaps a 30 day monitor, although a nuisance to him,

> would be appropriate.

>

> If I understand you correctly, the fib could be detected at the

pulse

> in his neck? What my old cardio told me when I was wigged out about

> identifying afib (this as early days for me), was to live my life,

> avoid triggers, and take my pulse twice a day (in your husband's

case

> at the neck (don't press too hard on the carotid artery, which could

> be dangerous). If I was in sinus, to cruise on. If I was in afib

and

> stayed there for several hours, to call her office.

>

> It does sound, imho, that he is not taking enough beta blocker, or

his

> heart rate would not be that high.

>

> Hospitals make me nervous too.