A word of thanks to my new and helpful friends

[Guest guest]

I am amazed and pleased at the generous contributions of the folks on

this group and the pacemaker club. I see that many of you have been

struggling with symptoms worse than I have faced so far, and your

willingness to share your experiences is extremely helpful. I have

had paroxysmal Afib for several years, progressing from the very

occassional experience to episodes maybe once a week that resolve to

NSR within an hour most of the time. I have been on Toprol (50 mg per

day) and warfarin for about a year with only minor side effects. I am

able to exercise pretty normally and enjoy hiking, cross country

skiing and windsurfing without a problem, even if I have an episode.

I have been puzzled by my cardiologist's encouragement to consider a

pacemaker. He reasons that a pacemaker would allow us to increase the

medication to suppress the Afib without unsafe side effects, and he

believes that tolerating the Afib leads to more Afib.

From what I have read, any meddling with the heart, ablation or PM

implantation, has some risk of making the Afib worse, and medications

are not terribly reliable in controlling it. I tried Rhythmol and

Flecainide before settling for Toprol and they both made it worse.

I wonder if any of you have also had the advice to get a pacemaker so

that medications can be safely increased. If you did this, what was

your experience?

I am inclined to delay PM or surgery on the theory that they are

coming up with more ingenious approaches all the time. Of course, if

the Afib episodes increase dramatically, I will change my tune, but so

far they have not been much of an inconvenience except for the concern

about the future possibilities.

Anyway, I very much appreciate your shared experience and will

continue to read what you have to say as I discern my own choices.

Brock from DC

[Guest guest]

Brock: Do you also have sick sinus syndrome...The only reason I had

a Pacemaker implanted last week was because of my heart pausing for 2-

3 seconds and or my heartbeats going very low.

Isabelle

>

> I am amazed and pleased at the generous contributions of the folks on

> this group and the pacemaker club. I see that many of you have been

> struggling with symptoms worse than I have faced so

far.............snip......................

[Guest guest]

Hi Brock - my first couple thoughts are that your dose of Toprol is quite low

,and unless you're already experiencine brachycardia (bpm < 50) you likely have

a ways to go before you cross the " safe " barrier of dosage. I take 150mg per

day.. my resting heart rate is in the upper 40s and my active heart rate is in

the 50s. I have no issues with my heart beating this slowly.

You also sound like your afib is not impacting your life so terribly...

perhaps just an inconvenience, but it certainly doesn't sound like you're in

dire straights. I'd reserve pace maker implant for everything else failed, dire

straights... but that's just me. They are not without their own problems, as

many have been discussing here recently.

I guess my recommendation to you would be for you to seek a second opinion,

either at Arrythmia Associates out in Fairfax, VA, or up at s Hopkins in

Baltimore... we are so fortunate to be so close to one of the worlds best

electrophysiology groups (at JH), and it would be worth the slight effort to

make an appointment there (or at Fairfax) for another viewpoint.

Stef (in andria, VA)

brockhansn brockhansn@...> wrote:

I am amazed and pleased at the generous contributions of the folks on

this group and the pacemaker club. I see that many of you have been

struggling with symptoms worse than I have faced so far, and your

willingness to share your experiences is extremely helpful. I have

had paroxysmal Afib for several years, progressing from the very

occassional experience to episodes maybe once a week that resolve to

NSR within an hour most of the time. I have been on Toprol (50 mg per

day) and warfarin for about a year with only minor side effects. I am

able to exercise pretty normally and enjoy hiking, cross country

skiing and windsurfing without a problem, even if I have an episode.

I have been puzzled by my cardiologist's encouragement to consider a

pacemaker. He reasons that a pacemaker would allow us to increase the

medication to suppress the Afib without unsafe side effects, and he

believes that tolerating the Afib leads to more Afib.

From what I have read, any meddling with the heart, ablation or PM

implantation, has some risk of making the Afib worse, and medications

are not terribly reliable in controlling it. I tried Rhythmol and

Flecainide before settling for Toprol and they both made it worse.

I wonder if any of you have also had the advice to get a pacemaker so

that medications can be safely increased. If you did this, what was

your experience?

I am inclined to delay PM or surgery on the theory that they are

coming up with more ingenious approaches all the time. Of course, if

the Afib episodes increase dramatically, I will change my tune, but so

far they have not been much of an inconvenience except for the concern

about the future possibilities.

Anyway, I very much appreciate your shared experience and will

continue to read what you have to say as I discern my own choices.

Brock from DC

Web Page - http://www.afibsupport.com

List owner: AFIBsupport-owner

For help on how to use the group, including how to drive it via email,

send a blank email to AFIBsupport-help

Nothing in this message should be considered as medical advice, or should be

acted upon without consultation with one's physician.

[Guest guest]

I too had paroxysmal A-fib and failed several anti-arrhythmics. My heart

rate kept getting lower and lower (40's during the day--low 30's at night). I

couldn't tolerate that. Got a PPM in June and immediately felt better. I never

get below 60 and it increases appropriately with exercise. I fought getting

the PM for a long time, but it is well worth it.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the feedback, Stef

I will check out Hopkins and Arrythmia Associates for another opinion.

I do have periods of a resting pulse in the mid to high 40's, which

is why a higher dosage may not be adviseable without PM. But most of

the time I am comfortable with that.

Brock

> I am amazed and pleased at the generous contributions of the folks on

> this group and the pacemaker club. I see that many of you have been

> struggling with symptoms worse than I have faced so far, and your

> willingness to share your experiences is extremely helpful. I have

> had paroxysmal Afib for several years, progressing from the very

> occassional experience to episodes maybe once a week that resolve to

> NSR within an hour most of the time. I have been on Toprol (50 mg per

> day) and warfarin for about a year with only minor side effects. I am

> able to exercise pretty normally and enjoy hiking, cross country

> skiing and windsurfing without a problem, even if I have an episode.

>

> I have been puzzled by my cardiologist's encouragement to consider a

> pacemaker. He reasons that a pacemaker would allow us to increase the

> medication to suppress the Afib without unsafe side effects, and he

> believes that tolerating the Afib leads to more Afib.

>

> From what I have read, any meddling with the heart, ablation or PM

> implantation, has some risk of making the Afib worse, and medications

> are not terribly reliable in controlling it. I tried Rhythmol and

> Flecainide before settling for Toprol and they both made it worse.

>

> I wonder if any of you have also had the advice to get a pacemaker so

> that medications can be safely increased. If you did this, what was

> your experience?

>

> I am inclined to delay PM or surgery on the theory that they are

> coming up with more ingenious approaches all the time. Of course, if

> the Afib episodes increase dramatically, I will change my tune, but so

> far they have not been much of an inconvenience except for the concern

> about the future possibilities.

>

> Anyway, I very much appreciate your shared experience and will

> continue to read what you have to say as I discern my own choices.

>

> Brock from DC

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> Web Page - http://www.afibsupport.com

> List owner: AFIBsupport-owner

> For help on how to use the group, including how to drive it via email,

> send a blank email to AFIBsupport-help

>

> Nothing in this message should be considered as medical advice, or

should be acted upon without consultation with one's physician.

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

> > I am amazed and pleased at the generous contributions of the

folks on

> > this group and the pacemaker club. I see that many of you have

been

> > struggling with symptoms worse than I have faced so far, and your

> > willingness to share your experiences is extremely helpful. I

have

> > had paroxysmal Afib for several years, progressing from the very

> > occassional experience to episodes maybe once a week that resolve

to

> > NSR within an hour most of the time. I have been on Toprol (50

mg per

> > day) and warfarin for about a year with only minor side effects.

I am

> > able to exercise pretty normally and enjoy hiking, cross country

> > skiing and windsurfing without a problem, even if I have an

episode.

> >

> > I have been puzzled by my cardiologist's encouragement to

consider a

> > pacemaker. He reasons that a pacemaker would allow us to

increase the

> > medication to suppress the Afib without unsafe side effects, and

he

> > believes that tolerating the Afib leads to more Afib.

> >

> > From what I have read, any meddling with the heart, ablation or PM

> > implantation, has some risk of making the Afib worse, and

medications

> > are not terribly reliable in controlling it. I tried Rhythmol and

> > Flecainide before settling for Toprol and they both made it worse.

> >

> > I wonder if any of you have also had the advice to get a

pacemaker so

> > that medications can be safely increased. If you did this, what

was

> > your experience?

> >

> > I am inclined to delay PM or surgery on the theory that they are

> > coming up with more ingenious approaches all the time. Of

course, if

> > the Afib episodes increase dramatically, I will change my tune,

but so

> > far they have not been much of an inconvenience except for the

concern

> > about the future possibilities.

> >

> > Anyway, I very much appreciate your shared experience and will

> > continue to read what you have to say as I discern my own choices.

> >

> > Brock from DC

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Web Page - http://www.afibsupport.com

> > List owner: AFIBsupport-owner

> > For help on how to use the group, including how to drive it via

email,

> > send a blank email to AFIBsupport-help

> >

> > Nothing in this message should be considered as medical advice, or

> should be acted upon without consultation with one's physician.

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Brock,

You're so smart to play the waiting game, as AF knowledge goes each day.

You didn't mention if you're doing the Magnesium supplements, and the salmon

oil/omega 3/flax oil supplements.

I recommend putting these good things on board.

LJ