A-fib info

[Mike in Florida]

Hello everyone!
Have not posted in a long time, but still check
this forum almost daily. It's a great place to
gain knowledge on many heart related issues.
Found an excellent website yesterday for
anyone trying to learn about a-fib. It's
the Atrial Fibrillation Foundation at HTTP://
WWW.AFFACTS.ORG/. This covers just about every
thing you ever wanted to know about a-fib.
I've been chronic a-fib for over a year, and
kind of just putting up with it until the right
cure comes along. I turned down the electro's
and cardio's recomendation to start using
Amiodarone as I felt the side effects would be
worse than what the a-fib cause's.
Take care,
Mike in Florida

MVR/AVR St. Judes mechanicals
Jan. 29, 1998 Shands Hospital at U.F.
Chronic a-fib

p.s. Hello Hensylee in the woods of N. Florida!

 

[hensylee]

OMG - don't even think of amiodarone! Could help but might harm so just don't even go there. There are others meds to try first.

Cold up here in the woods - expect 20s Wed a.m. But sooo nice during the day. Windows open, sittin on the porch in the rockin chair, watchin the robins, cardinals and bluejays on their way north. Yard is full of them. And plants beginning to pop. Got 4 real seasons in this part of good ole Fl. But miss middle Fl with flat land and big blue skies, too.

God bless

 

[deborahj]

Mike, how are your potassium and magnesium levels?The electrolyte balance in your body can be quite dramatically changeable, especially if you miss or are late with meals,and DON'T EAT YOUR GREENS ! (lol).If you've been having afib for a while, why not try some other stuff before amiodarine- which has as one of its possible side effects afib!!!dANDELION TEA IS GOOD BECAUSE IT HAS DIURETIC PROPERTIES BUT ADDS to the potassium intake,and what about some accupuncture to relieve tension...my experience is that the more tense I am the more my shoulders rise and tense and this, at least for me, seems to create afib ....These are just some thoughts, but I hope whatever route you choose you rid your body of the dreaded afib
love debs xxx

 

[sylviayasgur]

hi you guys!
joey's been on amio for about 5 months and his cardio is planning on taking him off the stuff in about a week or so.
he's been monitoring him very closely and _thank God _ all is well. i know the stuff is strong, but boy does it do its job!
my (our) only worry is ... what if there's afib once off the stuff? i'm under the impression that amio has a long half life and takes about 6 months to clear out of your system. in this case, can the patient even consider taking other antiarrhythmic drugs?
gotta ask the cardio all this...
anyhow, it's been a blessing for joey, considering he had breakthrough afib while on sotolol (betapace) which had worked well for him pre-surgery.
mike, thanks for the website!
hope you are all doing as well as you sound. it's good to be back from vacation and on the forum.
be well, sylvia

 

[Mike in Florida]

Deb & Hensylee,
Sorry, forgot to add to post that in fact I've
been dealing with a-fib for about 6 yrs. now
and have tried a good assortment of meds.
Started with quinaglute, then atenolol,diltiazem,
metoprolol,furosemide,verapamil,sotalol,and
even gave dofetilide a shot, been on digoxin and
cozarr from the beginning also. The amiodarone
idea came after the dofetilide and attempt at
cardioversion failed, and I think the Doc's
were at there last resort. Done enough research
to know long term amiodarone therapy for a 41
yr. old ain't a good idea! Deb, I think my Mag.
and Pot.levels are good, but think I might
benefit from a Mag. supplement, as I've read
this helps alot of a-fibbers. I'll do some
more searching on this. I'm waiting for some
type of ablation, or possibly the Maze procedure
down the road, but feel good enough now to
just wait and see what comes about. As for the
acupuncture, I'll skip that because with
coumadin and all I get punctured enough. Don't
like it!
Take care!
Mike in Florida


p.s. Hensylee, you don't have your computer set
up in front of that rocking chair on your porch
do you?

 

[hensylee]

Not this week - we are expecting giant freeze tonight in the teens! Wow, gotta watch my water pipes and nevermind the sittin on the porch this week. Guess it's the last throes of winter and they say the coldest spell so far. You'll be cold, too, come the morrow.

 

[Missy]

What medicine are you taking now? I also have chronic a fib. I tried amiodarone for awhile. Worked fair to begin but in a few weeks made my coumadin level go sky high almost uncontrollable. I had unbearable headaches and it wasn't helping the afib.
Missy

 

[JimL]

Amiodarone and coumadin

Amiodarone and coumadin

My former cardiologist didn't bother to tell me about the interaction between amiodarone and coumadin. Four days after I began amiodarone, I read the PDR (Physician's Desk Reference) pages on it; my wife is a dental hygienist, and I went to her work to read it. I left feeling like I had minutes left to live because of its serious side effects, but also informed that I needed to drop my coumadin dosage immediately. Amiodarone doubles the effectiveness of coumadin; the recommendation in the PDR is to cut the coumadin dosage at least in half, along with several other medications.
This was the first suggestion my cardiologist had for a-fib, not a second or third line approach.

 

[Mike in Florida]

A-fib meds.

A-fib meds.

Hey Missy,
In response to your question on what meds. I'm
taking, they are .375 mg. digoxin, 100 mg. cozarr,
5 mg. coumadin daily. The cozarr is a blood
pressure med.. My heart rate hovers between 80
and 100 bpm., a little faster than I would like.
After starting tikosyn(dofetilide) last year, and
it's failure to return me to sinus rythum, they
wanted me to start the amiodarone, said nope and
they put me on cardizem(diltiazem) to slow my
heart rate. After about a month on this, and
feeling lousy and weak, with no decrease in
heart rate, I stopped taking it. What meds. have
you been on, and how do you feel in a-fib?
I carry on a pretty active lifestyle, work
construction plus sidework etc.., have'nt slowed
down much, but would be happy to have my sinus
rythum back!!!
Take care,
Mike in Florida

MVR/AVR St. Judes mechs.
Jan. 29, 1998 Shands Hospital at U.F.
chronic a-fib

 

[Missy]

Hi Mike in Florida,
I went back to Lanoxin (.125) That is the only other afib med I have had. I probably need more. I just barely stay therepeutic but I just don't tolerate medicine very well. I have side effects. Vision problems and muscle weakness and nerve problems. Not to mention the side effects from coumadin. (4 mg.) I take the lanoxin in a split dose to keep from having such a rush all at once. It is better this way. I take 350 mg magnesium part time released. I get out of breath easily and exertion makes me feel like I have been running. I just don't pant. My heart pounds sometimes but it doesn't beat fast because of the lanoxin. Stays around 60 bpm. Sometimes when I walk it gets up and when I talk too long it kind of races. It is like two contrasting forces and I can feel it. I wonder if anyone else ever felt this way. Sometimes like today when I was vacuuming I got kind of out of breath (not bad) I have kind of a chemical smell in my nose and throat. Has anyone else felt or smelled anything like this? Have you? I do exercise and lift light weights. And walk. I do wish I could have my rythmn back also. I feel like I can't do as much as I used to and can't keep up. It has really hindered me. At times I feel pretty good. Some of the problems are because of the coumadin but I know the difference. Do you have any side effects from the meds?

 

[deborahj]

Potassium and magnesium

Potassium and magnesium

Mike.i have been experimenting with afib for over a year, with no medications (prescribed). I take 250 mg magnesium daily and dandelion tea... a diuretic, one of the only ones that adds rather than depletes potassium from the body. There are people who reckon that we don't get enough of these minerals if we follow the rda's, From 7 times a week to once in afib is good for me... also regular meals and plenty of water helped. Hope this is useful
i would love for some bioligist to exlain, why from surgery onward why we heart valve replacement folk need something to regulate afib,or as far as I'm concerned need supplemental doses of mag and potassiium.I eat my greens! Lol..
Good Luck on your own experimental journey.
love debs xxx

 

[Missy]

I also drink plenty of water. It is very important in controlling afib. The lanoxin acts like a diuretic with me. I don't like that especially at night. I also try to eat something with potassium although I confess, I don't really know why. Just because I was told to.

 

[Mike in Florida]

Hey Missy and Deb,
So sorry to hear your a-fib is gettin to you
Missy. I know it can affect people in many
different ways, but it's a pain in the @$$ for
everyone regardless. Was suprised to see your
bpm down so low with the a-fib. I have no actual
side effects from the lanoxin, cozarr, or
coumadin, but did have effects from other meds.
I think your chemical smell might be from the
magnesium, just guessing though. I also take
my lanoxin in a split dose along with the cozarr.
Hope you can find the right med. to get you
feeling better!
Deb, you not on any anticoagulation therapy?
I think after being in a-fib as long as I have
been, the chances of mag. and potassium supplements helping to convert to sinus rhythm
are slim, but still am interested as this is
one area I have'nt experimented with.
God bless and take care,
Mike in Florida

 

[Rain]

fibbin

fibbin

I?ve been in a-fib for years. My cardio said it is very unlikely that it will ever return to a normal rhythm. My heart still beats every kind of weird you can think of.. But it?s not nearly as hard and forceful as it was before I started taking medication for it. I don?t feel like my heart is going to jump out of my chest all the time. And I don?t have those times where it beats like a zillion beats a minute, the way it did before. I take Lanoxin, toprol and atacand. The only ?cure? my cardio talks about is a pacemaker.

I know that caffeine, alcohol, stress, lack of sleep, etc. makes my a-fib a LOT worse... even with the meds. Dang, it?s tough being a heart patient. lol I still exercise 45 mins non-stop and lift weights three days a week... I wouldn?t have been able to do that before I started taking the meds. My cardio likes my blood pressure and heart rate very low. He keeps me just a hair over ?feelin good / dizzy? lol

Thanks for the web site Mike! Lots of info there.

Rain

 

[hensylee]

Mike, my bro had a-fib and was put on coumadin and also had a cardioversion which is holding. Been a year soon and we hold our breath. He had syncope, too. He takes lanoxin, among a bunch of other drugs. The amiodarone did terrible damage to him, tho for some it is a good drug, but must be controlled carefully. Hope you don't have to take it.

 

[Missy]

MIKE AND RAIN
Rain, don't you take magnesium? I thought you did. I think Janie does but I was also thinking you do. I think it helps. What is your heart rate? Mine is low too.
Mike , thanks so much for sharing. I agree with Rain ... this is hard. Having everyone on this site helps though.

 

[Rain]

Janie's soap box.....

Janie's soap box.....

My heart rate is usually right at 88 bpm.. that's after getting out of my car and walking through all the halls quickly to get to my re-hab class on time. lol My blood pressure is usually around 90/62

I keep meaning to ask my cardio about magnesium. I'm kind of scared to start taking it without talking to him first. Crazy as I may seem... I do listen to my cardiologist. The guy is a real brain!

Janie's favorite soap box is magnesium. lol

Jaaannniiee!!! Where are you??!! Your soap box is waiting.....

 

[steve c]

History: AVR (bovine) 9/01...My doc wants me to go on coumadin to control my a-fib...However I'm pretty active in roller hockey (referee)...I'm afraid that coumadin and hockey won't mix...Has anyone thought about, or used, that (I forgot the medical term for the procedure) "electrical zapping" procedure?...If so, did it allow you to stay away from coumadin? Thanks.

Steve

 

[Rain]

The big 'zap'

The big 'zap'

Steve,

I think it might depend on how long you?ve been in a-fib. My cardio told me it wouldn?t work on me... My heart had been screwed up for too long.

I know Fred has had the procedure done.

Rain