I went into AFib in august 2023 after coming home from the hospital after I had a turp for bladder cancer.

Back to the hospital. They tried to flip me back to sinus rhythm with meds but my blood pressure would drop to low.

My heart rate stated around 150 for three days so they did a cardioversion.

Worked great, went home the next day. The day after that, back into AFib. Another cardioversion and then kept me on some nasty meds until I could get in for a cryoablation.

Had the cryoablation in November 2023 and then started chemo for bladder cancer in January 2024.

No AFib since then but am on Eliquis and toporol.

I had burns on my back and chest from both cardio versions.

quote:

Originally posted by PCWyoming:
Tom.
Hoping for the best outcome for your wife.
Prayers sent.

PC

Thanks, Paul

Not sure where ya live in Wyoming, but if you were at MCR in Loveland, I'm about 15 minutes away. If you have to come back down this way and need anything, holler. I'm not traveling as much, so most likely would be home.

quote:

Originally posted by coloradohunter44:
Not sure where ya live in Wyoming, but if you were at MCR in Loveland, I'm about 15 minutes away. If you have to come back down this way and need anything, holler. I'm not traveling as much, so most likely would be home.

Thanks, brother

Happy your wife caught it and is doing well. Last August I went for my yearly wellness exam, I'm 80, my PA said all was good, just let me get my stethoscope, he then went "Uh,Oh", crazy heart beat. Off to cardiologist ,yup, AFIB, put on Eliquis and others. Being I'd had no symptoms they did a battery of tests to determine the cause, which is still not known. For a few months I was seeing one PA at an area hospital, and seemed to be getting worse. My breathing went downhill, winded in 20 feet. PA said go to ER, I did and it was the best thing that happened. They discovered I had pneumonia, too. They tried two cardioversions with no success but made a referral to a new cardiologist. Finally, after a few months of seeing only a PA I saw a Dr. He checked a recent x-ray not showing pneumonia and scheduled another cardioversion, which worked. He tweaked my meds and I've been very good since late Dec, no AFIB, BP good but a little erratic, HB averages 70.

The first cariologist PA was really pushing a sleep study, I scheduled it but that's when by breathing went downhill. I haven't rescheduled, probably won't. My new cardiologist never brought it up and he's very highly regarded. I, also, left my last cardioversion and went right to Best Buy for an Apple Watch, the cardiologist highly recommended it. We, also spoke about a Watchman and Tykosin but decided to hold off on either.

I would like to add, keep your watch charged, I was surprised once when I was feeling kind of funky and I looked at my smart watch and it was dead.

quote:

Originally posted by UTsig:
The first cariologist PA was really pushing a sleep study, I scheduled it but that's when by breathing went downhill. I haven't rescheduled, probably won't. My new cardiologist never brought it up and he's very highly regarded.

I really don't understand that decision. Have you ASKED him about it and described your sleep habits and outcomes? Like from the perspective of your SO who watches you stop breathing, snoring like a mule, etc.?

I know folks think apnea is over-diagnosed, but for those with heart issues it's a better safe than dead option in many cases. I'm missing a dear friend who had a prior heart attack, chronic issues and was diagnosed with serious obstructive sleep apnea. After less than two weeks on the hose he declared it was just too much of a PITA and packed up the CPAP for good. Less than 3 months later he had another heart attack during sleep, didn't make it out of the bedroom alive that time. Caused by apnea; no way to know, but it sure as shit wasn't helping an already off-kilter circulatory and respiratory system.

There's no way for a cardiologist or primary care doc to know you have issues you don't describe to him, and a sleep study at home is painless and only a few days of sleeping with a tiny oxygen like hose under your nose. Just do it.

^^^^^^^^^^^
Agree with above. I would NOT do the at home sleep test as they are not as comprehensive. The test is pretty simple and painless when done in a lab. A tech is there all night and will unhook you if you need to use the toilet.

I have A-fib too. Metoprolol and Flecanide along with a blood thinner do the trick. J did have an ablation that took care of most of the problems.

tmats, your cardiologist did just the right thing, moving your wife to the head of the line and doing a TEE. Without a TEE, after 24 hours or so it's not safe to do a cardioversion without weeks of anticoagulation.
Followup with the cardiologist will include probably an event monitor, and discussion of rate control with anticoagulation vs rhythm control, also with anticoagulation.
Recurrence is very likely.
Someone above mentioned the Watchman left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion device, which has become quite popular. It doesn't end atrial fibrillation, it just prevents clots in the LAA from being expelled leading to a stroke. So long-term anticoagulation is not necessary.
However, rate control with a beta blocker or calcium channel blocker may still be needed; and some people feel worse when in atrial fib. Those people in particular should be considered for ablation of atrial fib.
You'll be discussing these options with your cardiologist You and your wife are in good hands.

quote:

Originally posted by Georgeair:

I really don't understand that decision. Have you ASKED him about it and described your sleep habits and outcomes? Like from the perspective of your SO who watches you stop breathing, snoring like a mule, etc.?

I don't notice any sleep interruption, I don't snore. These questions were asked by both cardio centers. The first facility I went to did not have a cardiologist that worked with electrophysiology, that was a concern of mine and I only saw a PA. After the ER, I was referred to an electrophysiologist and saw the Dr. A world of difference, he made a minor med adjustment and sent me for a just completed pulmonary test, consultation on Monday.

A young friend was watching his kid when he went into Afib. He's a RN and recognized what it was. Took his kid and went to the ER for a cardioversion, did it without anesthesia. I asked about doing that and they told me it was like being kicked by a horse, I went under.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
tmats, your cardiologist did just the right thing, moving your wife to the head of the line and doing a TEE. Without a TEE, after 24 hours or so it's not safe to do a cardioversion without weeks of anticoagulation.
Followup with the cardiologist will include probably an event monitor, and discussion of rate control with anticoagulation vs rhythm control, also with anticoagulation.
Recurrence is very likely.
Someone above mentioned the Watchman left atrial appendage (LAA) occlusion device, which has become quite popular. It doesn't end atrial fibrillation, it just prevents clots in the LAA from being expelled leading to a stroke. So long-term anticoagulation is not necessary.
However, rate control with a beta blocker or calcium channel blocker may still be needed; and some people feel worse when in atrial fib. Those people in particular should be considered for ablation of atrial fib.
You'll be discussing these options with your cardiologist You and your wife are in good hands.

Thanks, Doc! I knew you were here, just didn’t recall your username.

My pleasure, sir. My practice these days is limited to family, friends, and random people who find out I am/was a cardiologist. Oh and SigForum members, of course.

Resurrection of a 6 month old thread.

My wife had another heart related incident. She was awakened Sunday night by and elevated heart rate of 100 bpm. She woke me up and we stayed awake together until she fell asleep. My wife has the Kardia device (as mentioned by urbanwarrior on page 1), and ran an ECG first thing in the morning, still elevated. Called her cardiologist. No joy, could only talk to a receptionist.

We have a neighbor who’s a nurse. She came over, took her BP, and it was okay. She advised to go to emergency. My wife’s PCP, and her cardiologist, are both part of the UC Health System. We went to the Urgent Care center in Fort Collins. They ran a strip, and sent us to the ER at MCR in Loveland. What ensued was not American healthcare at its finest.

Dramatically condensing a great story best heard at a bar table. We were there about seven hours. They ran every test they could think of. Misdiagnosed a thrombosis in the R jugular (my wife was already on Eliquis). Started her on a different blood thinner, Lovenox, which is injected 2x/day, SubQ, into her belly, and sent us home confident that she had been helped—-I’m speaking of the ER doc, with an order in for my wife to be seen at the hematology clinic for her “blood disorder.”

Today we drove down to FoCo again. This time for an ultrasound of my wife’s neck area to confirm, or deny, the presence of a clot of some kind. We got in to see her cardiologist yesterday, and he absolutely did not believe the report of the presence of one. Neither did her PCP. Outcome, no, it’s not there. I should add, the radiologist just said the neck area needed “further investigation,” it was the ER doc who decided not to order an ultrasound.

Her cardiologist diagnosed “atrial flutter,” slightly different from atrial fibrillation. My untrained eye would say it presents more like VTach than AFib, her pulse is now roughly 130, but it sure seemed different than what she experienced in February. She is schedule for another TEE and cardioversion tomorrow, hopefully, that gets her back in normal range. After that, we’ll see.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: TMats,

Huge difference between Aflutter and VTach(VT).

Aflutter: you see a bunch of regular appearing short wide humps that we call “sawtooth wave”, with intermittent narrow tall spikes (the QRS complexes).

VT: typically a repeating pattern of widened QRS complexes that look like tombstones and nothing else. If you have this and your heart rate is fast and you still have a pulse but is “unstable”, get to the ER immediately for treatment with synchronized electrocardioversion. If you have VT and no pulse, then an AED would be needed right there to shock you back to normal, hopefully. Plus CPR, of course, if you continue to have no pulse.

This year I've had two TEE procedures, a cardioverson that lasted 10 days, two angiograms but they couldn't do angioplasty because of location of blockage in LDA.

This coming Monday I meet with the heart surgeon to discuss if I'm more suitable for robotic or open chest CABG. I need 7cm of fixes and the early thoughts are that open heart will work best for that and the ablation.

I'm at 100% blockage in my LDA and only heart attack free because of high functioning collaterals.

I have no SOB, angina, lightheadedness or other compromises in my daily activities. The cardiologist is surprised that I'm not in a really bad way but nope, I just go about my daily routine, feeling just fine.

17 pills a day seems to help.

12131, I don’t know how to read an ECG, and perhaps the ER doc doesn’t either. The monitor she was hooked to would periodically sound an alarm and flash a red indicator that said “VTach.” My assumption is that the monitor wasn’t sophisticated enough to differentiate between that and Aflutter. I just know that it’s a shame she couldn’t reach her cardiologist earlier.

No machines will mistake VT for Aflutter, even old ones. From your description, it sounded like she did really have VT, but they were very brief runs, not enough to warrant doing anything emergently. Hospital machines will always sound the alarm anytime a potentially deadly rhythm pops up, and VT is one. If she instead had sustained VT, she would never have left the hospital without definitive treatment.

Great info in this thread. Thank you TMats. My wife's iWatch is showing some irregularities in her heart rate and she sometimes feels short of breath. Our family doc says nothing to worry about. Tomorrow I am making an appointment with a cardiologist. Best case, I was worried about nothing.

What Q said.

For those with a Kardia Mobile device: it’s ESSENTiAL to do the EKG as soon as you detect a rapid heart rate. You can then show the tracing to your doctor later (or email it). Don’t wait until morning, you may miss it.

An Apple Watch will be able most of the time to detect and call atrial fibrillation, even without symptoms.

Once you get to a cardiologist they have everything form a 2-week Zio Patch to an implantable loop recorder put in with a needle under the skin that can be there for a year or more, keep track of everything and be interrogated like a pacemaker.

Tmats, sounds like you’re in good hands with the cardiologist.