Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Support Group
Atrial fibrillation (AF or afib) is an abnormal heart rhythm (cardiac arrhythmia) which involves the two small, upper heart chambers (the atria). Heart beats in a normal heart begin after electricity generated in the atria by the sinoatrial node spread through the heart and cause contraction of the heart muscle and pumping of blood.
Really getting tired of the blips, flutters, flops, skips, runs, whatever. Still on 325mg of aspirin, 100mg of atenolol and 300mg Avapro/HCTZ. Really scared the aspirin is not enough to prevent the every looming stroke. Can anybody advise on how they deal with these worries? All of this is starting to effect my daily living...scared to death to be alone, scared to go out, worried about all the things I need to get done and w/a stroke basically just around the corner, am frantic that there won't be enough time! Please help!
I'm taking aspirin also. A fib increases the chance of having a stroke, but it doesn't mean that it is guaranteed. My mom lived for 20+ years in a fib (she died at 94) and she couldn't tolerate coumadin so she took aspirin. She didn't have a stroke, and basically died of old age. One of the doctors I work with told me that you are more at risk of a stroke if the episodes last longer than 4 hours. It is very important to keep B/P down to decrease the chance of a stroke as well. And of course there is coumadin, or the new drug pradaxa. A fib does cause me anxiety and it seems to be in the back of my mind all the time. I think it helps if you have something you can do when an episode hits. Even if it really doesn't help I feel like I have some control. I chew 4 baby aspirin when it starts (in addition to the daily dose) and I have diltiazem (30mg regular, not extended release) that I also take when it starts. And I finally asked my Dr for a prescription for ativan for the anxiety. I take an ativan at the start of an episode as well. I generally convert on my own within anywhere from 1 to 8 hours. I guess a stroke isn't the thing I fear most. With every episode I fear that it won't stop and I will be in permanent a fib.
Know, you are not alone. There are many here who live with the same fears and we are here to support you. Stay strong....Hugs
Unfortunately, reseach has shown that aspirin does not work for everybody, you have to check your blood to make sure aspirin is working. You should ask your doctor for blood Fibrinogen test. It should be below 300 mg/dl. If it is not, then you should increase the aspirin dose or you can take either Coumadin or Nattokinase to make sure you will be okay during your episodes. I took the natto. It makes your platelets slippery so your blood does not clot when the heart is not pumping (Afib). Natto does not make your blood thin like Coumadin. So, no uncontrolled bleeding if something happens.
In addition, to make sure your Afib is not due to diet or supplements, please stop taking all your supplements, specially the fish oil (if you take them) for a week or so. Then, see if you feel better. Later, start taking them one at a time every 3 or 4 days to find out which one has caused your Afib ( if any). Also, avoid butter or oily stuff like nuts and cheese for a while. This way you can find out if your Afib is diet/supplement related. Then, it is easy to get rid of it. The Afib for mine and some other people that I know were all diet/suppplement induced.
The problem is that the EPs and doctors just try to cure the symptoms rather than the cause of the Afib. That is the reason people get it again after a radio frequency abelation or other procedures.
I think there is a relationship between taking fish oil and the Afib epidomy in America since a lot of people are coming with the Afib in the US within the past 10 years or so after the fish oil has become the cure for everything. However, the medical community have not recognized it just like the HRT (Hormon Replacement Therapy) a few years back, remember????
The reason I am ponding on the table about the diet and supplements is that it is very easy to rule them out and get rid of your Afib if they are in fact the cause for your Afib. That was the cause for mine and several othetr people who came to me for advise so far. Yes, that easy!!!!! Please remember, doctors will not mention anything about diet or supplements, they just want to cure the symptoms.
Also, you can go to Life Extension site and read about various conditions and how to go about it. Watch out, even they recommend fish oil for Afib. May be it works for some people, but it did not work for me or others. So, please first rule out if your problem is caused by taking the fish oil/butter/nuts/etc by stop taking them for a week or so. I wish you lots of luck in finding your answers.