[Hot Tabasco]

Final outcome, they fitted me with a vest worn defibrillator which I will wear 24/7 for the next three months.

Have been physically active and always thought I was healthy until this hit me.

Don't know what to expect at this point but to say I am scared is an understatement.

If anyone here has ever gone thru this, would appreciate your accounts.....thanks

[John Milner]

Diagnosed after feeling a bit “off” and a bit of minor chest discomfort. So I decided to check my blood pressure. It was in parameters but my pulse was over 150 BPM.

Went to emergency room and they gave me the shot and my pulse dropped almost immediately into normal range. Said I have AFIB.

Since then (Early August) it corrected itself so didn’t have to shock it back into rhythm. And hasn’t been out since.

Been having test after test and everything has come back normal, for which I’m thankful.

Just wondering if/when it will happen again and what I will do at that point.

Yours is much more serious so wishing you the best.

[Chode]

Prayers up

[JeanLM]

I have had AFIB and take Multaq which controls it. The other problem I don’t have and 30% pumping efficiency is definitely a problem. Ischemic I think means a narrowing of blood vessels. Have you had a catheterization to see if that can be fixed? Stent?

[libertylover]

I’ve never worn a vest. The three months is to gather data on your particular case, then go from there.

I have in the past had fairly severe Atrial Fibrillation, 3 episodes per minute. I now have an implanted pacemaker/defibrillator, plus I take medication (Amiodarone). After that, I don’t notice is at all and the pacemaker keeps tabs on any episode, which nowadays is near zero.

With the device I normally don’t notice anything at all. The procedure to implant is easy-probably as an outpatient or perhaps an overnight stay for observation.

If you are diabetic, avoid eating foods such that it will spike your blood sugar up. Don’t eat a big bowl of ice cream for example. A little bit is OK.

If you feel your heart flopping around a bit, sit down and take it easy. I guess the vest will shock you if needed. I won’t kid you, getting shocked hurts like a sonofabitch, so follow their advice about diet and exercise as your best chance to avoid it. You’ll be fine.

[fedupjohn]

I have Atrial-Fib. January 1, 2017, it gave me a stroke & I went blind while I was driving. Fortunately, I was in a residential area and just came off a stop sign. I hit 2 parked cars; the 2nd one I hit it head-on & the jolt broke the clot loose and restored my eyesight.
I spent 3 days in CCU while they figured out how to treat me.

Here is what I was told:
I cannot take a blood thinner as I have scars from bleeding ulcers & if one of them let loose while I was on a thinner, I would bleed out before I got to a hospital. And all treatments for that condition involve a blood thinner.

Mr. Hornak, you just can't have an atrial-fib attack. So I asked the following question. "Doc. What causes the Attacks?" & She answered:
"The 2 leading causes are":
1.Dehydration from Alcohol
2. Caffeine

So I gave up Alcohol & Caffeine & I haven't had an attack since.

Now I just drink plenty of water & I have a lot more money left in my pocket after going out to see or play with a band.

Mind you, once and a long while I will feel it miss a beat, but I do not have any equipment in my chest and I don't take any thinners, so I don't have any blood stain scars on my arms.

I limit any alcohol intake to champagne toasts at Weddings & New Years, with no appreciable effects.

I hope this helps, In box me if you need anything more from me.

You got this.

[suthener]

I had a heart attack/cardiac arrest but made a relatively good recovery apparently. I was a body builder. My last work out was 4 days before my heart attack (just putting things in perspective). One bit of advise I would offer from experience, if the doctors recommend any type of therapy, do it. I did not, and I think I’ve paid for that. Good luck!

[pfflier]

My brother is going through this right now. You have said everything he has said to me, almost to a word.

He is on heart meds and his condition is slowly improving, up 7% in efficiency over the past 4 weeks. The docs will take the vest off of him when the numbers stabilize at 35%.

[Ragnar54]

I was diagnosed with a left bundle branch block and a 39% ejection fraction 15 years ago. My PCP concluded that I was in heart failure. I did some research and found some of the work of the late Dr. Stephen Sinatra. See
Honoring the Legacy of Dr. Stephen Sinatra

Dr. Sinatra had lots of anecdotal evidence on the value of COQ10 (e.g., he administered a shot of COQ10 to an old woman on her deathbed and she was able to walk out of the hospital a few days later). The protocol Dr. Sinatra and others developed was large doses of COQ10, carnitine and ribose. My version of the protocol is :

200 mg ubiquinol
4 capsules of Propel (from Life Enhancement) or equivalent
5 grams of ribose
The above are repeated 2x per day.
One goal of the protocol is to raise the blood level of COQ10 to 3.5 mcg/ml; mine is above 4.
After I had been following the protocol for a few months and a COQ10 blood test showed my level was about 4, I told my cardiologist what I was doing and he told me to stop. I ignored that advice. In an appointment a few years later he said, "you're doing better than I expected."
If you decide to follow the Sinatra protocol, don't expect support from your physicians.
Recommended reading:

L-Carnitine and the Heart
The Coenzyme Q10 Phenomenon