I have atrial fibrillation, as does Mark Spitz, the record-breaking American swimmer. Mine isn’t as dramatic as his, mine was simply discovered when I went to the doctor and she listened to my heart.
“You have an irregular heartbeat.” she said.
“I know, I’ve had it for years.”
“We really should do something about it.”
That’s why I hate going to the doctor – I always come away with more than I take in.
I have an International Normalized Ratio (INR) test every few weeks to see how my blood is clotting. I need this because the doctors make me take Warfarin to stop my blood clotting too quickly. Until a few years ago I thought of Warfarin as a very effective rat poison.
If you have a normal set-up you have an INR of around 1. If you have atrial fibrillation they try to get it in the range 2.0 -3.0 which stops it clotting and prevents strokes and heart attacks. If you have a mechanical heart valve they like it to be a bit higher. It’s nothing special, a million of us have it in the UK and ten percent of the over 75s have it.
However, it can be a bit variable, and you may have noticed that I often complain about the testing, as the results can be very imprecise, which annoys me. I do my bit – eat a dull and unvaried diet, take the pills at the same time each day and let them take regular bloods. They, on the other hand, don’t do much, as I recently pointed out to them.
So, I believe I had got as far as 3.5 for people with mechanical heart valve and similar problems. The next step is 5.0 – 8.0. They start getting twitchy at this sort of level, particularly if it is accompanied by bleeding, and start threatening vitamin K injections. At 8.0 they start getting very twitchy . . .
And at 9.6, if you haven’t admitted to any bleeding, they tell you to stop taking the pills immediately and to go for another blood test in two day’s time.
I’m not sure whether to worry or claim it as a personal best.
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Simon, I am so sorry to hear this. Thank goodness they are testing you so often and caught it. I hope the next test will show you in a better state. Hugs to you. Hang in there.
Thank you. Yes, two days without Warfarin and the test results were in the normal range this morning – now to make sure they stay there. 🙂
Oh yay! That’s wonderful you responded so quickly. Phew!
Shall we say that I am, for once, quite happy. 🙂
Most unpleasant – we should have a hate button
Latest new is that two days without Warfarin have brought my levels back into the target zone, so fingers crossed. 🙂
Well, Simon, I always wonder if I should really click on the like button in times like this. They should have a blank face as an option.
Today’s results show the levels are normal so it’s OK for now. It was probably caused by Covid or not eating due to Covid. Hopefully I don’t need to worry about that for a while.
Very good!
I’m feeling a lot happier, I admit.
Oh, my!!!! Scared me, too.
The test today showed that I am back to normal, so more weight loss and hopefully there will be no more surprises.
Fingers and toes crossed!
Indeed. 🙂
Thanks for all that. You’ve scared the daylight out of me. I’ll make an appointment to see my doctor as soon as I’ve finished off the half bottle of Ardbeg. If I go now he’ll only tell me to stop drinking Whisky altogether.
It’s a tricky situation – we should take care of our health but doctors always insist on looking on the worst side. They repeatedly refer to my smoking and drinking habits of 25 years ago and ignore the fact that I no longer smoke and rarely drink. Makes you wonder if it was worth giving up . . .
I know someone with AF. Drugs were used first, that didn’t work well. Then cardioversion was tried, which seemed to work, for a short while. A second cardioversion, was done, only temporary relief. Cardioablation was tried after that. Seems to be what finally did the trick.
Thoughts and prayers are with you, Quercus.
Yes, my mother-in-law had the ablation done and has been A + ever since.
That’s good to hear. Mine isn’t particularly serious, so I’m lucky.
Fortunately, mine isn’t serious – just the odd missed beat here and there – none of the dramatic stuff. I’m going to lose weight and start taking care of myself so will see how it goes.
Alarming.
If I lose more weight I can go on a slightly more precise drug – the remedy is in my hands.
My dad has AF but I still don’t know what to say. Something needs to be done!