Whoever came up with that expression must have never been on Coumadin. When I've gone in for my ProTime tests, I can usually tell if my blood is thin enough to be in the therapeutic range (INR between 2.0 and 3.0) before the machine gives a reading. If my blood comes out like cherry kool-aid after the finger stick, I'm good (sorry for the analogy).
But those days are finally behind me now. The Coumadin is now on the shelf next to the rest of my old heart meds. I guess I'll keep the meds around just in case but at this point they seem more like trophies celebrating a successful ablation. The Coumadin has been replaced for now with a single adult aspirin daily. I still need a small dose (5mg) of Lisinopril for high blood pressure that should have been treated a long time ago. I can deal much better with just one prescription med and the pharmacist won't get to see my lovely wife (or our money) near as often now.
I could have gotten to this point a few weeks earlier but it took a little bit to get scheduled for the required follow-up testing. I wore a 48-hour holter monitor a couple of weeks ago and the results showed normal sinus rhythm with about 80 PVC's per day. The Premature Ventricular Contractions feel like skipped beats but are not a concern. My cardiologist wonders if or why the PVC's are more frequent after my ablation since all of the burns were made in the atria. It could just be that I notice them more. Whatever the case, it seems like they are letting up even in the two weeks since the holter test. My resting heart rate is still in the 80's but not causing any problems or symptoms.
I had an echocardiogram a little over a week ago and the results were also encouraging. My left and right atria are still both mildly enlarged but have gotten smaller since my last echo in November 2007. Some of the enlargement is due to the AF, and some of it could be due to my untreated high blood pressure. I am thankful to see some improvement now that both possible causes are under control.
Normally these test are done closer to the 3-month point post procedure which would have allowed me to get off the Coumadin earlier. Dr. Natale would also like me to have a CT scan to check for any stenosis (narrowing due to scarring) of the pulmonary veins but I am still waiting for insurance approval for that test. My insurance only likes to approve a CT scan for this purpose if I am having symptoms (which I am not).
So that's the latest. I am definitely enjoying the spring weather and a normal heartbeat. I hope and pray the same for everyone reading this. Best wishes.
Dave
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Congratulations! How wonderful to have it all behind you. My husband had his ablation about two weeks ago, and started with Coumadin (for the first time ever) immediately afterwards, with concurrent Lovenox injections for a week, until his INR levels stabilized. We are aiming at a daily intake of 76 mcg of Vitamin K per day; so far, so good with the INR readings. The people at the local lab think that Coumadin, brand name, tends to give more consistent readings than the generic warfarin, so we switched.
I just want you to know how helpful and comforting your blog has been. When we called in to ask about the marble-sized lump he had discovered above the incision, for example, I was quite sure the nurse would tell us pretty much what the ER nurse had told you--and she did. But how super-worried I would have been without having known that it could happen--nobody from the doctor's office or the hospital had warned us. Similarly, I didn't know that the atrium could get smaller after the procedure; that is interesting.
We don't know yet if he is in the lucky 70% who are cured by the procedure or not, because he has had several arrhythmias since the procedure, but we know that at this point, those are not dispositive one way or the other. We are hoping.
By the way, one day he had a bigeminy heartbeat for the first time in his life, and sent it in on the Icardia recording; the doctor told us that it was nothing to be concerned about. It hasn't recurred; perhaps it was a part of the healing process.
But in any case, your column has been helpful and encouraging, and I am most appreciative. All best wishes.
Anne
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