Atrial Fibrillation

[shecatsr]

First, hi to all.  I have gleaned invaluable information from these forums, keep up the good work.
My question relates to Atrial Fibrillation in conjunction with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy with first degree AV Block and Left Bundle Branch Block. I have partial obstruction of opening of Mitral Valve and moderate Subaortic Stenosis.
I am a 57 year old Caucasian woman and I have fairly frequent Angina and Palpitations which have been previously connected to PVC's and Ventricular Tachycardia. My A-Fib is intermittent and occurs a couple of times on 24 hour Holter Monitor.
My Cardiologist insists I should take anticoagulants.  I am on a high dose of Levothyroxine due to a history of two different types (Papillary and Follicular Variant) of Thyroid Cancer tumors. I also have severe Sjogren's Syndrome and Fibromyalgia with joint inflammation for which I require 2400 mg of Ibuprofen per day.  I have had a small bowel resection for obstruction from fibrosis and I have moderate diverticulitis with intermittent bleeding.
1.  Since I cannot take aspirin with Ibuprofen, is Warfarin my only option?  
2.  If I decide to stop the Ibuprofen, is there another Anti-inflammatory I could take that would not be contraindicated with Aspirin?
3.  Can I just ignore the A-Fib, i.e., is the Ibuprofen supplying sufficient Anticoagulant effect to prevent Stroke?
Thanks in advance for your answers and advice.  I will be speaking again with my Physician very soon, but I would like to get some other opinions so that I am, at least a little. informed on my possible options.
Thanks to all and this is a wonderful forum.
Stephanie

[Jerry_NJ]

I was think in the direction of you question... i.e., I figure if you are taking Ibuprofen you are getting the aspirin benefit for anti-coagulant.  This I am not sure about, but I always considered Ibuprofen to be strong aspirin.

You main risk with AFib is clot formation. AFib in and of itself isn't life threatening if your ventricle (the pulse you feel) HR isn't driven too high by the AFib.  The best advice I have been given is keep the resting HR below 100.  Besides you say your AFib is intermittent, mine is permanent.  So your risk from clots is reduced, I believe, by the "duty cycle".  That is if my untreated risk for permanent AFib is 1% and you have AFib only 1 hour a day, I'd think your risk of forming a clot is 1/24 %, only one 24th the risk I have.  I take both a low dose aspirin and Warfarin.  To the best of my understanding, aspirin is normally not taken with an anticoagulant. Yet, I do as prescribed by my heart surgeon first, following mitral valve surgery, and then continued by my cardiologist after that event.  Still I take only a low dose, 81 mg aspirin.

It sounds like AFib is the least of your concerns.