Heart Rhythm Community
Atrial Fibrillation
About This Community:

This patient support community is for discussions relating to heart rhythm issues, arrhythmia, irregular heartbeat, implanted defibrillators, pacemakers, and tachycardia.

Font Size:
A
A
A
Background:
Blank
Blank
Blank
Blank Blank

Atrial Fibrillation

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
Related Discussions
612551_tn?1247839157
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.
Blank
Post a Comment
To
Go
Blank
Weight Tracker
Reach your weight goal faster
Start Tracking Now
MedHelp Health Answers
Top Arrhythmias Answerers
1807132_tn?1318747197
Blank
michellepetkus
Chicago, IL
612551_tn?1247839157
Blank
Jerry_NJ
NJ
1124887_tn?1313758491
Blank
is_something_wrong
Oslo, Norway
187666_tn?1331176945
Blank
ireneo
Portland, OR
1423357_tn?1360589474
Blank
tom_h
Central, MA
995271_tn?1312416925
Blank
itdood
PA
RSS Expert Activity
1741471_tn?1349564002
Blank
Parkinson Awareness Month: Parkinso... Blank
May 10 by Michael Gonzalez-WallaceBlank
233488_tn?1310696703
Blank
NEW STUDIES ON PREVENTING PROGRESSI...
May 08 by John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAOBlank
2126606_tn?1346348724
Blank
Heroin Use in the U.S.
May 08 by Clare Waismann Kavin, Blank