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#1
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Heart trouble
It appears that I am having a little bit of trouble with my heart. It
came on rather suddenly, as an EKG last December showed no problem at all. But apparently I have developed something called an atrial fibrillation. It doesn't look good for my flying status, but we shall see. -- Waddling Eagle World Famous Flight Instructor |
#2
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Heart trouble
Re a-fib, very very common. May not screw up your medical, There are
meds that work to control it, but ablation seems like a sure cure for many. If it's serious you MUST get onto an aggressive anticoagulant, check with your MD. Coumadin is most often used. You'll be told a-fib is not life threatening, that no one dies of it. That's true, BUT that turbulant blood flow can cause clots, and those can cause strokes, that's why an anti coagulant is needed. Treat this a a layman's advice, but check with your doctor. There are good heart places, and then most others. Be sure you're seeing one of the best. lantOn Jul 13, 10:36 am, C J Campbell wrote: It appears that I am having a little bit of trouble with my heart. It came on rather suddenly, as an EKG last December showed no problem at all. But apparently I have developed something called an atrial fibrillation. It doesn't look good for my flying status, but we shall see. -- Waddling Eagle World Famous Flight Instructor |
#3
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Heart trouble
On 2007-07-13 07:46:03 -0700, Tina said:
Re a-fib, very very common. May not screw up your medical, There are meds that work to control it, but ablation seems like a sure cure for many. If it's serious you MUST get onto an aggressive anticoagulant, check with your MD. Coumadin is most often used. You'll be told a-fib is not life threatening, that no one dies of it. That's true, BUT that turbulant blood flow can cause clots, and those can cause strokes, that's why an anti coagulant is needed. Hah! Not exactly comforting. I got extremely small veins, you know. It takes 'em four or five tries to get a blood test. :-) They gave me Warfarin, which is a coumadin derivative. I think that is the main thing -- making sure that: a) Whatever caused it is not life threatening, it coming on so suddenly and b) Whatever medication they give me doesn't ground me. -- Waddling Eagle World Famous Flight Instructor |
#4
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Heart trouble
Warfarin is the genetic version of Coumadin. The anti coag clinics
around Duke University Hospital like to Rx Coumadin since they say its results are a little more predictable -- fewer batch to batch variations. The INR test, which is used to measure the effectiveness of the warfarin, can be be done with a finger stick drop of blood. If your facility is doing a venipuncture, they are a bit outdated. Find another anti coag clinic if your place has trouble finding a reliable vein. Warfarin is very good, BUT! You have to eat a fairly steady diet of greens, you can't have a lot one week and none the next, the INR will go all over the place. Also, if you get a cold or start throwing up, or do some heavy workouts that are uncommon, your INRs can really go from the useful range (2 to 3, more or less) to 10 or more, and that's getting to where you can have internal bleeding. Just be aware, if you suddenly start bruising easily or bleeding a lot when you floss, or have black stools, to go have your INR checked. Don't wait. Be really aware if you suddenly change your diet. These things happen very rarely, the chances are small that they will happen to you, but you want to be aware and alert anyhow. The data goes something like this: if you don't take an anti coagulant like warfarin, your chances of stroking can be about 10 or 12% a year. If you do take it, your chances are less than the average person of your age and condition (which might be 3 or 5% a year). Oh, and aspirin is only about a third as effective as warfarin. The meds that are often suggested to control a-fib have some evidence of working, at least for a while. Tikosyn, for example, seems to work for many people for a couple of years. A-fib becomes increasingly common as we age, it may not go away on its own. Only in really bad cases will someone become light headed or pass out. I don't know anything about FAA physicals but if you're asymptomatic I'd guess the outlook would be good. You didn't even know you had it until you took a routine EKG, right?. One last thing. RF ablation (which may in the next decade become the standard of care for a-fib) is done on an out patient basis at Duke. Remember, I'm a non professional source of information, validate what I say with your electrocardiologist. And by all means you should be talking with one of those, and not a cardiologist. Although a cardiologist can be helpful, it would be much better to deal with someone who is more in tune with the electrophysology of your heart. Tina |
#5
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Heart trouble
"Tina" wrote in message ps.com... Warfarin is the genetic version of Coumadin. The anti coag clinics around Duke University Hospital like to Rx Coumadin since they say its results are a little more predictable -- fewer batch to batch variations. When I was a kid on the farm Warfarin was in the bait we set out for the rats (not that I am implying anything here). Sorry to hear this CJ. Allen |
#6
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Heart trouble
On 2007-07-13 12:33:16 -0700, "Allen" said:
"Tina" wrote in message ps.com... Warfarin is the genetic version of Coumadin. The anti coag clinics around Duke University Hospital like to Rx Coumadin since they say its results are a little more predictable -- fewer batch to batch variations. When I was a kid on the farm Warfarin was in the bait we set out for the rats (not that I am implying anything here). Sorry to hear this CJ. Allen Oh good. Rat poison. Maybe I could save a ton of money by a trip out to the garage... -- Waddling Eagle World Famous Flight Instructor |
#7
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Heart trouble
Allen wrote:.
When I was a kid on the farm Warfarin was in the bait we set out for the rats (not that I am implying anything here). Sorry to hear this CJ. Check out Aviatrix's blog (particularly the archives from 3-6 months ago) for similar comments and one pilot's experience with Warfarin. Take her account with a grain of salt, however, as she's Canadian, and their medical standards are apparently far more strict than in the US. http://airplanepilot.blogspot.com/ -Doug -- -------------------- Doug Vetter, ATP/CFI http://www.dvatp.com -------------------- |
#8
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Heart trouble
Allen writes:
When I was a kid on the farm Warfarin was in the bait we set out for the rats (not that I am implying anything here). It was used because it causes massive and fatal bleeding in the rats. |
#9
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Heart trouble
Tina wrote: etc...The INR test, which is used to measure the effectiveness of the warfarin, can be be done with a finger stick drop of blood. If your facility is doing a venipuncture, they are a bit outdated. Find another anti coag clinic if your place has trouble finding a reliable vein...etc Whoa! Where's all this medical advice coming from? Also, it's quite possible that tests other than an INR were ordered, requiring a venipuncture as opposed to a finger stick. No point in making the guy lose confidence in his facility without more reason. |
#10
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Heart trouble
On Jul 13, 7:00 pm, RomeoMike wrote:
Tina wrote: etc...The INR test, which is used to measure the effectiveness of the warfarin, can be be done with a finger stick drop of blood. If your facility is doing a venipuncture, they are a bit outdated. Find another anti coag clinic if your place has trouble finding a reliable vein...etc Whoa! Where's all this medical advice coming from? Also, it's quite possible that tests other than an INR were ordered, requiring a venipuncture as opposed to a finger stick. No point in making the guy lose confidence in his facility without more reason. |
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