Sorry for your loss. My Grandfather told me my entire childhood that the men in our family are dead by 55 because his father and grandfather died by that age. He is currently age 90, so have hope.
Atrial Fibrillation
- Thread starter Bill Mattocks
- Start date
Yes it is.
That's not a very accurate description, and you must not have seen it done properly or often, because it has a success rate of about 20% on A-Fib. Higher for things like SVT.
It would be more accurate to say pacemakers are a super common treatment.
1979 called, and they'd like their medications back. The only people I've seen in the last decade on dig have been on it for half their life and find no reason to change. It's certainly not considered a first or second tier drug for a-fib.
My brother just had ablation done to control his & he's doing fine. Time to obey the doctor for a while! Best wishes. Joe
OP
OP
Just saw the cardiologist. It's beta blockers and blood thinners for me. I am ordered to stop all contact in karate. No more sparring or any form of kumite. This is bad news.
It really is. If I were you, I'd ask for a referral to an electrophysiologist to discuss ablation. It's not always an option, but if it is, and can be performed successfully, you can get off the thinners.
That’s not the best news, Bill, but it’s far preferable to stroke and consequent disability. Kata and kihon are wonderful avenues in which to excel. Best of luck.
Oily Dragon
Senior Master
There is a lot of kung fu training material designed to lower stress and blood pressure. A lot of the Nei Gong Ja schools are all about this.
Getting older sucks, but you can make it suck less, and sparring isn't required. Just the usual time, effort, and focus I'm sure you're already well familiar with.
Glad to share anything I can, with you.
OP
OP
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I will be investigating options as time goes on. At the moment, I'll follow the cardiologist's orders and take my *very expensive* medication and avoid hitting and getting hit at the dojo.
As to studying other styles, I'm not too much interested. I've been doing Isshinryu for over 15 years now, I'm 61 years old, and I'm not wanting to start something new. Besides, my dojo is my family. I don't just go there because I like my style of martial arts (although I do). I go there to be with my family.
I have given some thought over the years to adding some Tai Chi to my training. The problem for me is that there is nothing nearby. I can't drive an hour to train, unfortunately. I will keep my eyes open though. You never know what might pop up.
As to studying other styles, I'm not too much interested. I've been doing Isshinryu for over 15 years now, I'm 61 years old, and I'm not wanting to start something new. Besides, my dojo is my family. I don't just go there because I like my style of martial arts (although I do). I go there to be with my family.
I have given some thought over the years to adding some Tai Chi to my training. The problem for me is that there is nothing nearby. I can't drive an hour to train, unfortunately. I will keep my eyes open though. You never know what might pop up.
OP
OP
The cardiologist said I was not a candidate for cardioversion because I've been reporting heart palpitations for several years, although they just caught the afib on my ekg recently, so he said it probably would not work. He did suggest I'd be a candidate for the Watchman device, which would permit me to avoid Eliquis and allow me to do contact sports again. However, the whole thing sounds a little sketchy to me. It's invasive heart surgery and it's permanent. I dunno if I'm ready for that.
What sounds sketchy about it? It's minimally invasive, since it's placed via a puncture in the groin. Essentially the same as doing an angiogram, except you stop in the bottom of the left ventricle, instead of continuing on out of the heart into the aortic root.
OP
OP
It's a mechanical device, going into my heart. That doesn't make me feel happy thoughts. Also, the cardiologist was pretty happy about pushing it, seemed disappointed when I said I'd try the blood thinners first. I got the feeling he really wanted to try his new toy out on me. Just a feeling.
Note that I am not trying to talk you into anything.
It's a mechanical device if a balloon is a mechanical device. It's not like there are moving parts or electrical circuits or anything.
I understand why he would push it. It's not really new. I think it's been in common use for 6-8 years. I can dig up the numbers, if you want, but as I recall the effectiveness of the Watchman is slightly higher than drug therapy. But it's a very small difference. The major advantage is the impact on your day to day life. The Watchman (and similar devices) is the hands down winner there.
Again, I am not trying to talk you into anything.
HEY DD ,
Ablation as in small amount of current running through a section to usually cause scar tissue on the Nerve Center to reduce pain?
Sorry - this is the usage I am aware of for the procedure.
Are you saying that it can be used to this condition as well?
** Standard Disclaimers - See a doctor get the proper referrals et al
Oily Dragon
Senior Master
Definitely.
I know a bunch of people who started taking up Tai Chi during the pandemic, and still do Zoom classes etc. Remote Tai Chi isn't perfect, but it beats nothing, and has proven medical benefits for blood pressure, unlike a lot of other martial arts, which are (in my humble opinion) terrible for it.
Tai Chi Benefits | Abbott Newsroom
The health benefits of tai chi go beyond a general sense of calm. Here are six reasons to incorporate tai chi into your exercise routine.
www.abbott.com
_Simon_
Senior Master
I'm so sorry to hear Bill... that must be incredibly difficult news... I know I would find it very hard.
I'm hoping your karate can continue to evolve into deeper places, and more richness in different exploration. Training is still there, just in a different way. Thinking of you brother.
Absolutely. Ablation just means removal or destruction of a body part or tissue or its function. In these cases, we are talking about knocking out the function. Specifically, the ability of a given bit of tissue to conduct.
The problem lies in abnormal conduction pathways. So it's off to the electrophysiology lab to have those pathways mapped. A catheter is placed and guided into the heart (just like in the Watchman procedure). The ablation itself is done with either cryo (liquid nitrogen or argon gas), heat (radiofrequency) or laser. The procedure causes teeny tiny scars which block the abnormal conduction pathways.
OP
OP
I see the cardiologist again in a month. I'll be sure to ask. This is day 1 of eliquis and I'm not feeling too good.
isshinryuronin
Senior Master
"Do not pursue the taste of good food'??? Musashi was obviously a misguided quack who lived in a cave.
Can you find any exercise that's easier than "walking"? I thought walking is the easiest exercise on earth.
Oily Dragon
Senior Master
Yes, unless you realize the key word is "pursue"."Do not pursue the taste of good food'??? Musashi was obviously a misguided quack who lived in a cave.
Why do we pursue things?
