Going from a stable 50-60 beats per minute to over a hundred beats per minute. She had been stabilized for over a year, and she had been having some issues with retaining too much water. The doctor prescribed a special diuretic to use when her usual one didn't keep her water weight down. I feel that she let it go too far, and now her A-fib is out of control again and her heartrate has been in the 90-119 range for the last two weeks. The doctor seems to be taking a cautious approach and while he doubled her amiodarone he has cut it back down and she still is having the high heart rate with some irregular beats. The home health nurse comes once a week and she contacts the doctor if she feels that he needs to assess what is going on. I am concerned and worried about how long she can go on like this. Has anyone else had these issues and how did you handle them?
Susan
We had a friend that slipped out several times. Finally, they were unable to get him out of a-fib. They simply kept his blood thin and monitored him closely. He lived a good year, I know, in a-fib. It sounds terrifying, to me and you, to survive heart arrythmia over a period of time, but it happens.
Hoping for the best for your mom...Lis.
There are many different ways of treating A-fib, and many factors to consider. For example, my husband was on a blood thinner for several years. As his fall risk increased his doctor decided that the risk of internal bleeding after a fall outweighed the risks associated with the A-fib and she took him off of it. He remained on a diuretic and digoxin. It is good that a doctor who knows your mother's particular health history is monitoring this situation.
I have no experience with your mother's situation. I hope other posters can share their experiences. Expressing your concerns to the nurse may be useful, too.
Telling you all this is not going to help your situation but my point is, make sure you have a dr you feel is knowledgeable about treating a fib and other heart issues. Cautious approach is good sometimes especially with older patients. Some drs are too quick to want to do surgical procedures. Re meds for a fib: I think that happens with a fib, eventually medications don't work.There are surgical treatments but i think they are for younger people and don't always last. but you can always seek a second opinion if you are worried about the high ongoing heart rate.
There is alot of information about a fib on the internet.