I've
known since I was 8 years old that I
would someday die from either a heart attack or a stroke. Almost everyone
on both sides of my parents' families have died from a heart issue or a
stroke. Even at that young age, I didn't need an explanation.
In
spite of this theory and my growing
annoyance by my Apple Watch shouting "Your heart has shown signs of an
irregular rhythm suggestive of atrial fibrillation" I was still shocked
when at my last cardiologist appointment, the doctor walked in and said
"you are in afib". My appointment six months prior had ended so
wonderful - blood pressure lower than it's been in years, weight going down and
just feeling great so I was not expecting that diagnosis at all. Atrial Fibrillation
- The heart's upper chambers
(atria) beat out of coordination with the lower chambers. During a normal heartbeat, the upper
chambers (atria) and lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart work together to
pump blood to the rest of the body. AFib occurs when the upper chambers of the
heart beat irregularly, and do not pump all the blood to the lower chambers,
causing some blood to pool and potentially form clots. If a clot breaks loose,
it can travel through the bloodstream to the brain and lead to a stroke.
Strokes related to AFib are often more severe compared to strokes with other
underlying causes. I've read so many articles related to this, and I know
it sounds super scary, but it's manageable. I must make a few lifestyle
changes - mainly in my eating habits but many of those have been a process
since finding out I was gluten intolerant.
I have started taking Xarelto daily which is
a much better medicine for thinning blood than the old standards coumadin or
warfarin. Those both require frequent blood tests to make sure the levels
of rat poison don’t get too high. Yes, this compound was originally
created as rat poison. Of course, I need to be very careful to not
cut myself because I could lose too much blood and be cautious to not bump
myself and bruise. I've learned that my gluten intolerance feeds right
into afib being more active. This was awesome to learn because I've
noticed, when I eat gluten I get a fluttering in my heart. I was hesitant
to say anything to anyone because I just assumed I was imagining it. All
these symptoms - pain in the chest, dizziness, fatigue, weakness, fast heart
rate, pain in the chest, dizziness, fatigue, weakness, fast heart rate or
palpitations - everything I just brushed aside. After taking
the Xarelto for 6 days I have to say, hesitantly, that I do feel better and not
experiencing those symptoms as frequently.
Next
steps - I need to wear a heart
monitor for 2 weeks and journal everything I do. That should be a lot of
fun! At least it's in cooler weather and not the blazing heat of
August. I also need to get an echocardiogram in 2 weeks.
After
a few days of processing this news
I've decided to share this experience on Facebook and Blogger. I don't
know if anyone will read any of this but I must believe that someone might be
on the same journey and just need to know they aren't alone.
#afib
#artrialfibrillation #womenshearthealth #applehealth #hearthealth #arrhythmia #cardiology #heart
#hearthealth #cardiologist #medicine #cardiovascular #heartfailure #ecg
#heartdisease #stroke #AFibAwareness
#LifestyleAndAFib #xarelto
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