Now on Tambacor/Flecainide

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Posted by Glenn Camp on January 17, 2004 at 22:59:42:

I checked into the hospital on Thursday morning for a forty eight hours observation during which my EP started me on 50 mg of flecainide. I didn't have any 'bad' afib attacks, just afib, and also had some pac's during late Thursday afternoon and early evening. All day Friday I had fairly good rhythm without any major flareups.

Friday evening the EP doubled my dosage to 100 mg that I took at 8 pm. One hour later I had on a scale of 1 -10 about an 8 attack of afib and 130-180 BPM. This lasted for a little over two hours.
Saturday morning I asked the EP if doubling the dosage 'set off' the afib and he said no. I had another attack an hour or so before I left the hospital on Saturday afternoon at 3 pm. My pacemaker is set at 70 bpm and my heart has been beating 75 -90 bpm and a little erratic, but not especially bad irregular.

The EP did say to me on Friday and again on Saturday morning that if the flecainide didn't help me, that a/v node ablation would definitely make me feel better. I do not agree as I declined that procedure about four years ago by a different EP. I asked him what he thought about maze or pva and his answer was..... "they both have their risks". I told him that anything invasive had risks, doesn't a/v node ablation have its' risks as well? And what about all the medicines I have been taking during all these years, haven't all of them had high risks? And I wonder how much damage of twenty something years of lanoxin has done to me? And betapace has become ineffective but how much damage have I sustained from it as well? Plus I asked him about other medicinces I had taken through the years. He admitted that maze or pva may help. But he never committed to either as a better option over a/v ablation.

I didn't think he would be in favor of maze or pva given the fact that he is one of these EP's that loves to be paid for a/v ablations.

We are praying that the change to flecainide will at least allow me to feel like traveling to seek whichever procedure, maze or pva is best for me.

I already have appointments scheduled with two EP's, one that does PVA(I)'s and another that screens candidates for the procedure for another EP that has more expertise than the one doing the screening. Then it's on to a consultation with that EP and a high definition CTscan.

Hopefully before too much longer I will be able to report a successful procedure. I'm so tired of this mess.

Regards,
Glenn Camp

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