Living With Atrial Fibrillation
Living with atrial fibrillation may not feel like living at all. The anxiety of having a heart condition that may lead to stroke can take over your life. And the strain is not yours alone; it affects your family, friends and loved ones.
Constant worry can keep you from zealous living. No matter what kind of medical management is prescribed; rate management drugs, rhythm management drugs, and anticoagulants have debilitating side effects that are often worse than the effects of the heart condition they are meant to treat.
The health risks of atrial fibrillation are significant, and they can be compounded by the additional risks of drug regimens or catheter ablation. Understanding the risks involved with not treating afib, medicating afib or surgically treating afib might empower you to seek out the most effective treatment with the least intrusive side effects.
Quality of Life Matters
When your quality of life matters, quality of care matters more. When it's not enough to just survive as long as possible with atrial fibrillation, thriving and engaging in an active, healthy lifestyle means finding the best possible solution available.
If atrial fibrillation goes undiagnosed or untreated, it can affect breathing, physical energy and stamina. Many people who have these symptoms simply stop engaging in healthy, active lifestyles until their intermittent afib becomes continuous. At this stage, they seek medical attention or become so debilitated by their heart condition that they are rushed to an emergency room.
If weight, smoking, drinking and caffeine intake are contributing factors to the prevalence and incidence of AF, inactivity can contribute to further health problems more than just affecting quality of life.
When the prognosis is medical management, strict adherence to drug regimens, blood tests and a restrictive diet can severely impact your freedom and your quality of life. The risk of bleeding to death on warfarin (Coumadin), an anticoagulant, is so high that many people can't travel, engage in any physical or sporting activities, garden, cook or even shave. While being on anticoagulants, bruising can be so severe on the face, legs and arms that being seen in public is a humiliating experience that is avoided at any cost.
Most importantly, the risk of stroke and congestive heart failure can have a serious psychological impact on your quality of life. Being frightened by the possibility of stroke can feel like carrying around a time bomb. Your family and friends may also feel the strain of these risks.
Mini-maze surgery can restore your quality of life by ending atrial fibrillation. With the exceptional medical care you will receive at Western Cardiovascular Associates, you will know that you are also receiving cutting edge surgical treatment. By surgically restructuring and remodeling the pathways of irregular electrical impulses in the heart that cause atrial fibrillation, Dr. Affleck can end your atrial fibrillation, and you can begin to live again. Whether you live in Salt Lake City, Ogden, or Utah Valley, or anywhere in the country, contact Western Cardiovascular Associates online or call us at 801-743-4750 today. Have the surgery. Regain your freedom.