Transcript
Carolyn Lacey, MD FACC: [00:00:00] Once you are diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, there's an overwhelming amount of information headed your way. Today, we're going to cut through the noise and provide you with a trusted framework to help get you started. Here are top five ways to conquer AFib on Living Heart smart.
Matthew DeVane, DO FACC: [00:00:25] Hi, I'm Doctor Matt DeVane.
Carolyn Lacey, MD FACC: [00:00:27] And I'm Doctor Carolyn Lacey. We are cardiologists at John Muir Health and this is our podcast, Living Heart Smart.
Matthew DeVane, DO FACC: [00:00:33] Our physician partners and colleagues are going to help guide you through many different and important cardiovascular topics to help keep your heart happy and healthy.
Carolyn Lacey, MD FACC: [00:00:41] Thank you for listening and we hope you enjoy our show.
Matthew DeVane, DO FACC: [00:00:49] Hi everyone! We've already done a whole series of what we hope are really helpful podcasts that walk you through atrial fibrillation and pretty darn good detail, right? They feature our partners Doctor Ben, Doctor Nibley, Doctor Dublin, so be sure to check those out. Carolyn, today we're really just going to go with a short and sweet summary of what is really a massive topic. Let's dive right in. No messing around. What's our top five? Afib.
Carolyn Lacey, MD FACC: [00:01:14] All right here we go. Number one take charge. Patients are always asking me what can I do to help manage my atrial fibrillation. And honestly, there's a lot you can do to help manage your AFib. One of the first things I talk to people about are reducing or eliminating alcohol and caffeine intake. And of course, we already know don't smoke, don't use other drugs, don't use stimulants.
Matthew DeVane, DO FACC: [00:01:38] Yeah. And I'd like to talk to patients about their weight. So nobody likes that uncomfortable topic. But listen obesity and being overweight is really a big cause of atrial fibrillation. So of course maintaining a healthy weight is a really important part of controlling your AFib.
Carolyn Lacey, MD FACC: [00:01:56] And along with that, there are other conditions that really do play a role in atrial fibrillation and mostly high blood pressure and diabetes. Those are ones we can focus on and really working on. Getting those conditions under control is going to be really important for you.
Matthew DeVane, DO FACC: [00:02:12] Let me ask you this. Does your spouse tell you that you snore? No. Okay. You liar. Are you sleepy during the daytime? Well, you could have something called sleep apnea. And that is a significant cause of atrial fibrillation. So you may want to get that looked at as well.
Carolyn Lacey, MD FACC: [00:02:30] You know, with these things that we've already talked about, it's really just important to be heart smart things we already know. Eat a healthy diet. Exercise regularly. Work on controlling your stress and making sure you're getting good quality sleep at night. We have a whole episode with Doctor Andy. Ben called Doctor Ben's Cautionary Tale that does a deeper dive into this.
Matthew DeVane, DO FACC: [00:02:52] That's a good one. Number two stroke prevention. Hey, listen, strokes are terrible. Horrible, right? So, yes, atrial fibrillation can cause a stroke. In fact, it's one of the more common causes of stroke. So preventing strokes is one of the most important parts of our job of atrial fibrillation treatment.
Carolyn Lacey, MD FACC: [00:03:12] And I know you've all seen the ads on television. We've all seen them. Eliquis, Xarelto Pradaxa. These are the blood thinner medications. And these are really going to be the key medications to help prevent you from having stroke.
Matthew DeVane, DO FACC: [00:03:26] Yeah. And assume the blood thinner that you're taking is at least indefinite, if not lifelong. And some of my patients even get confused because even if you go back into a normal rhythm, your doctor may instruct you to keep taking those blood thinners. So be sure that you do.
Carolyn Lacey, MD FACC: [00:03:42] And I get asked a lot. I'm sure you do too, Matt, if there are blood thinner alternatives. Yeah.
Matthew DeVane, DO FACC: [00:03:46] What about aspirin? That's a big one.
Carolyn Lacey, MD FACC: [00:03:48] No no, no. Not aspirin. No. Unfortunately, no. But there is a procedure that we can do in your heart to reduce your stroke risk to help get you off the blood thinners.
Matthew DeVane, DO FACC: [00:04:00] Yeah. Doctor Andy, Ben and Doctor Andy Dublin have both done podcasts up on our site. One's called left atrial appendage occlusion procedure, and one is starting your AFib journey. Check those out for more great details.
Carolyn Lacey, MD FACC: [00:04:15] Number three AFib can cause symptoms because it's a rhythm that likes to go fast. Yeah.
Matthew DeVane, DO FACC: [00:04:21] People who feel their AFib is super uncomfortable usually. So they feel like a heart racing thumping pounding in their chest. Sometimes there's some lightheadedness or some shortness of breath. And and when you're feeling those symptoms and you're just laying there watching TV is really uncomfortable. So those are the big ones to watch for. But on the other hand, symptoms for AFib can be pretty vague as well.
Carolyn Lacey, MD FACC: [00:04:42] I agree. Not only can they be vague, a lot of people don't have any symptoms at all. They just discover their AFib at a routine checkup. So it's really important for you to be having your routine checkups with your physician.
Matthew DeVane, DO FACC: [00:04:55] Yeah. The other thing that we have today that we didn't have before are these smartwatches. And if you've got a smartwatch, there is an atrial fibrillation alert that may go off. These things are pretty good. They're not perfect. A lot better getting better. So you don't want to ignore it. It's not an emergency. But if your smartwatch is saying atrial fibrillation, make sure you check it out. Number four treatment beyond your blood thinner. Okay, we have prevented your stroke with the blood thinners, but now we still have to deal with the actual atrial fibrillation itself. We haven't done that yet. Fortunately, there are many medications and even a few procedures that can help treat your atrial fibrillation.
Carolyn Lacey, MD FACC: [00:05:37] So remember AFib wants to race. And we usually start out with some medications that slow your heart rate down. We have medications that can be used to help keep you in a normal rhythm. These medications are called antiarrhythmic drugs. And we even have a procedure called a cardioversion that helps get you back into a normal rhythm.
Matthew DeVane, DO FACC: [00:05:57] Right. That's what we call the old shock to your heart. Trying to get back into a normal rhythm. Right. And there's even a procedure called AFib ablation that may help keep you in a normal rhythm as well. And this is where you really want to listen to Doctor Nibley's podcast called Rhythm Control and Ablation Procedures.
Carolyn Lacey, MD FACC: [00:06:16] Number five, AFib requires teamwork. Matt and I do deal with AFib every single day, many times a day. And we've learned that it really does take teamwork with your doctor to get your AFib under control.
Matthew DeVane, DO FACC: [00:06:29] Yeah Carolyn. Atrial fibrillation is so common. It's just such a big part of our lives. So it's important for all of you guys out there to know that you're not alone. We're dealing with this all the time. And not only do we deal with it all the time, there's millions of Americans literally out there living with AFib, and they continue to live long, happy and healthy lives. And so can you.
Carolyn Lacey, MD FACC: [00:06:50] It's also really important to remember that everybody's AFib journey is a little bit different. There's no one recipe to follow. And so it's going to take some visits, some testing, some medications to try to get it under control. And then remember, once you think you've got it all under control, something's going to change. And that's okay. We expect that.
Matthew DeVane, DO FACC: [00:07:11] Just the way the body works, things aren't always going according to plan. But for your best bet against AFib, you're going to have to do a few things. Be patient. Be committed to the process. It's going to take some visits. As Carolyn mentioned, educate yourself as best you can. Hey, listen to a podcast or two and then work closely with your cardiologist to conquer your atrial fibrillation. Thanks so much for listening. This is Doctor Matt DeVane, and on behalf of my cohost, Doctor Carolyn Lacey and our partners at John Muir Health, we hope that you enjoyed this show and we really hope that you keep living heart smart.
back to top