DEAR DR. GOTT:
My husband, age 76, has suddenly developed atrial fibrillation. He had an active life, walking three to four miles five days a week and hunting. Now he can get short of breath while sitting in a chair. If he goes outside to do yard work he gets short of breath within just a few minutes.
He has had two cardioversions (procedures to reduce the pulse rate) but they didn’t help for long. His rhythm remained normal in the hospital but once home he went back to being abnormal. His heartbeat was rapid so he takes warfarin to prevent a stroke. He has his levels monitored every few weeks.
My husband’s heart rate is now at a normal level of 80 but he continues to be short of breath. His heart specialist says he’ll have to live with it. His chiropractor says he had has the same thing for more than 20 years and has learned to dispel it by taking several deep breaths and slowing down for a bit. My husband tried this but it doesn’t seem to work for him.
I have also gotten several emails from a woman who wrote a book and claims to know how to reverse atrial fibrillation but I am doubtful that she knows something doctors don’t.
DEAR READER:
Your husband’s symptoms suggest to me he may be suffering from congestive heart failure (CHF).
I urge your husband to seek a second opinion from another cardiologist. He needs heart testing such as an EKG, stress test and more. The sooner he is diagnosed and treatment has begun, the better his chances will be at a more normal life. If left untreated, your husband will slowly worsen, becoming more short of breath and eventually developing edema (fluid retention and swelling).
Get him to another cardiologist and let me know the results.
To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Coronary Artery Disease”. Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed, stamped number 10 envelope and $2 to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.
About Dr. Gott