Talk about timely! I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Lucky because I have suffered with atrial fibrillation (a-fib) for over 40 years. So here goes a rather long review.
Early in my life, I never knew what a-fib was. I only knew that, at times, my heart would begin to race and skip, and it felt like I was having a heart attack. I best described it as "the little man on my chest jumping up and down". Several times I went to the hospital, but by the time I was seen the a-fib episode was over. Due to a high stress career in law enforcement, the doctors assumed the attacks were caused by stress/depression/anxiety. So they prescribed medications to help. I swear, I have probably tried every prescription for depression/anxiety med known to man. I really wasn't depressed, but I assumed the doctors knew best, so I took them. Some had horrible side effects. But I would go six months to a year or more with no attacks, so everyone assumed I was fixed. Then another attack would occur, and they would switch the med to the "latest and greatest'.
On and on until a period of time in 2013, when I was having another episode. I just assumed it was business as usual. Only this time, it resulted in a massive stroke! I was paralyzed on the left side for an extended period. Doctors couldn't figure out why I had the stroke. My blood pressure and cholesterol level were great. I was in great shape physically. They did every test known to man, and came back normal.
One day, several months later, I was having another episode. I was really scared this time, not wanting another stroke. I went to the ER, where I was treated by a wonderful young doctor. She suggested wearing a Holter monitor for a couple of days, to monitor my heart. She then referred me to a cardiologist. The cardiologist (my hero) then put me on an extended monitoring device that I wore for a couple of weeks. The cardiologist called and asked me to come in. He told me, "Good news! We now know what caused your stroke!" You have a-fib. And we can treat it!" So I went on a blood thinner, and a medication to control my heart beat. And everything was great. Life was good. For the first time in many years.
Then, in late 2019, the a-fib returned. And lasted. On and on. For months. My cardiologist performed a cardio-version. Basically, they shock your heart back into rhythm. Which it did. And he suggested that I get a procedure called "ablation". Where they kill off some of the nerves to your heart that are causing the a-fib. So it was scheduled. And I tried reading everything I could on the subject. There sure is a lot of confusing information out there!
A couple of weeks before the procedure (which had been postponed several times because of the coronavirus), I was sent this book. Talk about a gift from God!
I was able to read EXACTLY what the surgery was going to do. I was able to have an intelligent conversation with the surgeon about the operation. He seemed surprised that I knew so much about it, so I showed him my copy of the book. He looked through it, said it was an excellent source, and was going to recommend it to his patients. How's that for an expert opinion on the worthiness of the book!
Anyway, the surgery went fine. I'm recovered. And at peace. Finally!
THIS IS THE BOOK THAT I WISH I FOUND YEARS AGO!!!! It's loaded with information. It describes everything you could possibly wonder about a-fib. What causes it. How it's diagnosed. How to treat it, all of the different methods of treatment and operations available. And how to live with a-fib, minimize it's occurrences, and how to proceed after treatment.
It's written in such a way that it's fairly easy to understand. Lots of pictures to help explain.
I cannot help but think what my life would have been like if I had found this book years ago. I CANNOT ENCOURAGE YOU ENOUGH, IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE A-FIB, SEE A DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY! DO NOT ACCEPT NO FOR AN ANSWER. AND GET THIS BOOK, SO YOU CAN FIND YOUR WAY TO A CURE. DON'T WAIT UNTIL YOU HAVE A STROKE!