Went to see the (very pleasant) Cardiac Nurse at the hospital for the first time on Monday and after some tests was advised that I would be a suitable candidate for cardioversion. I asked for 24 hours to think about it (also to allow me to discuss it with my wife).
After reading the pamphlets I was given by the hospital, consulting Dr Google and watching some YouTube videos of the procedure, I rang the hospital this morning to say I'd go ahead with it. I just need 3 straight weeks of good INR results now. This week's was 2.0 and that just crept in to the 2.0 to 3.0 they're looking for so hopefully the dose I'm on now (6mg) is the right one for me.
Feeling a bit nervous about it if I'm honest but watching the videos on YouTube actually helped reassure me. Although I don't suppose there would be any negative outcome videos posted as most are shot by medical staff 
Looks like 3 straight weeks of good INR results would get me in for the procedure the following week so not too long to wait and find out if it's going to work. I appreciate a positive outcome may not last for ever but it's got to be worth a go.
It is a very safe and straight forward procedure and very often now done by nurses. My last one was done by a Matron and a Sister. The sedation put me out like a light and more importantly back in sinus rhythm. The previous one I had done by a doctor left a mark like an iron on my chest and it was like a painful burn for several days.
They seem very concerned about whether you remember anything about the procedure as if they are unsure how much sedation to give you. First time I went home feeling quite normal. Last time I felt dopey and could not walk in a straight line and my wife wheeled me down to the entrace. In the afternoon I decided to lie down for a couple of hours before dinner. I slept until 11.45 pm. It was over 48 hours before I felt that my faculties were fully back.
My INR had gone over 3.5 and the practice nurse was not sure if they would do it. I phoned to inquire and they said they didn't care if it was well over 3.
Wishing you all the best Stuart!!! CD
Hi I've had numerous dc cardioversions and each time success, unfortunately it is not working for long enough so have to live with the AF! I have rheumatic heart disease and and mechanical mitral valve, so have a few underlying problems, I don't feel great in AF hence the cardioversions, sounds like the best solution for you though! Good luck I'm sure it will be a sucess
Thanks for the good wishes. 2nd of 3 INR results just in (2.0) which is just inside the required parameters. My GP has increased the warfarin dose from 6 to 6.5mg in the hope of hitting the target INR of 2.5 (I was 3.1 on 7mg). The hospital have also asked the GP to stop my digoxin and replace it with 25mg of Atenolol.
Good luck Stuart, had this done a "couple" of times now in A&E dont enjoy it but so far soo good. For me it has lasted a long time (months) each time. Hope it is as easy for you and i hope the effects are at least long lasting! My Wife was with me on both occaisions before and after the only bit they didnt let her be with me for was the actual but was with me as i was being knocked out a couple of times, once my body didnt want to go under so they took me away then... however so far so good!
I have to go in 3 Weeks, and at the moment am messing myself, is it dangerous ,
and how long does it take. No nothing about it
Hi Charles, I can only speak for the times they have done this to me in A&E... it took about 10ish minutes From administering knock out injection to coming round, may have been 20 mins but not more i dont think. My wife was there but not at the actual cardioversion, she seemed ok so... not too long i dont think. i have no memory of the actual cardioversion and felt ok afterwards, relieved that the heart was doing the right thing again... phone british heart foundation or see your gp for more discussion i found both for me equally helpfull in unrelated things but still heart matters...
3rd INR result in a row OK yesterday so I'm in for my cardioversion next Tuesday afternoon! Once again, can't knock the NHS!
Cardioversion procedure performed this afternoon and already feeling better 
. Just one shock @ 150 joules did the trick apparently. Chest is slightly sore but nothing much to worry about. Feeling tired as I didn't sleep much last night - mainly because the wife was more worried about today than me and kept tossing and turning!
Just hope it lasts! Staying on Warfarin & Atenolol until my follow-up in early January but I can live with that. The good thing is I won't need to do my INR tests weekly anymore (the hospital thought monthly would be OK) although the GP has to ratify that descision apparently.
Great news. Was it done by nurses or a doctor?
Hi Derek
By the cardiac nurses (two of them). They had 7 to do this afternoon so it was a bit of a production line . Per my previous experiences with the much-maligned Colchester General Hospital, everything from booking in at 13:00 and leaving at 16:45 went very smoothly.
I'll get my BP meter out later and check that the irregular heartbeat symbol no longer appears!! At least I'll know if I go back into AF as I tend to test my BP quite regularly.
I have had about 10 cardioversions and they are very safe.The science behind it is like taking the battery out of your phone to reset it, they shock your heart,and it goes back to memory which is normal rythm.The trick is keeping it there. I have lived with chronic(fulltime afib for 25 years) and find it easier to deal with rate control than rythm control. I take an aspirin a day and eat properly and am just as fit as 95% of people my age (53)
very pleased to hear this, all good wishes!
Day surgery type things are usually handled well. Though when I went for an angiogram I was there from 8am till 10pm. They had interuptions for emergencies and the guy who did mine was on a learning curve. My wife had been told to phone at 2pm as I should have been ready to go home by then.
Mine still shows irregular beats but they are ectopic beats.
Have they never wanted you on Warfarin? When you go back into AF how long do you normally have to wait for your cardioversion?
I have been on aspirin for 25 years ,when I first went into afib they did put me on warafin for a little bit,but then my new cardiologist said aspirin until I'm 50 and now he says 70.if you go into afib they usually want to car divert you within 48 hours to avoid having to do a TEE on you
As I'd hoped, my BP meter is no longer indicating an irregular heartbeat but I am seeing a pulse rate of 48-50 which is no doubt down to the Atenolol I was prescribed for rate control. Hopefully they will stop the Atenolol after my review in 6 weeks time as I suffered from bradycardia a few years back caused by.... Atenolol (although I was then on 100mg, rather than the 25mg I'm on now) .
You must have a better hospital than I have. I went to see out of hours doctor at hospital within three hours of going into AF. He agreed AF from my pulse but said that I would be better going to my GP the next day for an ECG rather that sit till midnight in A&E to have one.
I had ECG at GP's surgery the next day and saw a locum GP who said that she would refer me back to my cardiologist but that her letter would take two weeks to reach him.
I phoned the cardiology secretary and had a future appointment brought forward and was seen two days later. I had another ECG and told that I would need to be on Warfarin for eight weeks before having a cardioversion. At my next cardiology appointment about six week later I found that I had not been put on the list for cardioversion and then had another nine weeks to wait.
TEE? Are you in America? I think in the UK it is known as TOE and I think seldom routinely done prior to cardioversion. The only time I had one was when initially going into AF when in hospital after my aortic valve replacement