Heritage Manor News: About A-fib

(Editor’s Note: The following article was submitted by Patricia Duplechin, resident activity director at Heritage Manor Nursing Home in Ville Platte. This column runs every Sunday in The Gazette.)
A-fib stands for Atrial fibrillation, which is a type of abnormal heartbeat. A-fib is caused by extremely fast and irregular beats from the upper chambers of the heart (usually more than 400 beats per minute.) A normal, healthy heartbeat involves a regular contraction of the heart muscle. Although A-fib itself isn’t life threatening, it is a serious medical condition that requires proper treatment to prevent stroke.
Treatment for A-fib may include medication and therapy to reset the heart rhythm and catheter procedures to block faulty heart signals. Certain situations can trigger an episode of A-fib, such as drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, being overweight, drinking large amounts of caffeine or taking illegal drugs. Some of the common symptoms are fatigue, rapid or irregular heartbeat, fluttering in the chest, dizziness, confusion or anxiety.
The staff of Heritage Manor wishes a Happy Birthday this week to James Dupre, Enola Perrodin, and Marie Fontenot.
The staff of Heritage Manor sends get well wishes to all of our loves ones in the hospital.
The staff of Heritage Manor welcomes Jimmie Fontenot to the facility.
Activities this week include bingo sponsored by the VFW Ladies Auxiliary, jingo, in-room bedside rosary, pokeno, group exercise, bean bag toss, snack wagon, manicures, outside visits, beauty shop, and mass.