Earlier this year I went though the cardioversion with the TEE procedure and had to take coumadin/warfarin/rat poison for a couple of weeks prior and after, but the blood was taken by a small prick on my finger and put on a slide which was put into a device which gave an instant result.

I had my first A-fib experience about 15 years ago and for about 10 years I had one per year which lasted about 12 hours. They have become more frequent in the past couple of years, but typically last <24 hours. I can't take any of the "ol" or "il" drugs as they reduce heart rate and my normal resting is 41-45.
I thought the causes of the "attacks" were vodka-related, but I stopped drinking that and still get them. My cardiologist told me last week that there is a new drug to control A-fib, which does not require a hospital stay as tecosyn(sp?) does. I don't remember its name. I am choosing not to take it, nor to have ablation, but to make sure I am adequately hydrated. It's frustrating to have A-fib, but it should not be ignored because of the risk of clots forming.