I was having episodes almost every day for the past few weeks. (Twice a week before that). Totally exhausted after trying to balance episodes, tiredness and work, I took a week's sick leave beginning last Sunday with last Saturday afternoon being my last proper Afib episode (a few ectopics, palpitations since then but that's all.) OK, here's the question, what do you think? Was the cessation of episodes a) thankfully therapeutic - Amiodarone I started a month ago now doing its job well b) annoyingly afibulous (afib playing its usual hide and seek game) or c) blindingly obvious - (work or associated adrenaline build-up - hard to call it stress as I love my job - or maybe I misunderstand 'stress'?? - triggering my Afib, so no work = no Afib d) other (I've been on this site long enough to know that there is MUCH more wisdom out there than I could ever claim privy to myself.)
Thanks!
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Polly159
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Hi Polly. I just wrote a long message of my own which promptly disappeared. I was saying that I have a similar pattern to you and that I have realised how certain physical things affect me.
In relation to your post one of these things is sitting (slumping) in a comfortable chair... I think this pushes my (growing) tummy up into my chest, which then irritates my vagus nerve and off I go, especially if I have eaten.
Not insulting your own tummy of course, as I'm long and skinny, but I do have a little bit of something that does get squidged when I sit down...
If I'm getting on with my DIY stuff = no episodes.
Mmmm - part of my work does involve sitting at a computer, but also standing for some periods of time and driving. (I'm a Parish Minister, so , e.g. preparation = sitting; conducting funerals, services, school assemblies = standing for about an hour at a time.) I'm actually doing a lot more sitting during my time off (!) so maybe not a factor for me, anyway.
Sorry, DueNorth, maybe I didn't explain very well - it's the exact opposite- standing etc and working = afib; having a relaxing week wi4h lots of sitting around = no afib. As people on here often say- we're all different.
Hard to guess what is happening to you and why, but I'm guessing your diet is different when you work than when you stay at home. Here is what I found that triggers Afib - might be the same for you:
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After 9 years of trying different foods and logging EVERYTHING I ate, I found sugar (and to a lesser degree, salt – i.e. dehydration) was triggering my Afib. Doctors don't want to hear this - there is no money in telling patients to eat less sugar. Each person has a different sugar threshold - and it changes as you get older, so you need to count every gram of sugar you eat every day (including natural sugars in fruits, etc.). My tolerance level was 190 grams of sugar per day 8 years ago, 85 grams a year and a half ago, and 60 grams today, so AFIB episodes are more frequent and last longer. If you keep your intake of sugar below your threshold level your AFIB will not happen again (easier said than done of course). It's not the food - it's the sugar (or salt - see below) IN the food that's causing your problems. Try it and you will see - should only take you 1 or 2 months of trial-and-error to find your threshold level. And for the record - ALL sugars are treated the same (honey, refined, agave, natural sugars in fruits, etc.). I successfully triggered AFIB by eating a bunch of plums and peaches one day just to test it out. In addition, I have noticed that moderate exercise (7-mile bike ride or 5-mile hike in the park) often puts my Afib heart back in to normal rhythm a couple hours later. Don’t know why – perhaps you burn off the excess sugars in your blood/muscles or sweat out excess salt??
Also, in addition to sugar, if you are dehydrated - this will trigger AFIB as well. It seems (but I have no proof of this) that a little uptick of salt in your blood is being treated the same as an uptick of sugar - both cause AFIB episodes. (I’m not a doctor – it may be the sugar in your muscles/organs and not in your blood, don’t know). In any case you have to keep hydrated, and not eat too much salt. The root problem is that our bodies are not processing sugar/salt properly and no doctor knows why, but the AFIB seems to be a symptom of this and not the primary problem, but medicine is not advanced enough to know the core reason that causes AFIB at this time. You can have a healthy heart and still have Afib – something inside us is triggering it when we eat too much sugar or get (even a little) dehydrated. Find out the core reason for this and you will be a millionaire and make the cover of Time Magazine! Good luck! - Rick Hyer
Thanks, Rick. My diet stays more or less the same at work or not. (Mainly because I now cook and freeze a lot - Mainly vegetable stews of various kinds. )I will keep an eye on sugar levels, though as I'm learning with AFIB that even small changes can make a big difference
I noticed that with dehydration - even if I was what I would say 'very mildly' dehydrated it would cause problems, so I don't let that happen as far as possible..
As they say, listening to your own body is vital, but it's also good to have others share their experience- so you know what to listen for!
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