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Alcohol the Trigger

Robyncarmen profile image
19 Replies

Hi everyone, this is interesting after ceasing to drink Wine 3 weeks ago (which may I add is my Trigger) I have not had an AF attack.

I'm continuing to take my Medication BD twice daily Flecinide 50 mgs & Metopolol 25mgs morning & night.

There is the life style factor. Live clean & green. I'm not going to continue t aggravate my Heart any longer if this is what is causing my AF.

I will post again in another few weeks & let you know if I'm AF free.

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Robyncarmen profile image
Robyncarmen
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19 Replies
booboo73 profile image
booboo73

Hi and YES!!!

I was a heavy drinker of wine and before getting diagnosed I noticed I was 'jittery' afterwards - this scared the life out of me and this is what mainly stopped me drinking heavily ( looking back it will have been AF).

All of my last long episodes have involved alcohol, be it a small amount. All except a couple which have involved cheese (shoot me now!!) so that's gone into room 101 also!

My cardiologist has confirmed this regarding wine and advised me to just have the odd glass now and then - I think I will do without totally - the thought of 'just one glass' for me personally is laughable!!!

Sara xxx

Robyncarmen profile image
Robyncarmen in reply tobooboo73

Wow Sara it is very Scary I know what your saying it's not worth the pain of AF for hours later.

Mind you in Tenerife I had lots of drinks with lunch & Dinner with no AF. Back home in Western Australia it's a different story. One glass & im off. Just like your self.

I cannot change Addresses it's not an option.

So no Alcohol for me. I'm drinking Diet Cordial with lots of Ice.

I've lost weight which is great back to 54 kgs. So that's a bonus.

Still walking on my Treadmill but at a slower pace, that was another cause was walking to fast & it set me off as well. Oh well dreaming of life before AF.

But I'm alive & healthy so it's a Bonus.

Will keep you posted Sara how I'm going you as well. I will look for your posts.

Regards. Rob xxx

dmac4646 profile image
dmac4646 in reply tobooboo73

very interesting I have exactly the same triggers 2 of the biggest pleasures in life gone!

BobD profile image
BobDVolunteer

Triggers are normally just that and not the cause although in younger people binge drinking is known to be a cause as for that matter is excessive exercise. You may well find that lifestyle changes improve your quality of life but the AF may well come back again since another wisdom is that AF begets AF . In other words having it makes it more likely that you will have it again regardless of any triggers.

Well done anyway.

Bob

Finvola profile image
Finvola

Me too - I had to stop drinking my beloved wine completely as it set off my AF and ectopics. Even de-alcoholised wine gave me rhythm problems, although not full AF.

Me too, been tee-total a few years now and I feel better for it. I drank quite a lot but very steadily, never overdid it. All I can say about the odd glass of wine is that I had half a small glass by mistake of proseco(?) recently, went out to drive my JCB and immediately dropped a 1 tonne water carrier and smashed it to pieces. When I was a drinker, I could have done that after ¾ bottle of 14%, no problem.

I found going tee-total had a longer term effect, and I slowly lost weight as well.

The only downside is sometimes socially. As in a few days ago we went to a dreadful local "do" and basically if you weren't lubricated it was just embarrassing and I would just loved to have numbed my brain :-)

Koll

Jason1971 profile image
Jason1971

Excessive alcohol was / is a trigger for me, well more the dehydration afterwards. If I drink I also take on board lots of water too. There was somebody at this years AFA conference who swore NOT having alcohol was a trigger (Lucky sod :) ) My alcohol consumption has dramatically decreased, and I do feel a lot better for it, but I think that is in general and not just in terms of AF. Moderation is the magical word that gets banded around. I've recently come back off holiday and I have probably drunk more alcohol than I have in ages and not had as much as a flutter. I was also relaxed and stress free, so maybe that had something to do with it too.

Lorna058 profile image
Lorna058

I stopped alcohol in case it was a trigger, didn't drink much beyond an evening G &T anyway. Now I just have the tonic, ice and lemon and feel just as good on that! I try to reduce all known triggers especially now I've had my ablation and it's helping my general health too. Sorry is it makes me sound like GOody Two SHoes. I never was this sensible, but AF does scare seven bells out of you. Best not to do too much checking, just listen to your body and go back to enjoying life, good luck x

yanbart profile image
yanbart

Pretty sure that alcohol is a trigger for me too. My last proper episode followed a night out with beer and curry. It could have been the curry??? I've also had problems in the past when having alcohol after heavy exercise. I guess a 'double whammy' !! I agree that it's all about moderation, listening to your body and learning from mistakes.

Totally agree with Lorna below. Lifestyle changes should not be regarded as restrictive but as something that can lead to new positives you would have never experienced without AF.

My drink preference is beer and Erdinger a german min alcohol beer in Waitrose is better than most incl Becks.

Keep it up Robyn it's definitely worth it, persistence pays off.

Robyncarmen profile image
Robyncarmen in reply to

Thank you Orchid worker. Yes it's 2 weeks now since I stopped its for the better feel heaps better & have dropped a Kilo so that's a bonus no sugar from the wine. Not worth the AF episodes. Will keep you posted ok. Xx

in reply toRobyncarmen

Thanks for upgrading my moniker to Orchid worker, sounds much classier!!

llamudos profile image
llamudos

I have two or three ales a week . And touch wood hasn't caused me a problem!! But it's got to be ale . No lagers or sodas anything with gas in it will start my stomach off which seems to be the starting post for my af

Robyncarmen profile image
Robyncarmen in reply tollamudos

Amazing my Brother is the same as me it's the Alcohol for the both of us. He's 60 on the 18 th November needs to be strong for his Birthday as I know what will happen. ?????? AFfffffffffff

Robyncarmen profile image
Robyncarmen

To everyone who replied to my post.

Thank you.

It's interesting when I think about it.

Altitude does this have an affect.

I was in Tenerife one and a half months ago visiting a Brother & his Family. Whilst there I had lots of wine at lunch & Dinner. With not one AF Attack. Now I live on the West Coast of Australia, if I did this here I would be in AF most of the time.

My other Brother lives in Madrid, when he goes to Tenerife the same happens to him, but when home in Madrid he gets AF.

Even going 3 & a half thousand metres up to Mount Teide in a cable car I was ok.

Why was it ok in Tenerife & not here in Western Australia. I know we put lots of Sulphates in the Barrels here in Australia.

In Europe there is none so I'm told.

Could it be that Tenerife is at ground Level.

I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has experienced this.

I know the English go there for Holidays.

I may need to re locate. ????

llamudos profile image
llamudos

Hi roby

I don't believe it's where you are that counts. It's more down to your mental attitude . You were taken out of your normal routine and day to day living. So I believe that all your normal thoughts and feeling get put on the back burner so to say. It's funny but I have been researching how our minds control our bodies. I just order a book called mind over medicine where there are many testimonies of how by changing the mind set some amazing healing takes place

CDreamer profile image
CDreamer in reply tollamudos

May I also suggest a book by Caroline Myss - how people heal (and why some people don't).

CDreamer profile image
CDreamer in reply toCDreamer

Got that the wrong way around Why people don't heal and how they can - written in 1998 so she seems to have edited the title. Don't be put off by the mysticism around her, she is the most I

'In the world', blunt speaking writer I ever read.

nikonBlue profile image
nikonBlue

Lordy,

I had a coupe of pretty awful AF episodes after drinking wine a few days after having my second surgery for breast cancer. I haven't noticed the connection before but have refrained from the vino and .......so far no more episodes. I was trying to convince myself it might have been the anaesthetic (having had 2 ops in 4 weeks) but think it's the elderflower wine for me this xmas!

Been very worried about the radiotherapy treatment I will be starting soon and the effect it may have on my AF.

2nd surgery results on Wednesday so .....fingers crossed!

Blue

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