Done with meds! Except my NOAC

[Oldcarol]

I have just finished reading posts from a year ago, and recent ones also. Have been on here several months and love the input and information I have obtained. Currently I am on metoprolol and eliquis, water pill, mag supplements and potassium. I am convinced I have vagal afib and metoprolol needs to be stopped. My b/p is great and I dont need a water pill either. I am working on high mag and potassium food. Can't wait to tell my EP at my appointment Dec. 6.! I am sick of thunking aboutanother attack and if it happens, it will be just like before. I'll go to ER if I can't manage and handle it from there. Figuring out drugs and side affects is worse than the afib!

[CDreamer]

I also have come to that conclusion.

[Gracey23]

Oldcarol, can you explain to us why you are convinced your AFib is vagal. I have been trying to control my PAF with foods and supplements and am interested in getting more info about the vagal connection, thank you, Gracey

[Oldcarol in reply to Gracey23]

Gracey, I have tried to rationalize everything else and this is all I came up with and it makes sense to me. Might not fit everyone but I do not have any underlying problems except age(69) and 75 lbs overweight. B/p has never been a problem except when I go to doctor. No family history I know of. It all started with a virus and a horrible cough for nearly 6 months. I fought it all last winter off and on and finally was put on antibiotics and prednisone. The cough went away and 6 weeks later I was watching tv and heartrate jumped to 150-160. To make a long story short I was cardoverted twice chemically in ER and I converted 3 times on my own at home. No episode has ever lasted longer than 4-6 hours.

This all started in February this year. 6-8 episodes in two months. Was put on sotalol 120 2xday and eliquis 5 2xday since beginning. Sotalol bottomed out my pulse to 40 so I went to seeking relief of the thudding and that fish flopping around. All episodes were in the evening, one at night, started about an hour to hour and a half after I ate and subsided within 4 hours. If I get constipated, I can feel the ectopics and I have a kardia and it showed pacs and pvcs and every time afib when I suspected it. I feel mine in my neck and chest.It is like my heart is beating all the way up and down. Most of the time 60-80 range, but twice afib was in the 70's.

My husband and I are used to sitting up late, eating, I sew all night sometimes, and I know when I am bloated and have ate too much, especially sweets.

My ablation was in July because I could not tolerate sotalol(it didn't help anyway but it was cheap. I have no rx insurance. Tykeson(sp)? Was to be tried

But it was $400/month. By

This time I had read enough on this forum to determine I wanted an ablation. I am not opposed to bp meds because I know age is a factor in arteries hardening. the First ER nurse told me when I asked her why this happened because I thought I was healthy, and she said "things just wear out." It is degenerative progression like your eyesight, but glasses can help that and things that u know make your heart jump- some u can fix and some u can't.

I know

The vagal response is not the total of the problem, but it is my trigger. Bending over, straining, not being able to digest certain foods well like meats and sugary stuff.

If I have had 12 episodes of afib, 10 of them have been after eating. As u can see by my pic, a high stomach runs in the family. I have never drank, smoked, or done drugs.

I feel extremely "light" in the chest if I skip a meal. I have cut my food intake in half, drink 99 percent water, and deep breathing and bearing down does stop the skipped beats. I just hope it stays that way.

It has been 6 weeks and no afib. I know that is a short time, but I bet if I went to all u can eat lobster, it would be back.

Sorry this is so long. It is 9:15 here in KY. Hope u aren't awake at 3am somewhere.

[Hidden in reply to Oldcarol]

G'day oldcarol,

Now that's really interesting. I assume you are in Kentucky, USA ?? I am in Cornwall in Britain, right down the western end, then there is the Scilly Isles then ........... New York. And so much of what you have written in your post resonates with me. I don't often see the bending mentioned ...... but on the day my AF hit, and it started an hour or so after I'd spent 20 minutes or so sitting in a low arm chair bending over a shredder shredding some documents. Then after the hour or so I mentioned I felt like I were going down with flu. Then my blood pressure went ballistic and dropped and dropped .... (it became what I now refer to as my Apollo 13 moment - the bit in the movie where Tom Hanks utters those immortal words - " Houston, we have a problem"). So then I rang my doctor .... long story short .... into hospital and diagnosed with paroxysmal AF in 9 hours from onset ( the bending over) ! Brilliant and so important.

It was then some 4 to 6 months after diagnosis that I realised that food seemed to trigger AF but that many symptoms were similar to IBS and Coeliac Disease. I had tests done which eliminated these and consulted a nutritionist. She put me on a course of Probiotics and recommended a diet which embraced the FODMAPS diet and also went Gluten free, wheat free, processed meats free, added sugar free. Over the years that followed I developed this diet further and have now had to eliminate runner beans (the long green beans, baked beans, peas ...... a whole host of stuff including eating small portions.

As a consequence, my last recorded AF event was April 2015.

Not saying I'm cured BUT no surgical intervention, just meds and diet.

John

[Oldcarol in reply to Gracey23]

I also plan on seeing a nutritionist on Monday. I am not familiar with natural foods and am looking for a book on that as well. Never too old to learn.

[Gracey23]

Old carol I am in the us as well. I have been seeing a Natropath for a year and have learned a lot about diet. I've lost over 15 lbs and am a slim 66 year old healthy female. I will give you information about my eating and supplement plan if you would like, best health to you, Gracey

[barbara2 in reply to Gracey23]

I'm interested in your eating and supplements. I also am 66 yrs but not slim. Being overweight is a big deal with afib I think.

[Oldcarol in reply to Gracey23]

I would love any info u have. Thanks

[Hidden]

I found lighter meals, no alcohol or fizzy drinks, low sugar and gluten really helped. Good luck.

[Gracey23]

I started making lifestyle changes last May with a detox program. The program was very easy, simply I ate all the fruit and vegetables I wanted for seven days with an organic protein shake with no sugar for breakfast. It may sound difficult but honestly it wasn't. I prepared vegetables with olive oil or butter and any spices I desired. I would roast a pan full of vegetables and eat until I was full plus uimited salad . I have to say that to my surprise I felt energized and slept great. After the seven days I added two servings of meat or fish each day until 21 days. I lost about ten pounds and had no AFib! Since doing this program I have kept bread, processed foods , alcohol out of my diet . To date I have lost 18 pounds and enjoy a piece of dark chocolate as a treat everyday. I have cut my medication in half and am happy to say that AFib hasn't reared its ugly face! I'm not saying that I have all the answers but am constantly learning. I also take a walk often and practice gratefulness.

[Spoiler in reply to Gracey23]

Do you take medications as well? Has your afib ever required cardioversion? I have had 4 cardioversions this year. The EP is suggesting to look at a ablation, I am totally terrified of a 4-6 hour surgery for ablation. I had a cardiac arrest June 21 after the second pill of Tykosyn. Otherwise, I am healthy except for being overweight 65 lbs.

[Oldcarol in reply to Spoiler]

Yes, my first 2 episodes of afib were chemically cardioverted. Two days apart. Nothing for 3 days then I went into high rate afib and takes to doctor on phone and managed with increasing sotalol and it went back into NSR on its own. Went in and out of afib for the next 4 weeks , but never as high a rate as before and it converted on its own within 3-4 hours.

No more afib for about a month and it hit again. That is when I decided to go for the ablation. It was worth it. The sooner u get control of the afib the better and my opinion for myself was an ablation. I am taking eliquis and weaning off metoprolol. I take no other meds.

[Gracey23 in reply to Spoiler]

Spoiler, I totally understand your fear of an ablation. I was scheduled for one last month and ended up canceling . There was a voice in my head that kept saying, stay on your healthy eating plan and see what happens. So far so good with no PAF . If symptoms come back then yes I'll have it done but for now I'm working with a Naturopath and taking care of me. I have decreased by dosage of Flecanaide by half and fingers crossed. My plan was to try Tikosyn if Flecanaide stops working. Hearing you had a cardiac arrest from it changes my thoughts. That must have been awful! Sorry you went through all that , best health to you Gracey

[Hidden]

I know this is an old thread, but I'm finding it interesting. Trying to assess everything I do to see why my heart is being so acrobatic, I have realised if I eat, at any time, I can have a small episode. I take Omeprozole, 10mg.