af and Crohns

[AF59]

Have suffered from AF for a while now but just been diagnosed with IBD- ulcerative colitis/crohns. minerals/salts losses quite high from constant diarhea and AF now more frequent. Any one else got this lovely combination who could pass on some tips?

[CDreamer]

Yes I have that combination - good news is that you can do a lot for yourself by keeping a very detailed food/symptom journal. Working with a Nutritionist helps to identify foods that help or hinder your conditions and to help get a healthy eating plan together. I now haven’t taken any medication for IBD for 20 years - it’s never gone completely but I stay moderately healthy. I also have other autoimmune conditions which all relate back to gut problems from an early age. Inflammation in the gut inevitably means you will develop other chronic conditions such as PAF. Eliminate the cause of the inflammation and you can often, not always, reverse the damage to other organs and systems such as the immune system.

Everyone’s individual so there will be no one plan to fit all but very generally - eliminate all processed foods and I mean everything that has ever seen the inside of a factory or processing plant. Cut all snacks and added sugar. I found dairy and gluten are my 2 biggest antagonists - I can tolerate them in small amounts - but today I ate some canapés and something in one of them upset me so you are never ‘cured’, you just need to manage it.

The biggest help to me was eating organic as much as possible and foods known to have anti-inflammatory properties such as Tumeric, Ginger, Pineapple, Dark Chocolate (70%+ cocoa butter content), Green Tea, Fermented foods - when you are on the road to recovery. This is how the advice of Nutritionist is essential and unfortunately - not available on NHS but you can find out more here

nutritionist-resource.org.u...

and bant.org.uk

The other biggies are adequate, regular sleep, stress management and taking moderate exercise.

Hope some of that helps. It is quite a common combination by the way.

Best wishes CD.

[AF59 in reply to CDreamer]

CD Dreamer - Thank you! Felt a bit lonely just lately stuck in the hospital loo with just the fluid stand to go for walks with! Will check out the websites,

[Hidden in reply to CDreamer]

I am interested in this as it was suggested a year or so that I might have IBD. Subsequent testing showed that this is now very unlikely to be the case, but it caused me quite a lot of worry. I did discover that if you get IBD later in life it was often less aggressive than if you got it when young. God! There are so many horrible illnesses to get!

[AF59 in reply to Hidden]

Very glad for you that you haven't got IBD and whatever it was that raised the question in the first place, has now departed

[10gingercats]

My husband had crohns for most of his life but no Af.In older age the crohns became far less severe but has been replaced by other gut problems .But I think he would be the first to say those problems do not compare with the crohns .

[AF59 in reply to 10gingercats]

Thank you 10gingercats

[Patchwork123]

Hi AF 59, yes I have had PAF for about fifteen years and crohns/colitis for almost as long. I take sotolol and Apixaban for my AF and asacol for my colitis and am pleased to say both conditions are mainly well under control. I haven’t had a flare up for a number of years and maybe three bad episodes of AF in all that time, I think I am one of the lucky ones and when they get the medication right it is a relief. Hope you get sorted soon.

[AF59 in reply to Patchwork123]

Thank you patchwork 123. Still not used to either of these delights to gain control but I'm working on it. Still in first flare up which is affecting electrolytes balance which in turn seems to trigger AF, as rehydration infusions seem to help with the return to NSR, hence my original post asking if this could be a combi of which others were aware.

[Hidden]

Are these two conditions related in any way? Not sure how old you are, but I thought Crohn’s was something you got in your 20s and 30s.

[AF59 in reply to Hidden]

Think IBD/Crohns more commonly diagnosed in younger people but am assured it can happen to anyone, mores the pity

[Patchwork123 in reply to AF59]

Yes I was about fifty when I was diagnosed.

[Patchwork123 in reply to Hidden]

I was about fifty when I was diagnosed am now sixty five so it can strike at anytime it seems. I must say I know I lot of people suffer so much more than I do, I consider myself very lucky.