..after an annoying day of P-AF yesterday which started at 2pm, by 10pm I decided to try some of the Dr Gupta suggestions before going to bed, I hate going to bed in P-AF .
The first Valsalva manoeuvre didn't work so instead of sticking my face in cold water I put some iced water in a glass and drank it rapidly gasping with the usual shortage of breath that comes with P-AF and the shock of gulping down the cold water . The P-AF stopped, it may have been a coincidence of course.
I did a Kardia check and sure enough, I was back in NSR with a heart rate of 75 which is high for me and that gradually came down in minutes to my usual 50.
I will try it again during the next episode .
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Hi Jean I only take ACs and beta blockers so no I didn't take any tablets. I have been told I can take an extra beta blocker during an episode, I tried it and it didn't work.
The episode might have stopped on its own, I will have to test it again to see if I can repeat the result.
Good to know and suggests to me you have like me a sensitive Vagus Nerve. A cold ginger beer gulped down set an AF episode off for me and it is second on my list to try to reverse AF as and when I get it again. Incidentally first on my list is lying quietly and focussing on a slow heartbeat on YouTube. Extending John's reply, stopping AF might be improved (for those where this hasn't worked) by having a hot drink followed by a very cold one to increase the shock to the VN....just a thought.
Hi ST , I think I have a mixture of Vagal and none Vagal P-AF as some but not all of my episodes are linked to swallowing food. I had 2 weeks where every meal set off a short episode of P-AF
I always use the resting and visualisation technique to help calm everything down . I have tried very hot drinks before and cold water but not iced water gulped at speed. I have a problem drinking anything fast, the drink can come down my nose which is most unpleasant preventing me from breathing.
I will certainly try it again, 8 hours is quite a short episode for me and if I can get the time down all the better to cope with.
This is good to know as at present anything cold sets P-AF Off. Going to try the hot drink then cold trick! PS have you a link to Dr Gupta suggestions ?
Hi Liverpool , a link to Dr Gupts's latest suggestion posted initially by Steve is in my opening post, there are other longer videos on the subject by Dr Gupta on Youtube if you do a search there under York Cardiologist.
Of course, regardless of the general trigger for any given P-AF episode, the fundamental issue is that your heart has a 'predisposition' for going into a-fib.
Over the years researchers discovered that in the majority of cases P-AF originates (i.e. is locally triggered) by one or more "bad actor" pulmonary veins (PVs), where rogue electrical signals can be produced and/or suddenly intensified inside the vein(s) and then break out into the left atrium which then directly triggers a-fib.
The first 25-40 mm length of PV tissue (immediately upstream of where an individual PV attaches to the left atrium) is heavily innervated and in some individuals the PVs can be significantly influenced by the autonomic nervous system (by the sympathetic and/or parasympathetic system). For the past almost 30 years I've been most definitely a vagal PAF sufferer, and there are evidently strong vagal (parasympathetic) influences on the physical and electrical behavior of my PVs - hence the frequent initiation of a-fib, usually initiated (in my case) by digestive or positional influences whereby the vagus nerve is being affected/stimulated.
Happily, since having my PVI cryoablation some 15 weeks ago, I have been completely free of a-fib. I am thankfully in continuous NSR now and I feel great. Here's hoping it lasts for a good long time.
Hopefully this long post has been somewhat helpful for your situation. Wishing you all the best in your battle with P-AF.
Yes, interesting stuff that I wish I knew 5 years ago, before all my big troubles started (i.e. very frequent a-fib episodes, then an ischemic stroke in April 2016).
According to my cardiologist/EP who I met with last week, my post-ablation healing period is complete and I'm no longer in 'recovery'.
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