I am 57 and in otherwise pretty good health except for needing to lose 40 pounds to be at my ideal weight. I found out about 2 years ago that I have Afib when my heart got up to 150 BMP and wouldn’t come down. After 6 hours in the ER it finally came down with iv meds. I had had palpitations a lot over the years but many doctors said it was nothing to worry about and no one ever suggested it could be Afib. I didn’t want to take medicine so I had an ablation in July 2018. I am in normal sinus rhythm most of the time but I do have episodes multiple times a week where it starts feeling weird and I use my cardia device that shows if I am in Afib or not. It usually comes down after 15 minutes or so. I can go many days or weeks at a time with no episodes if I am not stressed. But there is something about my heart that just doesn’t feel right. If I get nervous, overeat, don’t sleep well, eat junk food, drink wine, etc, it makes my heart start feeling like it’s jumping around again. Is this what it means when they say you never really cure Afib? I know in my experience that most of the time I am “aware” of my heart even though cardia shows it’s in normal sinus rhythm. I know the difference because when it’s beating smoothly and calmly I’m not aware of it. Does that make sense? I am always just a little breathless and I know that ablation wasn’t a quick fix like I hoped it would be. I am working toward a healthier lifestyle and have been consistently exercising for about 3 months by walking 3 miles 3 times per week. I am trying to find out if there is a good book I can read about Afib which also explains a good supplement protocol that is recommended by anyone? My doctors don’t have a clue about it except for the most basic information. I do take magnesium supplements twice a day which help a lot. Anything else you recommend? I have also found that certain food additives like msg make my heart jittery so I try to read labels. I went to a football game the other night and ate a sausage wrap. My heart immediately started pumping faster. I googled the brand and sure enough it contains msg. Any other foods that act on the heart cells as an excitotoxin other than coffee and alcohol (maybe taramine). Thanks for your help!
Supplement Protocol: I am 57 and in... - Atrial Fibrillati...
Supplement Protocol
Just finished getting a StJude ICD pace maker. Not sure about pace maker and scar tissue is not good conductor of electrical signals. Lower Vent problems are hard to fix. In recovery period and am fine. Found wonderful article the Texas Health Institute has been working nanotubes made of a polymer can bring electrical to Scar tissue and you do not need a pace aker. The inventor has moved on but great news about a flexible sensor less that 1/4 of a hair in width is a great step forward. Now to get more Docs on board. TY you all have a blessed day. PS STJude pacemaker is not made by the StJude cancer hosp. They made by several companies that sell it under the StJude brand. Have a blessed day and stay well, remember we live to learn and learn to live.
Hi, if you want to get rid of it then look closely at your lifestyle I would suggest looking at the sites of dr John Mandrola (usa) and Dr John Day (usa) and also Dr Sanjay Gupta's You Tube Channel (UK). Its gets worse unless aggressively tackled.
In terms of supplements look at magnesium taurate and Co Q 10, however having said that your overall diet is far more important than any supplement out there.
Best wishes
Andy
Thank you for the suggestions Andy. I am certain that lifestyle is key and I have been fooling myself thinking I can live my life the same as I did before Afib. Thank you for the encouragement, it’s greatly appreciated!
You're very welcome, took me a while and alot of research but it's mostly under control now on low dose of beta blocker and flecainde, lifestyle makes the drugs far more likely to work, interestingly AF is very rare in some countries where they have very low rates of high blood pressure, diabetes etc !
Best of luck !
40lbs overweight will do it! There is ample eveidence that weight loss is often more efective than ablation in controlling AF. A diet with less meat and processed food, more plant based food and a BMI of 25 or less has been shown in some cases to remove the need for ablation completely. Trails in Australia (the Legacay trial) put some patients on a 800kal a day diet for three months with astounding result.
Life style changes are vital if you want rid of this mongrel condition.
Thank you BobD for stating very clearly to lose weight. I guess I have convinced myself that it can’t be as easy as that. However, I believe that my heart is simply getting older and the extra strain has finally caught up with me. I am committing to healthier living and have already made hugh changes in the past couple of years. I just need to quit messing around and take the bull by the horns. I really appreciate receiving your feed back. I honestly don’t have anyone to talk to about my medical issue as no one understands the mixture of fear, sadness and frustration that surrounds this condition. Thanks again for taking time out of your day to respond to me.
Hi, I also have Proximal AF and have now been fitted with a Pacemaker. I understand what you are saying about what info you have been give, I also have experienced the same even to not really knowing what a Pacemaker would do for me. Any, I came across a book you may be interested in:
Helathyheartnetwook.com/afe.... Check it out, it could help.
Thank you for the suggested reading, I will check it out! My Dad and his mom both had pacemakers; she lived to 93 and he lived to 87 and passed this year from an unrelated cause. They both did quite well with their pacemakers and never had any problems with them.