AFib returns

[JackyMac]

AFib returns after more than 2 years. I've been stable on min dose of flecainide until a week ago and woke up with erratic heart beats that cleared and went into rapid heartbeats. 111 said to go to A&E but when I got to there, there was nowhere to sit, people were sat on the floor without an inch of space and a queue out of the door.

I decided to see my doctor in the morning and she put me on verapamil which did The trick after 48 hours. However this morning woke up to AFib again. I'm still taking verapamil but think I'd be better back on flecainide. Why always when I wake up?

Just off loading, thank you for listening.

[CDreamer]

Commiserations. If AF starts during sleep then it could be postural. Have you tried raising the head of your bed?

[Padayn01 in reply to CDreamer]

Can AFIB start depending on posture?

[CDreamer in reply to Padayn01]

Yes - triggered by the vagus nerve. Put Vagal AF into the search box to view lots of threads about this issue.

[Padayn01 in reply to CDreamer]

Thank you will have a look now

[JackyMac in reply to CDreamer]

Thanks CDreamer

[Paulbounce]

My understanding is that flec and verapamil work best when taken together. Flec is doing the job for me at the moment but if (when) afib returns I've asked to start on verapamil alongside flec.

Research shows they are much more effective taken together rather stand alone. Worth discussing with your doctor ?

[secondtry]

I understand it is important to nip AF in the bud as you don't want to let your heart get in the habit of tripping into AF, which encourages more episodes. I started on min Flecainide (100mgs day) which didn't stop it but 200mgs (medium dose) did and have been episode free for 5+ years. I would add I didn't rely on just the pills and took a lot of other lifestyle action.

As CDreamer says posture is important and your comments suggest to me 1)don't lie on your left side 2) use an extra pillow for your head. It is possible you have vagally mediated AF.

Good luck

[secondtry]

Sorry, one more thing you could have mild sleep apnea, try nasal strips at night.

[JackyMac in reply to secondtry]

Thank you. I will do that

[Hidden]

You might want to try this to keep Afib at bay:

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After 9 years of trying different foods and logging EVERYTHING I ate, I found sugar (and to a lesser degree, salt – i.e. dehydration) was triggering my Afib. Doctors don't want to hear this - there is no money in telling patients to eat less sugar. Each person has a different sugar threshold - and it changes as you get older, so you need to count every gram of sugar you eat every day (including natural sugars in fruits, etc.). My tolerance level was 190 grams of sugar per day 8 years ago, 85 grams a year and a half ago, and 60 grams today, so AFIB episodes are more frequent and last longer. If you keep your intake of sugar below your threshold level your AFIB will not happen again (easier said than done of course). It's not the food - it's the sugar (or salt - see below) IN the food that's causing your problems. Try it and you will see - should only take you 1 or 2 months of trial-and-error to find your threshold level. And for the record - ALL sugars are treated the same (honey, refined, agave, natural sugars in fruits, etc.). I successfully triggered AFIB by eating a bunch of plums and peaches one day just to test it out. In addition, I have noticed that moderate exercise (7-mile bike ride or 5-mile hike in the park) often puts my Afib heart back in to normal rhythm a couple hours later. Don’t know why – perhaps you burn off the excess sugars in your blood/muscles or sweat out excess salt??

Also, in addition to sugar, if you are dehydrated - this will trigger AFIB as well. It seems (but I have no proof of this) that a little uptick of salt in your blood is being treated the same as an uptick of sugar - both cause AFIB episodes. (I’m not a doctor – it may be the sugar in your muscles/organs and not in your blood, don’t know). In any case you have to keep hydrated, and not eat too much salt. The root problem is that our bodies are not processing sugar/salt properly and no doctor knows why, but the AFIB seems to be a symptom of this and not the primary problem, but medicine is not advanced enough to know the core reason that causes AFIB at this time. You can have a healthy heart and still have Afib – something inside us is triggering it when we eat too much sugar or get (even a little) dehydrated. Find out the core reason for this and you will be a millionaire and make the cover of Time Magazine! Good luck! - Rick Hyer

[JackyMac in reply to Hidden]

Oh wow!, that's certainly something to take on board. I do eat a lot of fruit but I have had two years without any problems, but I will keep some records. Thank you

[Brenda-j]

I also had an ablation nearly 2 years ago. As they noticed on a 24hr monitor (about 6 months later)that I had had a tiny episode of flutter and AF I was put on 50gr flecainide twice a day and 120 of verapamil once a day. The consultant said it’s best to take both together. I have had no problem so far🤞!

[JackyMac in reply to Brenda-j]

Thanks Interesting. I'm going to try that as my doctor didn't seem to know what was best going forward and is waiting for an answer from the Consultant.

[jwsonoma]

Hi I started on 50mg 2x a day and had a"breakthrough" so I am now on 75 2x and have been fine for 3 years. The next break through will take me to 100.

After essentially stopping all alcohol and dropping 10KG to get my BMI to 20, my cardiologist said my afib may never come back. I walk a min of 1 hr a day. For me life style is key especially taking stress of my heart from carrying around any excess weight and pumping blood through unnecessary miles of capillaries.

Good luck