I'm new here need advice for during an episode.

[Mistyflo]

Hi, I have gad Atrial Flutter for over ten years, with just occasional episodes lasting half an hour. Last few weeks these episodes have lasted two to three hours and always at night. My GP has written a referral to the Hospital, received a letter saying it can be thirty weeks before an appointment can be offered. What can I do to ease the the irregular pounding heart, breathing difficulty, feeling weak and sick during an episode?

[Shcldavies]

Please read my posts, it could be something like a change in Meds required to prevent your HR going too low at night

[Mistyflo in reply to Shcldavies]

Thank you, I have been reading the posts people have put forward, and have been surprised that sugar and salt can act as a trigger

[Shcldavies in reply to Mistyflo]

It really depends on what is causing your problem. Simplifying it your heart needs sodium and calcium to contract and potassium to relax every beat, with the movement of sodium ions being the initiator, but that is just a small part of a much wider process. As an example you need iron to keep your potassium levels up and magnesium to keep the right balance, to further complicate it your stomach needs to be acidic to absorb the magnesium (hence people on PPIs like omeprozole tend to be magnesium deficient). Vitamin D and many B vitamins are also critical in process.

[Polski]

If the heartbeat is irregular, then that is AF (Atrial Fibrillation), not AFl (Atrial Flutter). (Make sure your doctor understands that it is now irregular) Either way a beta blocker should help to lower the rate and make you feel better when it happens, which he may be able to prescribe.

Taking magnesium supplements (not oxide, and not enough to cause diarrhea) over at least six months, may help to ease the symptoms. Keep reading on here and you will pick up lots of other useful information.

[Mistyflo in reply to Polski]

Thank you I'll keep reading

[Dodie117]

Some people on here arranged a private appointment with an EP (electrophiologist) to get a diagnosis and then back to NHS for treatment. If you can afford it might be an idea. About £200. You could ask people on here for recommendations for EPs in your area.

You can also go to A&E if you are really worried.

The reality is that AF won't kill you but your GP could prescribe a beta blocker if very fast beat.

This is the worst time - waiting but it does get easier.

Good luck🍀

[Mistyflo in reply to Dodie117]

Have promised myself that if the next episode lasts longer than an hour I'll phone for an Ambulance,

[Hidden]

I would insist that that appointment is made an urgent one. There has been a significant change in your symptoms which needs to be addressed promptly. The breathing difficulties alone warrant a speedy appointment.

[Mistyflo in reply to Hidden]

That is what has worried me most, so next time I have an overlong episode I will be phoning for an Ambulance

[Hidden]

I'm guessing that this happens in the evening or night because it takes that long for you to consume enough sugars during the day to cause the problem (or consume enough salt or sweat enough). In any case - try the following. I bet it helps.

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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 (this is why all doctors agree that afib gets worse as you get older). 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 (afternoon) 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?? I also found that strenuous exercise does no good – perhaps you make yourself dehydrated??

I'm pretty sure that Afib is caused by a gland(s) - like the Pancreas or Thyroid - or an organ that, in our old age, is not working well anymore and excess sugar or dehydration is causing them to send mixed signals to the heart - for example telling the heart to beat fast and slow at the same time - which causes it to skip beats, etc. I can't prove that (and neither can my doctors), but I have a very strong suspicion that that is the root cause of our Afib problems. I am working on this with a Nutritionist and hope to get some definitive proof in a few months.

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

PS – there is a study backing up this data you can view at:

https//cardiab.biomedcentral.com/a...

[Mistyflo in reply to Hidden]

Thank you, I have regular 'bloods' check ups, sugar, salts and thyroid results are part of these indepth three monthly check ups. I will start to check the salt and sugar content in the foods I buy, as you say there is a hidden in our food.

[Polski]

You may find it worth avoiding anything containing aspartame or monosodium glutamate. Avoiding as many chemicals in food as possible, by eating as little processed food as possible, may also help.

[Jt222]

A lot of good advice here. Do you have a good wrist blood pressure monitor? If you don't, get one that tells everything including abnormal rhythm. Keep hydrated/electrolytes up, avoid cold/hot liquid if it triggers it, don't drink alchohol(the one that always triggered me), try sleeping propped up a little(wedge) or in a different position. If it's getting worse I would just go to emergency during and get evaluated. 30 weeks is unreasonable for someone symptomatic like you. If nothing else ask your GP for a long( at least 72 hours) holter monitor to get the ball rolling. Good luck and keep us informed.

[Mistyflo in reply to Jt222]

Hi, Don't have any monitors, there are so many it is getting confusing. Had another episode but this time the strong/heavy regular heart beats lasted hour and a half, felt really weird after but fell asleep. Next morning within ten minutes of walking around I was inwardly shaking, chest felt tight, having difficulty breathing and feeling sick. Kept telling myself it will pass go and sit down, after half an hour it hadn't and I felt what I can only describe as 'wierd'. I phoned 111 explained, they advised waking my daughter, take an asprin and sit down and wait for the ambulance. Those brilliant people arrived very quickly, took many readings, they couldn't understand why, what they were seeing, my pallor, problems answering their questions, hands icy cold, and obvious distress was only causing and odd blip, now and again. The asprin started to ease off the chest tightness, eventually the breathing was relaxing, eventually I was able to 'chat' to the guys and normality was returning, was given the option to go to A&E but declined. They gave me the readings which I was advised to take Monday morning to the GP, managed to get an emergency appointment at the surgery, GP emailed the hospital. The Surgery only a short distance away when I got home feeling exhausted, had to lie down. Had phone call Wednesday offering me a cancellation with a Registrar in a few days. Perversely except for more tiredness have felt fine the last few days .