Frogs in the chest

[Swimsyroke]

Thank you for all of your replies. I am not on any other drugs as my BP is usually normal and heart rate around 64. I am not currently under a cardiologist as I have paroxysmal a-fib. I do not get checked up on at all so I guess it's down to me whether to go back to the doctor but I usually try to manage the condition myself though when I do have episodes now they tend to last longer and sometimes are more scary. I have called out the ambulance before now but it usually corrects itself without the need to go to hospital. I have had the condition for 12 years and been hospitalised 4 times in that period. My problem is threefold, food intolerance, poor digestion and anxiety. I am however, more aware of how to deal with the condition now but anything can trigger it. I can't even take a pill at night as it can get stuck and trigger a-fib. It's a constant battle trying to keep aware of the triggers.

[Hidden]

Hi,

Sorry to read of your frogs in the chest ......... that reminds me of my description around 10 years ago now, it was either a few squadrons of butterflies locked in a dog fight within my chest OR a bag of worms wriggling away inside my chest - or a mob of octopuses playing table tennis - :-).

Your 3 triggers, both individually and/or collectively, could well account for your AF events, that is my experience anyway - given that I am not a member of the health care fraternity, just an AF'er with similar experiences.

I have not experienced the anxiety bit, despite having stressful experiences. My triggers have been food and digestive system.

When I first locked onto these my symptoms were, loud intestinal gurgling, burping, diarrhea and massive, painful bloating. All occurred at random, without warning, and individually, never all at the same time. The worst and what was likely to trip me into AF was the bloating.

I saw my GP who organised some basic bloods for IBS and Coeliac Disease but I was cleared.

I then consulted a Nutritionist who put me on a course of probiotics and advised me to go gluten free. This started me, with her help, keeping a food diary and eventually working toward a diet/ modified food intake plan. I have been doing this now for some 8 years and it appears to work - I have had one AF event since April 2015 ( and that was in February 2018 when asleep on my left side around 2 am - however, I still feel it was my previous nights meal that was the root cause). However, I still have to admit that in the last two years I have had spells of very low HR and at other times very high HR.

Over the years I have widened my food/eating plan. If you click on my user name and get into some of my past posts you should see what I have written about diet. If unsuccessful, get back to me.

I am now relatively untroubled now, on balance. The common denominator here is the Vagus (Vagal) Nerve, a nerve in the central nervous system which acts as an information superhighway between the brain and a range of organs, notably, heart and digestive system. Google it, it is recommended reading.

Hope this helps you, good luck.

John

[Swimsyroke in reply to Hidden]

Thank you very much for that carneuny. I will try to go gluten free and see if it helps

[Another1 in reply to Hidden]

Just read your post. I only flick over the first few lines of the posts when they appear in my inbox. I suppose I think that hearing about it all will get me anxious and then AF will start off. But actually your reply to Carneuny so echoed my experiences of AF. Don’t feel quite so neurotic about it now . I’ve had PAF for at least 25 years and it was so good to see your response to Carneuny, I suppose that’s what this AF forum is about.

[Another1 in reply to Another1]

Sorry , in my post just now I should have been referring to your reply to Swimsyroke’s posts,

[Hidden in reply to Another1]

No worries, glad it was of some use.