Feeling you get when AF is about to start

[Padayn01]

Hi all can I just ask what you feel before AF is about to happen? Or do you feel it’s going to go off than it doesn’t, I’m just trying to figure out what is happening to me I get these weird horrible feelings on my left side like AF or my heart going to go crazy it lasts for 2 seconds than I quickly check my pulse and it’s normal this has been going on since 2018 and has got better since ablation 9 months ago.....but for instance like today I got this feeling about 10 times and now lying down my heart does this skips and I sit up to burp and it relieves it, just can’t get my head round does needing a burp upset your heart?

[planetiowa]

I kind of describe what happens right before my AF starts as kind of like a lawn mower trying to start up. Most of the times it my heart will race and flip flop as AF tries to start up but I will sit or stand up and burp several times which in most cases seems to prevent it from starting up full blown. On the occasions it does start up though it will last anywhere from 1-8 hours.

[Hidden]

I hope I'm not teaching you to suck eggs, as you may already have done some research into this .........but it could be a link with your Vagal (Vagus) Nerve. This is a significant nerve which influences the behaviour of both heart and digestive system. Quite involved so I suggest you read up on it. Many of us on here can directly link food ( drinks too ) to the onset of raised HR, raised BP, and even the onset of an AF event and in its early stages can manifest itself with burping, even in some people, pain in the upper chest. This nerve is in effect an information superhighway between the brain and many body organs but in particular the heart and the digestive system. It maybe something you have drunk or eaten that has caused an aggravation or inflammation of the vagal nerve.

This was my experience and I now try and control what I eat by way of diet and if you click on my username it should take you to posts I've written on this. Thus far I have had only one AF event since April 2015 ( and that was Feb 2018) although as a result of food I've eaten I have experienced occasional high HR with debilitating side effects which have laid me up. Usually during a long motoring trip where I've been tempted to eat junk food in motorway services

Also suggest you 'Google' schematic diagram of the vagal nerve - it shows how it fits in with the body structure.

John

[Padayn01 in reply to Hidden]

So is the only way to calm your vagus nerve is through diet?

[Hidden in reply to Padayn01]

For me it has been highly successful, and I did it with the aid of a qualified Nutritionist. To me it seemed a logical, simple and inexpensive start point. Some people are affected by food, some by food and drink, alcohol, tea, coffee, hot or cold drinks, even ice cream ! in effect anything that is processed through the digestive system.

I understand that there are other approaches to calming the vagal nerve but I am not up on them so can't comment. Hopefully some other contributors who have experience in these areas may read this and comment as appropriate.

John

[Ppiman]

Burping and arrhythmias go together in my experience. I had my ablation for atrial flutter last June and, apart from one bad bout of afib soon after, I’ve been free of afl and afib since. During my times in hospital with both, I burped like crazy.

This is my theory about the burping and the weird feelings. “Cardiac anxiety” is a very common fear of a heart attack or a serious heart problem from which many of us reasonably suffer; it leads to slightly altered, shallower, breathing and to muscle tension. This can cause a dry mouth and that to some swallowing of air, which pushes the stomach up higher against the diaphragm, and against the base of the heart. This mild heart or diaphragm irritation can feel strange and be worrying, increasing the overall level of anxiety. This can also cause ectopic beats and to feeling “weird”. It is the air and diaphragm irritation that brings on the burping and we, naturally enough, connect all the events and fear the worst.

Steve

[Padayn01 in reply to Ppiman]

Never heard of cardiac anxiety is it common with AFIB patients?

[Ppiman in reply to Padayn01]

Hi - it's not a phrase I see often these days but it's a form of anxiety and perhaps even a kind of hypochondria. I don't know if it's common with arrhythmia sufferers, but looking at the health sites online, I'd say it was (especially with those who have lots of missed beats or palpitations).

Steve

[Visitingcat]

My worst symptom when stuck in afib last year from July to being cardioverted mid Sept was being unable to burp.

It was brought on by the slightest exertion, just standing at the sink washing up for half an hour or trying to brush up outside. By the time I thought “ I don’t feel so good, sit down” it was too late, I’d sit on the sofa for a couple of hours bolt upright feeling this dreadful painful pressure in my chest, and desperately wanting to burp and not being able to and gasping when exhaling.

It was a horrible frightening feeling and I’d just keep telling myself “it’s just indigestion” trying to reassure myself.

It really disabled me and I did virtually nothing for all those weeks, I’ve never really regained my not particularly good fitness level from before it.

My heart rate on my kardia was 130 resting and 160 ish moving around.

I went to a&e one afternoon when I could not stand it anymore and of course that feeling eased off when I set out but they were great and tried various drips to stop it which did not work but they got me into the system to get a cardioversion.

I would have said I only got this feeling when in afib but I had a Dopamine stress test after a follow up with a lovely consultant and when they pushed my heart rate up to 130 I could feel the horrible symptoms and pressure and wanting to burp coming back plus uncontrollable coughing so maybe to do with heart rate?

My Gp thought it was maybe angina and gave me isosobide dinitrate which did seem to help before my cardioversion.

It was a miserable experience, I felt about twenty years older. I’m now on flecainade and really hoping it keeps the afib away. My last cardioversion lasted 5 years with a few breakthrough episodes so my fingers are well crossed.

[julesp]

I always start to yawn for some strange reason. Its constant one yawn after another then the afib starts

[Visitingcat in reply to julesp]

That’s really interesting, I do yawn a lot in the evenings anyway, I think because I wake up early. But when in afib I yawn constantly, I put it down to not getting enough oxygen when my heart rate is in the 130’s.

I’ve bought an oxymeter recently and it’s great for a quick heart rate check, Quicker than the kardia for that, but I’ll be very interested to check my oxygen level when yawning if I’m unlucky enough to go back into afib.

I’ll try and take notice if I do it more than usual before afib if it kicks off again.

I had a stroke 6 years ago caused by afib while waiting to start Warfarin and one of the things I remember when I was coming round from it was yawning so hard it felt like my jaw would crack!

[julesp in reply to Visitingcat]

My mam had a stroke caused by afib as well. She was waiting to have a pacemaker insertion as well as starting warfarin. Ive had a short burst this morning and yes the yawning started. I had an ablation 3 year ago which has helped tons but im starting to slip back into af more often now. Ive a phone appt with my cardiologist this week so will hopefully find out whats next

[Visitingcat in reply to julesp]

I’m sorry to hear your mum had a stroke too and hope she made a full recovery like I did.

It was the weirdest feeling, I had no idea what was happening, luckily my husband saw it and called an ambulance, another ten minutes and I would have been in bed...

It must be disappointing afib’s come back after your ablation, hope you can get something sorted.

I can’t have one as my bmi is just too high and left ventricle is dialated so I’m not a good candidate.

I’m hoping the flecainade keeps me in normal rhythm.

[julesp in reply to Visitingcat]

Thanks. My mam was left with problems with her vision after her stroke and her speach still slurs a little but mainly when she is tired. I know im looking at ablate/pace next but given my age cardiologist doesnt really want to go down that route as I have couple other heart issues but im doing ok at the minute. Hope the flecadine keeps working for you x

[Visitingcat in reply to julesp]

What a shame for your poor mum.

Pace and ablate sounds a frightening treatment to have to face up to, though I’ve heard a few people say on here that they were ok once they had the pacemaker and did not go on to have the ablate bit. Best wishes and hope everything works out well for you.

[KMRobbo]

No longer have afib since my ablation but i had two symptoms:

The first was a fluttery feelng in lower neck/very upper chest. Lasted a few seconds only. Not sure I even got it all the time but maybe I just missed it. Did originally feel stomache /wind related and on the night i realised i had a heart issue i had just wolfed down a lasagne, but now pretty sure it was not related. I get similar fluttery feeling now when I have mild ectopics. I understand the flutter is the beat of the normal beat following the extra ectopic, as the heart is already empty following the extra beat. If it feels like you need to burp but you can't then this may be it.

15 months later my AFib had progressed and what i got then then was 5 or so seconds of big violent beats. These are exactly like violent ectopics. BOOM BOOM , BOOMTITY BOOM! I remember the first time I got those as I was walking downstairs in the morning and I thought WHAT THE !!???. When they stopped I was in high rate afib. I also get these very occasionally now although maybe not so violent. Difference is since my ablation I don't go into Afib. They did not feel like trapped wind.

[secondtry]

Suggest you check out Roemheld Syndrome as mentioned by a poster yesterday myacare.com/en/mya-blog/wha... I have quite frequent loud burps and am testing out breathing more through my nose and eating slower again with mouth closed to try to reduce the burps.

[Padayn01 in reply to secondtry]

Amazing thank you

[Ticktoc]

I'm exactly the same feels like-little-electric shocks then trapped wind then I burp and most times eases off and it's usually after evening meal I watch my diet and have recently lost weight but I still get it

[buddje]

No....you re panicking...

Lie down if poss.....conentrate on your natural breathing.....take a few minuits of this and the feeling should go.

A fib naturally causes anxiety although some Afib can be closely associated with digestion so don t dismiss a burp.

[rosyG]

I think it's irritation to the vagus nerve- connects stomach ,heart and other places!