On Monday I was stung on my finger and I have had a bout of AF every single day since then. Now it's started again and been going on for 3 hrs. I feel like weeping as I've been relatively free of AF for quite a while.
I didn't have a severe reaction to the wasp sting - no shock symptoms. But my hand swelled up and was very painful. After a couple of days it was still swollen, painful and became insanely itchy. I have had wasp stings before and this irritation usually goes on for a week. On Wednesday afternoon I took some Piriton and that really helped so I took more on Thursday and today the sting site is nearly better. But now I'm wondering if the Piriton may have had an effect?
Meantime the AF is banging around in my chest and at the back of my mind is the fear of getting persistent AF again. All the usual tricks to stop it aren't working.
***
PS Update. AF stopped after 3 hours. My longest bout for quite a while. Did Valsalva till I thought I would explode and it just went. The feeling of peace and mild euphoria when it stops is really good.
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Coco51
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Yes... the histamine your body produces in response to wasp sting can trigger afib. Histamine also results in the swelling. You can reduce that histamine response by taking Benadryl immediately after getting stung.
This article talks about that: "Several studies have shown an association of histamine with cardiac arrhythmias. Atrial fibrillation has been triggered during anaphylaxis from insect stings, drugs, and during venom and pollen immunotherapy." ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
Hope this passes for you soon - the afib and the sting discomfort!
Thank you. I really appreciate this. It is a fascinating piece. My eye was drawn especially to this bit:
"The authors suggested that in patients with new-onset atrial fibrillation, clinical history should be focused on any allergic reactions during the last 24–48 h,[26] histamine intolerance, ingestion of histamine-rich foodstuffs, and any background of IgE-mediated diseases.[27,28]
The relationship between atrial fibrillation and histamine levels needs to be further investigated in future studies. It has been suggested that the use of antihistamines, mast cell stabilizers, or vitamin C as a further treatment option could be considered in cases of recurrent atrial fibrillation".
When I first got AF persistently, before my two ablations, I was on holiday and had had a lot of mosquito bites. I now wonder if that may have helped trigger it. Of course I had been bitten many times before but had just turned 65 and these authors and many others link AF - and histamine responses - to age-related factors.
Anyway I'll never know for sure but I continue to ponder...
But yay! The AF has stopped and swelling gone and no AF this morning!
The Antihistamine seems to be the thing and has has done the trick. I take one a day permanently as I suffer with Asthma and insect bites in the Summer. The bites make me very ill. I've not had any side effects as yet. I suffer with severe heart failure and COPD.
Thank you Bob. You are right . Anything or nothing can do it. In this case the wasp sting was a trigger for me I think. But sometimes just thinking about AF sets me off for a bit!
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