Ectopics and eating ( after A/F episode)

[football1822]

Following a extended A/F episode I now have a situation where everything I eat triggers eptopic for the remainder of the day ( every time ) with the flushing of the forehead etc doesn’t relate to what I’m eating it is everything - GP very sceptical told me to take gaviscon advance for two weeks ( I have some stomach dIscomfort ) cannot carry on not eating - any advice/ opinions ? And getting to speak to the cardiology team is a no go by the look of it !

[jeanjeannie50]

Sorry to hear you're suffering this way.

Try not eating anything too stodgy first thing in the morning and eat little and often - no large bowls of porridge. Also, never, ever, eat, or drink anything that contains artificial additives - read the contents info on everything. It may be an idea to drink a glass of water first thing in the morning too, but at least half an hour before food.

Out of interest what do you normally have for breakfast?

Please let us know how you get on.

Jean

[football1822 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Thank you for your Thoughtful response - normally a yogurt ( and before this issue banana cereal etc but not since this issue ) the episode of a/f seems to have kicked everything off - even the smallest portion of food seems cause the ectopics - which earns I’m losing weight and there’s nothing on me to start with !

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to football1822]

Some yogurts contain artificial sweeteners and they're a sure trigger for my heart arrhythmia's, it's usually the fruit flavoured ones. Have a look at the contents of yours.

It may be a good idea try some organic porridge or muesli. I make my own wheat free muesli and can tell you what I use if you are interested.

Perhaps if you can just get back to normal sinus rhythm and forego anything with artificial additives you'll stay that way.

Jean

[football1822]

Thanks for taking to reply and the advice - at the moment it is everything I eat so I’m at a loss where to go with this next GP unconcerned and as said previously very sceptical - thanks

[doodle68]

Hello footballer 😊 my AF journey started with 2 scary weeks where almost everything I ate caused me to feel faint and have heart irregularities so I know how unpleasant these things can be. It went away on it's own as quickly as it started . I have had a couple of brief repeats of it.

Things that helped , eating only small meals of soft food like soup/porridge etc,

I think these events for me were triggered by a chest infection and coughing violently and that in some way irritated or disturbed the vagus nerve . No doctor I have spoken to has taken the slightest interest in my swallowing episodes.

[Ecki]

I had a month long episode of very severe continuous ectopics triggered by something I ate, seemed to last forever, life was hell. During that time I started taking vit D and magnesium. It just stopped suddenly one day. Since the I've been extremely careful about what I eat and drink, apart from a couple of weeks ago, when I had a drink of squash which had sweeteners in it, gave me 40 minutes of ectopics and a reminder to take care. I know how miserable you must be feeling and no cardiologist I've spoken to has any interest in discussing a link between what we eat and how the heart behaves. Have you tried a few days of just fruit/veg? I also find ginger tea is helpful, small meals and I don't eat any later than 6 pm. Hope you feel better soon. Jean, I would love a copy of your muesli recipe, tia.

[Swimsyroke]

Try yoga for anxiety and controlled breathing. Chill out as much as you can. I have been through similar to what you are going through. I am underweight and have to be very careful what I eat. However since taking probiotics from H & B my digestion has considerably improved. I am also taking magnesium taurate and my anxiety levels and heart rate have been steady for several weeks now whereas before I was triggering afib every couple of days and was at my wits end.

[philologus]

Have a drink of water when you get up - preferably water without added fluoride.

This next bit is likely to be a surprise but...

Take your food outside, kick off your shoes and socks, stand barefooted on the grass, concrete, etc (but not wood eg decking) and eat your food there. You can take a chair outside and sit while you eat - as long as your feet are Earthing you.

Take your time, relax, chew the food well.

Nothing to lose, so why not try it?

George

[Surreychica_1 in reply to philologus]

That is very interesting there is a book about standing and walking bare foot on the earth, grass or sand. It is called Grounding is currently an under-researched topic and there are very few scientific studies on the benefits. However, the most recent scientific research has explored grounding for inflammation, cardiovascular disease, muscle damage, chronic pain, and mood.

[Adasian]

Have you tried taking a prebiotic before meals? It helps you digest sugars & starches. I have found it to be very helpful with my digestive issues. I am gluten intolerant and lactose intolerant, which happens to trigger psoriasis also. I also take a Probiotic once a day. This balances my gut microbes.( Maybe you are having food intolerances) It is not an immediate fix but has certainly worked for me. Other suggestions would be to eat small meals and stop eating after 6.00pm depending on when you go to bed. Yoga and mild exercises help to calm you down. I am pretty much symptom free except when I indulge too much in the forbidden foods. Try having a boiled egg for breakfast with a calming tea. I feel the vagus nerve gets triggered which leads to AFIB. Just assuming.

[Madscientist16]

After an AF episode the heart can be irritated. I would suffer terrible ectopics after an AF episode not matter if I ate or not, and nothing helped but time. As my heart settled, the ectopics started to go away.

[wendy6]

This has suddenly also started happening to me. I suffered paraxysmol AF for 10 years but after successfull Ablation 5 years ago have been clear. With only occasional odd Ectopics. Then last year started getting bad indigestion and heartburn on and off getting more frequent. Then last December I had bad chest pains on and off went into A&E was diagnosed with possible gastric Ulcer, heart ok. Had CT scan for blood clots in lungs - clear. Put on Omeprazole 40mg daily to reduce acid and heal inflammation. Have been on Omeprazole for 8 months now.. was feeling better after 6 months.have tried to reduce dose to come off but symptoms returned...heartburn, chest pain, feeling full after eating less. Noticed Ectopics becoming more frequent so GP put me on Bisoprolol 2.5 per day (I take 1.25 am and 1.25 evenin) and also had 3 short episodes of AF lasting half hour with discomfort. Not had for 5 years.

Have been taking high dose Magnesium for 10 years for heart but now have read that Omeprazole stops you absorbing magnesium from food and even supplements so this is possibly reason why Ectopics have increased since taking Omeprazole. Dont know what problem is with stomach could be Hiatus Hernia, Ulcer, GERD. Gp has now referred me for Endoscopy investigation but been told due to Coronavirus will be several months wait.

Still suffering from bad indigestion and heartburn most days which so worrying as pain can be bad is so similar to heart pain.

Now For the past week I have had runs of Ectopics after eating light lunch and light dinner every day for couple of hours each time. Feeling so fed up.

Will talk to GP on Friday. Want to get Magnesium levels checked but even then only way to get them up would be to stop Omeprazole for a week and take high dose Magnesium . Not sure stomach would cope with that.

Welcome anyones views on this. Anyone similar situation with Gastric problems causing Arythmia.

[MonarchsAB]

I’m also experiencing ectopic after every meal, and the Metropolol I’ve been taking doesn’t seem to be helping anymore. Today I’m adding probiotics to my diet regimen to see if that helps. It is very frustrating.