A possible way to stop an AF episode ... - Atrial Fibrillati...

Atrial Fibrillation Support

32,306 members38,578 posts

A possible way to stop an AF episode - but not recommended 🥵

Buffafly profile image
19 Replies

I had been AF for 6 days when my daughter decided she fancied a Goan fish curry as her birthday dinner, from an Indian restaurant we hadn’t tried before. I ordered one of the ‘one chilli’ dishes as there was nothing mild on the menu - what we nickname ‘the swamp’ because it has spinach sauce. I’m very sensitive to chilli and no way was it a one chilli dish. Between my tears I joked that it might cardiovert me. A few hours later I was in NSR with lots of double ectopics, the next day NSR.

BUT at about 6 am the chilli and spinach started arriving at the exit and the pain was excruciating. My digestive system is still recovering days later. So you have to be desperate to try it - southern Indians like food hot hot hot apparently 🥵

Written by
Buffafly profile image
Buffafly
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
19 Replies
CDreamer profile image
CDreamer

Great you are in NSR! Sympathies for the other end though.

FancyPants54 profile image
FancyPants54

Chillies are completely unpredictable. You can have 2 identical green chillies on your chopping board. One will be so mild you can't feel anything and the other can blow your head off and there's no way of telling. So yes, it was a 1 chilli dish.

Fortunately I love chillies in things, but it's never cardioverted me sadly. As I have chilli most days of the week it would be wonderful if it would.

Buffafly profile image
Buffafly in reply toFancyPants54

Lucky you, I like (mild) chilli!

jeanjeannie50 profile image
jeanjeannie50

I suspect it was the lovely company and laughs you had together that put your heart back into rhythm! Jean

Desanthony profile image
Desanthony

Well that is one to try I love hot curries as spent time in the middle east and our Mess had South Indian chefs so loved the food. I now avoid hot curries in case they might trigger me back into AF.

BobD profile image
BobDVolunteer

Interesting but I have alwas#y found curry is kind to my heart and often calms oddities.

JaneFinn profile image
JaneFinn

Oh Buffafly! I sympathise! But very good to hear about the NSR :) Long may it last. Xx

secondtry profile image
secondtry

Another example of something that puts you into AF can take you out. I have done this both ways gulping a cold drink down.

KMRobbo profile image
KMRobbo

I eat loads of hot Indian , Thai, Malaya and Mexican food. If that had worked for me it would have saved a lot of trouble for me and the NHS!

I would also have been one of the few times I did not complain about the medicine!

Ducky2003 profile image
Ducky2003

I had read that chilli could be a trigger and would have been gutted to give them up as I have chillies with everything (lovely on a cheese sandwich 😁) But, never found them to be a trigger with me and good to know, they may actually be keeping me in check.

HiloHairy profile image
HiloHairy in reply toDucky2003

Chili's are not a trigger for me but the added salt in Indian and Pakistani food sadly is.

in reply toHiloHairy

agreed, whenever we have an Indian meal I always ask them to use less salt.

Buffafly profile image
Buffafly in reply to

I don’t think the meals are prepared from scratch so I doubt whether your meal will genuinely have less salt in it.

Ducky2003 profile image
Ducky2003 in reply toHiloHairy

Very rare I have takeaway curry as being half Asian, I prefer to make my own....... Spray oil and barely any salt.😊

likestosing profile image
likestosing

Maybe the skin flush that sometimes goes with chilis, lowered the amt of blood circulating for a time, and let your heart ease up a little and cardiovert itself?

Buffafly profile image
Buffafly in reply tolikestosing

I think it was the ‘stomach flush’ that did it, in the same way iced drinks sometimes work. Going to try the iced drink next time 🥶

irene75359 profile image
irene75359

Do hope you have recovered. My daughter helped at a primary school in Kerala and couldn’t believe how hot the school lunch was, always served with a tumbler of hot water!

MarkS profile image
MarkS

Our favourite curry is the Spice Tailor Keralan Coconut curry which we cook with prawns and cod. It comes as a kit and only takes 10 mins. There's a dried red chilli in the pack which I tear apart. It's really good and beats a lot of takeaways. You could always leave the chilli out for a milder carry though it's just right for me with the chilli. I find it helps calm any AF as well.

Sparky143 profile image
Sparky143

WELL DONE YOU!!

Not what you're looking for?

You may also like...

Stopping an AF episode

I know AF is a law unto itself, and there have been many discussions on here about what might...
Melleray profile image

Paroxysmal AF - but a long episode.

I've just come out of a 14 day AF episode and wondered whether anyone else has had one this long....
MikeCol profile image

New to this forum, but not to AF

Hello everyone, I live in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. I was first diagnosed with AF...

Kardia showed normal sinus rhythm with wide QRS

I have the Kardia and have the advanced determination so it records 6 arrhythmias I have so far...
Lilylui profile image

Just one chilli flake!

I am having my first face to face meeting with the cardiologist next month, but he has been working...
Ilovedogs12 profile image

Moderation team

See all
Emily-Admin profile image
Emily-AdminAdministrator
Kelley-Admin profile image
Kelley-AdminAdministrator
jess-admin profile image
jess-adminAdministrator

Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.

Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.