Running nose

[Beaterbear]

I was diagnosed with AF 2 years ago. For several years now I get a running nose followed by a bowel movement everyday. Once I have the bowel movement my nose stops running and back to normal. I was wondering if anyone else experienced this with AF. My dr. Has no idea.

[Paulbounce]

I can't say I've ever experienced the same problem Beaterbear TBH. However different parts of the body can affect each other. I haven't read of anything similar before and doubt it's afib related.

It could be rhinosinusitis - a quick Google search will explain it to you. Maybe a change of diet could help. However (and I'm not a medic) I suspect afib is not the cause.

I hope (and assume) your doctor is addressing your afib and you are receiving treatment for this ?

Paul

[Beaterbear in reply to Paulbounce]

Yes thank you

[PlanetaryKim]

I have actually experienced something a little like that. I believe what is underlying it in my case is some kind of Mast Cell Activation problem. (You can google MCAS or MCAD for more info.) The result is excess histamine, which can manifest all at once throughout your body like a variety of allergic reactions: runny nose, sudden need to poo, and also arrhythmia. It is thought that histamine-mediated inflammation is a component of some if not all Afib. Some hospitals even give antihistamine as part of an afib prevention or rescue strategy for post-op cardiac patients.

Unfortunately in my case, the antihistamine I settled on because of lack of other side effects from it was Allegra (Fexofenadine). But I am now starting to worry that it may be exacerbating my arrhythmias including afib. I googled and found this: jwatch.org/jd19990601000000...

Not offering any of this as advice because I am still very much working it out myself. But I think there can be a connection between runny nose, bowel movement (especially if sudden urge type), and afib. And the connection would be histamine/Mast Cell Activation.

[Paulbounce in reply to PlanetaryKim]

Great post Kim - that's the beauty of this forum. I had no idea there might be a connection. What a great place to share information and learn about the condition.

Beaterbear please see Kim's post above. I hope the tag reaches you OK.

Paul

[PlanetaryKim in reply to Paulbounce]

I love this forums! I learn for much from patient support forums here and on Facebook.

[Paulbounce in reply to PlanetaryKim]

Sure Kim - you can learn so much about afib online. Just one thing though - I too joined some of the FB groups. Some were great but others not so. I'm cerainly no expert about afib and am learning something new everyday. However anyone can post anything on FB and some of the advice given was quite frankly totally incorrect. I think it's always a good idea to check any suggestions offered with your doc should you have any doubts.

Have a great evening and catch up soon.

Best,

Paul

[PlanetaryKim in reply to Paulbounce]

I have my own way... and I have far more confidence in my own good mind and judgement than any doctor's.

[sfh3l in reply to PlanetaryKim]

Kim, that is very interesting and I tend to agree with you about confidence in your own judgement/feelings. I have had Afib since my teens and have also been medicated for some years now for Allergic Rhinitis. The medication takes the form of a single pill (Montelukast), taken in the evening and it has no side effects that I can discern in about a decade of use.

I used to take antihistamines for my sneezing and wheezing when it got really bad, but you have to be so careful with these, as most of the proprietary ones have effedrine in them to overcome the drowsiness that is often a side effect. There was one summer when I had been particularly bad with Hay Fever/Rhinitis and had been taking a Benadryl more or less daily to overcome it - brilliant, except for the fact that I ended up in hospital with a full-blow AF episode that did not pass and I needed a vat of Flecainide to correct. I'm now much more careful!

Beaterbear - can't say it has ever felt connected with my downstairs though...

What complex and crazy things we are!

Take care, everyone.

Sam

[Auriculaire in reply to PlanetaryKim]

Have to agree with you there. Especially with the "one size fits all" medicine practised . We know our own bodies from the inside better than any doctor and those of us who have bothered to learn basic physiology and principles of nutrition are often as well placed to know them from the outside as well. A lot of doctors have extremely poor diagnostic skills these days and know next to nothing about environmental or nutritional triggers for illness . I wonder how many have even heard of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome let alone suspect it in their patients.

[Paulbounce in reply to PlanetaryKim]

Fair play to you Kim.

You wrote

"I have far more confidence in my own good mind and judgement than any doctor's"

I totally agree that you know your body better than anyone else.

You also wrote

"I have my own way"

For sure - if it works for you that's great news. However I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one. Personally I would follow the advice of my cardio - not my GP so much - but my cardio for sure. I'm not sure if dealing with heart issues your 'own way' is the best of ideas.

That's just my take and if it works for you that's great. I fully respect your opinion and understand where you are coming from. Life style changes etc can make all the difference - I understand this. Be careful what you do though and don't just rely on 'doing things your own way'.

That's my take and I'll stand by it.

Paul

[PlanetaryKim in reply to Paulbounce]

I would say be careful following a doctor's advice because that's where you are more likely to get into trouble.

[Paulbounce in reply to PlanetaryKim]

As above - I think we'll have to agree to disagree. Personally I would follow my doctors advice - I don't think it will be more likely to 'land you in trouble'. Just out of interest what are you basing that statement on ?

I'm intrigued. *Rolls Eyes*

Paul

PS I still wish you the best of luck on however you decide to move forward,

[PlanetaryKim in reply to Paulbounce]

Basing it on a lifetime of experience of myself but also others. And all of my current doctors are very good. But they can never know as much as I do even medically about the one particular issue I am dealing with in any health situation. They have not done hundreds of hours of reading and thinking on a specific individual case of afib, its linkage to various other things in that person's life, etc. In fact cardiologists will generally refuse to even have those discussions about triggers, causation, vagal vs adrenergic, regression of atrial fibrosis.

I have NEVER ONCE, with any of my 3 cancers or my afib or my Hep C or my treatments for same, had a doctor whose knowledge on the specifics of what needs to be done excels my own after I study. Doctors are working full-time jobs. Their advice is simply what is written on the piece of paper they memorized and have been told to follow. They could actually be sued or decertified if they try to do anything other than that, to think outside the box, to treat a patient like an individual. And most importantly, they do not have the hundreds of hours (and that's not hyperbole - I really do spend that much time) to suss out the specifics of any one patient's situation.

Had I followed doctors' advice every time it differed from my own excellent judgment and information gathering abilities, I would be sick, disabled or dead several times over by now That is not exaggeration. In fact the only damage I have sustained from following medical advice has been siutations where I followed a dctor's advice against my own better judgement... which I no longer would do.

So thankful that I have the good sense to know that I know far better than they do what is required for my health. We are each our own best doctors. Always. But for those who aren't comfortable doing that, they should follow doctor's advice because it's better than nothing at all.

[Paulbounce in reply to PlanetaryKim]

Good reply and pleased it has worked out for you.

Paul

[Paulbounce in reply to Paulbounce]

Thanks Kim for your 'like'. I gave your post the same as it was well thought out and written.

I will just add one thing though. From start to finish it takes about 12 years to fully qualify as a cardiologist (maybe I stand to be corrected). They won't spend 100's of hours looking in to each individual case - I would certainly heed their advice though as they will have spent much longer studying - they are likely to know their stuff and seen it all before.

Once again I fully respect your opinions and hope you have a great weekend.

Best,

Paul

[Auriculaire in reply to Paulbounce]

I'm with Kim here as I have had asthma provoked by desensitisation jabs and been floxed several times . Only once was the prescription of antibiotics at all medically justified and the Fluoroquinolone not at all as a safer antibiotic would have done. Twice I have been prescribed 5mg of Bisoprolol by hospital cardiologists ( ond size fits all ) - a dose that made me feel like a zombie . As my afib attacks are not very frequent I reckon PIP is more appropriate.

[Beaterbear in reply to PlanetaryKim]

Thanks will investigate

[Buffafly in reply to Beaterbear]

Some antihistamines can cause Long QT syndrome so be careful to check. Cetirizine and Fexofenidine are OK according to my info.

[TamlaMotown in reply to Buffafly]

I was reluctant to take Fexofenidine as the NHS website says it is not recommended for over 65's

[PlanetaryKim in reply to Buffafly]

Actually, my online research showed that Fexofenidine DOES increase QT interval and is implicated in arrhythmias and palpitations. Which is what I had started to wonder because my arrhythmia episodes were starting shortly after I would take an Allegra ( Fexofenidine ). So I googled that possibility and found this: jwatch.org/jd19990601000000...

[Buffafly in reply to PlanetaryKim]

Better correct Wikipedia then!

[Desanthony in reply to PlanetaryKim]

Thank you Kim that does make sense. Wonderful how the body works sometimes whether it is when you are well or ill it is fascinating.

[PlanetaryKim in reply to Desanthony]

It is fascinating how the body works. And everything is so interrelated it is often quite hard to tease out the root cause of something. Takes a lot of time and online research and reading and thinking, which honestly is something doctors don't have time to do. The patient is the only one who can spend this much time on it.

[barneyfrances]

I too experience runny nose. I looked up the side affects of Apixaban and Bisoporal, I can't remember which one it was,but runny nose was one of the 'rare' side affects..

[quanglewangle]

My nose runs when I eat! Also, but less freely, throughout the day. I read somewjhere that this is quite normal and is , like so many things, something that comes with age!

I clearly remember my Great-grandfater had an almost constand drip on the end of his nose and so while genetics and/or age will probably be involved - and possibly other factors - it is not serious and something that we have to live with.....

[Auriculaire in reply to quanglewangle]

Eating makes my husband sneeze a lot of the time.

[lwm1198]

Sounds familiar to me...not a constant thing but on occasion have found this happening!

[Gillybean123]

Hi there, I have had AF for many years and I constantly have runny nose. It builds up in the corners of my nostrils gets really sore. I think I read somewhere that medication can cause it.

[bubblesjeff]

More understandable if it way the other way round . . . .

[J2josy]

Morning people, just a reply to the runny nose thing ,I have had this for years long before AF ,started with handling hay &straw then tree pollen ,have it at the moment ,get it when we turn on the central heating.

I think it's just things in the air ,even smelly candles can cause it ,not a problem so long as plenty of tissues!! It's always in the morning time it's at it's worst. As for the bowel movement that's also normal for a lot of people first thing in the morning. Our bodies are so complicated aren't they ,especially as we get older ,but don't think it's connected to medication Beaterbear ,but who knows ,Worrying and stress however can cause all sorts of things ,take care and enjoy what looks like a sunny day today .