Just wondering what positive active steps we all take to manage our AF, to see what we can learn from each other.
For me its-
Minimal/No alcohol
A de-stressing hour of walking each day
A good 7 to 8 hours sleep each night
Keeping hydrated
Daily magnesium tablet
Keeping my weight down
That makes me sound like Im a saint...I don't succeed every day thats for sure 
My take on this.
I think Guitar has much of it nailed.
John - I accept your point about a HR of 60. However here's where we are all different. If I hit 80 at rest (well within the ideal) I know something is coming my way. I feel my best at 50 - 55 (which I know is low).
My only med now is flec which won't lower my HR (as far as I'm aware). 60 is ok but 55 is perfect for me. Once I hit 90 I do know what's going to happen - I feel it too.
These are resting rates. My ideal is 55 - but of course we are all different.
Paul
Looks like you are doing a pretty good job to me. If medication/treatment is keeping AF in check, leave well alone. We are not medically trained therefore should not try to influence you to make any changes without proper medical advice. Maybe try some deep breathing exercises as this will help control stress too. Well done for making a great start......
Hi Guitar I do all of the above but for me you have missed out one of the most important things, eating a good diet based on mainly vegetables/nuts/pulses/fruit/grains/fish/ olive oil/eggs and just a little meat and dairy.
Avoid additive, refined sugar, processed food . The less steps from earth to table the better so homegrown vegetables and fruit are great . I only have a small garden but manage to grow a lot of fruit and vegetables in raised beds . I also make my own bread and use frozen fruit in the winter .
It did need some sensible female input......😉
Oh I like that - less steps....!
You are doing very similar to me. I also do yoga once a week and another movement modality called Feldenkrais. I meditate once a day. I changed to a mostly plant based diet and eat almost no processed food aside from high quality dark chocolate -two squares a day -and sheep's milk ice-cream. I drink keffir water to keep my microbiomes in good order. I'm really looking into nutrition as a way towards general health benefit. My biggest challenge is stress -I get wound up or push myself too hard -my AF will come on either that day or a couple of days later. Too much cortisol or adrenaline, and I'm off. I'm still working to manage that better. Between episodes my life is better than it was before. I try the focus on that.
I am almost positive stress is a big player in AF. At the start my Naturopath said my cortisol was very high. I was very lucky in that I could reduce stress in all areas which of course includes changing yourself as well as others & circumstances. Persistence pays.
Oh my goodness Singwell! You know about Feldenkrais. Isn't it wonderful? I have a good friend who has been a Feldenkrais practitioner for about 30 years. His burden is that he loves his work but it's such an uphill task to raise awareness in the UK of its benefits. This wonderful approach deserves much more recognition and support.
I already do Pilates and Tai Chi. Does Feldenkrais give any additional benefits?
Difficult to explain. Tai Chi is excellent in my experience as it involves slow, controlled meditative movements. Of the two, Feldenkrais is more similar in that respect to Tai Chi except there's no sequence of moves. Check it out on the web - it's most like the Alexander Technique in approach but I prefer Feldenkrais as it's more fluid and I find the practitioners less precious.
There's a big element in Feldenkrais of mindfulness, of really tuning in to how you are moving your body. So as Singwell says it's more like Tai Chi than Pilates in that respect. My friend describes it as giving you a foundation in good movement, so that you can move freely and safely in all your activities whether just going about your daily life or sports, dancing, playing a musical instrument etc. As Singwell says it's also very calming.
Quite a lot of musicians do it. I've known about it for years and started doing it regularly when I broke my arm 4 years ago. I knew I was in danger of losing my piano skills. Since lockdown my amazing Feldenkrais teacher has been giving me ATM sessions by Zoom and I'm really benefitting. It's not just about flexibility is it? It seems to reach you in other ways so that you can relax more deeply. Keeps my nagging sciatica at bay too.
Yes, I have experienced a bit of this.
At my first appointment with the cardiologist he was surprised that I had been put on warfarin as my Chad score was 0. I stayed on it as he booked me in for a CV
At the 6 month check up, after my first ablation, the EP was somewhat irritated to find that I was still taking Flec’ and bisoprolol. I pointed about that neither he nor anybody else had told me to stop. With a hint of exasperation he told me that the ablation was meant to replace the drugs and how was he supposed to know what was, or wasn’t working.
I was more than happy to stop as the drugs didn’t seem to be doing anything positive, made me feel unwell and sent me into syncop on a regular basis.
There seem to be quite a lot of people posting on here who have had an ablation but are still on anti-AF drugs. I wonder if those ablations are counted as successful or failures?
My EP asked me to drop the flecainide two to 3 weeks before my post ablation follow up, I presumed so he could see if I went back into AFib without the flecainide.However he kept me on the ditiazem rate control (again I assume just in case I did go back into Afib!))
Best wishes
Sure John - I understand. 72 to 44 is a big drop ! To big for my liking.
You wrote
"and not just to say; take your tablets and not questioning as to how you are getting on with what is a big change in your life"
I agree.
Paul
Maybe 1) eat lighter evening meal and earlier. 2) minimise processed food 3) no staying up late to watch violent TV dramas (as the contrast of raised HB followed immediately by deep sleep can cause AF for those of us vagally mediated).
FODMAP diet, losing weight, treating GERD (reflux), preemptive vagal maneuvers and deep breathing, staying hydrated, regular exercise but in moderation.
Can you say a bit more about vagal manouevres or point me in the direction of where I can read about it. Thanks.
Hi Dunestar, I have only been doing the vagal manuevers for a couple of months and wanted to wait a bit to see how they worked over a longer period of time before posting in more detail. So keep that in mind and also that what works for Jack may not work for Jill. And of course, check with your doctor to make sure that they give you the green light.
As a brief background. Starting in my 40's, afib episodes every seven years. Then every 2-3 years in my 60's. Then 1-4 episodes a year in my early 70's. Three years ago I started having SVT episodes lasting from 30 seconds to ten minutes. That changed to aflutter the past couple of years. Aflutter episodes tend to last between 30 seconds and seven minutes. My aflutter episodes range from once a month to three times a day, with the mean probably around twice a week. I've also had persistent PACs for the last three years, usually between 2 and 10 per minute, which translates to having over 10,000 PACs in a 24 hour period some days!
From reading and observation, I have come to believe that my PACs trigger my aflutter and that my aflutter can also trigger my afib at times. In fact, I have captured this transition on a 30 second Kardia rhythm strip. The other major aflutter trigger is digestion, and most episodes tend to come after meals.
The silver lining is that I can feel the indigestion as a change of pressure after certain meals and after awhile I could pretty much predict an aflutter episode minutes in advance.
Lately, when I feel this pressure, I do a type of vagal manuever which consists of blowing out hard through pursed lips while contracting my stomach and pelvic area. I might do this for a few minutes intermixing it with some deep breathing between. The sound is like blowing a balloon hard with some air escaping from my closed lips.
For the past couple of months this has stopped my aflutter from occurring except for one episode after a big meal with a beer. (No beers since lol). The other interesting side effect is that while I still probably have a few PACs, there are probably down to under 10 a day versus over 10,000.
In addition, I put myself on the FODMAP diet which has helped my digestion so I don't feel the pressure as much. Before I was on the FODMAP diet, I had to intervene with the vagals several times a day. With FODMAP, maybe once a day or every other day.
I don't have any references for my specific approach, but you can google a mix of the following -- vagal, afib, PACs, Parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system.
Hope this is helpful, and again, just one man's story. I don't consider this a cure, but knock on wood, things have been good lately.
Jim
Thanks so much Jim for taking the time to explain. I'm probably getting ahead of myself as I've yet to be properly diagnosed. A 24 holter monitor picked up something going on. I've got an appointment in March to see the cardiologist. I'll definitely mention whether he thinks vagal manoeuvres might help.
When i was put on meds the ep told me not to let my pulse go below 55
Ep told me at 57 that i was young to have afib my resting pulse varies but mostly around 68 I'm on multaq 400 twice per day and 1.25 mg bisop
Not for all I know , but the major thing I did to manage my Afib, was have an ablation.
Major things Pre Ablation :
Sleep and more sleep. ( I was always a bad sleeper in as much as I never really wanted to go to sleep as there was always something I wanted or had to do). It also gives a better mood and it seems to help with the BP.
Exercise (it promotes a better more positive mood , helps lower the BP especially right after it, and helps keep the weight off!)
Keep weight in check
My routine (as well as my reaction to stress) is similar to singwell’s, including the Feldenkrais. I’ve had one ablation, which reduced episodes but did not cut them out, and I eventually had to go on flecainide, now at 200mg/day. My AF first occurred with a stroke, so I am also on apixaban. Mostly plant-based, no processed food or added sugar, no cow dairy, no alcohol, only decaf coffee. I keep gluten-free and take daily magnesium and DHA-heavy fish oil. I try to keep my weight down. My AF is triggered by vigorous exercise, but I do walk and bounce on a mini-trampoline every day.
This is per my doctor, who is also trained in functional medicine. In addition, I have a little machine I clamp to my ear an hour a day that provides vagal nerve stimulation (tVNS). It’s strange to see it all listed out, as it looks like so much, but I don’t miss much of what I’ve forgone.
Interested to hear more about the tVNS as my AFIB is definitely vagal induced
The only place in the US I could find to get such a device was through a doctor in Phoenix Arizona. There is now a wellness version that will only give you stimulation for five minutes at a time, abailable to all, but mine is considered a class 2 medical device and therefore you have to get it through a doctor. If you are in the UK or Europe, you have other options. I’m not 100% sure how fundamentally I’m being affected by it, and the doctor says that he didn’t know of cases where it cured or fixed a fib permanently (he works largely with autism, Parkinson’s, and other autonomic nervous system issues ) but my understanding is that it can heal the autonomic nervous system, over a period of years, and that can reduce severity and frequency.
What's it called? Very interested as my vagus was severed at the digestive end in the 1970s after I had a perforated stomach. I didn't have an ulcer but they did it 'just in case' and now I'm stuck with it and the associated digestive issues. I've successfully addressed these with diet. I agree - lots of changes - but because life is better you don't notice them that much.
The one you can get without a prescription is called the vitality smart cable and the doctor who created it is Dr Patrick Nemechek: nemechektechnologies.shop
My story is like yours. Planning ablation in a couple of months
That's my pulse rate now and just checked its sitting between 63-65
I'm with you, Guitar335, with a few extras...
No pharma at all
Next to no alcohol
Staying hydrated
Plenty of sleep (7 hours at least)
At least an hour outdoors every day, ideally moreMeditation a few times a week
Energy healing fortnightly
Essential oils daily (Frankincense and Ylang Ylang are particularly useful)
Yoga once a week
Magnesium, Vit C, Vit D, a multi-vit, a probiotic, turmeric, and a couple of other bits and pieces daily
95% veggie diet (bit of fish from time to time), as much of it raw as possible
I have never medicated my afib or had any intervention — came close to having an ablation a few years ago but decided instead to persevere with alternative therapies and I now treat my afib as just part of who I am. It doesn't scare me or even annoy me any more, and it doesn't stop me following the outdoor pursuits I love. It's just something to be acknowledged and accommodated until each episode is over. It's usually triggered by stress — though red wine is an absolute no-no! — and so I do all I can to keep stress levels as low as possible.
I suspect my afib is vagal in origin as I also have tinnitus but no other health issues.
My GP is fine with my approach as he can see I've done shedloads of research and take full responsibility for my choices.
No alcoholNo caffeine
Exercise regularly
Try to reduce stress
Mediation
Sleep Apnea machine
Calcium Channel Blockers for BP
Keep my Thyroid T3 and T4 low range of normal ( Graves Disease)
Keep Hydrated
Gluten Free
I stopped drinking al cohol after my April 2019 ablation. May have a glass of wine someday - but don't want to fight myself about limit setting right now. Easier to just drink fizzy water.
Try to exercise at least 2 miles a day.so I can get that decent sleep I know I need.
Play music (guitar) to go to another zone.
My AF managing strategies are:
Gluten free
No alcohol
Magnesium daily
Stress as low as possible
Keep hydrated
Regular food
And I've just discovered that the low carb diet I was on doesn't seem to be good for me - I've recently added more carbs (rice, gluten free pasta and bread) and my AF episodes have halved.
I do much the same - except the magnesium. How is it helpful?
Reading all the positive steps and ways we are trying to manage AF...and sometimes they work for a while, sometimes they don't, and sometimes ablations are more than 'one and done' and even with pace & ablate, there can be AF anyway etc etc.
I know we're all different, what might work for one may not work for another, and medication is usually always a fine-tuning process which often has limitations.
I'm glad I'm not alone, I'm not very brave at all, and I find sharing our stories etc very helpful. I appreciate getting answers and suggestions and encouragement from this forum, and I'm also so sorry we walk this path.
I'm not brave either - anxiety and depression have visited a lot in this last 13 months since I was diagnosed. Obviously the pandemic doesn't help. You're still here, the sun still shines. I'm hoping you are warm and safe in your home and can enjoy being there. Think of the things you CAN do and still enjoy. Try to fit one in twice a day.
Thank you, Singwell, for your kind words. Every night, I acknowledge my blessings and am thankful for many things.
Your post is very timely for me. I have had 3 PAF episodes in quick succession which concerns me. I will borrow some of your tips and hope they do the trick.
Still learning about AF and how to manage it. Acquired AF as a result of operation for Triple Bypass, Davids Procedure and LV Repair.
If you take the pill in the pocket only, what frequency and duration are your AF episodes?
My tips for reducing AF episodes, what are yours?
How frequent is your paroxysmal AF & do you take a PIP
What does your AF feel like?
