SOURDOUGH AF REACTION

[Hugo40]

I have just had a 48hour AF reaction to Sourdough. My AF BPM increased to 150 bpm. I had indigestion aches & pains. Inreased bowel movement etc. Apart from drinks and mushroom soup I was fasting for 2 days. Very anxious and uncomfortable.

Hugo40

[Paulbounce]

Sorry to read this Hugo.

What is your HR now ? I assume it has dropped ?

Paul

Edit - your anxiety is understandable. May I suggest doing the correct breathing exercises for half an hour or so. Perhaps take a slow walk also - just to try and relax. It helped me when my afib started again.

[Hugo40 in reply to Paulbounce]

Thanks Paul, my BPM has now dropped to Approx 100BPM.Hugo

[Finvola]

Gut upsets and AF go hand in hand Hugo. Make sure to drink plenty of water - at least two litres a day. Paul gives good advice about slow breathing and a relaxing walk. Think on my motto for most miseries - 'This too shall pass'. Hope you feel better soon.

[Hugo40 in reply to Finvola]

Thanks Finvola, I like your motto, yes I feel better now but it took more than 24 hours. Great advce , The breathing and Drink plenty of water. Hugh

[jeanjeannie50]

Have you looked to see what the ingredients were in the sourdough, so that you can avoid them? Did you gorge on the sourdough (you can tell me, I understand these things) 😏😋😒

Jean

[Hugo40 in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Hello Jean, thanks for your reply. Ingredients were Barley, Rye, Wheat & may include other allergens. I had 2 fairly thick slices in a sandwich. I felt uncomfortable about 30 minutes after having it. Then about 2 hrs after that AF BPM increased from 102 to about 155. Felt more & more uncomfortable. Had a bad 24hours. Did no sleep much. Hugh 😂

[Peddling in reply to Hugo40]

I can’t digest sourdough either which is a pity because I love it.

[Hidden in reply to Hugo40]

Hiya Hugo,

I do have to agree with jeanjeannie ... she is right ... she understands these things 😊, however, a number of us do too. By way of a practicing laymans interpretation ( and only that) I would say an ingredient of the sourdough is/has/does aggravate/inflame the vagal nerve which then has its wicked way. My initial 'gut' feeling ( oops, sorry) is that wheat can be an issue and it may also be that the wheat itself is tainted with gluten or that gluten maybe in the ingredients somewhere. You really need to analyse ( without driving yourself crazy) what is in the sour dough. Also, though, review your overall daily diet, including fruit and veg and drinks, especially beer if you drink it.

I am really tending to think that wheat/gluten is a problem here for you. We all vary quite markedly on what is good/not good for us in terms of diet and ingredients. One often hears of primary schools being 'nut free' - because even a trace of nuts as an ingredient item in a food can set a child off into allergy mode and can be very scary. On rare occasions - fatal. Whatever, sometimes one only needs a trace of wheat/gluten - that can do it.

Over the years I have used a mix of medication and diet to control my AF. Incidently, my symptoms, back in the day were very much like you describe. Specifically, diarrhea, intestinal gurgling, burping and incredibly painful bloating. The bloating was always the worst.

A number of us on this forum have various experiences of diet in the context of fighting AF and I can only hope that some of them read your post and comment.

Good luck.

John

[Smileyian in reply to Hidden]

A very good alround reply John.

[LaceyLady in reply to Hugo40]

I’ve read that anyone with an allergy may find it/them worse with the medications. I found this with Verapamil, I’m sure it caused a near anaphylactic episode after a sip of soup on holiday. All hand made, never had this before and don’t know what ingredient caused it.

[LaceyLady in reply to jeanjeannie50]

It might be the starter culture.

[rosyG]

Sorry to hear this unpleasant.

[Chris147]

Hi Hugo I eat sourdough bread which is gluten free I buy it from M and S. I have had terrible experiences from eating anything with gluten in but been gluten free for over 3 years and I believe I have been so much better. I also drink alot of water and do breathing excercises. I get ectopics not every day but hate them. I think because I have had to reduce my beta blockers as I was feeling faint. There always seems to be something. Try gluten free Itseasier than you think it might help you. Kind regards

[bassets]

I read lateley that sourdough bread turns into sugar very quickly in the gut. I wonder if this could be the cause? Hope you are feeling better.

[CDreamer]

Had similar experiences eating any carbs, bread of any type was the worst, cereals, biscuits and cakes were no better so I removed all from my diet, along with all dairy for a years and all gut symptoms disappeared. I now eat only sourdough rye bread very occasionally and have no reactions. A good sourdough is excellent for gut health but if the stomach reacts it will excite vagus nerve and then everything goes wrong, including digestion. Fasting is the right thing to do and sipping warm water helps.

Hope you feel better.

[Chris1945]

I completely agree re gluten, deadly stuff for me to eat/digest! Also, and it's probably a bit anti-social, I don't eat carbs of any kind and indeed very little at all after 1700 and the difference it's made is noticeable. Plus, get yourself checked out for a possible hiatus hernia, I have a small 'sliding' one but didn't know it until a couple of weeks ago and Sanjay Gupta says there is a definite link. Hope you feel better soon . x

[Hidden]

Based on my experience it is far more likely to be a reaction to gluten than the sourdough element of your bread. Many of us with a compromised immune system have more than one manifestation so it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between causes. I have JAK2 and have had intermittent and chronic allergy manifestations until finally realising and being confirmed as Coeliac with multiple intolerances - these often don't show up for hours after eating/contact or until combined with another trigger. When Coeliac was confirmed nearly 30 years ago, gluten-free products were rare and inedible - but now the choice is amazing and many other products have become GF too (most sausages for instance) Now in permanent AF with low BP and HR (and pacemaker) plus Essential Thrombocythemia, I just keep taking the medications, supplying blood samples, take regular exercise and have a slow day here and there. The message is - adapt and live with it - its better than the alternative and .

[Ecki]

It could be any of the ingredients, difficult to determine which one, or it could be that particular mix of ingredients, so it's best avoided. Barbecue sauce does it for me, sends me into horrendous bouts of ectopics, digestive issues like bloating, indigestion, nausea. I do have a hiatus hernia and reflux disease as well as AF. I no longer use barbecue sauce and try to avoid things which may contain any of its ingredients. I'm certain there is a link between an unhappy digestive system and AF issues. There's no way of knowing what might set off the AF until it happens. I mostly eat unprocessed food which I prepare myself and I tend to feel very dubious about eating out these days.