Help with AFIB
I’m interested in any thing people do... - Atrial Fibrillati...
I’m interested in any thing people do or have tried to ease or get rid of either fast HR or AFIB episode. Anything at all, thank you.
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Electricblue1
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I used to find sipping cold, chilled, water helped calm things down. Lying back to rest but propped up with pillows so not lying down, was useful when I was having a bad spell.
But what helped most before my ablation, was avoiding fructose in my diet. That reduced frequency of episodes rather than immediate relief.
Hi, I stupidly had a flap Jack with fructose and syrup , I had one yesterday and it didn’t effect me but I had another today with high hopes 😊 but 10 minutes later, boom . Now I’ve got HR of 143 .
• in reply toElectricblue1
Excuse me…..I hope you are not blaming me……😉😂
Electricblue1• in reply to
😂😂 oh no, I just get a craving for them but I should make my own.
Will be best to describe your current medical condition, history, medications, and summary of your visits with medical professional.
I have AF, am on bisoprolol and flecainide and asthma inhaler. Am waiting for 2nd Ablation.
Hypnotherapy, acupuncture and meditation helps both in the AF moment & as prevention.
I was diagnosed with permanent aflutter in 2006 which was cured with an ablation but still have proxy afib. I have found the following may cause my afib: shift work, fatigue , lack of sleep, to much alcohol ( over 8 pints can start a wobble)and sleeping on my left side . Note the words ‘ may cause my afib’ as a majority of the time the they are harmless. My afib normally lasts up to 8 hours . I found that going for a brisk walk stops the episode in15 minutes to start with but these days it can take up to a hour or more and as it’s often raining or late at night it’s not always ideal but it’s a great feeling! I found out by accident on holiday many years ago that a couple of swift pints of lager can also do the trick. For example recently going out for an evening meal friends while on holiday on the Greek isles went into afib ( always happens at the most inconvenient moment! ) so suggested going for a couple of swift ones , it did the trick! This does not work as well at home must be the temperature difference or something.Even though my HR is up to 170 and it’s like a rollercoaster up and down with fireworks going off in my chest I found doing something to take my mind off it helps especially something you like. I hope this helps nothing ventured nothing gained as they say. I found moderate exercise walking and just keeping active may reduce the amount of attacks also watch the weight . I tend to live a normal life and it makes me appreciate life even more so ,as worry may also be a factor. I have found if you can learn to live with it , it’s another benefit strangely enough .
Thank you, I’ve tried the syringe then legs in the air, bearing down , cold water nothing seems to work. Maybe I’m not understanding the different symptoms, I don’t know but yesterday started HHR 145 , this calmed down after 5 hours but then it goes in to AFIB, am I understanding it all wrong ? . I took one extra bisoprolol but this morning I feel wiped out and lightheaded but it’s still coming up AFIB.
I’m not sure your serious 😁. If it’s true I envy you very much, when I go into afib over 140 bpm I can hardly stand up, never mind nip to the boozer for a couple of swift ones !! More power to your elbow 👍
It’s all true . The worst part about it is how much it varies . When I had flutter it was constant about 130 at rest and I was still playing football and hill walking I didn’t know I had it! Just to say I’m not a crank just a no nonsense working class bloke but it’s the disease that’s weird. I hope😉
Someone in this group once recommended lying flat on the floor, legs up - maybe against a wall. Seemed silly to me, but I’ll try (almost) anything once! 😂 Amazingly, this works brilliantly for me. I lay down on a soft carpet, spread my arms out, get my knees up, slow, deep breaths - I don’t think it’s ever failed me! Thank you to the person who suggested that!
I’ll give anything a go it all adds to the armoury.
I'll have to try that one - though getting up again may set me back a bit!
lol! Yes, that could be a challenge. 😂
I once tried that, I lay on my bed and put my legs up the wall above the headboard It made me go dizzy and feel as if I could pass out. I had to stop doing it right away, but I couldn't help laughing thinking if I'd died at that moment, what would the people who found me think of my strange position!
Jean
Lol! I’ve had a chuckle over the same! If my husband is home, I warn him that I’ll be on the floor and not to worry. 
Sorry that doesn’t work for you. I don’t understand why it works for me, seems that just relaxing my whole body and making my heart work less hard seems to straighten it out. I know,that if I tell my EP this, he’ll just say something like “interesting” and move on.
Not much mention here about the benefits of long term routines & the same healthy diet with the minimum of once in a while treat take-aways. My body generally and the gut in particular seem to like a boring life. I miss a few things but not the AF & hospital visits!
Among the long term routines, taking AMPLE amounts of magnesium (glycinate or chloride--not oxide b/c it does not absorb as well), as per Dr. Carolyn Dean's recommendations in The Magnesium Miracle. That has seemed to work well for me.
Paramedics got me to breath in to, then out slowly of a paper bag. I did it for a couple of minutes, then went back to nsr. Jumping hard on the spot, or forcibly continually coughing has worked for me too.
Drinking a big dose of Powdered magnesium dissolved in warm water worked for me one evening when I was having tachycardia ~ 145 bpm.
(I’m not sure if you’ve been taking your asthma inhaler more frequently of late, but if you are that can make your heart race. )
Pat.
Hi, yes my asthma pump is seratide and if I up the dose it starts my heart off but I try and keep it to one pump.
Vagal - vagus nerve is part of the Parasympathetic Nervous System and what you are trying to do is to stimulate it so it calms down your body. There are lots of different ways and some work for some and not others but the safest and most often used below. Before you do anything ensure you are very well hydrated and electrolytes balanced - if drink water and/or Coconut Water (or Electrolyte drink). Dehydration is often the culprit of triggering an episode and most of us don’t hydrate enough.
Long, slow, deep breaths - use diaphragm - for at least 5-10 mins
Bearing down - crouch and bear down using belly muscles as if you were straining on loo
Lie down and get someone to raise your legs quickly and stay with legs up for 5-10 minutes - that was most effective for me - I used to prop my legs on my bed. Isn’t always immediate but if it was going to work it would in 15-30 mins.
Blow into empty syringe
Cough
Cold water immersion - divers response - put your face into basin of cold water so you gasp
Anything that will calm ANS - Autonomic Nervous System and stimulate.
This link talks about Tachycardia but it’s a reasonable explanation of what it is and how it works - often Paramedics will use it as first line treatment.
healthline.com/health/vagal...
Thank you so much , I will try some of them .
Ah, it must have been you who suggested the lying down, legs up trick. I couldn’t remember who to thank.😀 Works so well for me. Thank you!
Because we all react differently what helps one person may trigger another.
Principally - keep calm, breath work, vaso vagal manoeuvres and above all - avoid stress which starts AF in the first place.
Things that have worked for me have also put me into AF, including medications but also breaking the car by going over a huge pothole, whale watching on small boat bouncing around in large waves in Icelandic fjord.
Never found rhyme nor reason.
Hi thank you, with out me sounding thick how do you do vague manoeuvres.
It’s a ‘valsalva’ manoeuvre. There are several you can look up. As for running or exercising to stop the fast heart rate: the idea of that is to run or exercise to the level where your heart rate would normally be that of the increased rate you’re experiencing…. Then as you stop running and recover, your increased heart rate could and often does, come down with the gradual post exercise rate fall, going back to a resting rate.Pat
Running used to put me back into NSR, 8 to 10minutes did it. Unfortunately after 12 attacks over 20 months it stopped working
Half an hour on my rowing machine. i can't face it when the upper rate is high, but let it drop a bit and then have a go. I'm not sure if it's the breathing, the rythym or the focus but it seems to do the job. I told an A&E Dr who said I must go in if I feel dizzy, chest pain etc. and he was a bit shocked.
Thank you, I did try running for a short while once and it did work but I don’t feel like I could manage that this morning. I really miss being able to do what I want and eat what I want. But it has made me really appreciate life that much more.
I miss running but I'm waiting for 2 new knees.The good thing with a rowing machine is that I don't have to leave the house and risk getting worse when I'm out.
Also the dearly beloved has one as well and we keep each other company.
Hi, that’s good, I love rowing when I used to go gym.
i know its not for everyone, but i know one man who goes for a long run and says it stops his afib
For me, it was always relaxing and taking my mind off it worked best. If the time of day is suitable, go to bed and try to sleep. Otherwise, get engrossed a good book, or a long video (not a horror film!). I found following a good ding dong tennis match worked well.
Someone here once said a coffee worked for them. So I tried it and it's worked for me a few times. I usually only have one a day just in case it triggered AF but it appears it can also stop it. I agree with other comments that not going into anxiety and taking your mind off it helps too. My cat comes and purrs near to me as well and I'm sure that helps.🤔🐈☺️
This may sound very oddMy PAF usually occurs late evening. I try all the maneuvers mentioned above, then get sick of feeling sick and take 12.5mg or slightly less of Benadryl, go to sleep and feel better upon awakening!
Go figure!
Hello, what worked for me. No more gluten, more magnesium rich food like nuts and slow nasal breathing. Taping the mouth at night, trying to breath mostly with the nose during the day increases diaphragmatic breathing, slow down the breathing by increasing the exhale calms down and slows down the heart rate.
You won’t like this comment but you need to completely clean you diet up. I seriously took getting better into my own hands . Total vegetarian diet no caffeine or alcohol . I made sure I had the right electrolytes. Lots of prayer and I made it out the other side . One ablation and now absolutely no pills . The doctors will just keep giving you pills you need to take responsibility for life if you want any sort of life . 😀
Hi, yes I agree, but I don’t drink or smoke I get out and walk every day with the dog, my diet is 90% healthy but I am guilty of the odd treat which has not served me well. Most of what I cook is from fresh I only have decaf coffee .
I think you're asking about 'in the moment' stuff rather than preventative advice and/or avoiding triggers.Meditation, relaxation, breathing right. Doesn't work as well as it used to...things have got a bit worse lately... but certainly doesn't do any harm. 😊
Hi yes , it’s for in the moment, I do meditate and I have to say it amazing, I used to shun it but not now.
Lovely!! ☀️
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