Small portions only!!!

[Janith]

It seems that I can only eat small portions rather than larger portions throughout the day and at dinner time ... small portions and non-spicy ... so boring ... why is this, does anyone know? If I fill my tum too much, my heart acts up with palpitations and once after Mexican food I actually went into afib ...

[CDreamer]

Digestive system interacting with heart through proximity + ANS - Autonomic Nervous System - everyone unique. I find hot spices may raise HR but the milder Indian spices rather than chilis such as Tumeric, Coriander, Cumin, Fenigreek, Ginger, Mustard seeds, Garlic, Lemon grass etc ok.

Eating smaller amounts is definitely beneficial.

[Janith in reply to CDreamer]

Thank you so much ... I agree ... I don't seem to have issues with those types of spices ... it seems that there is something in the Mexican cuisine that I simply cannot handle ... probably the peppers.

[Jalia]

That's the way it js!! CDreamer has explained. A late heavy restaurant meal tripped me into AF once and it was a lesson learned.I can eat spicy foods but keep portions small, eat slowly and not too late.

[Hidden]

G'day,CD says it all. I can now only eat small and even eat according to which shift I am on. Worse still, I am significantly "Free From". I am also significantly diet bound. Absolutely NO HOT SPICY stuff and even eat Chinese with care ( MSG).

John

[dunestar in reply to Hidden]

I'm pretty sure it was a wrap with duck and hoisin sauce from Waitrose that landed me in A&E. Dehydration may have been a factor as well. Funnily enough soy sauce is OK.

[jeanjeannie50]

Hi Jan, I snack on fruit and nuts between meals, then I don't have the appetite for a big meal in the evening. I just know when I've eaten enough and no matter how tasty the meal I'm eating is, I stop.

Jean

[Janith in reply to jeanjeannie50]

Jean … l know … this evening l made baked chicken with polenta and a green salad with tomatoes … it was sooooo yummy, and when l started to feel full l 🛑 stopped! My problem is that l am tall 5’10” very thin and all legs … short-waisted … so my tum is very close to my heart???(l think!)

[Hylda2 in reply to Janith]

Went to a Turkish restaurant for lunch yesterday. Hadn’t even left the table before AF started.

[Janith in reply to Hylda2]

Perfect example … our days of loving exotic foods are gone … but l would prefer to have something simple than to have an afib attack.

[MonarchsAB in reply to Janith]

I think that’s part of my problem too! I’m tall and short waisted. I’m so glad to hear that I’m not alone in this thinking.

[secondtry]

The Vagus Nerve can be affected by stomach pressure of just quantity and no doubt indirectly by the gastro effects of certain spicy & gluten foods. Every individual is different and making lifestyle changes as you have done is the best answer. Small price to pay for a quiet life!

[Chris1945]

I've always been very certain that my digestion and afib are connected, made more so by this video from Dr. Sanjay Gupta ( lots more of his videos out there on youtube). My afib is and always has been, paroxysmal and always happens during the night, when I wake up with it and on the 2 very rare occasions I've had it during the day, it's after pigging out! Now, I don't eat after 1800 and so far, touch wood, it has worked.....good luck. x

youtube.com/watch?v=ODdDxmb...(Not working as expected?)

[Janith in reply to Chris1945]

Thank you soooooo much!

[Becksagogo]

Its not nice being thin is it.? Little and often is how I eat and I try not to snack in between meals. Sweet and sour sauce used to set me off so I avoid it yet I can eat chilli, curry and garlic.

Hope you get to the bottom of it.

[Ppiman]

When you eat, swallow air, or drink gassy liquids, or have constipation or intestinal gas, the stomach naturally swells and pushes up against the diaphragm. In some people the heart lies close to this and can come into physical contact, This can, in some, lead to ectopic beats occurring which can, in prone individuals, give rise to AF.

I wonder, myself, if this physical cause isn't far more common than is generally realised and is why some people seem to have such a range of "triggers", some of which seem, to me, to be highly unlikely as a direct cause of an arrhythmia.

Steve

[Janith in reply to Ppiman]

I think so. Thank you!

[MonarchsAB in reply to Ppiman]

I think so too. This could explain why beta blockers aren’t working too well for me.

[Ppiman in reply to MonarchsAB]

This is an explanation of how the gastric and cardiac systems might affect each other:

drsanjayguptacardiologist.c...

Steve

[MonarchsAB in reply to Ppiman]

Thanks for this. It makes perfect sense to me except for one thing- Dr. Gupta says lying on your right side can make it worse. For me lying on my left side makes it worse, although there are times when I’m only comfortable sleeping on my back.

[Ppiman in reply to MonarchsAB]

I think our internal organs must vary quite a bit in their positions. I didn't realise that in some people, for example, the food pipe presses tightly against the heart, and other of us have three, not four, pulmonary veins (where AF originates). Maybe, in your case, lying on your left side puts pressure on the heart in some way. My own doctor is not very convinced by the link with the vagus, but I do know that the stomach can push the diaphragm against the heart and set off ectopics as it happened to me and the X-ray showed what was happening.

Steve

[Janith in reply to Ppiman]

I totally agree … l cannot lie on my left side because l hear my heart strongly beating in my ears … right side this doesn’t happen … only when l first lie down … then it stops. Weird. My palpitations are much better (if not completely gone after starting Hawthorn Solid Extract by Wise Woman Herbals). Thank you!!

[MonarchsAB in reply to Janith]

Are you on any prescription medication?

[Janith in reply to MonarchsAB]

Yes. Sotalol, 80 mg twice per day … zero side effects… QT interval normal … Eliquis, 5 mg twice per day … zero side effects … Losartan 25 mg once per day … zero side effects … sometimes l feel chilly around 4 pm … l’m sure this is caused by one or all of those medications … but l rarely go into full blown afib … maybe once per year … l exercise daily … speed walk, jog and gym . Cheers!

[MonarchsAB in reply to Janith]

Thanks, good to know.

[Ppiman in reply to Janith]

I've read about using hawthorn. You've reminded me! Thank you.

Steve

[MonarchsAB in reply to Ppiman]

So you had an X-ray? What does your doctor say about it and what sort of treatment is he/she giving you? I have an appointment with my cardiologist next week, and I doubt she’ll be amenable to the vagus nerve theory.

[Ppiman in reply to MonarchsAB]

Ah - that X-ray was very many years ago and I was lucky to see a really switched on cardiologist who was fascinated by me as my heart was making really unusual and loud clicking sounds - just like clicking your fingers together. He was intrigued to find out why, hence the X-ray.

The problem with the vagus theory, as my doctor explained it, is that the nerve affects many body systems as well as the heart so other important symptoms would be obvious as well as AF; also, the nerve, when irritated, causes severe bradycardia, whereas most AF present with a higher than normal rate, and often with tachycardia.

Steve

[MonarchsAB in reply to Ppiman]

Interesting, thanks I’ve learned a lot here today.

[Auriculaire]

I eat a smaller dinner than I used to before afib. Often it looks measly on the plate! Eating at lunch time in a restaurant is better for me than eating dinner out but I still have to be careful. The annoying thing is that eating less has not led to any weight loss at all!

[Janith in reply to Auriculaire]

I wonder why you haven’t lost weight? You should perhaps ask a nutritionist … you may be eating high caloric foods and not exercising daily?

[Auriculaire in reply to Janith]

I don't need to see a nutritionist. I know how to eat properly. I never eat junk food - to me it tastes rubbish and cook from scratch every day. I do eat some carbs but small portions and desserts are a once a week treat. Part of the problem is over the past few years both hips deteriorated to the point of needing replacement so exercise was reduced a lot . I still have a lot of squeletal problems due to Fluoroquinolone toxicity - even though walking does not hurt my hips any longer it does provoke temdonitis in my Achilles tendons . So I am unable to be as active as I used to be. I do garden for a couple of hours a day throughout the year weather permitting. Also stopping the T3 part of my thyroid meds has not helped. Having undiagnosed hypothyroidism during my forties caused me to put on a lot of weight despite high levels of exercise and taking T3 was the only thing that stopped the gaining though I did not lose very much. Since stopping it I have put on more weight despite eating less. I have stopped worrying too much about it. I know that I eat healthily and metabolically I am ok - no diabetes, high blood pressure etc.

[sportscoach]

As a child you are told to sit up straight, chew your food properly, take your time eating, don't talk during mealtime, let your food go down before running around.....Looking back not bad advice, sadly its fast processed rubbish we eat and drink these days.

[Janith in reply to sportscoach]

Yes! We are trying to avoid junk food.

[BlueINR]

Small portions are great. A taste is as good as a feast.