Hi, just joined but was diagnosed with paroxysmal AF in August 21 after 4 years of the episode's being blamed on stress menopause etc as they never managed to record it been taking Bisoprol and anti coagulants but have break through episode's which seem to be increasing. Trying to find what is causing them, no alcohol or caffiene am probably at the top if my weight range and trying to lose it and increasing my walking and swimming. searching now for other triggers, particular foods possibly? Any ideas? Thanks
New to diagnosis: Hi, just joined but... - Atrial Fibrillati...
New to diagnosis
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KaliBill
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Hi Kali.
Wecome to the forum.
"Trying to find what is causing them, no alcohol or caffiene am probably at the top if my weight range and trying to lose it and increasing my walking and swimming"
It sounds like you are doing the right things. As for triggers ? Who can say. Afib can just start anyway. Is it worth keeping a record of everything you have done on the day it kicks in ie ate a certain type of food etc ?
Looking for triggers can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. For me the weight loss is a good way forward - I think that's your first step.
That's my take and I wish you all success.
Paul
Thank you Paul just find it all so scary at the moment luckily GP been quite understanding about my struggling to get my head around the fact that one day all I was taking was a vitamin tablet the next it was beta blockers, anti coagulants and status!
Don't be scared Kali - there's no need. It's a pain I know but you are on anticoaulants which are the main thing. It's not life threating so always keep that in mind when you panic. Now have you heard about the breathing and grounding technic's ? They can really help. Have a Google and see what works best for you. Very slow breathing for 5 minutes can help 100%. I think others will post and help you with this.
Paul
Hi and welcome. We get it, been there and are just a bit further along on our AF journey.
Unfortunately many people never find out the cause of their AF - there are some known factors and you covered some of them but others to consider:
Sleep apnea:-
Breathing - mouth breathers are more likely to suffer heart arrythmias so working with breath can help - certainly will help deal with the anxiety that always accompanies AF - you are not unique in finding this very scary.
Stress - accumulated stressors from life events or previous trauma
Smoking - past or present
Gum disease
AF can and often does run in families - certainly my father had AF but none of our family knew and didn’t know until we saw his medical history following his death - at 83. He died from kidney disease.
Thyroid dysfunction - has your GP tested? If you don’t know ask.
Uncontrolled high BP
Acute or chronic inflammation from other conditions - true in my case
Alcohol - some people are just more susceptible but even in moderate amounts alcohol has been seen to cause scarring
Structural changes to the heart which you can’t see and will only show up on Echocardiogram or a scan
Age
Sure there are others but those are the obvious that immediately come to mind.
And the big one - for absolutely no discernible reason whatsoever- and that’s the hardest to come to terms with because there is still SO much we don’t yet know.
We always want to find the reason, a cause because then we believe if treated, it will go away and sometimes that happens and sometimes it just doesn’t. It’s a rogue condition that feeds off fear so the biggest thing you can do to help yourself is to manage your anxiety and find out as much about the condition as you can as knowledge is potential power and once you feel more in control, the easier it will get.
It may feel overwhelming for a while but you will find help, support and compassion from knowledgeable and experienced people who remember what it was like when they were first diagnosed, which for me was in 2007 and still going strong!
Best wishes
Can I ask why gum disease is on the list for Afib causes. Gum disease runs in my family......no Afib though. Am told my Afib is a result of sucessful aggressive cancer treatment so not related to gum disease. The anti coags though have made life tough on the gum disease front though as it was well managed before.
'Why gum disease is on the list'...see my suggestion to Singwell.
I can understand and remember that a/c’s have been really tough for you.
I currently have inflammation of the gums although not bleeding they are sore and inflamed and my dentist can’t find any cause as they are a clean as a whistle (never really understood that analogy as whistles can’t really be very clean can they?).
Very frustrating.
in reply to CDreamer
It’s more than likely that meds given for heart disease cause gum problems! It’s a known side effect !
CDreamer in reply to
Wavylines has posted quite a lot about the problems she has had with a/c’s - sometimes we need to know a little of the poster’s background.
My gum disease preceded any heart issues and I can’t take any heart meds, period.
in reply to CDreamer
Without medication how do you manage your heart disease ?
CDreamer in reply to
Apart from prophalactic anticoagulants all other treatment for AF is for, quality of life as I don’t have heart disease. The drugs such as rate control and antiarrythmic drugs, sedation etc make me very ill.
This is the 2nd time you've listed Gum Disease- which I have. What's the thinking behind the link?
After AF diagnosis, I spent a fortune on dental work and lots of time daily keeping problems away. I think it is important to consider there is rarely just one cause of AF, so gum disease alone is unlikely (unless bad) to extend to an AF trigger, however it is I believe a contributing factor.
My understanding is the thinking behind this is that a lot of things go in the mouth and hence bad stuff can enter the blood stream directly through bleeding gums and cause the heart problems.
in reply to Singwell
Friend was told his AF partly result of infections due to gum disease. A known heart risk
pusillanimous in reply to
The bacteria in the mouth has been known for many years to be antagonistic to the heart. People who have had valve replacements or diseases like rheumatic fever always need to be covered by anti- biotics prior to dental treatment.
The thinking according to my dentist - bacteria from gum disease gets into the blood stream, causes chronic inflammation and in some cases can cause all sorts of heart problems. It’s a possible factor -
health.harvard.edu/heart-he...
I had to have very extensive work on my gums back in 2004 and before I had AF - very expensive but happy to say all now good. The fact that I had been a smoker and had only just completely stopped was also another huge factor. Sadly did it all too late to avoid the consequences.
For me , fatigue,lack of sleep, shift work were triggers but not always also to a lesser degree Chinese food ,too many pints (over 8)and stress . When I was first diagnosed with proxy AF in 2006 at 46 It was a shock but I now treat it like other people treat a headache and carry on leading a normal life it makes me appreciate life even more and I enjoy every minute .
Read The Afib Cure.. so much information.. and Restsrt your Heart..😊
Have you seen an EP? Has an ablation been considered? Good luck!
KaliBill in reply to
It was mentioned when I had a consultation with the Arrhythmia nurse and I was a bit anti but Gp is going to refer me back to the cardiologist as I feel its on the increase at the moment
in reply to KaliBill
There is a body of opinion - one my expert EP has - that there is a window of opportunity for successful ablation before the heart makes an entrenched habit of AF, and that a successful ablation may prevent or lessen heart disease further along the line.
I would decrease gluten by 90% & sugar & red meat by 75%. No cold or fizzy drinks particularly Tonic water as contains quinine which can cause issues for some.
Giving up gluten has helped me to significantly reduce the frequency of episodes, from at least 2 a month to 1 every 3 or 4 months. I takes a couple of months to have an impact so be patient. you don't need to be obsessive, if it's an ingredient in some things occasionally that is fine, but stop the glutinous bread pasta pastries etc. Worth a try, there are loads of GF alternatives. worked for me, and don't eat late and hydrate!
I've tried hard to search for triggers, but in vain. Have you checked more common things? For example, I gather that over 50% of AF sufferers have some degree of sleep apnoea; many have high BMI, blood pressure, lethargic lifestyles, diabetes, and other heart issues such as a slightly enlarged atrium. All of these are possible - and maybe much more likely - "triggers".
Also, for some people, I'm told that their oesophagus and stomach / diaphragm lie naturally close to the heart. In those cases, eating, drinking, gulping or having a gassy or distended stomach, such as from IBS or constipation, can bring the organs to touch the heart itself, which can spark off ectopic beats and, in prone individuals, AF. For some people, even bending down or stretching can physically irritate the heart, I gather, and create ectopic beats.
Steve
That's interesting as I have IBS and although am trying to lose weight tend to have too large meals, I have been wondering if being too 'full' was triggering episodes
Never did find any certain 'trigger' for mine, and I no longer believe in triggers. Yes, maybe particular types of alcoholic drink WILL cause it, but some don't. Certainly, being dehydrated will make it more prevalent, and so will stress of any sort. I think mine was first started by stress, and I've had some form of pressure or stress nearly every time afterwards that could be a cause. However, everybody has stress in their lives, without that result in most.
Drink lots of water, every day.
Early on my AFIB journey I tried to rationalise by looking for triggers. All have been previously mentioned in this thread.My pragmatic EP view; and well informed, was did not much mattsr you have errant electrical signals and they are not going to go away. Best have an ablation, now 12mth and no AFIB.
MY BP was fine, BMI 25 and structurally very good heart.
Have found getting alcohol under 10 std drinks a week has made a big difference to my overall wellbeing.
Initially I was kidding myself I could stop it thru life style and trigger management!
Took awhile to accept reality of procedure.
Good luck.
Yes, here is a diet idea. carrafibdietinfo.com/ But it takes time. I am almost 5 months into it. My ectopics/palpitations stopped fairly quickly, after a week or two. My blood pressure dropped after about 3 months and most recently my resting pulse dropped 5 bpm. I still have occasional AF, so not sure when and if that will disappear, but it is clear that nothing happens overnight, but so far patience and diligence have been rewarded by quantifiable positive signs.
My primary trigger was thoracic pressure. I had others, but doing something to put pressure on my upper chest (inside) would do it. Bending over— especially after eating, straining to move something heavy, sitting in a slouch posture, etc. There’s a nerve bundle at the back of the heart that ( I thought) was the culprit. I would consciously exhale every time I bent over and felt like it helped some. The thing is, my hearts electrical cells were already diseased/modified to produce rogue signals. I chose ablation and am glad I did. Good luck to you!
Sugar, sweetners are a possibility. My latest episodes have been after upset stomach which worries me as I have developed IBS
I think the most innocent things can cause it, I live in South Africa and we had a worrying time a few months back with riots etc. As an anxious person, I lose weight easily and decided to try and put some back on by drinking one of the dietary supplements, gluten free and containing every vitamin and mineral available - used for tube feeding etc. I had one glassful, made exactly to instructions - in no time at all my HR shot up to 120 and pulse irregular, It settled in a short time after 125mg biso, but I think I'll stick to chocolate to gain rate as that does not have that effect !!!!!
Yes, it was Slimfast for me, one drink and my heart rate rocketed to over 170bpm went on for 48 hours!
Gluten/wheat is a biggie for me as is aspartame and sucralose. These ingredients throw my heart haywire. As long as I avoid them my heart is stable and no meds needed.
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