I have had my diagnosis for 16 months and usually have around 1 episode a month (in Dec it was 2) Normally my heart rate stays between 50-100 during an episode and I can manage to function normally but feel like my heart is flopping around in my chest. Last night I woke at 3 with what felt like a banging heart and it was beating very fast but my watched said NSR and my pulse was regular. 30 mins later the AF kicked in. This time I don’t feel very good, I’m breathless and lightheaded and feel very anxious. My worry is my PAF will get worse very quickly and I don’t know what to do! I have seen a cardiologist once and my Echo showed my heart was at that time structurally sound. I’m 44 and thought I had a while before it got worse. I’m only on 1.25 Bisoprolol a day and can take one more as a pip to keep my heart rate down. I suppose I’m looking for advice and reassurance as to what to do!! Ny cardiologist said I’m no good for an ablation because of my weight (I’m losing slowly!!) my family and friends try to listen but they don’t really get it and I’d like to be able to talk to people who understand. Thanks x
Advice for a relatively new Afibber - Atrial Fibrillati...
Advice for a relatively new Afibber
AF is generally a progresssive condition as I'm sure you have ben told and being overweight is a prime risk factor . Do work on that and aim for a BMI around 26 or better. Seriously the LEGACY trials in Australia (sic) showed that attaining this often reduces the AF burden to a more acceptable level,. Reduced meat and processed food consumption is an important part of that strategy as is avoiding alcohol and stress.
I am 100% working on weight loss and I know it will be a long process as I have so much to lose but I will do it! I’m trying to eat a more vegetarian diet to increase my protein levels as well and I had 2 drinks over Christmas and hadn’t drank for a year. Stress removal is more of an issue, I am trying yoga and learning to meditate but at times my anxiety gets too much for me thanks for replying
I like your determination to loose weight! But, look at the calculation: Overweight people lead sedentary way of life, spending relatively little energy a day. I read somewhere that they can use only a 1.000 calories a day, which is equivalent to about 100 gr of fat. If you have to loose say 60 kg of fat, you may need 600 days to loose it (with eating nothing), meaning almost 2 years. If you eat, what is necessary to preserve your internal organs, you will need more time, of course. You collected the fat slowly, through years, so be patient, give yourself the time, and it will be gone! Good luck!
All I can tell you is you will be amazed at how much better your AF will be if you lose some weight. Artificial sweeteners were a sure trigger for my AF attacks. I now avoid all food and drinks containing artificial additives and feel so much better. Make sure you don't wear anything tight around your waist and never ever slouch. A very full stomach can easily press against your heart and set off AF.
I'd let your GP know how you are feeling, he may suggest raising your Bisoprolol dose and also taking it daily.
Wishing you well.
Jean
thanks I’m definitely doing the weight loss all be it a long process. I am going to try to speak to my gp next week and see what they say. Thanks for replying
Ask your GP for nutritional advice. My sister was borderline diabetic and was sent on a half day nutrition training. She used the Michael Moseley Fast 800 diet which is high protein and non starchy grains and vegetables. Ask your GP about your suitability for the diet. Michael and his wife are both medically trained (she's a GP still) and they've recently produced a new book The Fast Keto Diet. If you're not committed to going vegetarian I'd recommend looking into either of these books. They get results relatively quickly without people going into the dreaded yo yo syndrome so easily. It definitely worked for my sister who lost 3 stone and is doing OK - now longer in danger zone for diabetes.
I am so with you about wearing anything tight! I'm not overweight (I'm just under 50kg), but I have some osteopenic and osteoporotic bones and suffered a compression fracture of the T8. Because I declined having some 'cement' put in to 'jack' it up ( I'm not keen of spinal operations unless the are vital) - I have reduced space for my stomach, so large meals and tight clothes are the worse.!
Hi PinguI'm new with Afib too and against many odds am determined I won't be Afib forever! Mine comes with clunky thumps at times, resting HR below 100 so far. You're doing so well with weight loss and taking that slow is by far the best way. 85% of crash dieters put the weight back on within 5 years. I lost 2 stone over 2 years, and though its less exciting watching the scales drop the experiments with new and delicious ways of cooking are fun!
I have no idea if I'll even get an appointment with a cardiologist, yet alone be offered a procedure like ablation, or if even then an ablation will work! So keeping a balance between positive outlook (meditation/relaxation, exercise, healthy eating, Afib education) and being real and just getting on with living!
You might have had sleep apnoea that night. Apparently about half of AF sufferers have this and being overweight is the most usual cause, I gather.
To lose weight, if your weight is currently constant and your thyroid or fluid retention isn't the cause, my wife's late aunt would say (she used to run a very successful slimming club), simply stay eating what you do now, but eat rather less of it. This was her recipe for certain, slow but long-term weight loss. She claimed it never failed and beat any and every other method, especially the "fad" diets. She had a local cult following in her diet club and was widely respected.
Steve
Very true about just eating less Steve, trouble is we were all brought up encouraged to eat everything on our plates.
Pingu, here is my tip for eating less. Serve your normal sized dinner, but just eat half of it and save the other half for the next day. Cook your own meals, I can give you some easy and tasty recipes if you would like and they don't contain salad. When eating, know when to stop, no matter how lovely your food is remember to stop eating when you feel you've had enough. Cut as much fat out of your diet as you can. When you feel hungry eat a banana or other piece of fruit. Try to increase your consumption of water, sometimes when we think we're hungry it's just our bodies asking for water. Don't buy goodies, like crisps, sweets, cakes or biscuits. If you're like me I start eating them as soon as I get home and don't feel satisfied until they've all gone. I'm certainly addicted to those things, so like an alcoholic doesn't have any alcohol in the house, we sweet and rubbish food addicts must not have them. It's hard I know and I sometimes fall by the wayside, but now I'll very occasionally just buy a very small bar of chocolate. I ignore the larger bars that are on offer.
Good luck.
Jean
I’m always open for new recipes so feel free to share. Thanks for the advice x
She had a way out of that, Jean, as I, too, simply cannot leave a "saucy plate" as my mother and grandmother used to call it. Her reply was to buy a smaller set of plates! Her way works because it allows you to continue eating what you enjoy, which was her secret to the success of her diet club. She became something of a local hero, in fact, and fought to keep her own weight down throughout her life.
Luckily, we have a Denby dinner service and my wife often uses the mid-sized plates for lunch or dinner. My weakness is puddings and some chocolate in the evenings, so Wendy gives me smaller portions of the main course. It works for both of us, although Wendy eats far more fruit and veg than I do and in general less of the calorific stuff, anyway. I am just overweight (15st12lb at 6'4"); and Wendy is spot on (10st at 5'8")! I'd love to lose a stone.
You sound so much better these days again, Jean, after a worrying post and spell of poor health a few months ago. It had me worried.
Steve
Smaller plate is a very good idea. I too have Denby tableware, mine is dark green edged. The day I bought it, about 25years ago, I used it straight away and still use today. I got rid of all my mismatched crockery. I've looked at my mid sized plate and it looks too small to put a dinner on.
Our Denby is the blue and white design which we started with when we married in 1975 but slowly updated it to what became called "Imperial Blue". The mid-sized plates that we sometimes use for meals are 8 ½ " in diameter, 2" less than the (quite large) dinner plates. People do vary in the amount they eat. My brother would laugh at being given a meal on the smaller plate!
Steve
I think I'd feel a bit sorry for myself if I had a meal on a plate that size, but I do think it's a good idea. Think I'll stick to the bigger plate and do as I'm doing now and stop eating as soon as I feel full, no matter how tasty it is.
I'm tall too and I think we tall people can get a way with looking slimmer than we are. A few years ago, when I was almost 2 stone heavier my male doctor called me skinny. I was thrilled and thought to myself, well I've fooled you! I was asking him if I could have sleep apnoea and he seemed to think only fat people had it.
Jean
My whole reply to you just disappeared! Argh!
I think we do eat smaller portions in our house but we do like puddings.
Wendy hated being tall and skinny at school as a teenager but has always loved being tall and slim as an adult as it’s meant she can look good in even less expensive clothes.
I think sleep apnoea is much more common in overweight adults but I was told not always. I once asked about it but was assured I wouldn’t have it. Our friend sleeps with his trusty C-PAP machine every night and swears by it but I have read that the drop out rate is enormous and that most people give them up.
Steve
I'm 100% with your late aunt's weight loss method, very similar to mine of using the old-fashioned method of calorie counting. I eat what I want, though less of it, by weighing my food and calculating the calories. I lose weight easily when I need to, by a 1200-calorie-a-day diet.
That's exactly what Auntie Beryl, as we called her, who lived to 96, did to manage her own weight. She simply believed that altering what you eat and taking away what you enjoy was the way to failure. That and a philosophy that the weight crept on slowly and so was best to lose slowly.
You seem over your troubles, by the way - the AF and SVT. I hope the future stays heart-healthy! I struggle with ectopics and mild tachycardia much more than AF these days (the last recording I have of that was last June or September, if I recall).
Steve
Thanks for your kind words regarding my AF and SVT. So far, so good -- as I knock on wood! I hope you continue keeping your ectopics and tachycardia at bay as you've been doing. And best wishes for 2023!
The same to you - thank you! I wish I could keep them at bay, though - the reverse has been true this past week or so. But life goes on!
Steve
In any case, you have good strong genes judging by how long Auntie Beryl lived! --Jean
Changing diet and testing for sleep apnoea would be my priorities.
Everybody has diet advice, mine would be EAT LESS if you are still hungry then CHANGE what you eat. eg the majority dieting immediately go onto fat free but don't feel satisfied.
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