Good morning everyone - Well I am now day 4 post-ablation (first), and fifth day Afib/flutter/ectopics-free, for the first time since March 1st. Feeling pretty darn good this morning!
Wondering if anyone on here has a hiatal hernia and/or has been told it’s a significant trigger for Afib? Just read my pre-Ablation chest CT Scan report which says “suspected small hiatus hernia”. I wasn’t aware, and have never had any GERS/heartburn, but did see one Mayo Clinic paper that says it’s a rarely recognized cause of AF.
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KootenayTrails
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I have a hiatus hernia, it doesn't cause any problems though unless I'm bending weeding borders in the garden for a long period of time. I've had 3 ablations and now in constant AF but at a low rate 60-90bpm. I think I've seen posts before linking it to AF. I never wear tight clothing, mostly dresses and think that helps.
Yes, I have a hiatus hernia , described on a recent chest xray as medium and lying behind the heart. It has never been mentioned as provoking AF episodes although latterly I have wondered. It may be why I prefer small meals so there is no pressure from stomach.
Like Jean I avoid tight clothing and prefer dresses anyhow these days. I don't have a problem bending over but do sometimes find I am very much aware of it when lying on my (preferred) left side.
PS....I gather from your history that you are male so you can ignore the references to the comfort of wearing dresses from Jean and myself 😁.......
I have a hiatus hernia and have noticed my AF is triggered by reflux/ indigestion.I mention it to the cardiologist.As someone said the heart stomach and oesophagus are all squished together.I have apical cardiomyopathy too.I sit up in bed,avoid tight clothing dont eat large meals or eat late at night and avoid spicy foods as these seem to be triggers especially chilli.I also take Omeprasole twice a day.
Thanks for that- I never eat large meals or spicy things and will take the Omeprazole again which I stopped when read that it wasn’t a good idea in a book recommended by someone on the forum- I gave up on the book soon after too so thank you!
All my episodes are food related. I've never been diagnosed with a hiatus hernia but I definitely have stomach issues. If I eat a large meal my stomach plays up and all it takes is to bend the wrong way and it can trigger my SVT.
I was found to have a hiatus hernia in October last year- several years after paroxysmal AF was diagnosed - never experience acid reflux but it do have a sore feeling which I guess is “heartburn” occasionally. It was discovered when I had an endoscopy which was delayed an hour so I hadn’t eaten for five hours but my stomach still hadn’t emptied ( I could see) and my hiatus hernia was discovered! My oesophagus is still sore! I do an exercise every morning that is supposed to push things back down through the diaphragm as I read the drugs for it aren’t good for AF but think I might start taking them again!
Thanks for this, I’ll look up the exercises. I’d rather not take a drug for something I’m asymptomatic for. They did give me pantaprazole to take for a few days after my ablation though, which I did.
My own small hiatus hernia experience - now over thirty years with it - is of discomfort under my left ribs spreading into my shoulder blade on occasion and this seem to me to be caused either by the hernia or some muscular or diaphragm issue. Since developing atrial flutter in 2019, the hernia has always seemed to be the culprit because when I have arrhythmia of any kind, I often get that same left-rib discomfort.
However, when I have asked about this, or searched the internet, a small sliding hiatus hernia has never been shown to be a trigger AF as far as I can find and when I asked the EP who did my ablation, he said it would not, nor would it irritate the vagus nerve, despite that being a commonly claimed thing on the internet and on health forums. A very large HH has been implicated, I see from an internet search, but that is an unusual thing to have.
A hernia in itself does not, I gather, necessarily cause any symptoms at all, and many people have them without knowing, especially older people. What it seems it can do is prevent the cardiac sphincter at the top of the stomach from working properly in preventing stomach acid being regurgitated into the oesophagus. I control this acid with daily PPI medicines, which work well.
So, for me the HH alonh with the AF / AFl / palpitations / ectopic beats must remain mysteries!
From reading posts on this forum it seems quite clear we sufferers know our triggers best whether doctors agree or not. I have internal adhesions from having my gall bladder removed when I was in my thirties. If I lounge in the chair I have pain in my right side which seems to travel along my diaphragm and cause afib , so I always try and sit upright . I never wear tight clothes or bend for any length of time. I’ve tried explaining that to a doctor.
Yes, my A/F is always food related and I have reflux and have to sleep sitting up in bed or my heart will want to go into A/F. My Cardiologist said the A/F can be caused by Hiatus Hernia and to have a small operation to fix it...
Good to know, hope yours is fixed soon. Not sure why they didn’t mention at my ablation Wednesday, but we have phone follow up this week so will ask. Thinking I should have an upper GI series done to diagnose it properly
Yes, I too was alerted to having a hiatus hernia while being tested for something else. i don’t have a lot of issues with it except sometimes I felt a lot of nausea at first. I read that it comes from over eating which I rarely do anymore and it seems that it does trigger off AF. I do now take digestive enzymes which help a lot. As we age we just don’t digest very well. All the best.
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