PAF or ECTOPICS

[DIB69]

I'm not too sure what it is I experience. Is it PAF or Ectopics? What I am aware of is that indigestion/gas as well as first lying down in preparation for sleep at night seems to make make my heart skips beats and generally jump, bump and thump; It can make me feel a little light headed and until I've done a few hearty (no pun intended) burps. (This can also happen occasionally during the day after a meal). When I wake in the morning, after my system has had all night to digest, I'm no longer conscious of the rogue activity of my heart rhythm and it just beats away nice and quietly. Strange behaviour indeed.

[mjames1]

If you want to know, only an ekg will tell you for sure. Any of the Kardia home devices would work. Personally I like the 6L model.

Jim

[Autumn_Leaves]

You need a 24h ECG. Your GP can arrange this for you.

[FiberedOut555]

Sounds like a Gastric Reflux problem, maybe. As everyone else suggested the EKG will let you know if you have PAF or not. It takes no time hardly for someone to do a 12 lead EKG for you. Primary Care, General Practitioner, Cardiologist, Pulmonologist, one of them can set that up, sometimes the same day you see them. It took 21 days of a heart monitor to let me know my heart was stopping for 3 to 4 seconds at night. My Electrophysiologist suggests I get a Pacemaker. I'm 71 years old. I have an elevated bed now that helps me with my Gerd and my Sleep Apnea.

[lawspear]

I had similar to you. Allow at least three hours after eating before going to bed. Physical factors such as a full stomach or lying on your left side are well known triggers for ectopics and Afib.

[secondtry]

Try eating a light tea at 5pm, no meat, nuts or other hard to digest. Then no more food until 7am. This intermittent fasting is good for you generally.

Next, I would consult an experienced nutritionist to improve your gut health eg eating spelt (ancient grain much kinder on the digestive system than the modern wheat varieties) bread rather than wheat based bread.

Lastly, focus on improving lifestyle choices before AF episodes become regular.

[Autumn_Leaves]

Just to add: nobody here can diagnose anything, whether that’s atrial fibrillation, ectopic heart beats or any condition affecting the digestive tract. You need to have the appropriate investigations and take it from there. Nobody here can offer you advice on how to treat a condition when you don’t know what it is. “Bloke/lady on the internet” doesn’t know either.

I hope you’ve picked up the phone today and called your GP.

[DIB69 in reply to Autumn_Leaves]

You're right of course although it's always interesting and helpful to read people's comments. Problem is, of course, getting a GP appointment but I will persevere.

[Autumn_Leaves in reply to DIB69]

If you are having any kind of cardiac symptoms you ought to get a telephone or F2F appointment quickly.

[frazeej in reply to Autumn_Leaves]

Actually I think there are quite a few people here that are pretty good at diagnosing AF and/or ectopics, usually with a simple home device such as the Kardia. Seeking out and availing yourself of the "appropriate investigations" will oft time not give a definitive result. You're probably aware that AF is an intermittent condition, and we all know its timing rarely cooperates with GP appointments, ecg's, monitors, or anything else. The old joke is, best way to convert to NSR is put on a 3 day Holter. My advice (for what it's worth) is get a Kardia monitor (<$80), and use it when your heart starts flip flopping. Then when you eventually get to see a GP, you can show him the trace of said ecg, and he will be able to say "Oh yeah, that's a-fib", which of course you will already know by then.

[Ppiman]

I would say rather more common than you think. Gas in the digestive system pushes the stomach high against the diaphragm and then that presses on the heart, causing in some people a harmless mild tachycardia or a few ectopic beats and palpitations. It can even act as a kind of echo-chamber to amplify the sounds of the heart valves closing (i.e. the heartbeat or pulse sounds). That said, I have a suspicion that both AF and ectopic beats themselves can cause diaphragm spasms and that will lead to burping, perhaps, and gastric discomfort. That's what I find myself and never know if it's chicken or egg.

If the ectopic beats are "supra-ventricular", and so originating in the atrium (i.e. PACs), then, if your left atrium is sensitised to it, these can, I gather, spark off AF. One way to check is with an Apple Watch, a Kardia or, cheaper and now with excellent AI free analysis, the Wellue Pulsebit ECG monitor (which I think has to be bought from the company to have AI. Mine cost about £70.00).

Steve

[Popepaul]

My paf started as you describe. I think that the expression is post pandrial. Started as ectopic progressed to paf. Ingestion of certain foods is a major trigger for me. Much of the advice given above is pertinent.Regards

[Ppiman in reply to Popepaul]

I do like your forum moniker!

Steve