went in to afib last night. (Seems to be once every few weeks now) my HR is reasonably low (high 90’s/low 100’s at the mo).
Stress is not a trigger for me, I personally think it’s maybe food related, however, not had anything unusual.
My question is, do I do as much as I can physically (I get short of breath in Afib) or do I rest?
I know there’s no need to go to A&E unless my HR goes out of control, besides, all they do is increase the dose of bisoporol.
Hi,
Just curious as to what clues you got when you mention you think food maybe a trigger. Like what symptoms you got to bring about this realisation. Certainly, back in the day it was food that did it for me ..... and also food ingredients too.
Sorry but I can't really answer your question about doing as much physically.
When you say your HR is reasonably low .... I assume this is when you are in AF - so what was your HR when not in AF ? do you have any idea how your blood pressure was at the same time as your HR was/ were taken.
My hr is usually low 50’s (before bisoporol it was around 70)
I had 2 episodes that started after eating sweets so I’m almost sure it was something in them.
My blood pressure is usually very good. When hospitalised a couple of months ago with high hr during an episode, my blood pressure was ok then too.
During my last visit to hospital I was found to be dehydrated (it was during some warm weather we had) plus this made my kidney function low too.
I’m really at a loss for what triggers it. The consultant said ‘it really could be just one of those things’ my echocardiogram showed my heart to be in very good working order.
I can’t eat sugar . I very very occasii is malt have a small slice of home made cake and that seems ok. No sweets or chocolate whatsoever
I’m on a waiting list (was told around 18 months) to speak to a guy that does the ablation. I really would like to see if I could manage it with meds and way of life first
I'd take life at a slightly slower rate while in AF but do your best to continue as normal. Sometimes reading a book or watching tv can take our mind off of what our heart is doing.
Quite a few people on this forum have discovered that foods/drinks containing artificial additives can trigger an AF attack. So avoid them as much as you can. Start reading the ingredients list before buying anything you are going to consume.
Our mind is so powerful that anxiety can keep AF going. I've proved this many times and it took me years to stop worrying about what rate my heart was. Try not wear any tight clothing around your body and do your best not to sit slumped.
I've collected information from members of this forums posts which gives lots of ways to stop an AF attack that works for them. I'll go and get this information for you now.
Jean
These are all the tips I’ve saved over the years, given by forum members, for stopping AF:
I am a therapist in private practice for over 20yrs.One of my therapies is yoga based. Having quite an accurate knowledge of anatomy, neurology and physiology also having PAF I have found this technique helps me immensely when my heart is fluttering like crazy. Make yourself comfortable either on a bed or lying on the floor, position a pillow under you head, Raise your left arm in an extension position as if you are doing the backward crawl. Stretch as much as you can and imagine that it is stretching your heart muscle...I bend my arm and position my hand under my head palm upwards.. Stay in that position for as long as you can or until the fluttering subsides...At the same time I think of something pleasant. It does not matter what you think about as long as it is a pleasant thought for you. This stops my heart jumping about almost instantly....I also place my right hand over my heart area...Don't panic and just keep calm thinking pleasant thoughts....I do hope this helps you. Kind Regards. C
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As someone else who finds yoga breathing and some positions helpful, I would love to try (xxxx) suggestion, but lying down flat tends to make things worse for me. My most helpful position, taught me by a lovely yoga teacher, is based on a yoga forward bend. I sit up with my legs outstretched in front of me and a pillow under my knees, and then bend forward from the hips not the waist, with my arms relaxed but outstretched towards my ankles, and breath deeply and slowly. It's not so good on a full stomach and is more comfortable with your knees slightly apart, and I guess you have to be a bit flexible to find it comfortable, but it has proved to be a great help.
I agree with (xxxx) that staying calm and focusing on something pleasant is a must, and I've even fallen asleep like this as most of my episodes occur at night. All the best Liz
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Finally, like AV nodal re-entry, some people have recurrent rapid rhythms that are infrequent and easy to self-control by using various methods to increase neural slowing to the AV node (so-called, "vagal manoeuvres"). Using these manoeuvres, one can sometimes stop the arrhythmia. These manoeuvres include:
Bearing down forcefully like you're having a bowel movement for 5-10 seconds, then slowly exhaling in the neck while lying down for approximately 5 seconds
Placing very cold (soaked in ICE water) cloth on the face abruptly.
Coughing forcefully
Rubbing the carotid artery (only one side at a time, never both) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There's a yoga breathing exercise that has worked for me before. Lie on your back, bend your knees up so they are above your hips and your lower legs are at 90 degrees. Take a breath in for a count of 4 then breathe out for a count of at least 8. As you breathe out, bring your knees into your chest so you curl into a ball. When you think you've got all the air out of your lungs, try and breathe out more! Breathe in again for 4 and release your legs out to the starting position. Repeat several times. It helps to reset the diaphragm and focus should be on a good long out-breath.
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So, after discovering that making myself sneeze stops Afib. I have discovered another novel way to stop an attack. It involves drinking a litre bottle of water while holding my nose. It's especially effective if I experience almost panic as I can't get a breath. I don't always finish the bottle but find that's not always necessary to gain the desired effect. Works especially well if I catch an attack early. Kenny
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This works like magic, and works every time.
A quarter teaspoon of sea salt mixed with 10 ounces of warm water. drink that and then put a smaller amount on your hand and lick it off. Within a minute my afib stops.
This may sound like a "wind up" but believe me it works, for me anyway.
Hope this is of use to someone.
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Please let me know if any of these procedures work.
Jean
Did you eat a larger than usual meal last night? or anything more ‘special’ as it was Saturday night? Perhaps a spicier dish than usual , or more carbs than usual?
Did you eat later than normal ( as it was Saturday night) , or go to sleep within 3 hours after eating?
No difference in food. Just a normal meal at a normal time. It’s all just a mystery to me 😩
Oh…and you leave three hours before going to bed? You don’t eat too late? No alcohol or artificial sweeteners? 🤔 when you say it was normal…can you say what you ate? ( just curious 😊)
p.s a couple of years ago, I noticed my afib occurred on Fri and Sat night and I attributed it to food as I tended to eat differently on those nights.
I had a chilli beef pie chips peas and carrots. To me that’s quite normal 🤣 only had turkey salad for lunch. All eaten at usual time of day. No
A hot curry put me back in NSR from persistent once so maybe works the other way too 😂
Very difficult to answer macymoo but it is commonly known that AF is a progressive condition so I wonder if you have considered any form of treatment plan such as an ablation. Whilst there maybe ways of minimising the effects of AF, it does sound as although you feel it might be food related, you are not aware of any potential triggers. Have you considered having a discussion with an EP, they are best able to assess what might be the rest route to take. If an ablation becomes an option, there will be a long wait so ample opportunity to change your mind if necessary……
I’m not going to pick at your diet as I had chips as well last night, with a piece of fish and vegetables, but it could be a number of things.
I would keep a food diary perhaps and work out if you get Afib when eating certain food groups?It could be the amount of food, or timing of it - it could be the chilli or too many carbs even. I noticed I’d get an episode if I overloaded with carbs unintentionally and with chips and pastry that might be pushing it….a little bit perhaps? but I know we all need something in life to look forward to as we pretty much leave out so much in our lives with this affliction, so I really don’t blame you 😊
I hope you are back in NSR now. In answer to your earlier question though. If in Afib, I would try and do as much as physically possible, though I’d also be trying to get back into rhythm/taking a PIP etc, so I’d be sitting quietly as much as possible at the sane time, so a sort of balancing act.
Hi, my answer would be to rest if you don’t have anything urgent to do, but if you need to get things done go very slow. And by rest, I mean little physical activity but doing something mentally soothing or distracting, not sitting listening to your heartbeat ❤️🩹
I’ve rested all day. I get out of breath if I try and do anything so the good old tv has been my friend today x
I would say rest or go for a steady walk nothing energetic.
Maybe starting after Christmas, I would back your hunch that a key contributory cause is food related and reduce gluten by 90%, sugar by 75%, no alcohol, no caffeine or decaf, no eating out (as no control of ingredients), cook simple from scratch. After a month, you may see some favourable results not just on your AF. If not move onto another area.
back in SR thank god. 24 hours is good for me. I’ve had a lot of time to think and I’m starting to think it’s related to dehydration. Had 2 manic days where I’ve sweated quite a bit but looking back, I’ve not drank as much water as I should do. I guess it’s a possibility
Yes, especially if you rush around - always carry water with you and drink it! A doc once said 2 litres a day which I did for some time but possibly less now.
That's much like my experiences. I doubt individual foods, as such, have any link with AF, except to cause bloating and distension (which can easily push the diaphragm against the heart); also, for some people, the reflex on swallowing can press the food pipe against the atrium. Both of those are physical effects that can cause ectopic beats (PACs) which can then precipitate AF in prone individuals.
Steve
Too much sugar is a sure fire trigger for some myself included even when no bloating or distension is present. A non covid lurgy has put me into afib 3 times last week with the last episode the longest I have ever had. I am contemplating not making a Christmas cake this year judt to be on the safe side!
It's hard to think what the sugar can be doing to set the heart off, but I don't doubt certain individuals can be extra sensitive to things at times - a liver issue, perhaps? I have a friend who claims that he can't eat dairy cream but I have known him eat it unknowingly and suffer no ill effects.
Home made Christmas cake is so lovely, as are home made mince pies!
Steve
Mincemeat sets my afib off every time even watered down with stewed apple! I used to make a mincemeat and apple frangpani at Christmas or New Year. No more. I make blueberry and apple frangipanis in summer when our blueberry crop ripens - no problem so it must be the mincemeat.
Rest and then try to get a prescription for Flecainide to use as a PIP in future on the odd occasions you get an episode. That’s how I started on it and after the episodes occurred more often I took it twice daily (50mg) and now 100mg twice daily and only an episode when I must have caught covid. Hope you can get it prescribed and that it works for you as it has for me.
There are as many theories as to triggers for Afib as there are Afib sufferers.
I still think it is worth trying to be aware of the circumstances preceding episodes of Afib in order to try to identify possible triggers and sort them out. I found that mine are primarily the build of trapped stomach gas, with occasional episodes resulting from sleep apnea.
I have dealt with those issues and have been largely free of Afib for the past 13 months.
Like you, I was going into Afib every two weeks or so before I got on top of the two triggers, but I am not suggesting the answers are the same for you.
It makes sense to me to avoid stressing your heart while it is not functioning normally. I do not exert myself beyond comfortable movement or eat heavy meals during Afib (I always eat lighter meals anyway). I try to distract myself mentally and go through the day as normally as possible while taking it easier physically.
Try not to feel like an invalid or get too anxious during it, but do enjoy a little break from stress.
Fibnum
I was persistent for 2 years and tried to excercise whenever possible.Walks are the easiest to do.I started circuits from our house.Always flat .I probably started at about 1/4 mile and gradually stretched up to 1 & 1/2 miles.I must have known every sitting place in a 3 mile radius.
My hubby accompanied me and I did invest in a stick till I had the confidence.
As I progressed I discovered that initial breathlessness could ease.
I got back to my bowling very gradually.
I could not excercise when I had the total exhaustion or lightheaded & dizzy attacks.
I had an occasion where I attended A & E for something else and they worried that I was breathless and 140 + HR.up to 170 when initially checked.
My reply was I came for my Head not my heart.
Now I am no super hero and I was absolutely terrified and upset at times.The worst was the unpredictably of it all.
I was lucky that my husband was so good and there was no way I could have the confidence on my own.
I am now 10 months in NSR and probably only gained the confidence to go shopping in town on my own in the last few weeks.
We are all different and also our symptoms.
Above all stay safe!
If you can get to know your body and how AF affects it you can try excercise it really can help.
Listen to your body is a well used phrase.
I wish your well on your journey.
I wish I could go walking but since my diagnosis with AF I’ve had to stop my naproxen which was the only drug helping my knee which needs replacing badly but that’s another story. x
the pattern of my Afib seems similar to yours. I’m 74 (male) and find that poor sleep quality brings on fibrillation and flutter .Episodes last from about 6 hours to two days. I find it best to keep active but at a very reduced rate. I really do believe that light physical activity helps to get back to glorious sinus rhythm. Intersperse with breath work.
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