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Sam, Subsequent to my 2.5 month episode 9 years ago, I've terminated every episode with 300 mg flec PIP (I believe the dose is 200 mg for those under 70 kg/154 lbs). I take it as soon as I realize I'm in afib and chew the (foul tasting) flec so it will act as rapidly as possible. I will sometimes throw in a couple of grams of potassium (as bicarb powder) and 500- 800 mg of magnesiuby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Michael, What is your resting heart rate now? If it is less than 100, you probably don't need rate control meds. Georgeby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Dennis, This is a bit long and technical, but they used a ketogenic diet and hyperbaric oxygen therpy to extend life in mice with metastatic cancer. < (Preview) Here is their paper: < Results KD (ketogenic diet) alone significantly decreased blood glucose, slowed tumor growth, and increased mean survival time by 56.7% in mice with systemic metastatic cancer. While HBO2T alone dby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Dennis, Not specifically. Most of the studies with "high fat" diets are also relatively high carb. In rodents, most time the study foods use corn or some other veg. oil as the fats, which are inflammatory. If they study sat. fats, they usually use hydrogenated fats. High fat in a high insulin environment is not good. There is some work being done to use high fat low carbby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Debbie, If you Google nighttime hypoglycemia, you'll see many hits for people with Type I or insulin injecting diabetes. Obviously this is not our issue. In this article it says, "You should occasionally check your blood sugar levels at 3 a.m., which is when your body naturally lowers glucose levels to prepare for breakfast." < This may be why it happens at 3 AM. Since Iby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
My own experience with ~20 years as a vegan is that I experienced significant blood sugar swings and would frequently be ravenously hungry at the end of the day after my vegan lunch. Though I didn't know what it was at the time, I'd have 3AM hypoglycemic episodes with hot flashes, sweats and a pounding heart. This may have contributed to the onset of my afib as the 3AM time coincidedby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Mike, "here is also proof that the outcome of catheter ablation is better the sooner it is done and that trying antiarrhythmics prior to ablation may actually be counterproductive." My assessment is that antiarrhythmics are not successful in many cases, therefore the progression that happens while trying them is the issue, not the antiarrhythmics themselves. Hence the statements yoby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Certainly fats (animal or not) in the presence of elevated insulin levels are not good. Unfortunately, in my experience and validated with a glucometer, it is difficult to get veg. protein that is not carby and therefore elevates blood sugar and insulin. As a vegan, I carried 35 more pounds than I do now, and I exercised a lot more. The interesting challenge I have is preparing "convergenby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Shannon, I'm with you. And I was veg for 20 years also. It was testing myself with a glucometer that did the trick. I realized I did not metabolize carbs all that well. Debbie, By the way, optimal low carb is not high protein. It is high fat, best saturated or monos. Georgeby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Patricia, A couple of thoughts. An event monitor may be of more value than a Holter. I'm not sure how they work today with new electronics, but in years past, they would record a 90 second - 3 minute loop of ECG data. When you sensed something, you'd push a button and they'd freeze the recent history and record the next couple of minutes. The data could then be transmittedby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
In addition to the L-carnitine, they also implicate an omnivorous diet 1) for the gut flora and 2) for the TMAO produced by red meat - from the abstract: "We demonstrate here that metabolism by intestinal microbiota of dietary L-carnitine, a trimethylamine abundant in red meat, also produces TMAO and accelerates atherosclerosis in mice." I have several problems with this - a) theyby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi Liz, I wasn't saying we should take the supp. The point of my link was to say there are a lot of questions in the way the study was done, so the conclusions are suspect. It is typical of these kinds of studies, you really need to read the study critically and not just the popular press headlines, or the authors' conclusions, for that matter. From the abstract: < "Chby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Here is an interesting discussion of the study: < Looks like there are a few issues with the study...by GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
P- "Feels a little like those stages of grief: Denial/Anger/Bargaining/Depression/Acceptance so we are in bargaining: well what if i ride 50 miles instead of 75 and at a lower intensity. " I know this well. As I mentioned, it took me two years to figure out I should not compete in high altitude endurance races. Most of us do these activities because we enjoy them and have progby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
The unfortunate thing is it is hard to say. I've got more info on afib than flutter as I've never had it. It is fairly common here for afibbers to get their afib ablated and then have flutter and have to go back for a flutter ablation. This can be done in one procedure if you have both. Some have both and a doc will tell them to ablate the flutter (far easier) and see if it fixes tby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
You really can't tell whether vagal or adrenergic without a pattern of episodes. No ECG's or scans will help here. Given his endurance activity, my vote would be for vagal, but one never knows. Best advice, which will be very difficult for him is to detrain (chronic fitness brought me to this dance...) Most cardios don't have a clue about electrolytes. Wine may not bby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Shannon, Excellent news, congratulations!!!!! Thank you again for all of your excellent, detailed and well worded contributions here! Cheers, Georgeby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
As I've previously posted, while I was adapting to a low carb diet, I experienced the same issues as Peter Ohlson. I was not then aware of the sodium issue. I knew that an electrolyte problem was possible during adaptation. Whenever I'd lay down at night, my heart felt like it was beating hard. I supplemented significantly on top of the 2-3g/day that I was currently talking, to no aby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
John, For vagal issues, I took a tsp of organic ginger spice before bed. Georgeby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Nancy, I'm not sure why the difference between self and electro conversion. I think I recall data on this. In any case, my understanding is the Coumadin will not let the clot grow or new ones form. In the mean time, you body's own clot dissolving enzymes will slowly reduce the size of the clot that is there. If you've been out of rhythm for a while the probability of conveby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Nancy, normally they want you with an INR between 2 & 3 for 3 weeks before they will cardiovert. Georgeby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Louise, In Hans' FAQ's he says "Atrial fibrillation is characterized by a rapid, irregular heart beat and can be paroxysmal (intermittent) or permanent in nature. " Well the ventricular rate (what you feel/measure in your pulse) is often, but not always rapid. It sounds like you are either all or most of the time in afib. Many here have significant periods of NSR. &quby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Gary, I believe the generic term is "mini maze." Here is a search for those words: < Also, Dr. Wolf is the godfather of this procedure. This thread has a couple of interviews linked: < Georgeby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Nancy, 9 years ago, I had a 2 1/2 month episode. The EP was going to have me try a loading dose (300 mg for me) of flec and then changed his mind, saying the data show that it would not work. He prescribed flec for me for the future for PIP and had me schedule an electro-cardioversion. I filled the prescription and then went home and took it. I converted in 20 hours. Not fast but after 2 1by GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Karen, It can be difficult to tell the difference without a monitor if you are having runs of PACs or PVC's. For me, singular PVC's in a string of normal beats felt like a "skipped" beat. Likewise singular PAC's felt like a quick beat. They show up distinctly on a heart rate vs. time plot (see CR 52 & 52a: < < ) there are plots imbedded in 52a and sby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
For ideas to try for non ablation approaches see: < also a bit of discussion from Peggy and Hans here: < This is based on "The List" To access "The List" Click on "Advanced" under the Search button in the upper right part of the page, just below the green bar with the word Phorum in it. In the box under Search Messages, type in The List Click onby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Jackie, The expected result of a very low carb, moderate protein, high saturated fat diet is significantly reduced triglyciderides and increased HDLs. On such a program trigs < 50 and HDLs between 60 - 100 are not uncommon. This normally means small, dense LDL-p particles are minimal. On an NMR test you'd expect small LDL-p to be <20% of LDL-p, which is where you'd want it.by GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Ron, I have a female friend with high Lp(a). She actually fits the IQ and analytical profile. She goes to the doc with all her data and graphs of her rhythm issues with her monitor. She's 60 and her dad had a bypass pretty early. With high LDL-C readings, she went to a very low carb diet (which is what Davis is recommending for Lp(a) patients), then retested with an NMR LipoPby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Ron, Dr. Davis of "Track your plaque" (with calcium heart scans) calls people with lp(a) "perfect carnivores." See: < In a very recent book, Jimmy Moore interviewed Dr. Davis and 28 other docs, researchers and clinicians about the state of the art on lipid testing. Dr. Eric Westman of Duke U is his co-author. It is very interesting see: < Georgeby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
On the topic of Mg absorption, I saw this recently "If any Aspartame is also absorbed, say, after a large oral dose, it then would bind more ionized blood Mg, which is excreted in the urine" in a reference from Dr. Mansmann < Basically saying that Aspartame would bind with Mg in the blood and get excreted in the urine.by GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM