Hi Guys/Gals: I'm hoping to maybe to get some comfort and advice from the collective expertise of my fellow a-fibbers. Here's my history: Diagnosed at 29 years old, currently 49yrs. I can tell when I'm in AFIB Episodes have lasted from 2 hours to 40 hours Always have converted on their own. Prescribed 80 MG Sotolol 2X per day, 1 baby aspirin. Papone Ablation done Feb 20by jpizzo127 - AFIBBERS FORUM
I will participate. My known triggers IMO were dehydration and Anxiety, Stress.....by smackman - AFIBBERS FORUM
Yeah, there is absolutely zero doubt that anxiety over this situation (and my own situation) is playing a role but my heart activity is certainly ramping up to previously unknown levels. I'm at a point now where I wonder whether the ablation a few years ago was a bad idea. Prior to that, I had 2-3 episodes of afib that were traceable to something I'd done the previous days. Now I canby DavrosT - AFIBBERS FORUM
I've had the "breathless" feeling, but not to the degree you are describing. I figure it has something to do with my Afib. As far as the head rush, I've had those - thankfully few and far between. However, had one this morning. It's very unnerving. I'm telling myself that it is anxiety. With all the Covid news on 24/7, I think it's causing a lot of streby katesshadow - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteKhaled Hey george, thanks for the reply, im actually not planning to return to professional soccer however just lose some weight as ive gained alot from the anxiety ive developed. Understand, my thoughts now are that Zone 2 or MAF heart rate (180-age) which are pure aerobic is likely the best intensity to train at (of course, other afibbers may have different levels). In this interview, rby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteElizabeth Susan: I wouldn't want to lay in bed not being able to sleep, I would rather just stay as I am---my AF is not bad now and all I take is Xaralto. Liz Just curious as to what is the downside of persistent/permanent Afib? I know a couple of people who are in Afib 24/7. Apparently they are on ACs and it doesn't bother them. Is their heart being damaged and/or thby katesshadow - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotesmackman No diet etc would bring me out of AFIB. I was in Persistent AFIB and only a ECV Would put me back in NSR. It was always temporary but I totally believe that Anxiety,Stress etc would push me back into AFIB. Good Luck to everyone experimenting. Personally, that is not me. Specialist in the medical field spend years learning at the greatest Universities in the world. Anyway, differenby colindo - AFIBBERS FORUM
No diet etc would bring me out of AFIB. I was in Persistent AFIB and only a ECV Would put me back in NSR. It was always temporary but I totally believe that Anxiety,Stress etc would push me back into AFIB. Good Luck to everyone experimenting. Personally, that is not me. Specialist in the medical field spend years learning at the greatest Universities in the world. Anyway, different strokes forby smackman - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteSteveCarr George : possibly your reference to ng/dL (versus ng/ml) is a rare and minor typo by you, because this would indicate a very low serum level -- which I think isn't your intent? Steve, You are correct. My bad - I was posting on my phone from a ski lift without using reading glasses. I will correct. Quotesmackman No diet etc would bring me out of AFIB. I was in Persistby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
No diet etc would bring me out of AFIB. I was in Persistent AFIB and only a ECV Would put me back in NSR. It was always temporary but I totally believe that Anxiety,Stress etc would push me back into AFIB. Good Luck to everyone experimenting. Personally, that is not me. Specialist in the medical field spend years learning at the greatest Universities in the world. Anyway, different strokes forby smackman - AFIBBERS FORUM
Regarding "stacked triggers," I meant to say that anything - too much or too little exercise, food, drink, minerals, lack of sleep, and especially anxiety and stress,- for those so predisposed by heredity and body type, personal history, etc. letting ourselves get out of balance, can precipitate afib, flutter, etc. Why are we so sensitive? Do we bring it on ourselves? Is thereby Carola - AFIBBERS FORUM
I have been an avid reader of this forum since 2014, which coincides with my first real afib episode. This is my first post. Initially, a low dose of metoprolol kept me in nsr. However, my afib episodes were increasing, from 2-4hrs every few months to 6-10hrs one or two times each month. I have always converted on my own. In December 2018 an episode landed me in the ER, diagnosed flutter, coby JP - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteSteveCarr If you suffer detectable ectopic beats, you can use these as a good guide to how things are working. You will no doubt observe that you suffer nil in the days after an afib attack, but that they then gradually reappear. Whenever that occurs, then it is probably a good guide that the protocol is not working, or rather not fully working, at the dosing at which you are implementinby Ghost - GENERAL HEALTH FORUM
Zinc lozenges only do something for me if I suck on maybe 5 of them in a day starting when I get the very first sign of a post nasal drip, and then they only sometimes do much good.. The water pick attachment for nasal irrigation works wonders for both me and my wife who has bronchiectisas. You can get a pretty good idea if you have an infection or not from the color and form of what comes ouby ggheld - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteGeorgeN Too bad they can't figure out what is causing AF and cure it, everything is slash and burn. How to slow or stop progression has been a question I've asked myself for over 15 years, even though I created a program for myself that has very low AF burden following a 2.5 month episode in the beginning. I've never stopped tweaking and looking at what else I could doby smackman - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hello everyone- This was briefly discussed years ago on this forum but I’m hoping for more recent input. I am a 46 year old female who has been advised to try 2% topical Minoxidil for the beginning stages of some hair loss. I’ve read that Minoxidil can cause afib but rarely with low dose topical. I’m afib free for over a year after two ablations and want to keep it that way. I’m inclined toby Dinodog - AFIBBERS FORUM
Bookworm. most of my ER visits for AF were also on Friday evenings. At least 5 this year alone. Maybe once Friday evenings approaches I get anxiety and walk on egg shells and get AF. Carey is 100% right. From my experience, I had been 100% denied a cardio conversion unless I had written proof from my personal ecg gadgets that I was in NSR within the prior 24 hours. I also get a ZIO patch twiceby susan.d - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi, Sorry to be tail-end Charlie on this thread. And sorry, too, that my contribution has turned into a long one, but I hope it's a constructive maiden contribution to the forum. I have been following the site for most of the decade since I got my LAF diagnosis and had just come back to it to check out a topic I'm interested in. My search came up largely dry but flagged thby Bookworm - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotepgrove1 RR, Thanks for the encouraging message. Does this mean you've lived with A fib for 19 years without an ablation and are still only having 3-4 episodes per year? If so that is amazing and definitely what I would be hoping for (although given my current circumstances it kind of sounds like a pipe dream). I am going to see a counselor for anxiety now to try to help me with sby GeorgeN - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hey George, That’s the thing about my history. I have no genetic predisposition on either side of my family and although I am fit (played soccer for years and years) I was never a distance runner or cyclist. Not really sure how I ended up here. All My lab work has come back normal so thyroid and other common causes are ruled out. The only test I haven’t done yet is sleep apnea which I’m scheduby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi all, Still a pretty infrequent poster but I read regularly. Started my journey in June. With one 6 hour episode of afib that resolved spontaneously in the ER. Since then I had an episode in September that lasted 3-4 minutes. The EKG I got on my Apple Watch was interpreted by my EP as looking more like SVT (rate in the 120s to 130s). Since that episode I’ve now had an episode every 5-10 daysby pgrove1 - AFIBBERS FORUM
Taken Gabapentin for years for nerve pain. Has no effect on AFIB and zero help with anxiety. Be very careful taking Benzodiazepines. They are highly addictive and Hell to kick. This unfortunately is from experience. ☹️by smackman - AFIBBERS FORUM
I have been dealing with a fair amount of anxiety (because of life stuff)... I am on dofetilide. So that limits what I can take. I do take Xanax (a half a 0.25) and my new psychiatrist isn't all that concerned about it but it isn't helping much. I take for sleep and sometimes during the day. She suggested we try a small dose of gabapentin. I think this is the same stuff as "gaby bettylou4488 - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteLorraine Wow. What a scary time. I admire your calmness. Did the ablation itself cause this? I may sound calm now, but believe me I was quite anxious and stressed out during the worst of it. Thank goodness I had Shannon for support. No idea if the ablation caused this, but I suspect so. Dr Verma said it can happen sometimes. Lorraine Well, I'm hoping that it's smooby katesshadow - AFIBBERS FORUM
Hi everyone, I joined this forum 14 years ago when my journey with afib began. I learned so much from all of you, and the information relieved so much of my anxiety around my condition. My afib settled into an infrequent and manageable pattern, using PIP once a year or so, converting on my own very quickly otherwise. But things have changed in the last few months. I've had several lby Janet M - AFIBBERS FORUM
QuoteJoyWin Hi Ingrid Welcome to the club🤨 Each of us has different ways to tackle this nasty beast. What works for one may not work for another, but the advice on this site is beneficial because you can gain plenty of insight into the different methods others use to control their symptoms. Fear and anxiety are a natural response when it involves ones heart. After 15 years of AF with episodesby Ingrid - AFIBBERS FORUM
George Thank you for your response to all of my questions last week and sorry for my delayed acknowledgement! I truly appreciate your insight. It has been very helpful to me - not only from an educational standpoint, but also putting my mind & anxiety over my Afib at ease a bit. I'm hoping to stay in remission as long as I can with just diet, lifestyle and supplements. Again, I apprecby Ingrid - AFIBBERS FORUM
This may not be of importance to those with afib or ablated folks but to those with any stomach issues, bloating or just pacs, you might want to try my approach. I’m extremely happy to report that I have gotten to the bottom of my problem, which some of you know by now started over 18 months ago. At first I thought it was a genetic link, which predisposed me from my dad who at 71 had a stroke anby johnnyS - AFIBBERS FORUM
Quotechrrev Interesting you mention that high BP is not associated with Afib, I thought it was. It is on a long-term basis, meaning untreated hypertension causes atrial stretch, which leads to fibrosis and fibrosis leads to afib. But that's something that occurs over years. During an afib episode your BP can be high, low or normal. For most people it's low, and sometimes low enough toby Carey - AFIBBERS FORUM
Patrick Thanks for your kind email. I appreciate your support. I guess we are all in this together and I'm grateful to have this forum for both support and education about Afib. I read your post and am wondering if you had your follow up with your EP yet. Sounds like you are healthy and active so you definitely have that going for you. I totally understand and can relate to the anxietyby Ingrid - AFIBBERS FORUM