another afib stopping technique

i am one of those who suffer from nocturnal bouts - i'm guessing it's because of a heart rate or because of my vagal tone or whatever, don't really know.

but what seems to work to terminate the bouts is salt. i pour it on a hardboiled egg to cover my hunger feeling when waking up. it doesn't work all of the time but it has worked a few times. and you have no downside trying it. good luck.

Gregg, will you explain this a little more? You wake in afib, and go get yourself a boiled egg to eat, and salt it til it crunches, is that it?
Peggy

I have tried jogging to get my rate higher while in A-fib. When in a bout I take Diltiazem to control the rate to about 50-65 (normally at 38 or so)..and run a block to incr rate to over 100...don't do it for long ...sometimes it works...other times it does not. I would try anything within reason to help end a bout which can go from a few hours to 70+ hours. I am 63 and in overall good shape, workout regularly and have a bout on average maybe once a month. All of my episodes are at night so, I assume it is vagal in origin.

I am curious, Benj.

My EP doesn't want me in Afib longer than 48 hours. After my first
and only cardioversion, I started using flecainide on demand and my
episodes (and there have been many) never go more than 12-16 hours.
But if they did go longer, she would schedule a cardioversion.

Your doctor obviously doesn't follow this protocol if you have had episodes
lasting 70 hours. Is this the case? does cardioversion not work?
are you on coumadin?

Gregg

I wonder? Salt supposedly levels out the sugar swings and crashes caused by reactive hypoglycemia. Reactive hypoglycemia can also trigger AF. Some of us on the board had to modify our diets to keep blood sugar stable which in turn cut back or eliminated (in my case) the AF or runs of ectopics. ITs interesting that in the last post I read by you - you thought that your AF was nutritional or diet caused. I always thought that about mine.

I think you should muck about with your protein fat and very complex carb ratio and see what helps you stay stable. You may find it helpful to borrow or buy a blood glucose monitor. Take a fasting reading in the morning, eat breakfast take it again and every half hour after that. I found that after two hours my BS crashed way down beyond my fasting level...... need I say more.

Night time episodes are often caused by the blood sugar crashing leading to the adrenals etc kicking in to release glycogen from the liver etc.

Hope that helps

Fran

Never been cardioverted....I convert to NSR spontaneously....take one aspirin tab a day...no coumadin.....I have had stress tests and echo cardiogram and all within normal limits....low bp...and no other mitigating factors. One new thing...I take 5 mg of buspirone (antianxiety) tablet twice a day...to tone down the AF 'watch' or anticipation of another bout.

Some docs are more conservative than others....to be cardioverted needs coumadin for a while before the procedure...and he has never mentioned it....I think too may times cardioversion is used when it patience will do nicely instead.

my meds as of now...

once daily...(1) Cardizem CD 120 mg.
once daily...(1 )aspirin tab.
once daily....(1 )multivitamin
twice daily... 5 mg. buspirone (low dose but it works for me)

if in a bout...I stop the Cardizem CD (sustained action) and take regular diltiazem tabs...2 x 60mg.. every 8 hours which maintains my HR in the 50-60s range till I convert to NSR>

Reading all the posts here...as for me...I think too many docs are overprescribing....hope I helped with my situation.

BH

yes Fran, that helps alot in that it gives me new ideas to try. i pay alot of attention to your posts along with PC's, etc.

i just know that what you suggested to me that you have written about already so instead of asking you to repeat yourself, please direct me to your previous posts so that i can learn about the foods involved for me to try or cut down.

one problem that i do have is that since i've implemented the diet suggestions on this board that i have lost about 10% of my body weight (i am skinny to begin with) and getting that weight back while staying with the "right" foods is challenging for me.

as before, thank you.

gregg

Gregg - I don't doubt this works for you and I'm delighted....but salt depletes potassium.... I find that quite confusing.

Have you tried just the egg alone? Are you sure salt is the magic ingredient?

Hey, whatever works. I'm all for it.

Jackie

Gregg

I wouldn't be able to direct you to any of my posts. All I can suggest is to use the search button with my name as the author and diet or some other foodie link. That way you might have to skim through a lot of the bumph but maybe hit on something that was relelvant.

If it is any comfort I too was quite thin before starting paleo. I was such a skinny kid - my art teacher described me as young foal - all arms and legs and I spent my young adult life at 8 stone. Then I balooned a bit on heart meds (one of the side effects) and went up to 13 stone at one point. Before I started paleo I was about 11 stone but carried it as I am quite tall. I then quickly lost weight. Like you I began to worry that it I would fade away to nothing. But it does level out. What is means is that we can eat as much as we fancy (of the good nutritious food) without worrying. And I know that I feel 1000 times better on this diet. I am five foot nine and now weigh just coming up for 9 stone. Must be the only person who lost a bit of weight over the holiday period - but that was the stress of cleaning entertaining and making food for the first footers...

Happy new year

Fran