After having afib episodes for over 15-20 years, I have finally found a place with others having this same life sucking problem. Cant wait to read every word here. I have been suffering mostly in silence for years, not understood by anybody, including my family, who mostly thinks its all my head and they cannot understand why i freak out when it happens. Been to numreous doctors and had tons of tests, wasted tons of $$$. Still no help or support, or answers. I have been a prisoner in my own body, even moving within 1 minute of a hospital, never going or doing anything that would keep me from quick access to an ER. I am 56 and I want to LIVE a life. Today was the first I heard of the ablation thing, right here on this forum. I feel that i may have hope now with the help of this forum. I would do anything to make it never happen again. I am so tired of literally living from one heartbeat to the next... always waiting for the shoe to drop and an episode happen any second. When i have told anyone that mine comes from stomach gas, and i think somehow related to something they call the vagas nerve they think I am nuts. I hope there are some folks here that wont laugh and knows what i am refering to. Again, God bless you all if you have had any Afib.

Welcome JMR,

You're prayers have been answered! This is easily the best resource on the web for AFIB patients to learn all the steps and options available to them for managing this beast and regaining a full life once again without living in such fear and anxiety as you describe.

Do indeed read through all the archives, AFIB Resources, Conference Rooms etc linked to at the top of this page, and make liberal use of the advanced search function on this bulletin board as nearly every question or possibility has been explored in depth here, and usually often, over the years.

Vagally- mediated AFIB (due to excess vagal or parasympathetic tone of the autonomic nervous system) is one of the most common basic types of AFIB, the other being Adrenergic-AFIB ( from excess sympathetic tone of the ANS), and it's not unusual for people's AFIB to progress to a more mixed Vagal and Adrenergic nature over time as well, as more structural and electrical remodeling occur in the left atrium with more and more episodes if AFIB leading to the adage ... 'AFIB begets more AFIB'.

I highly recommend you order the latest edition of the very helpful book by the founder and editor of this site, Hans Larsen, titled: 'Lone AFIB: Towards a Cure' and read it as soon as possible to help give you a good foundation for these discussions. Even though the mist recent edition was updated some years ago, there is still a gold mine of solid info there and its a great starting point along with spending a lot of time devouring this site.

Make sure you also read http://www.afibbers.org/resources/strategy.pdf]The Strategy[/url] written by long time contributor Jackie Burress here. It lays out a step
by step supplemental protocol that can be very helpful in helping to better balance the inevitable mineral and nutritional imbalances that help encourage and sustain a tendency for the heart to fibrillate. Don't just read it though, but adopt and follow this protocol with dedication at least for a year ( making it a part of your life is by far the best advice) and see if that doesn't, at least to some degree, help to quiet the heart and lessen the breakthroughs as it has for so many of us to one degree or another and for some following the nutritional and dietary advice here religiously has proven enough to largely put the genie back in the bottle.

Many of us, though, have also needed the foundational help of an expert ablation by a highly skilled and very experienced EP ablationist, and then combine that with ongoing adherence to the Strategy protocol along with cleaning up ones diet and excessive stress in our lives to eliminate triggers and better support overall good health as well as a quiet heart.

You will find most all the guidance and help here that you will ever need to unravel this puzzle for yourself and gain a much appreciated perspective and experience in which AFIB becomes either mostly a thing of the past, or its impact on your life is greatly diminished at least, once you learn about and apply all the tools available to you for managing this frustrating condition and gaining back a much easier relationship with your heart and your life.

Cheers!
Shannon

Shannon, as i sit here in joyus tears reading your post, i want to thank you from the deepest place i have, for your direction but mostly for the hppe you have given me today, YES, you have descibed me perfectly.... I too am becoming more affecred by adrenal episodes. I have been moved to an intensly stressful job position in the past year and it is keeping me on what i call "the cliff" .... Flutters and many irregular beats more common everyday coinciding with higher stress situations. I thought it was just normal but now you have showed me the relationships. I have benn there 35 years, but i have to get out to survive. Truthfully all i want to do is sit quietly in peace alone most times, it the only thing that keeps me regular rhythym. I will aquire those books and other info. I just can not thank you enough, wish i could just squeeze you !

JMR - Welcome. It brings tears to MY eyes that you are so profoundly affected by finding this forum... and of course, it didn't happen by chance. Now that you have joined us, please know that we are all here to help guide you to various threads and reports that relate to your symptoms. We all appreciate your frustration but with time, you will gain the confidence and knowledge to act as your own advocate and with accurate authority so you can be a partner in your healthcare.

Don't become overwhelmed. There is much for you to study and we will all help you sort through it. You are not alone and we all do care.

Most sincerly,
Jackie

I think you have messed this up. It should be "God bless us ALL, each and everyone", no?

Murray L

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Tikosyn uptake Dec 2011 500ug b.i.d. NSR since!
Herein lies opinion, not professional advice, which all are well advised to seek.

Yes, i am sorry.

Thank you Jackie. Thank you, thank each and every one if you. Never in 20 year have i found anyone who understands, i am overwhelmed at the amount of folks here who have this burden. I aopologize for my poor typing and computer skills.

JMR - you need not apologize for typing or any such thing. Just know that we are kindred spirits in various stages of discovery and recovery who have suffered or are currently suffering with arrhythmia. Just allow yourself to become immersed in the positive energy and advanced knowledge that we extend to you. I'm just sorry that you didn't connect here sooner.... but that said, you're here now and that's a major plus. This should open up a whole new world of ideas for you.
Peace.
Jackie

Thank you Jackie. Just the feeling that there may be some hope is intense for me. I have been trying to just cope for so long. Dealing with daily brief episodes for so long has been very draining on me. Mike

Hi JMR,

You are more than welcome! I sent you a reply to your PM there so you can check that as well. You certainly found the right place and now its just a matter of settling in and learning to follow your nose through all this info and you will do fine, Im sure.

We all understand....

Take care,
Shannon

JMR I recall vividly going to see my current doctor - the umpteenth one I had seen and I said to her "this afib I am experiencing is related to indigestion, but nobody believes me" and she said "I do", and I remember the relief finally finding someone who understood.

No it is so patently obvious, it is ridiculous that anyone would question it.

And so your journey to recovery begins right here. Now you can figure out the causes of your stomach upset, and the triggers and how to deal with getting an ablation.

Good luck my friend.
Ron

Finally !!! Somebody that believes me !! Ron, no one in 20 years has ever said that to me. I lost all hppe was when a doctor told me that thinking gas could in any way contribute to irregular heart rhythm is like saying my car battery went dead and it gave me a flat tire. But it is true !! It happens to me every single day, took me years to realize that. I single handed have kept the Gas-X company profitable. But its worse now, and it seems more and more things are making it happen. Its to the point that i just about cant hold my job anymore. If i lose that, i have lost all. I cant take it anymore, and am in such a pickle. Just watched my boss of 17 years get railroaded out because of his worsening diabetes. Real nice company huh? I just need afib to stop forever. Has anyone ever heard of a person being listed as disabled because of afib? I am 57 years old, i have paid social security since i was about 14. I worked every day for over 40 years with barely a day off. You would think I had some funds built up with them by now, but i hear its almost impossible to get. Most days feel like I am just too old and tired to fight it anymore.

Ron, thank you so very much for relating to my main trigger, it truly does mean so much to find someone who understands exactly my condition.

Mike

Mike there are many wise voices here who can help you through this and there is lots of reading to do.

If I can say one thing to give you hope, is to treat this like an injury that you can heal from. Have the attitude that you will win and get your health back. And know that it is entirely possible to accomplish.

I'm going to suggest 3 or 4 changes you could make that will hopefully help move you towards recovery. Each of these are minor adjustments to your life that at worst will bring you better overall health, and at best may help to bring your afib under control.

One important concept in the early going is to "take the sliver out of the wound". By that I mean to figure out what is causing your stomach upset and to stop eating those foods totally until you have healed.

Your gut wall has become compromised, injured you might say. The villi in your 23' of small intestine should have the overall surface area of a basketball court, but because of your condition it is laying down or atrophied and is no longer absorbing nutrients the way it should.

To add insult to your already taxed body, tiny food particles start leaking through your gut wall and cause inflammation. That is likely the intense feeling down in your gut that you feel late at night. Both of these situations can be corrected. Like an uncared for, dying lawn, your gut can be brought back to 100% health!

One thing that is very, very common is an intolerance to gluten. You can kick start your recovery by stopping all gluten immediately. It hides everywhere, so this one task will take a lot of focus. Gluten can cause a cascade of health problems as your gut becomes injured from it. You can get some expensive tests for it, but even without the tests, eliminating gluten has a lot of health benefits to you anyhow.

The second concept that is also universally accepted by afibbers, and is tied in with the above, is that you need to start repleting certain key electrolytes with supplements. The most important one to begin with is magnesium (Mg). Until you have your levels of Mg up, the other important electrolyte of potassium (K) will not "stick". Mg does not replete easily and when you start taking it you will hit bowel intolerance easily, meaning loose stools - so the key is to go low and slow. Soon you will be able to take potassium, which is the one that is most noticeable for its ability to calm your heart.

My last little words of wisdom and encouragement, is that through being tired and worn down, mistakes can be made, so it is good to implement simple systems to keep you on track. One of these is to get three, seven day pill containers, and divide your magnesium doses in them. Start small - perhaps 50mg x 3 per day and gradually over weeks or even months, increase your dose so you are always pushing up against bowel intolerance. You cannot overdose on it as your system simply expels it in your stool.

There are some real medical experts on this site that will undoubtedly help you with specifics. There is at least one radical, know it all voice that is currently on this site that you should guard against. Listen carefully to the words of Hans, Jackie and Shannon. I am just a happy customer.

Best of luck to you.
Ron

Thank you for ALL of this Ron. Yes, it is a big challenge. My job is so very time consuming, that I cannot take care of myself. I guess I am at a point of either having finances to support myself, or leave the only job I have known for 35 years and try to stay physically alive. Most days, if I am lucky, I will get about 5 or 6 hours off so I might get a little bit of sleep. That goes on 7 days a week most times. So that is an extremely hard choice to make. I can literally say with truth, "this economy is killing me".

JMR: You are in the right place. We DO understand as we are all wearing the same T shirt.
For what it is worth, my friends think that if I go out and take a walk it will make me all well again, despite lung damage, aFib (controlled by TIKOSYN - don't know which was worse the medication or the affliction), etc.
"Take a walk after dinner each night and you will be as right as rain in no time". Well, after dinner, my ability to walk around our block is somewhere between zero and minus one. Talk to me on an empty stomache. Talk to me when my Potassium is well up into the 4.5 range for certain. Talk to me when I am mildly dehydrated. THEN I can do circuits of the block no problem.

JMR, understand that folks mean well. They are simply ignorant of aFib and all that goes along with it. I tried to explain today, at a funeral out in sub-freezing windy weather that I could not breath the cold air any longer and had to go and sit in the car. I don't know if they understood as they all looked at me like I was from Mars.

So, please know that we understand your whole situation. Most all of us have been through the whole thing and some of us have been through whole lot more than you will ever dream of. My aFib adventure began with about three weeks intubated on total life support and continued on from there. In the beginning I would come home and barely have the energy to make it to the couch. I could not imagine climbing the stairs to the bedroom to get changed. I am much much better now and still seeking my 'cure'.

There is much good information to be shared on this forum and many good people who will share valuable information with you and give you support.

You are indeed fortunate to have found us. We generally don't talk about aFib outside of the forum a whole lot, like, say, on Facebook. Our friends and family think it is a matter of taking a pill and going walking each evening. Sic. I get aggravated when I think about it. And don't be dissed when they expect you to perform at the same functional levels as everyone else despite afflictions, including aFib. The one thing I recall the nurse practitioner telling me when I left the hospital after my uptake of TIKOSYN was this "Don't sweat the small stuff. You MUST let it roll off your back or you are going to be back here before too long." Well, I have been letting it roll off my back as best I can for two years now and have been in NSR on TIKOSYN but suffering the side effects of same. AND NOW... when I tell them that it takes me three hours to stabilize in the mornings before I can get out and walk about and drive a car they look at me like I'm from Mars. They cut no slack. YOU JUST HAVE TO MAKE YOUR STATEMENT and let it flow off your back. You must.

You are in a good place here. Welcome.

Murray L

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Tikosyn uptake Dec 2011 500ug b.i.d. NSR since!
Herein lies opinion, not professional advice, which all are well advised to seek.

Its so good to hear when somebody understands. Thank you for that wonderful encouragement, you just don't know how much it means to me. My prayers are with you and your journey Murray. THANK YOU !!

Welcome. I highly recommend looking into ablation as soon as possible.

I don't understand why doctors aren't more informed about it.

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Lone paroxysmal vagal atrial fibrillation. Age 62, female, no risk factors. Autonomic instability since severe Paxil withdrawal in 2004, including extreme sensitivity to neuro-active drugs, supplements, foods. Monthly tachycardia started 1/11, happened only at night, during sleep, or when waking, bouts of 5-15 hours. Changed to afib about a year ago, same pattern. Frequency increased over last 6 months, apparently with sensitivity to more triggers. Ablation 6/27/13 by Steven Hao.