Post Ablation Question

I've been reading about Ablations and what happens post-ablation. My triggers are caffeine, chocolate, and recently wine. I don't intend to go back to drinking coffee, since I quit over 6 years ago, and can live without chocolate, too, have done so for 4 years. But, I do like going to wine tastings and have given those up. I also can go into afib after hiking on a hot day, or even ballroom dancing for a couple of hours. It's always on my mind.

I'm wondering if I can get back to not worrying that I will go into afib, or is this unrealistic.

Thanks.

Hi there

I had an ablation almost 3 yrs ago now. No afib (touch wood), PACs sometimes but no afib. Took me a long time not to worry when I felt a missed beat. I keep up my supplements (mag and pottasium). I exercise ( but I don't overdo it like I used to and I make sure I'm properly hydrated) and I drink my wine and have chocolate again (yay) but again not to excess. So basically DONT WORRY but look after yourself more than you did !

Having an ablation was the best decision I ever made !

Reds
Heather

You probably want to avoid your known triggers during the 3-month blanking period after an ablation. Then you really have to figure out what works for you. Try things a little at a time first. If the ablation is done well, I think you'll be surprised at what you can do. Just don't overdo!

pjbuckeye~

When I respond to a question such as this, I like to remind that Afib is a symptom of a subtle malfunction or systemic shortfall brought on by some deficiency. It’s really about The Big Picture…or what initially works behind the scenes to either let down a process or allow the arrhythmia to develop in the first place. We've spent a lot of time in past posts talking about magnesium deficiency being prevalent in nearly 100% of afibbers; and typically, at least 80% of those who are not afibbers...so that's a good start.

I've offered the suggestion that the symptom of Afib could be considered our 'canary in the coal mine' serving as a warning of an imbalance or malfunction that has allowed the arrhythmia to occur. With a magnesium deficiency, for instance... that might mean the person has lifestyle habits that deplete magnesium easily... such as alcohol consumption, just one of many potentials, or is taking a high amount of calcium supplementation which prevents magnesium from working as it should. There are many such scenarios and magnesium deficiency is not the only potential. A diet high in junk and processed foods which are typically high in sodium, (and other chemicals) can be the culprit because high sodium blocks the function of potassium... and potassium is another key mineral/electrolyte that functions to support normal heart rhythm. Maintaining tissue alkalinity (pH) is another vital step toward keeping cellular energy optimized which equates to providing the body what it needs to be able to make new cells ...which is essential to life and longevity. Many other nutrients are needed in heart cell healthy function.

Over-exercisers often have imbalances in electrolytes and develop conditions such as cardiac fibrosis and ischemia from oxygen's free radical tissue damage along with the resulting damaging inflammation.

Basically, it boils down to what's missing or causing interference in our own personal, unique lifestyle habits and environment along with existing gene mutations. An ablation may eliminate rogue electrical signals in heart cells, but it does nothing to replace the missing electrolytes or other imbalances or detrimental influences.

So, along with an ablation, one needs to focus permanently on proper nutrition, hydrating optimally, not over-exercising, managing stress, managing oxidative stress that produces inflammation, eliminate environmental factors such as EMFs, heavy metal toxicities and other contributory chemicals. And this is a lifetime endeavor. If a gene mutation is the cause, then it's an ongoing process to prevent or reverse that "expression." Otherwise, we may not be as fortunate to have 'just the Afib canary' warning us that something is amiss, but a more serious ailment that is left smouldering behind the scenes and eventually manifests as a disease or health condition that isn't as "easy" to reverse or eliminate as with an ablation.

Ultimately, active afibbers as well as ablatees, alike, require a critical analysis of their lifestyle and environmental factors that are well known to be detrimental to health. By doing just that, some legendary afibbers have managed to reverse the Afib process and have also become more healthy overall and are enjoying life in NSR without going through the ablation process. Plus, they remain that way undoubtedly because they so efficiently and effectively 'cleaned up their act' permanently.

There are core analytical elements that must be addressed and most often, that requires special diagnostic 'functional' testing to learn where the hidden weaknesses lie. The generic labs we routinely received from our primary care doctors is typically not comprehensive or specialized enough to uncover the key elements.

All that said... if you're fortunate enough to have a successful ablation, then in order to help maintain that status, we must buy into the whole-health systemic approach which is preventive in nature.....and that requires discipline and commitment.

We have a choice. Choose wisely.

Best to you,
Jackie

Again, such excellent advice.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jackie. I really appreciate the feedback on making sure to keep a healthy lifestyle and diet. I've changed my outlook on the ablation, not seeing this as an opportunity to eat whatever I want.

I've learned that hydration is key for me. I've stopped eating highly sweet items, such as fruit drinks, smoothies, etc.. For these items, I don't go into afib, but it does flutter. I've also learned that when I'm hungry, my heart flutters as well.

When you talk about magnesium and potassium, is there a recommended dosage or can it come from food? I eat a banana every day, so don't know if that's all I need for potassium.

Thanks, again.

Paula

For adults, the AI (adequate intake) for potassium is pegged at 4700 milligrams per day (see [lpi.oregonstate.edu] ). A medium banana (175 grams) has only 440 mg potassium (see p. 231, The High Blood Pressure Solution (2001) by Richard D. Moore MD PhD*).

*At the same resource,100 grams avocado has 604 grams potassium, 202 grams potato has 782 grams potassium.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2016 09:30PM by Moerk.

Hi Paula - I'm pleased to read your approach to healthy lifestyle. Hydration is the key for many and it's both the dehydration factor on heart structures plus the lack of those key electrolytes.

From your description, be suspicious also when your heart "flutters"... that it can be the result of low glucose (blood sugar) levels... which is a common symptom in people who have that tendency. The explanation is lengthy, but the short version is that it typically involves adrenal stress along with not eating enough healthy fat and protein at the previous meal to be sustaining enough until your next meal. When blood glucose gets low, the body send out an 'alert' which means... 'we're getting low on glucose' and in order to protect the brain ( top priority) which uses glucose as the primary fuel... so the alert is sent to get some action... which is fuel/food intake." (my words, not scientific).

The alert translates to the production of adrenaline which then causes symptoms like increased heart rate, or in your case.. rapid clusters or flutters.. (mine used to do the same thing). You probably find that if you eat something, especially something sugary, it helps settle it down. That's the cardinal sign indicating a glucose management problem and probably also a stress factor, also contributory. This leads to Insulin Resistance... and while you may not be there yet, your symptoms show the trending tendency.

The magnesium and potassium requirements for optimal balance and function are often higher than we consume in typical meals unless your focus specifically targets those elements. Most afibbers find they need to supplement in addition to a strong concentration on appropriate foods known to contain magnesium and potassium.

While bananas have a high potassium count, they typically aren't the idea food because they also contain a high natural sugar count...or glycemic load/index. That means you'll have to use essential magnesium to metabolize the banana by insulin production so you defeat the purpose or intent. Lower potassium levels allow for heart 'jiggles' or outright arrhythmia. But... the complication is, for potassium to work properly, you need the solid base of magnesium inside the cells... first.

There are detailed several reports that go into this and if you'd like me to get the links for you, send me a PM and I'll look up and send. It's worth the effort to understand this because when you are in the early stages of insulin resistance, it's far easier to reverse and manage than let it go into full-blown insulin resistance which later can manifest as diabetes.

Stress is a huge influence so it's also important to understand the implication how adrenal function fits in to the picture as well. These days, stress is a given and often we also have to support adrenals with specific nutrients as well in order for our body to enjoy the Harmony intended.

Best to you,
Jackie

Oh - and I forgot to mention.... many women are told to take calcium supplements for bone health. This is not advised with afibbers... as the calcium competes with and dominates over magnesium. (Actually, other nutrients have better protective effects on bone health than calcium...but that's another topic.)

Thank you, Jackie! Very helpful and thorough information. Yes, I'd like to learn as much as I can, to prevent other diseases, especially diabetes. My mother had diabetes, so I really need to monitor. My stress level has been reduced significantly, and I'm exercising more. So, you suggest magnesium and potassium supplements to start, correct? Thanks, again.

Jackies post above underscore once again our primary message here at Afibbers.org and in The AFIB Report newsletter and that is to start first with learning how to improve ones own health and vitality via sound life style modifications and dietary/ nutritional repletion if deficient key elements our bodies require for more balanced and optimal function.

We recommend everyone digest 'The Strategy' after first coming to our site and apply those protocols with dedication for at least 6 months to a year along with equally dedicated moderate consistent exercise and weight loss efforts for anyone who is overweight including even mildly obese. Also, we recommend everyone with AFIB who has any doubt at all to get a work up for sleep apnea (OSA) as it is such a huge contributor to not only initial AFIB but also in undermining, to a degree, early good ablation results. And treatment of OSA can really help reduce AFIB burden and significantly aid in assuring a once achieved solid ablation process result will more likely stay that way.

If after 6 months to a year of addressing these key life style risk factor issues in a dedicated consistent manner there is still any degree of AFIB breakthroughs, then by all
means partner with the very best ablstionist you can travel to see, if traveling is needed to reach such an elite EP, to insure your heart is in the most experienced hands you can set up.

But very importantly too, even after that successful ablation process is complete, to continue on with all the positive life style and dietary habits you have learned to better insure not only the most robust long term results regarding AFIB elimination you can, but also to help insure many other aspects of good health as well.

It's all common sense as well. We did not get here overnight and AFIB manifests from a variety of more proximal 'causes' or contributors in different folks and thus this truly integrative and holistic approach in which we combine the best of both natural healthy living principles as well as the best of allopathic electrophysiology at the right time and as needed, we have found to offer the most consistently successful results of any approach to AFIB so far.

And the good news about starting off with making a major effort at weight loss (when needed) and learning better dietary and key electrolyte repletion etc. for the first 6 months minimum to one year maximum before going for an ablation ( assuming you are not already adopting many of these healthy life style methods and don't have any of these life style-based CVD and AFIB risk factors in which case ongoing symptomatic AFIB can require earlier intervention with starting an expert ablation process), is that you will surely find out during this initial ramp up period of taking better care of your health, if you are going to be one of those who can successfully put the genie back in the bottle for either some years or indefinitely in a smaller number of cases without having to resort to adding in such an expert ablation process.

The other key thing is that it's when and if it becomes increasingly obvious that even after doing everything right you continue to have breakthroughs, then continued procrastination regarding starting the ablation process is most often counterproductive and most often results in a much more challenging knocked down and dragged out king and winding and very frustrating road to get to durable NSR than would have been the case if you choose the best possible ablationist to add to your team IF and whenever it becomes clear that you are not going to be fully successful on your own solely with all the healthy life style elements of this inclusive integrative approach.

And this can be a real conundrum for many of us (it was for me for a long time) not to get so wedded to the conviction and fundamentalist belief (sometimes leading to hubris) that you must beat this strictly on your own else you feel like a failure and thereby keep pushing off that next key step that, in most cases in our long collective experience, can make the biggest single improvement and turning point in one's overall AFIB career.

It's a fine balance to be able to hone this pyschological clarity to dedicate with real effort to the life style improvement arm while also simultaneously being open to including the allopathic arm when and if needed without excessive hemming and hawing and without being too fanatical that it's 'only via natural means' or 'only via ablation' and getting stuck in one camp or the other. Just remain open to including any and all of these elements at the right time for you and you'll do very well indeed Paula!

Best wishes to you and welcome to our wonderful community!
Shannon



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/01/2016 05:14PM by Shannon.

Paula - Yes, provisionally, on the magnesium and potassium supplementation. I’d first suggest you begin by learning if you can have one of your doctors order the Exatest for you so you know exactly the status of all the critical heart electrolytes and not just magnesium and potassium. That would be an excellent start. I also recommend that you become familiar with The Strategy written seven years after my first ablation and when I began to experience some breakthrough arrhythmia.

A revision of The Strategy has been languishing in draft stage but I’m going to have that ready for inclusion in the new forum format but wanted to share with you now one of the key revisions so you can become familiar with that as well.

Three years ago, in a post titled Alkalinity, Healing, pH and Voltage – The Inside Story, I wrote about the importance of maintaining tissue alkalinity for cellular health and the ability for us to make new cells so we can thrive. I neglected to include it in The Strategy because I had been using the magnesium bicarbonate water for Alkalinity since for over 10 years and it had become such an automatic part of my daily routine, I totally forgot to emphasize its importance.

You should definitely be making the magnesium bicarbonate water concentrate at home and using that as one of your main sources of magnesium supplementation because that ionic form is highly beneficial and not found in any other magnesium form.

Here are the links so you can begin reading.
The Strategy [www.afibbers.org]
Alkalinity [www.afibbers.org]

See also: [www.afibbers.org]

Jackie