Seeking the mysterious trigger...

The one trigger left (outside of deydration when I let myself not get enough water in the day) was chocolate. Last date I had chocolate? Oct. 9. Number of afib episodes since? Three. Not long, they're never long. But what is triggering? There's nothing left!
Nancy

Have you explored lectins? That's what it turned out to be for me.

Yikes, I hope not. Having taken meat /dairy products out of my life, I just looked up foods with lectins, and that's basically my diet - beans and vegies/fruits. If I get rid of that, I don't have much to choose from to eat!!
Nancy

Hello Nancy. You have explored triggers that are things you ingested, and i think what is left to explore is not additions, but deficits. Have you done a few days to a few weeks using one of the free online nutrient calculators, being sure to list everything you eat or drink, to see if the foods you are presently eating are providing all the nutrients your body needs for normal operation, especially a regular heartbeat? The one whose url i can remember is www.fitday.com, but there are others.

Are you taking mg glycinate to bowel tolerance? Do you supplement with taurine? Have you minimized salt and increased potassium? Do you take the ribose that Jackie recommends? All things to try.

Keep good records, sometimes they show you things you may otherwise not notice.

Luck to you in this as in all things.

PeggyM

For years I had noted and found triggers for afib - before I even knew my arrhythmia problem was afib. As my afib progressed, it became obvious that the issue was not the triggers themselves, but the increasing vulnerability of my heart's conduction system. Finally, even slight illnesses, cold air, the most innocuous changes in my digestive system or body positioning would bring about some level of arrhythmia. It was time for an ablation.

My point is this, if you are having problems discerning triggers, you may be on the verge of going persistent - as I had done following a similar set of circumstances.

Tom

Tom you have an interesting point. PeggyM - I didn't list what I'm taking because it's a list but rest assured it's most of the things recommended here and in the doses suggested. My point was that I've explored everything I can think of that is discussed in the boards, and nothing is something I'm doing, or have done in quite a while now.

Not sure if it ranks as a trigger as such, but I have a tendency to get afib for the same set of activities. Not all the time, but enough that I've noticed it.
Come home from work at the end of the day
Walk up the 5-6 stairs to elevators, carrying packages/mail
Walk to my apartment
Go inside and sit down at dining room table to put down mail, coat, etc.
Go into fib.

That's happened on at least half a dozen occasions in the past year. Can't figure out what on earth in that combo could be a trigger.
Nancy

Nancy - one of the people I've counselled noted a similar experience...but after making it in the door and putting stuff away, bending over to put food in the fridge was a consistent trigger for her. With some sleuthing, we found that she wasn't eating enough for lunch and some of the foods promoted a sort of 'rebound' for overproduction of insulin and then lower blood glucose levels although she didn't feel any of the typical hypoglycemic symptoms. That seemed to put her in an adrenaline surge mode that set the stage for end-of-the day stress or activities. An adjustment to her diet (especially lunch) of more protein and good fat helped reverse her trend of frequent afib events. She also found using the amino acid, L-theanine towards the end of any days at the office that might be stressful and coupled with the stress burden of rush-hour traffic, stopping for quick grocery shopping etc. to be calming although she wasn't overly conscious of being stressed out.

Jackie

Jackie, that's an interesting thought. My usual lunch is lettuce/vegie salad, low fat dressing. Not lots of good fats or proteins.

Nancy, Low fat dressings are notoriously high sugar. You'd be better off making an olive oil/ vinegar dressing, or you could use a fish oil/ lemon juice one. This thread talks about the recipe:

[www.afibbers.org]

If you add a bit of protein (fish or chicken etc..), it would also help with the blood sugar levels as Jackie suggested.

lisa
__________________________

So much of medicine is looking solely down the wrong end of the gun barrel, and that is really a pity for all of us---Shannon



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/2012 09:46PM by lisa s.

lisa, I actually do make my own dressing. I'm vegan, so try and take care of what I use to build things. Need to get some beans in those salads!
Nancy

Nancy - adding in a source of acceptable fats and proteins for all meals but in this instance...both for lunch and a late day snack... may stabilize your metabolism sufficiently that you don't have swings that may be triggers in your case. Some people are fast metabolizers and that definitely can cause problems.

In several past threads on the requirement for regular intake of both healthy fats and proteins, the importance of those cellular building blocks has been emphasized. Check some of Erling's posts. Without adequate intake of complete amino acid complexes, cells and cellular components either don't work or your body is unable to replace adequately cells as they age and die. Vegan eating can be a challenge to meet and maintain your body's overall protein and fat requirement. You may just have to reassess and fine-tune your food intake.

Of course, all afibbers need to be sure they take optimal magnesium, potassium and all of the nutrients mentioned in The Strategy report... plus make sure that sodium intake doesn't overpower potassium...or that calcium doesn't overpower magnesium...whether by food or supplement.

It's been noted that the best plan is to eat a wide variety of whole fresh foods, preferably organic, allowed in "your plan" because eating the same foods daily, weekly, typically results in numerous nutritional shortfalls which ultimately manifest in a variety of symptoms. If not organic, then there is the issue of the toxic chemical residues and proper systemic detoxification with which to deal. That's a whole other topic.

Jackie

This interesting food related thread ought to be in the afib cookbook, and now it is.

PeggyM

Thanks