New Freaky Heart Symptoms

Ok, so NOW what is what I'm thinking. For all the time I've had afib (since August 2000) it has followed the same pattern when it shows up. Irregular heartbeat, few fast, some slow, etc., A pattern we all know too well.

A few months ago I started having PACs very hard, only a few beats apart. They'd stop and afib would start in. So now I have 2 patterns.

Yesterday a new one appeared. Faster heartbeat, but reglar. Then NSR for a bit, then a few PACs every other beat, then the quick heartbeat for a few minutes. Then in and out of regular afib for the next few hours before NSR settling down.

What I'm wondering is, since I've had afib for so many years, is this a sign of progression? Absolutely meaningless? Or door #3?

Nancy

The faster, regular stuff sounds like flutter. I had every other day afib that progressed to daily, and later added flutter, so it may mean some progression.

My best measure of progression was to keep track of total arrythmia burden (hrs/day of afib or aflutter). Over time, they got more frequent and longer. I started having about half hr afib every other day in Jan 2012, then 7 months later I was having daily afib 7 hrs/day. That told me it was ablation time.

Thanks! What's really weird is that this comes after the longest non-afib time I've had lately. Things had settled down for a bit and then it started back up with the PACs and now what sounds like flutter to you.
Nancy

Nancy - refresh my memory- are you currently taking the essential heart nutrients? If so what forms and dosages.

My usual is chelated magnesium, 400mg with each meal, then sometimes 200-400mg at bedtime; two 550 mg potassium pills during the day. I usually add vitamins D, B6 & B12, 2 fish oil pills. Sometimes add cinnamon, ginger, l-Carnitine and taurine. I stay away from Co-Q10 as it triggers afib in me.
Nancy

Nancy - Just to be sure...verify your magnesium label to be sure of the dosage delivered in your magnesium capsules... some say so many milligrams is in TWO capsules ...rather than each capsule.

And - have you calculated your dietary intake of potassium from food sources so you know your total intake? If so what was that number? Often when hearts begin rumbling at various times, it's a signal that either potassium is low or marginal and same with magnesium.... if you take 600 - 800 mg magnesium daily... you may need even more... try pusing to bowel tolerance and then back off to the next acceptable dose... and then try boosting your potassium even more. Taurine is especially helpful in balancing all the electrolytes so it should be a daily mainstay.

During my active afib years, carnitine was too stimulating for me and every time I took it, I had AF... but post-ablation, I tolerate it very well. You might try avoiding carnitine.

Jackie

Yeah, the magnesium does is right, 200mg per capsule. I am at tolerance with the Mg, and have been for a while. I test that by adding a little from time to time but so far am at the level I can do without living in the bathroom. Have not done a long term measurement of potassium in foods, am a sucker for bananas, avacados, and squash which are good potassium sources. Also have a very bean-heavy diet. Haven't had the best of luck with taurine, so haven't taken as often.

Thanks for things to think about!
Nancy

Arrgh. This seems to be a full-time job! Too much salt? Too little potassium? What did I eat? What can I eat? Did wine cause this? DId hunger cause this? Am I hydrated enough? Did I exercise too hard? This is almost as bad as dealing with Type 1 diabetes!
I eat very healthfully, live a "moderate" lifestyle and detest putting any kind of drug... natural or otherwise into my system.
I want a permanent fix here. Let's hope that more med students take up electrophysiology as a specialty so that we can anticipate a cure beyond ablations.

Justfibbing:

My husband always salted his food heavily, he did not have AF or high blood pressure. He did have Diabetes and just wouldn't leave the sugar alone and wouldn't exercise so the diabetes eventually got him.

We need to eat a good diet and exercise but to obsess about everything we eat or do will drive you nuts.

Liz

Nancy,

Just a thought on your Potassium supplement. The largest amount sold in pill form is 99 mg so I'm assuming yours are listing the amount of Potassium Gluconate rather than the amount of elemental Potassium.

Sam, yes, something I hadn't noticed. it says Potassium (from 550mg Potassium Gluconate) 90mg. What on earth does THAT mean?

When minerals like Potassium, Magnesium etc. are produced as food supplements they are combined with other substances. Potassium Gluconate is Basic Potassium (called elemental potassium) and gluconic acid. Magnesium Glycinate is elemental Magnesium combined with glycine.

The important figure for us is the elemental figure and most companies make this clear. A few don't which is very confusing.

In aiming for the ideal intake per day (from food and supplements) of 4.7 grams we are talking about elemental Potassium. So your two tablets are adding just 180 mgs, a very small amount. It is a good practice to have a blood test to see what your levels are. If they are under 4.5 you should consider either increasing your daily intake through food or by increasing your supplements.

Because the pills contain so little Potassium the form most of us use is iHerb's Powdered Potassium Gluconate.

My last potassium test was 4.6, so am thinking that isn't the problem.

Nancy - keep in mind that a serum potassium test level is just a snapshot in time... it could change in the next few minutes depending on metabolic requirements or something you've eaten that has either a positive or negative influence on your potassium stores.

Keeping a log of your typical daily food intake for potassium-containing and sodium-containing foods over a week's time will give you an approximation of how controlled your potassium intake really is. Most people are surprised to learn they don't come close to the recommended 4700 mg daily intake... which is actually rather low considering that Paleo man ate 10,000 and more.

While bananas are high in potassium, they are a high glycemic food and to metabolize and process the fruit sugar content requires utilization of stored potassium so in some cases that turns out to counterproductive. If you keep a diary of what you eat and the event occurrences, you may find an associative link. It can take some adjusting to get the potassium level that works best for you.

Nancy:

I usually have the same readings for my potassium level as you do, it is usually the same everytime I have a blood draw. I have tried potassium supplements and they gave me runs of AF, I am vagal and don't get AF in the daytime only in the evening when resting, so those daytime runs of AF was not normal for me. I quit taking the potassium supplements and those runs of AF stopped. Potassium supplements are not candy, I guess I am the cautionary person here.

Liz