Did Afib begin after surgery, trauma and other life stressor?

My loved one's Afib began after cataract surgery and I am try to help connect 'cause and effect ' to find the root cause.
I have found many others with Afib also began the condition after surgery (any kind), trauma or other major life stessor.

Did any of you experience this as well?

My AFib episode happened out of the blue on a saturday. I was under a lot of stress at the time because my ex husband and his wife were hit by a truck while riding their motorcycle. My ex was life flighted to the hospital and nearly died. My kids were very upset which upset me. So maybe stress had something to do with my episode..... I hope you get alot of replies to your question. It's an interesting one.
Lilly

I think you will find here that stress is at the very least a common trigger. So far as surgery being the cause for the AFib it's highly unlikely. Most likely the AFib just decided to present itself at that particular time.
That being said you've come to the right place to ask your question.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/14/2021 06:53AM by rocketritch.

Heart valve replacement is a surgery that often results in AF. But others, not directly. The jump in C-reactive protein, which is inflammatory, after any kind of trauma (surgery is by definition trauma) can certainly provoke AF if one is prone to it.

Building on what wolfpack said, other surgery in the heart area, including lungs, can be a trigger. A family member had a cancerous lung removed and it was considered a risk.

The Mayo Clinic lists, "Stress due to surgery, pneumonia or other illnesses" as a possible cause.

I think the short answer is yes, stress from any source can provoke afib if you have the underlying disease now generally known as atrial myopathy.

If you don't have the underlying disease, you can still experience episodes of afib due to one-off events like electrolyte imbalances, alcohol abuse, severe trauma, surgery (particularly heart heart/lung surgery), and a few other things, but those will likely be short-lived and won't recur once the cause is corrected if you don't have the underlying disease.

I've never heard of cataract surgery leading to afib, but it's possible because it's surgery. But I wouldn't be surprised if the afib happens again, and maybe for no obvious reason next time. I hope that doesn't happen.

I have been inclining for some time toward the terrian theory of medicine ...and I believe that environment is everything. I also believe most all humans are 'at cause' for their health and someone taking responsibilty is a gift that when received opens the possibility for getting well. It is a little hard to put that into words...it is some old Landmark Education thinking that has gotten confirmed to me many times over my life..... When I read your words... "Most likely the AFib just decided to present itself at that particular time." I thought that sounds llike 'Afib' might be a parasite (bacteria, virus and, oe fungi) which I guess could be a possibility.

Hypothyroid (Low thyroid) and low body temperature are two symptioms my loved one has...I happen to have both of those as well and those are two of many things that can cause a body to be susceptible to parasites, disease and illness. Those symptoms could also have Mold illness or Lyme disease. Mold and Lyme are epidemic today. HIgh blood work markers of MCH 'mean corpuscular hemoglobin' and MCV 'mean corpuscular volume' can also be signs of Mold or Lyme. (I think MCH can also indicate low B-12 levels)

Now I wonder how many others here are hypothyroid or have other thyroid issues and how many run cooler on core body temperature?

Anyone here with high MCH and, or high MCV ?

I am looking for root cause clues.

We have been dealing with Afib since 2013 after cataract surgery. I have found others who began Afib after cataract surgery....and I think I know why but I'll get back to than in a minute.

Got to count up the bouts.. but coverted on own a bunch of times, 7 times were resolved with cardioversion, drugs have not had any sucess however one time converted back on saline hydration in emergency room while on vacation at beach --felt that was definitely dehydration because he was out in wind, heat, exercising and sweating more, and then drinking more alcohol, coffee and eating out more (processed food) than he would at home. Beach trips are very dehydrating.

Anyone have bouts of Afib with dehydration as a factor ?

We are unsure why they have not upped his beta blocker to control his Afib as he has a friend at his gym that that works for.....I am no fan of any pharmacutical. Cannot mention what I think of drugs. Re: Beta Blocker Not one doc I've asked can answer much if anything about ADRB1 Gene in relation to Beta-Blocker use.
Using 23 and Me raw data we ran Nutrahacker 'Drug and Carrier Report' and he showed up as being homozygous for Gene ADRB1 - The report indicated a Beta Blocker Response What kind of response? Well, when I asked my bothers cardiologist he said that 'response' would most likely not be a positve response but he had no other detail. I did find a geneticist out of state once but he was extremely expensive and that out of reach.

Back to catatact eye surgery causing Afib....it may well be because of the lens that are also implanted for vision correction are tinted to block all UV light and 50% blue light. This blocks production of melatonin and melanopsin and most likely a host of other circadian rhythm, hormone, amino acid and neurotransmitter production that normally gets triggered by the best vaccine against any and all diseases The Sun aka Dr. Sun.

Percy - My personal experiences and assessment of the potential influences that resulted in my onset AF definitely includes the stress factor. My life has always been stressful. I developed AF 26 years ago at age 59. Long story that I won't go into, but the impact of stress affects many and in multiple ways. And, once you’ve had AF, I think most afibbers are at least, subconsciously, always a bit more hyper/aware of any little change in our rhythm patterns. Fortunately, I lost the ‘paranoia’ after my first ablation by Dr. Natale in 2003, so that’s been a major accomplishment and assist for more peace of mind and tranquility which is very welcome.

Stress depletes magnesium (among other essential nutrients) so it's obviously a major contributor. Alcohol depletes magnesium. My (moderate) alcohol consumption was typically at social events and I've posted my story about what I thought brought on my first AF event. Golfing on a hot summer day. Dehydrated. Party afterwards with alcohol consumption. AF activity around 10:30 that night. Relatively short bout, but confirmed again with repeat activity on another occasion. Stopped alcohol. Stopped caffeine. And always made sure I had extra water at all times… and good, pure water. Still do.

Taking supplemental calcium as directed by family physician...typical advice to a menopausal woman but no advice to balance that out by also taking magnesium. Better yet... stop taking calcium supplements. That made a huge difference in limiting the many bouts of AF.

A few other connections were eventually discovered by more ‘enlightened’ physicians

Hypothyroidism - undiagnosed for many years;
Iodine deficiency causing goiteroid thyroid tissue and fibrocystic breast disease which led to more remedial surgery and stress.

Vitamin D deficiency contributes to hypothyroidism
I’ve lived in NE Ohio all my life… Limited sunshine exposure in Winter and yet Vitamin D was not routinely tested until only a few years ago. Same with iodine deficiency. NE Ohio is in the ‘goiter belt’…yet patients here are not tested routinely for iodine deficiency (another long story). Supplemental iodine helps keep my heart calm and my thyroid happy – eliminates the goiteroid tissue so I’ve been able to avoid thyroid surgery…at least so far.

There are others such as various chemical exposures that can cause AF onset in highly-sensitive individuals. Scent, for instance. When I was hyper-sensitive, just walking through the perfume dept. of a department store could set off heart palpitations. Laundry soap and products….Out of habit, I avoid anything with artificial scent. Same with being in an area where they used smelly cleaning agents. Even pumping gasoline and smelling the fumes would set off an event for me in the early stages. Lawn and garden maintenance… various chemical sprays and fertilizer used to be an AF trigger for me as well.

I’ll stop there.

I wish you well in determining which influences may be contributors to your AF.

Jackie

Hyperthyroidism is very commonly associated with AF; hypo not so much.

Thank you Jackie.

I was hit in the sternum with a mason jar...an accident in the kitchen sink soap suds if u can believe it. I fractured the sternum and began having pvc's and irreg. heart beats. That was last Dec. I do not think the cardiologist bothered to ask enough questions re. the connection. He did not perceive it. I believe that an mri or other may be needed at this point as the heart could have been impacted by bruising for instance. Seems very logical to me. I get so angry at the docs that I cannot think when I talk to them. What does anyone else think about this? I do pretty good if I stay up, but as soon as I go to bed, the arrythmia kicks in. Change in position? Other ideas? It is not AFIB according to the ekg but definitely pvc's.