Palpitations post ablation

Now 4 1/2 weeks post ablation and having days of PACs sometimes for hours, sometimes all day. I can record them, and showed them to my EP. She says I’m healing, the PACs are harmless, and doesn’t want to try me on any other anti arrhythmic as I failed to tolerate amiodarone at all and am generally sensitive to all medications (and every single PAC. ). She also said my heart is healthy, not enlarged or sick in any way except this inherited afib and PACs problem. She said my ecg is “perfect”. She suggested increasing magnesium which I’ll try. The PACs drive me crazy and can make me tired, even dizzy. But no afib, or tachycardia even when walking fast. That’s an improvement. I take a 500 mg taurine supplement which has in the past helped with PACs. Since ablation they are actually more frequent. Ideas? Advice?

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Sam3726
Ideas? Advice?

Since your EP suggested more magnesium, you must have good kidney function. In that case (perhaps slowly increasing magnesium to near bowel tolerance. The other thought is my DIY version of timed release potassium I put 2 tsp of potassium citrate powder in about a liter of water. Then I slowly drink over the day. If you consume a lot of potassium at one time, healthy kidneys will excrete the excess. Drinking a little bit over time helps overcome this issue. The combination of magnesium, potassium & taurine is something I've used to control afib for around 17 years. I've also found that limiting calcium also helps.

Thanks George. Yes, am healthy except for this nasty electrical problem. I’ve taken magnesium citrate for years, and could increase it but will also try the magnesium taurate when it arrives. I eat mostly fruits and veggies and lots of those, have always done, and so my potassium levels are pretty good. Because I don’t eat processed foods, my sodium can go a point below “normal”. I have to remember to use salt. The taurine magnesium and potassium supplements stopped keeping me out of afib, unfortunately. I’ve only had 4 major (4-8 hours) episodes in 7 years, but began having short, 5 minute episodes when exercising this year. That’s new and the tachycardia that happened at those times was not great. Because of the progression in other family members, I didn’t expect this to go away. Ablation has worked for more than 2 years for one of us so far. My dad just lived with his. Hopefully mine will level out and I’ll have a good result. The hardest thing with ablation for me was anesthesia which surprised me. I think they overestimated how much I needed. (I didn’t like the anesthesiologist and I’m pretty sure a resident did that part as I didn’t request specifically to have the Doctor himself. He never even spoke to me. Just looked at my chart and spoke to his resident. Downside of teaching hospitals). My EP gave me explicit instructions so that she would be the only one doing the procedure. It never occurred to me I should ask for the anesthesiologist as well. 🤞

Kudos you have controlled your afib for 17 years! Congrats.

Sam,

I have had very good consistent results with 16oz of coconut water. Just yesterday I overdid the exercise and started getting palpitations. Drank 16oz of coconut water and my heart calmed down for the whole day and night. For me, cc water is like a powerful drug.

16oz is about 1000mg of potassium!!!!

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Sam3726
I have to remember to use salt.

I add 1 tsp of sea salt into my liter of water with my potassium citrate. Yes, I also eat no processed foods.

I also agree with above on use of K. Anytime ive had pvc s its calmed them but i work on getting potassium to rda 4500 each day thru now gloconate pwd coconut water etc
Many yrs ago Hans had on this site a recipe called PAC Tamer. I don’t remember its ingredients

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Poppino
Many yrs ago Hans had on this site a recipe called PAC Tamer. I don’t remember its ingredients

Here it is: [afibbers.org]

Shouldn't we be cautious with potassium?
In which case can it be dangerous?
Mg is harmless if we don't have bad kidneys. But what with K? And what may be considered excess?

Edit: I've yet tried K, without any effect, but quantities were moderate...



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/02/2021 10:54AM by Pompon.

Pompon,

I've also been curious about K, especially between supplements versus food. Potassium supplements are 99mg max but I don't see a warning label on coconut water or a potato which contain 1000mgs????

Thanks George! Yes i do believe that too much K in a powder dose can hold kidney risk. Its absurd that tablets are held to 99 mg but the powder is quite the opposite. Most potassium rich food is sweet. Coconut water melons orange juice etc. but some are not : potatoes avacados etc. Carey and George more versed on this subject. I ea am make a water drink with potassium magnesium taurine vit c i do know that the RDA on K is about 4500 mg. No one gets that! Unless an effort is made

Yes, 4500 for K is a difficult goal. And even if my diet has that much (via coconut water which I like) potatoes and other veggies and fruits, who knows how much I actually absorb. I started losartan in may, 25 mg, for mild high blood pressure. That somehow has kept my K levels at 4-4.2 which is more than I generally see. Even with a potassium heavy diet of fruits and vegetables, I was seeing K levels in the 3.5-3.8 in the past. My EP really feels that I’m still healing. To increase potassium and magnesium and a little taurine. Raise your hands if you are wishing “I want this to just go away”. 😊. I don’t know anyone except family members who have had to be so careful about electrolytes except maybe after running and sweating. At least my heart is otherwise healthy. Poppino- I looked fo Hans Larsen’s formula and found his long post on his AFIB experience. Harrowing indeed. His experiments are very complex, long list of ingredients. I now realize that my experience of AFIB is not extreme like many, but cold comfort when PACs wake me up in the middle of the night. Still hoping this procedure worked and after some more weeks my heart will calm down. Thanks for all the input. This is a very valuable source of information.

Sam i was Natale ablated 8/6. 3 days later pvc s non stop for 2-3 days. At 4 weeks on labor day weekend i had a 5 hour afib at 125. I was ablated for flutter but had an afib episode. Then 2 weeks of resting HR jumps. 72 to 97 8-12 times a day. Now at 8 weeks zero anything for past 10 days. So chill ! Youre still in healing process. All the wondering doubting worry anxiety etc will just add to it. Allow yourself a period of time. I think youll be fine. Waaaaay to early for panic. Like i said earlier. I get it. Ive done it. Ive been there. Dont do it! Trust. Faith. Watch college FB today bunch of good games

😃 thanks poppino! Good advice.

Quote
Pompon
Shouldn't we be cautious with potassium?
In which case can it be dangerous?
Mg is harmless if we don't have bad kidneys. But what with K? And what may be considered excess?

Edit: I've yet tried K, without any effect, but quantities were moderate...

Bad kidneys are also an issue with potassium as are consuming some meds. Healthy kidneys will excrete a bolus of potassium quickly.

OK. I'll have another try with K...