Back in NSR, but with questions

I decided to start a new line, since the BB moves so fast.

To update from my AFIB episode last night, I converted to NSR at about 7 AM. I slept the night (first time with Afib), woke up at 6 still in Afib, fell back asleep and woke up at 7 in NSR.

Before bed I had LSV8 and magnesium. By the way, I seem to tollerate the vitamins well with no noticable side effects - unless I take too much mag at one time.

I am going to follow up on some of the suggestions to consider a "pill in the pocket" approach. But before I start, I still hope to avoid episodes by avoiding triggers, but that is not working so well. I am also going to see a EP for more advice before I move to more powerful drugs.

My guess is this recent episode was triggered by over exertion, coupled possibly with dehydration (mild) since I did drink quite a bit of water during the day) and maybe my failure to take potassium and magnesium to offset loss from exertion and drinking water.

I had such a positive attidude about beating this with lifestyle changes, now I am not so sure. I hate to take the drugs because of concerns about side effects, but I do not want to live my life in fear of these episodes of Afib.

For most of today I was fairly depressed. Probably part mental and part physical.

I have changed my diet, suppliment with vitamins, but still need to loose the extra weight. I am down to a 2000 calorie a day diet, but still not really loosing much. The beta blockers slow my metabolism so much, I think it contributes to my wieght gain.

In summary, here are things that I feel have tiggered episodes:

1. Alchohol - even 1 beer or glass of wine
2. Chinese food (msg? or excessive sodium)
3. Stressful event
4. Over exersion

If I can manage these, plus loose the extra 50 lbs, do I have a chance?

Hi Ed,

Your 4 points at the bottom of your mail are all perfect triggers. Alcohol and Chinese Food with its loading of MSG are both completely out for me as both always sent me straight into AF. Stress and over exertion should probably be handled very carefully by anyone, not just those of us who suffer with this "Beast". My only alcohol these days is half a glass of the best red wine with my Christmas Lunch! apart from that I drink mineral water. My present AF free state is, I think, all down to magnesium and taurine supplementation. I don't supplement with potassium due to raised blood pressure but I eat as many high potassium foods as I possibly can to get my levels up and drink various juices, particularly apple which I enjoy. Beta blockers do slow your metabolism down as does an under active thyroid which I also medicate for, so I sympathise with your weight problem. I permanently struggle to keep my weight at the right level but once you find the right balance of food and avoid all, or at least most, of the processed stuff I have found it is much easier to deal with. You will find good references on this board for supplementing and diet so keep reading.

Sue, i do not understand why your doctors do not want you to supplement potassium due to high bp [potassium is well known for a bp lowering effect], unless you are already taking K-sparing drugs for it, the ACE inhibitors in particular. Is that the case?

Ed, if you did not take your K and Mg supplements that day, and played vigorously, and got an afib episode out of it, how is that a failure of these supplements to protect you from afib? I do not mean to give you a hard time, but a useful thing to do would be to take your supplements faithfully for a week or so, and try this sport again on a day when you have remembered to take them, [and to hydrate well of course] and see if the same result occurs. Will you tell us just what you are taking for Mg and K supplements, what brand, what dosage? Sue and myself have both gotten rid of our afib by this means, so you can see why we would be curious.

It might also be useful for you to put George's name into an author search, and read his posts til you come to one of the ones where he talks about his experiences with vigorous sports and intermittent K shortages caused by these sports, and how he had dealt with this. George is another person who has gotten rid of his afib attacks by K, Mg, and taurine supplementation.

A thought - you are not using something like gatorade to hydrate with, are you? Plain water, i hope? Because those sport drinks like gatorade either contain lots of sugar, in which case the accompanying insulin surge uses up your potassium stores, or else they contain artificial sweeteners, and if i had a dollar for every afibber who has said those artificial sweeteners give them afib, i would be a wealthier woman today.

About the betablockers contributing to weight gain, Jackie has complained of that same effect. Maybe she will read these posts and comment on that. If it happens that she does not then post at the top and ask about it again. She has overcome this effect [as i recall, hope i am right about that] and may be able to help you with it.

PeggyM

"In summary, here are things that I feel have tiggered episodes:

1. Alchohol - even 1 beer or glass of wine
2. Chinese food (msg? or excessive sodium)
3. Stressful event
4. Over exertion"


1. Before I was diagnosed with heart arrhythmia, I had migraines; these were triggered by even one mouthful of anything alcoholic. This was an allergic-type reaction triggered, I think, by mineral deficiency.

2. Free glutamates, including those found in Chinese food.

3 and 4 Both emotional and physical stress seem to use up minerals - this would indicate that you are still mineral deficient.

My succesful solution to this has been to avoid anti-nutrients such as preservatives and other chemicals found in food, and eat raw meat and raw seafood, the only reliable sources of minerals, as well as adding dried seawater (Celtic salt) to my drinking water when I expect to sweat more than usual.

The paleolithic diet works.


William

Hi Peggy,

You are absolutely right. Not only have they got me on potassium sparing diuretics I also take an ACE inhibitor too and they are not happy about any potassium supplements. I find that my modified paleo diet and paying particular attention to eating high potassium content foods is the best I can do on this and my potassium levels in my last blood test were very good. I am happy to report that my Taurine, Magnesium etc., is still doing a brilliant job of keeping me AF free so I am (on the whole) a very happy bunny! I hope you are feeling OK now and can get back on your Taurine soon.