Need Help - Atrial Fibrillation, why did this happen i am young!

a couple of months ago i was hospitalized with Artial Fibrillation (when your heart is in an irregular heart beat mode). I didnt do anything abnormal in my daily life that caused this. i noticed my heart beat was or seemed high and went to the emergency. from there they diagnosed me with this condition (atrial fibrillation). they placed me on some medicine to slow down my heart beat and about 12 hours later my heart kicked back to the normal beat and i was sent home. i now have to take cardizem once per day to keep my heart beat down. they want me to stay on this for 1 year. my question is: Why did this happen? Is there a cause? Is it my diet?

i live a normal life and was an athlete for 23 yrs. i dont smoke. i am not overweight. i do drink 2x per week before this happened and have been told not to since then, since the Doctors cannot determine the cause. Stress test, Eckocardiogram, and ultrasounds are all negative. for some reason my heart is prone to this and i am only 26 yrs. old. Please help with any suggestions or advice...

i really want to get back to a normal life where i can go out and have a few drinks and not have worry about this. i am still young but i dont want to live like im 70.

thanks!!!

James

James, it's hard to do, but the answer is, sit back and get ready for a long haul of learning, self-observation, and experimentation on yourself. AF is a very poorly understood condition, and when it arises as in your case as Lone AF, it is by definition not related to any other physical abnormality except, in some people, vagus nerve "tone" (about which you will learn.)

Start here by reading the Questions about Afib at the head of the page (just click on the box). And start reading this forum every day. I was diagnosed almost four years ago, and am still learning things here and in other places in my reading.

Did you cause AF? Almost certainly not in any direct way, the fundamental cause in situations like yours is almost never known, except that often the problematic pacemaker cells are located in the four pulmonary veins that enter the left atrium, and one of the approaches to relieving AF is to electrically isolated those cells by a process called ablation. Any decision to go this way is months, probably years, down the road for you. Many new people spend a lot of time searching for their 'triggers,' the behaviors and/or foods that cause a bout of AF to begin. Included in that list of individually determined triggers are milk, caffeine, cold drinks, aspartame, MSG, wheat and other gluten-bearing grains, alcohol (for some people, not all, so many Afers do not completely stop alcohol, but most cut way, way back), sleeping on the left side, bending over too deeply, too much exercise, cooling down from exercise, some medications --- the list goes on and on. There is something called The List that you will hear about, which consists of people who have defeated their AF (mostly) through diet, and throught he use of such supplements as magnesium, potassium, tautine, certain fish oils, and other things. Other people follow a "paleo" diet, one that consists solely of food that do not have to be cooked (though many paleo dieters do cook them anyway; e.g., potatoes have to be cooked, so they're out; fruit doesn't, so it's OK...).

Start reading as much as you can find, and at least skim read this forum every day. When a particular topic interests you put it int he Search function, plug in subject and de-check author. You'll have to go to "Archieved Bulletin Boards", another box above, where you'll find thousands of emails to apply "search" to. I wouldln't go back any further than the one just preceding this.

Finally, the perosn who runs this sight, Hans Larsen, has written three books, the initial one of which (again, see info at the top of the page boxes) is a godsend of general informjation, all about causes, medications, treatment fallacies and truths, etc., and is highly, highly recommended.

Welcome. We're sorry you're here ( because you have AF), and we'll all do all we can to help out. It's a caring, caring group of people; sometimes it'll take a day or two to see specific answers to your questions because not everyone reads every day, but you WILL get answers. Kagey

James, I should have pointed out that one of the 'virtues' of AF is that it is not imminently lethal, though there are long-term dangers in atrial enlargement for instance (years, not months). Only those who stay in AF for 36 to 48 hours or longer need be on anticoagulation (warfarin, aspirin, nattokinase, other possibilities...). You're not there.

Also, Lone AF seems to be more common among athletes, often of the vagal type (see the Questions box I mentioned before). You'll find lots of company here.

One courtesy addition - with a smile: I am 66. Age ranges on the active forum are from teens into the 90's, with many of the most contributory participants well into ages around and above taht "70" you mention. You'll find out later on that there really IS good life at 70 and beyond. Still kicking, despite the AF (though we DO understand the hideous frustrations of this disease, and empathsize totally). Kagey

Hello James,

When I was in my 30's I had at least two approximately week-long episodes that I now believe were a form of a-fib. Obviously not as bright as you are, I ignored it and slept sitting up until the siege was over. I thought, because I was so young and a woman, that it probably wasn't anything serious. The nice thing is that eventually it went away and didn't bother me again until 6 years ago, so I had many years free of a-fib and medication.

Many people, some even younger than you are, have a-fib. We are all here trying to find out what causes it, regardless of age, so you've definitely come to the right place. I've found great wisdom and support from our members. I've learned that magnesium and taurine help me, but it doesn't work for others. You will have to choose your path, but believe me, I think you will find some good ideas here and hopefully some will improve your quality of life. Good luck!

SharonB

James,

Atrial fib came on me in my early 30's, and it is possible that it was going on earlier than that. (I am 36 now.) Like you, I have nothing that I can point to that caused it... it seems to have just happened.

It can be a tough road, but we all seem to work through it. And, there are lots of options available. Spend some time reading up on this board, and anywhere else you can find some info. And don't panic.

None of us can answer why this happened to you. However, many of us will be happy to share our experiences with atrial fib and the measures we took to fight it. If you ever have specific questions about certain options and treatments, this is the place to come. There is a wide diversity of people here who have lots of great information.

Russ

Hi James

First, I have learned a lot here by listening (judicously) to others. From what you described your condition is similar to mine, but we are all different and you will have to make your own way through all this.

I had a few AF spells before I knew what it was, then one weekend I went into AF and it lasted more than 24 hours, so I went to ER as you did, and the AF showed up nicely on the EKG. They IV'd me until it stopped, about 3 hours. Stayed overnigt and had full heart workup next day. Healthy heart 100% !!

Went to see a cardiologist few days later and also started my own education plan. When I fininshed talking to the cardiologist I felt he knew no more than I. He prescribed Flecanide "pill in a pocket", to take IF and when I have a spell. I have had 5 spells since, and have yet to take the pill. Why? I have developed non-invasive ways to make it stop, mostly just sitting upright in a comforatable chair, but it seems now that drinking a large glass of cold water also helps, I think. MY spells usually pass in 2-4 hours max.. (IF i do the above) SOem people say exercise brings them back to NSR. That is AF. We are in a place of self-experimentation.

My triggers for AF seem to be----

#1 - overexertion
#2 - caffeine
#3 - stress (which I have had a lot of)
#4 - heartburn

Was this your first and only spell? Seems premature to put you on daily medication.

I am very frustrated with how this is interfeering with my exercise, and plans to hike the NC section of the Appalachian Trail. Almost every time I push myself to get in better shape I feel AF creeping back in, usually the next morning.

Best of luck on your journey. Be cautious what you read here, your AF is not as serious as some who post here. Hopefully you and I will never progress to the point we need constant drugs and operations, but no matter what, this malady is not as bad as cancer or heart disease or diabetes or.....

You will adapt over time....be patient

Brian
Raleigh NC

Wow, Thanks!

i cant tell you all how much i appreciate the feedback from my post, it is a great feeling to not feel alone on this. My Doctor seems to think the medicine is the answer for now since we cant determine a cause.

i just went to the store and purchased CoQ10, magnesium, potassium, multi vitamin, and fish oil/omega 3. i dont plan to over load on these but start working them into a daily routine. i will contact my doctor about his feelings on these supplements.

i am going to request a intracelluar mineral exam to see if i am lacking any nutrients of such.

one thing i forgot to mention...when i was intially in the hospital the doctors had gone through a complete health exam to rule out everything and wanted to point at the possibilites of alcohol being the cause. keep in mind i really only drank on the weekends for the past couple years. before that i was a normal college student/athlete that drank numerous times a week and never ever had a problem or symptom of AF. since my AF in November, i have only drank a few times very, very moderately. i did over due it on New Years of course and felt fine. however, the next day i did go to emergency because i felt like i was back in AF but i wasnt!!! it seemes like my heart was trying to go into it with random beats here and there but the medicine held me back...

any feedback??? i really look foward to changing my diet and adding supplements so i can get back into a normal life style and have more than 2 drinks on random weekends when i like to, since i am still in my 20's.

i really look foward to being a part of this forum!!! again, i cant tell you how much this means to me for help and support!

James

James,

There are many folks who find that alcohol worsens their atrial fib. And, it does seem to be well-accepted that acute alcohol overuse can cause episodes of atrial fib, known as the "holiday heart" syndrome. There is no real consensus on this, though, since the vast numbers of people who get blasted up one night don't get atrial fib in the morning. And, there are a number of "regular" atrial fib sufferers here who believe that alcohol actually helps their condition, rather than aggravates it.

You bring up the point of historical alcohol consumption, and that is a good question. I enjoy drinking over the weekends, and like you, college was quite the foray into decadance. (What a great time) It would be convenient to say that this regular use for so many years is what caused or at least facilitated my atrial fib. I don't really believe this, though, because lots of people drink without atrial fib, and there's lots of people here with atrial fib that do not drink.

It seems very common to look for reasons when things like atrial fib enter our lives. Alcohol is often a primary suspect in these searches, for good reason, I suppose. However, I personally don't believe that general long-term use is necessarily a cause, at least in my case. I also don't believe that it ever made my atrial fib any worse, in an acute fashion. But I do believe that I could be completely wrong, because I know it is easy and convenient to discount these possibilities when you like to drink.

My two cents. I say bottoms up
Russ

Hi James,
I can completely relate to you.
I am now 29 years old and i was diagnosed with paroxysmal AF when i was 24 years old.I think when you get diagnosed it is very normal to go through the process of questioning the ifs and whys of what has caused our AF especially at a young age,I remember my first time in a cardiology ward i was the youngest there and that was quite difficult to understand what the hell i was doing there at 24 yrs old.But sometimes there is no reason and your ifs and whys are never answered and its a case of excepting and understanding it.For me this forum has been the best medication,i used to feel so isolated and alone when i was first diagnosed but just talking to people and sharing experiences with people who have an understanding of AF has been such a great help for me,i even found and spoke with 3 other young affibers(a rare breed lol)but that was great as from we could really relate to eachother.
Get as much information as you can on your AF and just try to be possitive(easier said then done lol)
If you ever want to chat or ask anything then feel free to email me.
Take care,
from one young affiber to another lol xxMimixx

Hi James,
I'm another young afibber, I'm 28 but this all started about 10 years ago. It takes courage to come to terms w/ afib and deal with it as you're doing, i was in denial for at least 5 years and have only recently been really involved in my care.
As for the alcohol thing, I think everyone is different (as you will find from reading this board). I developed afib before college so don't feel guilty about "causing" your afib by drinking. I'm sure my college years didn't help, but oh well that's in the past. For me, alcohol usually isn't a trigger. If I'm feeling like afib may happen (I usually have a few hours before my episodes where I feel random beats for a few seconds at a time) I don't drink. If I'm having a good day, I have a drink with friends and see what happens. Usually my heart will warn me if it's going to go into afib and I put the drink down, 95% of the time nothing else happens. Is this a perfect system? No, but dang it I enjoy a social drink now and then and for me it's worth it.
Take care, if you want to talk to another young person shoot me an email.
Jess

James - I had a single AFIB episode like yours about a year ago. Am 51 and had been an active recreational runner (10ks and marathons). Drinking pattern was the same as yours. I followed this board intensly and did research and chose a supplement route along with caffiene reduction and alcohol reduction. I chose not to stop running because I felt that this contributed to all of my otherwise very positive test results (cholosterol, trig, etc). I chose not to take the medications that I was given to "prevent" AFIB until I saw if I had a pattern of developing it.

I chose not to give up anything entirely, but to reduce and moderate those factors that could have contributed to my AFIB. I know I had become dehydrated that day cutting brush and trees in very cold weather with jacket, etc.

Last year I did more races, running and triathlons, than I had done in any year in my life, fast enough to win or place in my age in several races. I have also had no further AFIB episodes. I have followed a more heart healthy program, brought down my bp which was my only somewhat high factor, and moderated most other 'vices'.

I guess the message I would give you is I would be careful assuming that you are going to be a chronic AFibber based on a single episode ( or single cluster).

I am not saying I am not an Afibber. Having had an episode, I am sure I am more likely to have another one. As I am in health care I see what happens with a medical community that really doesn't understand the problem.

Balance may be the key.

Good luck.