Re: Re: first posting here, 32 years old

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/14/04 9:00:01 AM Eastern Standard Time,

noelandjcollins@... writes:

> I have not talked to him about

> ablation, but will. I don't think ablation is the right choice for

> me at this time, but it's obviously a viable option in the future if

> I go into chronic (which of coarse, I hope never happens)

>

Noeland,

Sounds like your feeling a bit better! Excellent.

Regarding ablations. Your success rate is much higher now, verses if you were

in a chronic state.

Rich O

[Guest guest]

As always, your mileage may vary, but here is where I'm coming from. I've

talked sometimes about the three kinds of AFibbers. The first tries to find

relief through 'natural means' -- avoiding triggers, adjusting diet, adjusting

posture and so on. The second tries to medicate the condition. The third wants

a mechanical solution. All three want solutions, but they develop different

mindsets.

I didn't ever have much patience for the natural route. When there's as much

ambiguity as there is with this condition, those solutions all felt like

thrashing about. I've spent five years on the medical route. The dread

amiodarone is the only thing that has any effect on me and that effect is

tenuous. The probability and nastiness of the side effects that go with that

regimen -- and the fact that it only partly resolves the problem -- has been

enough to move me firmly into the ranks of the mechanics. (Plumbers may be a

more apt analogy, but I've tended to refer to EPs as mechanics on this board, so

I may as well stay consistent.)

I found it hard to wrap my head around two concepts as I got there. First, as

we all know --it's our mantra-- " Fib won't kill you. " So why am I going to let

somebody poke a hot wire around in my heart? Part of it refers to the second

concept, but an even bigger part refers to the unspoken part of the mantra. " It

won't kill you, but there are times when you aren't sure that's a good thing. "

Being sick and tired of being sick and tired is a very good motivation to do

something about it. The second concept is that ablation takes place in your

heart, but it isn't 'heart surgery' as we subjectively relate to that term.

It's not like a bypass. You're not opened up. They're not spreading ribs. I

could accept that intellectually, but I needed to accept it in my gut before I

was ready to move into mechanic mode. I've done that, and now I'm waiting for

my turn on the table. It comes in three months and I want that time to fly.

Bill Manson

" If you don't have time to read the comics, you don't have a life. " -- Marcia

G. Kennedy

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/14/2004 6:00:04 AM Pacific Standard Time,

noelandjcollins@... writes:

> occasional dizzy spells, but I recently found

> out my left ear has some problems too.

>

> My bad habits? Well, I don't have many, I don't smoke, take

> drugs, or drink alchohol. I avoid caffeine at all costs, and don't

> drink soda period. My albuterol inhaler though, has a small

>

Noeland,

I'm glad you are feeling better. You have discovered as I did that just

talking to caring people is a great help. Two items in your post caught my

attention, and I felt I should offer some input. First, if you are having

trouble

with your ear, this could be the cause of your dizziness. You may know that

the inner ear is a source of balance for the body, and anything that disturbs it

can cause dizziness. My mother suffered years of dizziness until a doctor

discovered that it was caused by an infection in her inner ear. You should have

that checked out because the dizziness may be unrelated to afib.

The second area of concern is the Albuterol inhaler. You're right in saying

that it has an ingredient similar to caffeine. Albuterol inhalers contain a

form of adrenaline for which the heart has receptors and which can affect the

heart's rhythm. In fact, the Verapamil is a calcium channel blocker which

helps to block adrenaline from the heart's receptors and thereby helps to slow

the heart rate which adrenaline can quicken. Beta blockers also work by

blocking the effect of Adrenaline on the heart, and my afib symptoms have been

greatly reduced by taking a combination of Atenolol, a beta blocker, and

Verapamil

for the past five years. Coffee has the effect of stimulating the production

of adrenaline and thus can have a similar effect to that of Albuterol.

However, I would say from personal experience that Albuterol has a far more

negative

effect on my heart and afib than did coffee. I had to stop using Albuterol

because I simply couldn't tolerate it due to the effect on my heart, which I

didn't know at the time was afib.

You might ask your doctor about a steroid inhaler for asthma in place of

Albuterol. The steroid inhaler is long acting and one must use it for a few

days

before the effect is felt, but it does not have a discernible effect on my

afib. My doctor said that if one used an excessive amount, beyond the

prescribed

dose, it could cause arrhythmia, but normal doses would have no effect

because very little of the steroid is absorbed systemically. I think she said

that

one percent would be absorbed. The steroid inhaler that I use is Qvert, which

used to be called Beclovent. I also use a nasal inhaler with the same

ingredient, Beclomethasone, for nasal allergies. That's called Beconase. There

are

other brands of this type of steroid, I think, but this is just the type that

has worked for me.

I'm glad to notice that you are already feeling better about your afib. If

you can get your stomach under control, you may find that your afib will

disappear or greatly lessen in frequency. I have found that anything which

causes

stomach upset can cause afib for me. By experimenting with various foods,

eliminating dairy products, and changing my diet in other ways, I have virtually

eliminated the afib episodes I have been having for 20+ years. You might want

to try some experimenting with different types of food. Also, try to relax

and stop worrying because afib will definitely not kill you, and you can get it

under control.

Best wishes,

in sinus in Seattle

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/14/2004 10:02:14 AM Pacific Standard Time,

billy171@... writes:

> Someone recently spoke harshly to or she would probably tell you

> of her success with giving up dairy.

>

,

Thanks for the reminder that I should have elaborated more on my dairy

experiment in my previous post to Noeland, in which I mentioned dairy briefly.

So

at the risk of being accused of redundancy, :-) I will address the rest of this

post to Noeland and affirm your suggestion that he should try giving up

dairy, after asking his doctor about it. I also was greatly troubled with acid

reflux among numerous other stomach problems before I gave up dairy. Now I

never

have acid reflux although I do still have some other occasional stomach

problems. Overall my stomach problems are much better and they no longer lead

directly to afib as they did before. Before I gave up dairy and during the year

after I gave up dairy, I was in afib for fifty percent of the time. Then the

afib virtually left nine months after giving up dairy, and now I have few

episodes, only when I have some sort of virus or after extreme stress, such as a

very bad fall. The person who introduced me to the idea of giving up dairy,

Angus, had the same experience with his afib, but he is now completely afib

free.

If you decided to try this dairy experiment, I would advise tapering off

rather than stopping cold turkey as I first did with a result of having severe

stomach problems. When I tapered off, on the advice of in this group, my

stomach problems disappeared. It's a bit like giving up coffee, I think, in

that one can experience withdrawal symptoms. Particularly if you eat or drink a

lot of dairy as I did, I think it's important to eliminate foods and portions

gradually. I won't go into all the reasons for dairy's effect in causing

afib because that might be redundant :-) but if you are interested, let me know,

and I will be happy to discuss this further.

in sinus in Seattle