Guest guest Posted October 27, 2004 Report Share Posted October 27, 2004 In a message dated 10/27/2004 11:17:54 AM Pacific Daylight Time, monahan_kelly@... writes: > The doctors told > me this is something you can live with, personally I don't think so, > I think it's annoying as all hell. How fast can your heart rate go > before you go into cardiac arrest? Does dehydration have something > to do with A-fib? seems like when I get the flu, or if I drink to > much I get it real bad. How many people out there have had many > years of of being A-fib free with meds? I personally enjoy drinking > not a whole lot, but I'm young and that's what alot of my friends, > and family do, any advice like drinking alot of water before going > out or is this something that, or I have to give up all > , Afib will not kill you, but worrying constantly about dying will make your afib worse, I have discovered. I have had afib for 20+ years with heart rates at times of 240+, but I have never had cardiac arrest yet and I am obviously still here living a normal, active life. :-) My older brother in permanent afib has had afib for probably at least 30 or more years. He attributes his afib to drinking alcohol, which he stopped drinking entirely 24 years ago. Unfortunately, he is now stuck with the permanent afib even though he no longer drinks. He believes and I do, too, that the reason he was in permanent afib by the time he was my age while I am still paroxysmal (not permanent) is that he drank excessive alcohol whereas I have never drunk alcohol. I would strongly advise you to give up the alcohol. If you know that it is a trigger for you, then it just makes sense to stop drinking. I know very well how hard that can be because I have given up two of my favorite substances: caffeine and dairy products. Giving up these two " pleasures " which played a very important part in my life was agony. I actually went through " withdrawal " in both cases, but it was definitely worth it because I now have afib rarely whereas before giving up my favorites, I was in afib 50 percent of the time. I have never regretted stopping coffee and dairy because living without afib is so much better. Of course, you could have other triggers besides alcohol, also, but stopping the alcohol would be a start. Then you could experiment with other triggers, leaving out other suspect foods for a time, to see it there is improvement. Improvement may take a while. It took almost a year after I gave up dairy to see improvement, for example. One must not expect immediate results from any afib related experiments, I have learned. For example, it can take days for stress, another common trigger, to cause an afib episode. I have rarely experienced afib while a stressful event is going on, but hours or days later the afib will start. The main message I can give you is to relax and stop worrying but do all you can to help yourself. I used to be hysterical 20 + years ago when my afib was starting. I would sit around crying all the time during an episode, and like you, I was sure I would die. But here I still am all these years later. I can assure you that you won't die from afib, and it's unlikely at your age to have a stroke. I was very young when my afib started and didn't take Coumadin, a blood thinner, until five years ago, but I never had a stroke. The same applies to my brother. It might not hurt to take an aspirin a day even if you don't need it, but I think you should check with your doctor on that because you could have other problems that would make an aspirin harmful. Again, don't worry but do try to eliminate as many triggers as you can, reduce stress, and take the med your doctor has given you. It may take time, but you will probably see improvement. It's only taken me 20 years to reach an almost constant state of sinus, but the hard journey and the sacrifices have been definitely worth it. We afibbers usually can't have it all, but any necessary sacrifices are worth the effort and pain, in my opinion. Sinus is wonderful. in sinus in Seattle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 27, 2004 Report Share Posted October 27, 2004 I need to know if A-fib just gets worse with time? Not necessarily, . It depends on so many different factors. There are lots of different medications you can try before you start thinking about an ablation, though it's certainly an option down the road. I think it's running about 65-70% success rates; sometimes a second ablation is necessary and after that the rate of success is in the 90%ile. We've all been told that afib is not life-threatening and that we can live with it blah blah blah, which is true, BUT you are right that it is annoying as hell. Dehydration may be a trigger for afib. Some of the more well-known triggers are alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine. I personally also very much enjoyed drinking with friends and it was part of my former lifestyle. Once I realized alcohol was triggering afib, I quit. I still feel resentful at times when my husband is partying and I am not...but those are the breaks. Quitting drinking was one of the things I had to do to take care of myself. Your chances of having a stroke are quite slim as long as you take something for clot control, such as aspirin. I would think your doctor has already told you this, but if not, maybe you want to look for another doctor, in particular, an EP --electrophysiologist (cardiology specialty) to work you up and give you advice. I know of one woman (a nurse) with afib who has carried two babies -- she says the afib was worse in her last months and she just had to tolerate it because she didn't want to take any medications (for rate control) during her pregnancies. As far as supplements are concerned, some of us have had some improvement with magnesium. I personally also supplement with Co-Enzyme Q10, Hawthorne Berry, L-Carnitine, and a host of other vitamins and minerals. Hang in there. Sandy > How many people out there have had many > years of of being A-fib free with meds? I personally enjoy drinking > not a whole lot, but I'm young and that's what alot of my friends, > and family do, any advice like drinking alot of water before going > out or is this something that, or I have to give up all > together.There is no rhyme, or reason for my episodes, one day it > could be crackers that do it, bread, alcohol, potato chips, corn, > rice, or nothing at all.This has to be the most messed up thing in > the world it seems like.What's the chance of having a stroke? Should > I be on aspirin. I have never (as of yet) had an episode last more > that 20 hours, and the doctors told me you can't form a clot until > after 48 hours of A-fib, is that true? How many people die from this > disease ever year? I just can't believe this isn't a life threatning > illness like they tell me. I have had many tests done and all came > back negative so I have no underlying heart disease, but I can't > help but worry that I'm going to die from this. Can you carry > children when you have something like this? I'm very new at this and > very scared so if anyone could share there experiences with me I " d > appreciate that. Thanks P.S does taking supplements help? > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 27, 2004 Report Share Posted October 27, 2004 ; I don't like to use absolutes, but from my experience, I had to quit drinking period. I tried to get the AF to compromise, but it wouldn't. And it was tough because I was a six pack a day guy for years. I think the drinking masked the AF - that is why I drank. So after two scary attacks in three years, and many uncomfortable episodes, I just gave up the alcohol altoghther. Smoking, too. And now, I am symptom free. I take lopressor and magnesium everyday and feel like a new man. And when I go out with my drinking buddies, I just tell them I can't drink anymore and they have to help me NOT drink because every time I do it's another 20K at the ER - one expensive six pack! And they all understand and help out. Your friends will, too. monahan_kelly wrote: I need to know if A-fib just gets worse with time? If so should I be setting up an appointment to get an ablation. I've been hospitalized twice in one month now, but have had palpations for six years, seems to be getting worse.They have me on inderal 80 mg should I wait and see what this med does for me than if I have another attack make an appointment? How curable if any is this operation? The doctors told me this is something you can live with, personally I don't think so, I think it's annoying as all hell. How fast can your heart rate go before you go into cardiac arrest? Does dehydration have something to do with A-fib? seems like when I get the flu, or if I drink to much I get it real bad. How many people out there have had many years of of being A-fib free with meds? I personally enjoy drinking not a whole lot, but I'm young and that's what alot of my friends, and family do, any advice like drinking alot of water before going out or is this something that, or I have to give up all together.There is no rhyme, or reason for my episodes, one day it could be crackers that do it, bread, alcohol, potato chips, corn, rice, or nothing at all.This has to be the most messed up thing in the world it seems like.What's the chance of having a stroke? Should I be on aspirin. I have never (as of yet) had an episode last more that 20 hours, and the doctors told me you can't form a clot until after 48 hours of A-fib, is that true? How many people die from this disease ever year? I just can't believe this isn't a life threatning illness like they tell me. I have had many tests done and all came back negative so I have no underlying heart disease, but I can't help but worry that I'm going to die from this. Can you carry children when you have something like this? I'm very new at this and very scared so if anyone could share there experiences with me I " d appreciate that. Thanks P.S does taking supplements help? Web Page - http://www.afibsupport.com List owner: AFIBsupport-owner For help on how to use the group, including how to drive it via email, send a blank email to AFIBsupport-help Nothing in this message should be considered as medical advice, or should be acted upon without consultation with one's physician. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 27, 2004 Report Share Posted October 27, 2004 In a message dated 10/27/04 2:17:20 PM Pacific Daylight Time, wfstrong23@... writes: > , That's exactly what my brother has said about his drinking and his afib. He said that he would feel that mammal starting to kick up in his chest, symptoms of afib with which we are all familiar, and just one drink would quiet the mammal so that he no longer noticed the symptoms. At the time he thought the alcohol was curing the problem, but he realized later that the alcohol was just " masking " the afib which was still there and growing worse because of his drinking. So it was a vicious circle: he drank more and more as his afib worsened and his afib worsened as he drank more. He hasn't touched a drop of alcohol in 20+ years and now lives a normal life in permanent afib. Coincidentally, his name is also ! in sinus in Seattle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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