Re: Article claiming being overweight causes AFib

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/29/04 6:49:40 PM Pacific Standard Time,

kit9172@... writes:

> How many members are overweight? I am but I

> don't believe that is the cause as there are alot of athletes who

> have afib. Anyone have any thoughts are this?

>

>

Well, the barracuda bitch EP I saw that one horrible time said that though

being overweight had no direct, provable, connection to a-fib, she's seen too

many fat people with a-fib not to think there is a connection. I'm overweight

too, so picture this really condescending, nasty tone in her voice. Oh yes,

she's a charmer all right.

Toni

CA

[Guest guest]

I am also overweight. Hard to believe that there is no connection. I might still

have A-Fib if I lost weight but episodes might be further apart and shorter in

duration.

indiaink99@... wrote:In a message dated 11/29/04 6:49:40 PM Pacific Standard

Time,

kit9172@... writes:

> How many members are overweight? I am but I

> don't believe that is the cause as there are alot of athletes who

> have afib. Anyone have any thoughts are this?

>

>

Well, the barracuda bitch EP I saw that one horrible time said that though

being overweight had no direct, provable, connection to a-fib, she's seen too

many fat people with a-fib not to think there is a connection. I'm overweight

too, so picture this really condescending, nasty tone in her voice. Oh yes,

she's a charmer all right.

Toni

CA

[Guest guest]

At 06:47 PM 11/29/2004, you wrote:

>I just read an article that states this study believes that being

>overweight causes AFib. How many members are overweight? I am but I

>don't believe that is the cause as there are alot of athletes who

>have afib. Anyone have any thoughts are this?

I am overweight. While I don't believe that was the cause ,(AFib started

after a heart attack and continued after bypass surgery), I do believe that

it exascerbates AFib.

in Portland OR

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/29/04 9:16:08 PM Pacific Standard Time,

jackyb1956@... writes:

> I am also overweight. Hard to believe that there is no connection. I might

> still have A-Fib if I lost weight but episodes might be further apart and

> shorter in duration.

>

I totally agree with this too ... I didn't necessarily disagree with the

barracuda bitch EP either ... it was her delivery (in a long line of

unprofessional acts you've all already heard about) that got me. I'm also

losing weight

and have been for awhile now ... it's slow but steady. I figure at the very

least, it can't hurt and maybe vagal pressure would be changed. I think this

condition causes us (or me at least) to look at overall health and try to do

things to help in general. And with all the rest of the health crap I'm going

through lately, I figure maybe it'll help there too ... still not sure if I have

lymphoma. Or when my spleen gets yanked out. The " on hold " part of all this

bites ... then again, so does a-fib.

Toni

CA

[Guest guest]

How much overweight is overweight. Almost all adults in this country are

overweight. Now is it 10 pounds or 50 pounds. Just curious

Joy

" No body can make you feel inferior without your permission "

Eleanor Roosevelt

[Guest guest]

I think that this is another indication that there is no " one size fits all " (no

irony intended) explanation to AF. This truly seems to be a non-discriminating

condition.

By the way, I fit both categories. I've run half a dozen marathons and am now

overweight (partly because I continued to eat like a runner eventhough I

couldn't run.)

Bill Manson

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

G. Kennedy

[Guest guest]

> I just read an article that states this study believes that being

> overweight causes AFib. How many members are overweight? I am but I

> don't believe that is the cause as there are alot of athletes who

> have afib. Anyone have any thoughts are this?

Hi Kit, I agree with Bill, your cause of AF is not necessarily the same

cause as an athletes. AF crops up at the end of many roads. Both obese

people and athletes may have large hearts in common though.

I think athletes predispose themselves to AF because of increased

heart size and increased vagal tone.

Obesity can lead to increased heart size and an increase in heart rate

(it can also lead to sleep apnea, which puts more strain on the heart).

--

D

[Guest guest]

>

> How much overweight is overweight. Almost all adults in this country are

> overweight. Now is it 10 pounds or 50 pounds. Just curious

>

>

> Joy

>

Hi Joy, you'll have to give us a clue to what 'this contry' means to

you Maybe one good clue is the reults of the echo scan most of us

have had. If the heart size is larger than normal this might be a good

indicator of how much weight is overweight for an individual?

--

D (UK)

[Guest guest]

Bill Manson;

I love to laugh, love life; if fact decided to have a

life despite afib. Decided to pay attention to the

functional issues but not the ones I can't control.

So which comics make a life? Comic strips or comics?

We need a light, nonsensical discussion / argument now

and then. I find the " funny pages " really reaching for

a chuckle. In earlier lives I remember that they were

funny.

Dave

--- Bill Manson wrote:

> I think that this is another indication that there

> is no " one size fits all " (no irony intended)

> explanation to AF. This truly seems to be a

> non-discriminating condition.

>

> By the way, I fit both categories. I've run half a

> dozen marathons and am now overweight (partly

> because I continued to eat like a runner eventhough

> I couldn't run.)

>

> Bill Manson

>

> " If you don't have time to read the comics, you

> don't have a life. " -- Marcia G. Kennedy

>

>

>

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

--- Laughlin wrote:

>

> At 06:47 PM 11/29/2004, you wrote:

>

>

> >I just read an article that states this study

> believes that being

> >overweight causes AFib. How many members are

> overweight? I am but I

> >don't believe that is the cause as there are alot

> of athletes who

> >have afib. Anyone have any thoughts are this?

>

> I am overweight. While I don't believe that was the

> cause ,(AFib started

> after a heart attack and continued after bypass

> surgery), I do believe that

> it exascerbates AFib.

> in Portland OR

>

> Does being overweight cause A-Fib? I don't think

anyone really knows what causes A-Fib. Being

overweight may. However, I'm not overweight. My

bodyfat percentage is less than 15%. I am also an

athlete who rows at least 10,000 meters four times a

week. I also have A-Fib. I've tried to determine

what sets it off, but i have not yet been able to.

in Berkeley

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 12/1/04 3:30:53 AM Pacific Standard Time,

boleyn_1@... writes:

> Not really any value add info, however, I've missed any threads

> relating to the ' barracuda bitch EP' just curious as to who and what

> is a ' barracuda bitch EP' ?

>

Ah, could someone have missed my " barracuda bitch EP " saga? Well, in a

nutshell, we switched insurance at work a year ago, so I had to switch doctors.

Urgent care referred me to this EP who has the bedside manner of a rattlesnake.

In one short visit (my only), she left the room three times to take phone

calls. She'd come back and forget where we were. She was rude, obnoxious,

condescending, and not helpful. Then when I got my records for Dr. Natale for a

consult, I read her notes, and she wrote totally inaccurate things in my record,

like my physical exam was " nonremarkable " and more details ... and she never

examined me at all. We only talked. She said she recommended meds, and she

didn't. She came back in after the third phone call and said " where were we "

and I said " we were discussing why I can't take the meds " and she said " oh

yeah, you can't. " Then she wrote in my file that she offered them to me and I

refused them. That wasn't even the main problem. If she's a good EP, I can

take

her horrible personality. Then she wouldn't return my calls (so I had to go

to Urgent Care ... my a-fib had gotten longer and I was in my longest attack

at the time - last June - and terrified). Then she blocked my getting an

ablation with Dr. Natale or anyone else for that matter. Said I refused

medication

so I was " non-compliant " and thus not eligible for an ablation. I ended up

filing a grievance and major complaint against her. These are just the

highlights. The details are worse! Sorry for the redundancy for those of you

who

heard it live as it happened!

Toni

CA

[Guest guest]

Toni, I think it's outrageous that she is the only EP in your healthcare

system. And absolutly outrageous that she is not only useless to you, but now

is

a stumbling block! I would be furious. Sandy

> she's the ONLY EP in

> my healthcare system ... and I wouldn't let her lance a boil on my butt at

> this

> point ... so basically I'm without a doctor. It's making it very difficult

> to get a cardiac clearance for surgery to have my spleen removed to

> determine

> if I have lymphoma ... she's a problem any way I turn these days.

> Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

>

> Toni

> CA

>

[Guest guest]

kuni iwasa writes:

>I was diagnosed with a-fib three and a half years ago when I had body

>mass index (bmi) of 28. I started to diet and exercise in a hope that

>reducing my bmi might possibly help.

One thing for sure is that this " body mass index " is a bad indicator

of whether a person is " overweight " or not. My current BMI is 29, but

I am not overweight (even according to my doctor). It seems to not

work very well for people with a higher percentage of lean muscle.

I've read that most NFL running backs have BMIs in the mid-30s.

If my weight was reduced to a point where my BMI was what is

considered " healthy " (like 25 or less), I would be dreadfully skinny.

It just doesn't work for some people...

Mike Dayton

Huntsville, AL

[Guest guest]

I would suggest getting copies of all your records and tests, and then going to

a doctor of your choice, and simply paying for the visit out of your own pocket.

There is nothing in our healthcare system that says you can't do this.

And if money is an issue, you can call the doctors office, explain your

situation, and ask for an exact price of the visit... that way you can plan

ahead if need be, and they may actually cut you a break if they know you're

going to pay in cash!

Stef

RaichelRidge@... wrote:

Toni, I think it's outrageous that she is the only EP in your healthcare

system. And absolutly outrageous that she is not only useless to you, but now

is

a stumbling block! I would be furious. Sandy

> she's the ONLY EP in

> my healthcare system ... and I wouldn't let her lance a boil on my butt at

> this

> point ... so basically I'm without a doctor. It's making it very difficult

> to get a cardiac clearance for surgery to have my spleen removed to

> determine

> if I have lymphoma ... she's a problem any way I turn these days.

> Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

>

> Toni

> CA

>

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/29/04 6:49:40 PM

Pacific Standard Time,

> kit9172@y... writes:

>

> > How many members are overweight? I am but I

> > don't believe that is the cause as there are alot of athletes who

> > have afib. Anyone have any thoughts are this?snip

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

> >I have lost 17 pounds this year and needed to lose some but this

came off because my asthma meds didn't agree with my stomach. I am

71 years old, 5' 2 " and 125 pounds and I have more afib episodes than

ever, so far 45 episodes this year but the duration was a little

shorter. I still feel losing the weight was a good thing as it put

less stress on the heart, bones etc. but don't expect it to be the

cure-all for you.

Interesting aside, my cardiologist who is very overweight did not

tell me to lose or watch my weight but my GP who had lost a lot of

weight suggested I lose 7 or 8 pounds.

BARB IN PA

> >

>

> >

>

> 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.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Toni, a dear friend of mine is chief administrator of the Mayo Clinic. If

it's okay with you, I will ask him what would be the procedure to follow in your

case and let you know. Sandy

> Yep, Sandy ... color me furious for months and months. Thus the

> grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I'm considering filing a complaint with the AMA as well,

but it's

> hard to figure out exactly who gets the complaint. They basically did

> nothing with the one I did within the healthplan except tell her about it. Oh

> well.

>

> Toni

>

[Guest guest]

I would be furious.

Yep, Sandy ... color me furious for months and months. Thus the

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I'm considering filing a complaint with the AMA as well,

but it's hard to figure out exactly who gets the complaint. They basically did

nothing with the one I did within the healthplan except tell her about it. Oh

well.

Toni

[Guest guest]

Toni, I will email you privately. if this is not okay, please say so, Sandy

> Wow, Sandy, that would be great. I appreciate any help I can get. I

> doubt, however, that even the Mayo Clinic has any authority over my particular

> health plan, which is where the problem resides. But any advice or guidance I

> can get is always welcome. Thanks so much for the offer.

>

> Toni

> CA

>

[Guest guest]

Toni, a dear friend of mine is chief administrator of the Mayo Clinic. If it's

okay with you, I will ask him what would be the procedure to follow in your

case and let you know.

Wow, Sandy, that would be great. I appreciate any help I can get. I doubt,

however, that even the Mayo Clinic has any authority over my particular health

plan, which is where the problem resides. But any advice or guidance I can get

is always welcome. Thanks so much for the offer.

Toni

CA

[Guest guest]

another possible conclusion to this proposition, is that:

beta blockers severely hinder weight loss

as bb's are prescribed for people with af, the 'cure' might infact

be related to being overweight!