Disclaimer: I know that asking on the internet isn’t often the best way but I think we have a cardiologist or two here? I do have an appointment with mine, I’m overdue as I haven’t seen him since the pandemic.


Last Saturday I had a bout of Atrial Fibrillation hit me pretty good at my son’s baseball game. I was diagnosed with AFib a few years back and it’s virtually disappeared after I went on a CPAP in February of 2021 but I think I know what I did wrong; haven’t been eating right lately, haven’t been getting a full night’s sleep for a while and most importantly I think I was dehydrated and drinking too much coffee and not enough water.

The bout lasted about an hour and was a pretty strong one where I felt like shit, felt lightheaded and just not great. Then right about an hour later my heart rhythm went back to normal and I felt better. During that hour however I stepped away from the game and started making myself cough really hard over and over, I was told this can sometimes force your heart to go back into normal rhythm.

Well that didn’t work and all I had for my effort was a sore chest and on my left side when I woke up Sunday morning. Woke up Monday morning and the pain on my left side of my chest was much more pronounced and I got worried. I was pretty certain it was a muscle strain from coughing hard and repeatedly but I drove myself to the ER that morning and got to spend Monday hooked up to things being checked out.

It turns out when you walk into an ER and mention that you have chest pain and on your left side, they won’t even let you sit down. I was seen immediately and given an EKG then a bunch of other tests including a blood test they did twice with 3 or so hours in between to detect heart damage.

It turns out I was right, and it was just a muscle strain, or some sort of other strain, and not heart related, thank God. I have a two year old, a five-year-old, and a seven-year-old, and wasn’t planning on leaving them without a Dad nor my wife a widow, plus my 50th birthday is coming up.

They gave me Motrin there, then discharged me with orders to see my cardiologist right away and review the tests.

My question is, I started taking Naproxen for the chest pain and that did go away in a few days thankfully but I saw something that made it seem like people who are prone to AFib should NOT be taking that? The way they explained it was a NSAID like Naproxen could actually TRIGGER Afib? After reading that, I started just taking plain old Aspirin then until the pain was all gone.

I’ve always preferred naproxen over everything else, but should I not be using that right now? I do plan on bringing this up with my cardiologist when I see him.

Are you on an anticoagulant or Metoprolol?

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Are you on an anticoagulant or Metoprolol?

No, last time I saw the cardiologist he didn’t seem concerned that my (then) occasional bouts of Afib needed meds. Now that I’m on CPAP, they’re virtually nil but for the one episode last week which was the first in like a year.

Your cardiologist will look at your risk factors and decide on the best course. He will probably look at your CHAD score and the results from the tests at your ER visit.

I now use Dr. Sinatra's magnesium which has cured my AFib. He has four types of magnesium in his product. The magnesium I was using previously did not cure the AFib.

In this video, he discusses the four things needed for a healthy heart. His book "The Sinatra Solution: Metabolic Cardiology", discusses the problems you can have with your heart.

If you need to reset your a fib, dunk your head in a bucket of ice water for a few seconds. That’s a very effective treatment. But only for the short term.

Lots of things can certainly exacerbate it like stress and caffeine… Sometimes it just happened for no reason at all.

A cardiac surgeon (electrician) can advise you much better for long term options. I had it my whole life until 2000s with a quick ablation of a secondary circuit and was back to work the next day… Minor mistake.

The reason I finally pulled the trigger was because my primary cardiac guy said he didn’t want me being northbound on the road, while his family was southbound when I might have an episode.

IANAD, but.....

quote:

Dr. Sinatra's magnesium

Whatever you do, be sure to disclose this and any other OTC "remedies" you are taking or before starting them. Magnesium is a perfect example of one that can have negative interactions with some heart and blood meds.

I've had moderate/sporadic aFib for a few years now, went from once every 6 months when under stress to 1-2 times a month and getting to know an actual cardiologist. On a couple things to modulate this and heart rate, along with Eliquis to reduce stroke risk.

It's a weird feeling, and I still get out of rhythm from time to time for 15-90 minutes. Had one of the radiologists I work for ask me to explain how I even knew it was happening, which was when I realized how nuanced but distinct it really is.

Inherited, stress, weight, lifestyle, who knows how I've found myself into this. From what I understand it's not going away without ablation, and that procedure isn't guaranteed and is also potentially several hours under general. We've decided to forego that for now.

I am surprised that they don't have you on a blood thinner to lower the stroke risk. I had a problem with afib about 2 years ago and they did a cardioversion to reset my heart. Worked like a charm until I got Covid a year later. The general cardiologist told me I could stop taking the Eliquis 3 months after the procedure. When I followed up with the EP cardiologist a few months later he told me I would be taking the Eliquis for the rest of my life unless I went through the Watchman procedure.

The general cardiologist retired suddenly just after that with no explanation or warning. So, I take Eliquis now, every day.

I would give the Watchman procedure a few years.

i passed out for 10-12 min in nov 2020.

i drove myself to the local va hospital a few hours later, was admitted into the cardiac unit after a short stay in the er for afib.

i was put on metoprolol/12.5mg, once/day. eliquis/5mg, twice/day.

eliquis has some bad issues with heavy bleeding! i tried to be taken off eliquis but have decided to not take the chance of clotting.

I have a hereditary Heart Disease. Heart attacks took my great grandfather, my grandfather, and my older brother at age 59. BTW, my brother was a life long runner who never smoked. Sadly he was too proud to talk to his doctor about having to stop running and start walking because of fatigue. One simple stress test would have saved his life. There is a hint in that, don't hide symptoms from your doctor.

Anyhow in 2018 I went in for Open Heart Surgery and my heart was actually cut open to repair the Mitral Valve. Also got a triple bypass and my LAD was 80% blocked. BTW, 3 years of walking 6 miles or more every day opened up a lot of perfusion around the blockages, Moderate exercise is very good for the heart. Immediately after the surgery I was in AFIB for 36 hours. One consequence of cutting the heart open is that the heart has to re-learn how to beat properly after all those nerve pathways have been cut. A mother after the surgery I had another spell of AFIB that lasted about 14 hours and had me booked into the hospital for a full day.

Medications, I was on Warfarin for 6 months and that was not the least bit pleasent. Twice a week I had to take time off from work to go have my finger stuck for an INR test. This was all out of concern for AFIB.

Other meds are Aspirin, metropolol, pravastatin, and lisinopril. BTW, I have Arthritis in both thumbs and the radial heads of both wrists and 375mg of Aspirin has been the best answer, it's good for the heart and it is a fairly effective pain killer. I'll also note that reducing my Sugar intake has resulted a lot less pain from the Arthritis. Then there are the dietary requirements.

First is NO CAFFEINE. If you cardiologist hasn't told you this I would suggest you find another, because your current doctor is a MORON. Caffeine is a PRIMARY trigger for AFIB.

The second dietary mandate is a royal PITA. That is to limit saturated fat intake. I work to keep mine in the 12 to 16 grams per day range. As a result I have not had a Pizza, Rib eye steak, Bacon, actual Ice Cream since 2018. Meats I can eat are Chicken, Turkey, and Salmon.

The third mandate concerns Sodium, as in Salt. The recommendation isn't based on need, it's based on our national addiction for Salt. Studies have shown that an adult male actually only needs between 200 and 400 mg per day. BTW, those studies specifically included Athletes such as marathon runners. I do not add salt to any foods that I eat and yes I do eat potato chips. In my case they are Better Made NO SALT chips. Took me about a week to get used to them but I now find that unsalted chips are much better tasting than salted chips.

The point of all this is that you do have options that will probably keep you out of AFIB. Cut the caffeine completely, reduce your saturated fats and Salt and you make a good start. Follow that up with roughly an hour of moderate exercise on a regular schedule and you'll be good for a lot of years. BTW, I am 67 years old, exercise for 1 1/2 hour every other day and have a resting heart rate of 52, my BP is typically about 105/65, my VO2 Max is 40 and I scored 14.8 Mets on my most recent Stress test. According to Garmin my biological age is 46.

quote:

Originally posted by Scooter123:
First is NO CAFFEINE. If you cardiologist hasn't told you this I would suggest you find another, because your current doctor is a MORON. Caffeine is a PRIMARY trigger for AFIB.

The second dietary mandate is a royal PITA. That is to limit saturated fat intake. I work to keep mine in the 12 to 16 grams per day range. As a result I have not had a Pizza, Rib eye steak, Bacon, actual Ice Cream since 2018. Meats I can eat are Chicken, Turkey, and Salmon.

The third mandate concerns Sodium, as in Salt. The recommendation isn't based on need, it's based on our national addiction for Salt. Studies have shown that an adult male actually only needs between 200 and 400 mg per day. BTW, those studies specifically included Athletes such as marathon runners. I do not add salt to any foods that I eat and yes I do eat potato chips. In my case they are Better Made NO SALT chips. Took me about a week to get used to them but I now find that unsalted chips are much better tasting than salted chips.

Thank goodness I don’t have Afib. I can’t imagine life without coffee, ribeyes, or salt. It make me think about the old saw that goes something like, “Eat right, exercise, etc and you don’t actually live any longer, but it sure feels longer.”

I am 69 yrs old, I woke up in Elk camp with AFIB probably 12 yrs ago.Didnt know what triggered it but was put on a thyroid study for acouple years , not sure what triggered it, maybe 10k altitude or something. I do know my Ortho Dr gave me a scrip for Celebrex and it put me in AFIB again. My wife had a Thyroid Cancer event about 7yrs ago and my AFIB had resurfaced and as soon as I got home from MD Anderson in Houston my Cardiologist did a Cardioversion on me I have been in rythem since. I take Flecinade twice a day for that.......I am drinking Coffee as I write this.........

You are right about running Scooter. Dr. Gabe Mirkin was a long distance runner and stopped when learned of the damage he was doing. It also puts three times your weight on the joints.

https://www.drmirkin.com/

My cardiologist hasn’t really said anything about coffee yet but he has given me shit numerous times about my love of salt, guy is anti-salt and wants me to stop using it completely.

He’s from Germany originally and still has a strong German accent; “you muzzt stop using ze salt”

That’s a “Nein” Herr Doktor

There are many factors to consider when treating Afib. Treatment is individualized, as well as dietary suggestions. Wait to see what your cardiogist suggests. It is a very common condition.

Speaking of triggers, and stuff we don't want to skip, alcohol can be a trigger as well. Especially if over 5 drinks in a sitting. Not every day, just a day or two. Technically that's now called binge drinking in medical lexicon.

I mean, I guess it is, but I know plenty of folks who'll have a drink or two during a Saturday, split a bottle of wine and finish off one last drink late, over a 6 hour run.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
My cardiologist hasn’t really said anything about coffee yet but he has given me shit numerous times about my love of salt, guy is anti-salt and wants me to stop using it completely.

He’s from Germany originally and still has a strong German accent; “you muzzt stop using ze salt”

That’s a “Nein” Herr Doktor

Not eating salt is another big "myth" along with low fat elimination along with cholesterol fallacies.

https://www.youtube.com/result...lt+and+hearth+health

Carbs out of control especially sugar are a great point to start addressing.
Other factors that old school doctors who still believe in the SAD (Standard American Diet) are out of touch.

YMMV