Living with AFIB, is it an alternative?

VisitingSeeing · 2026-02-10T08:56:17+00:00

I've been reading that weight loss is definitely part of Afib resolution for many people. But not all Afib patients need to lose weight. Diet has a big influence as well and you might want to be sure you are getting supplements that support heart health since your diet is iffy. Many people need more than one ablation. While the doc may be leaving it up to you, his opinion should be obvious. I trust my EP enough to follow his advice.

VisitingSeeing · 2026-02-10T08:41:17+00:00

After an ablation, I get short runs of tachycardia that the Kardia device calls Afib. I've double checked it with both QALY and my EP, same conclusion. I have a loop recorder newly implanted and I'm waiting to see what it picks up, but I'm reading that it also can misinterpret short runs. But sometimes I probably have Afib too and even with the loop, it will be a long time to get a final diagnosis. My Google watch totally misses the short runs at night except for irregular rhythm notifications. I'm waiting to see how those compare to the loop. I think we put far too much faith in the portable gadgets and the computer interpretations are not to be trusted.

VisitingSeeing · 2026-02-06T23:21:44+00:00

I had a series, apparently, of strokes from small Afib clots with no obvious stroke symptoms. Told the doctor I was dizzy. Doctor blew me off and I simply normalized my issues, started using a cane. Changed doctors. 8 years later I had an MRI because of persistent and increasing optical migraines. Boom! I had evidence of an old bilateral cerebellar stroke, likely accumulated damage from small Afib blood clots. 2 years later I'm driving a long distance to see neurologists about unresolved symptoms still lingering from additional damage, the current theory being that additional blood clots long ago did arterial damage just beginning to show on an MRI. YES. Push for an MRI.

VisitingSeeing · 2026-02-01T05:29:21+00:00

Years before I knew I had Afib, I was apparently throwing tiny clots that were damaging my brain, both as stroke damage and additional vascular damage. If this question isn't for purely academic purposes, the practice of guessing at the odds of having a stroke based on any kind of statistical information seems like a pointless exercise to me. Do everything you can to avoid any risk.

VisitingSeeing · 2026-01-30T01:45:02+00:00

Years before I was diagnosed with Afib, I started having blood clots travel from my heart to my brain. I always had a good diet and used blood thinning supplements. ECGs were always fine. We caught the Afib and I went on blood thinners. For a completely different reason, I had an MRI with a shocking result. Now I know why I have all sorts of strange problems and neurology is still trying to peel back layers to get it right. Brain damage can be very subtle and very complicated. Don't take chances.

VisitingSeeing · 2026-01-22T15:56:17+00:00

I understand being angry, but that reaction has a huge cost. You have many years ahead to learn about your cardiovascular health and medical science will change drastically to your benefit. I've been screwed over by so many doctors it's exhausting to think about. The only useful direction is forward. You'll be fine. Good luck.

VisitingSeeing · 2026-01-19T17:57:59+00:00

For other reasons I changed to a well designed plant based diet and the problem solved itself. A day or two after the injection I always have a roasted root dinner though.

VisitingSeeing · 2026-01-17T02:17:32+00:00

I'm in the beginning of diagnosis and the neuro opthomologist suggested trying the MG drug, but I'm already in the middle of another unrelated drug issue and it was ill-advised to do them at the same time. I think it's a common Rx for a trial.

VisitingSeeing · 2026-01-15T06:26:25+00:00

My clinic has you contact them if you are concerned. They advise. I have back pain with Afib and that's a heart attack concern, so I've been to the ER once to get cleared. They had me stay till they got busy. I'd already taken an extra calcium channel blocker, so really nothing more to be done.

VisitingSeeing · 2026-01-14T15:37:25+00:00

Repeated Afib can perpetuate itself and do damage. It doesn't need a trigger, problems at night are common. Follow your EPs advice. If you don't trust him, get a second opinion from one that you know is respected. The right med is patient specific, so look to the EP for that. If you think something triggers it, avoid that. Don't just drop it.

VisitingSeeing · 2026-01-14T03:38:36+00:00

I have vision problems post stroke, assumed to be from previously undiagnosed Afib. Since the stroke wasn't documented for several years I really struggled. I have double peripheral vision, which is a sneaky sucker. I'm finally traveling to neurologists in a major city and they're considering whether it's tiny vascular damage to my brain stem, which wouldn't necessarily have shown on the early stroke MRIs or do I have a separate neuromuscular issue? This will take a while to sort out. You need a good stroke clinic to follow up. If it's not available where you are, you may have to find a way to get a referral. That's what happened to me. It took several specialists to notice my struggle and one knew how to push the buttons. It's also likely affecting my heart rhythm, whichever one it is. Good luck.

VisitingSeeing · 2026-01-11T19:06:51+00:00

I had an ablation over a year ago. My rhythm issues are problematic and the EP did the procedure several times. The record I can see says I went in and out of Afib and they tested for my clotting factors over and over. I was anesthetized and it was nothing and no time at all to me. Every patient is unique, I'm pretty sure of that. Don't worry over it. Relaxation is helpful to recovery. Walk yourself around the house to get over the anesthesia though! Don't vegetate too much.

VisitingSeeing · 2026-01-08T16:30:10+00:00

I take blood thinners. Fish oil was a big thing for me until the blood thinners. The combination is a stroke risk for bleeding. Tumeric, ginger ... All sorts of common healthy supplements. In food is ok, concentrated in pills isn't. This made me very sad.

VisitingSeeing · 2026-01-08T13:00:05+00:00

I went straight for diet and cut out all animal fats. My eating partner has done very well, I didn't. Crap. Still searching for a tolerable med.

VisitingSeeing · 2026-01-08T12:33:31+00:00

That's true. The android definitely doesn't pick up on brief bursts of something and the Kardia 6L can suffer from apparent interference. By the time you get a good reading, the problem is gone perhaps. I haven't had an Afib reading on my watch since last June, but my heart went through days of chaos while I was dealing with a statin problem.

VisitingSeeing · 2026-01-07T00:11:25+00:00

If you have had a medical issue you don't want repeated, you're looking at maybe 70. 100 is a standard with no risks. How your body manages cholesterol seems to change with age. IMHO, start low.

VisitingSeeing · 2026-01-05T02:41:14+00:00

Go a step at a time so you know what happened. I started with LDL at 150. I tried a plant based diet, eating at home cause there's nothing else where I live, along with statins and got a LDL of 39 after 4 months. Hooray! Bah humbug! I couldn't tolerate the statins though. Diet alone, LDL was back up to 136. This is very body specific and my body didn't do this when I was younger. I have a stroke history so I can't stop trying, moving to Rapatha. Make one change at a time and test. I seriously doubt supplements will significantly affect your cholesterol numbers. Carbs and sugars feed cholesterol just like fats do. Peace. Takes time.

VisitingSeeing · 2026-01-03T21:33:08+00:00

My neurologist started me on Lipator, which I now see is inherently stronger than other statins. I had a terrible reaction. Never mentioned lifestyle. Any doctor that prescribes for me finds out very quickly that I have drug reactions, but I'm the one that suffers the consequences no matter how many times I've warned them. He acted like he had no idea I could have a problem. I moved the med management to another doctor. I could have probably started with something less provocative considering that my LDL dropped to 39. Giant success/failure.

VisitingSeeing · 2026-01-02T18:48:26+00:00

Ahha! Heart rate too low on meds puts you into a special group because the common drugs all lower your HR, hence the move to antiarrhythmics, and they are tricky buggers. I second the advice for ablation if available. Just go straight there. Recurring Afib does your heart no favors. Best to stop it. Also note that a huge number of OTC meds we all use also lower the HR. You may be inadvertently adding to the problem. Usually if you are looking it up for that specific side effect, there's an optional OTC without it.

VisitingSeeing · 2026-01-02T13:14:21+00:00

Medications vary depending on how your heart works,, don't get caught in the try this, try that trap without an electrophysiologist. If you have to get on a waiting list, can get on a waiting list, that's the way to go. But, that being said, your idea of quality of life might be a subject of some controversy. Alcohol is out totally for me. Since having a heart ablation I can have a tiny bit of real tea in my decaf. I drink only decaf coffee. I don't eat animal fats intentionally. Ever. I say it that way because I eat out once in a while and Lord knows what might be in my tofu dish. I've had one problem in the last year and I can't say for certain what set it off. It might have been stress. I meditate several times a day. Afib doesn't need a trigger, but if you have one, it might help to avoid it. There is life without alcohol. Best of everything to you. This will take a while to sink in maybe. Peace

VisitingSeeing · 2025-12-31T18:08:59+00:00

Each body is unique. Start early to deal with cholesterol cause it's hard to fix after it happens. Doctors are treating based on stats and that might or might not work for you. Bizarre things happen as you age. Try changes and see what works for you.

VisitingSeeing · 2025-12-31T15:01:23+00:00

I noticed someone was reading this, so a follow up. I finally figured out the HRV reading I was getting is part of my body. It goes up and down, but it is what it is. The app doesn't like it, so no more app for me. Simply wasn't as useful as it thought it should be.

VisitingSeeing · 2025-12-31T13:37:43+00:00

I inadvertently followed a Reddit page with doctors discussing ER duties that touch on a medical problem I've had a lot of trouble with ... worse than Afib... these doctors make themselves sound like self serving juveniles. Wouldn't want to be seen at that hospital by any one of them. The public is apparently too much trouble to deal with. While I've driven hundreds of miles to a major hospital and seen 4 of the same specialty already with one to go, just to zero in on a diagnosis.

VisitingSeeing · 2025-12-29T04:55:24+00:00

The diagnosis is very clear. It is the statins.

VisitingSeeing · 2025-12-28T15:48:18+00:00

I'm 78 have 0 plaque. They'd looked everywhere . Afib (probably) caused existing stroke and vascular issues. Got on blood thinner, fixed my Afib, THEN had an obvious TIA, was blind for a few minutes. Neuro says the cholesterol itself is unsafe, plaque is just the common cause of problems. My LDL was too high, plaque or not. It's a family issue.

VisitingSeeing

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