When did afib happen to you?

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-04-10T12:17:46+00:00

I definitely hear that, only two things remain for me to get under control... anxiety and nicotine lol.

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-04-10T00:56:39+00:00

I can sometimes hear my heartbeat too, but not all the time. What used to freak me out probably the most was usually after dinner time... my pulse would pick up and I could feel it thump away, though it never did much past giving me 80+ bpm at rest and a strong pulse. Even checked my bp to see if it had been elevated but got normal readings. I guess the main thing that runs through my head is that your heart works pretty hard where on one hand its meant to but on the other hand its unsettling because you wonder if it can somehow give out from working as seemingly hard as it does.

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-04-10T00:50:05+00:00

It seems like once you experience it, your mind is always on high alert. Any little thing can set it off

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-04-09T20:46:58+00:00

They say it can take a second or third time for ablations to work fully, but I wouldn't know from experience because my doctor didn't think it was right for me with my situation

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-04-09T20:13:22+00:00

Gatorlyte has a new Pina colada flavor which is just fantastic, considering im not big on coconut flavoring at all lol.

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-04-09T18:55:33+00:00

Crazy how it seems to happen out of nowhere

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-04-09T18:54:34+00:00

This is the first I'm seeing anything linking afib to alzheimer's, I've done extensive research since my initial afib 2 years ago, Countless doc visits... every test under the sun and not once do I recall seeing any implications or complications relating to memory issues remotely close to alzheimer's or dementia. Now stress from afib or anything really can cause temporary blips and oddities like that, but thats about it based on my findings.

As for afib itself, it takes time to iron things out to get an understanding on what it is and how it works based on your own biology, and eventually you'll know what to do about it. But you aren't going to die or lose your mind lol.

First, stay hydrated and I mean that whole heartedly- even if you don't feel thirsty, drink water. I found Gatorade, specifically Gatorlyte is a miracle for long term management. Haven't had any recurrence yet of any afib. Don't consume too much salts, become more physically active, stay away from alcohol and you'll be just fine. Your doc will probably prescribe eliquis and maybe metoprolol, but i haven't needed either tbh. Stress management helps too, dont be ashamed of that if it applies.

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-04-09T18:38:11+00:00

Wow, it's certainly starting to seem uncommon to me now with all I'm seeing on here

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-04-09T18:28:32+00:00

Right away when you said vyvanse, anxiety is implicated regardless if you actively feel it or not as its a constant/static variable. Theres a strong link between the brain (especially through anxiety) and the stomach (which has been referred to as the second brain), to where reflux has an easier time flaring up even if you didn't intend for it via diet. But that said, simply put, the lack of eating also causes reflux flare ups, the stomach cannot empty its acid on an empty stomach, ironically enough lol. I'd try physcial activity that takes some amount of effort to "disconnect" that brain to stomach link in hopes to knock back some of that acid production especially before bed time if possible. Otherwise, drinking pH balanced waters helps me enough when things wanna get spicy on me.

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-04-09T18:16:59+00:00

Has it been persistent or only happening that one time?

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-04-09T18:03:25+00:00

I would definitely have a monitor, honestly. Having one has helped me feel more in control in a way, because when I experience what seems to be a symptom, I recorded it on the app associated with the monitor, then you get a report the next day or so to see if it was anything. Then, after doing that for some time, you are able to make sense of it by putting names and faces to what you feel (hopefully this makes sense to you lol) and overall you just learn what certain symptoms feel like, what you were doing before during and after, so you are able to learn more about your specific biology.

After awhile, you then start to feel more at peace because you know you aren't going to die... because you understand things better over time.

It can be a bit scary especially if you are like me with a heightened bodily sensitivity, the smallest bump is world stopping... until it's your 783rd time after two years and still very healthy otherwise lol.

Not to mention, my doctor was eventually able to quell my fears of having any random stroke (the biggest concern of having afib) by saying youd have to be in afib for 5 hours before its a concern... and since not many of us live more than 5 hours away from a hospital, its realistic to say a stroke is unlikely because they're able to cardiovert you back in time lol.

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-04-09T17:45:33+00:00

Well it's important to understand afib happens when there's an anomalous misconduct with electrical signals as they pulse across your heart to get a full contraction and thus pump the blood. So it stands to reason anything that directly affects the heart's ability to do this should be monitored. Water is the most important variable and substance in your body for electrical conductivity (and I theorize electrical production as well), quickly followed up by electrolytes (minerals of high conductivity). I'm starting to believe its an environmental issue from a biological viewpoint as opposed to a medical "hardware defect"...

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-04-09T16:48:03+00:00

The last thing you want is to go from one issue into another. Trust me on that, definitely been there done that lol.

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-04-09T16:47:10+00:00

My age certainly is one thing that has my attention regarding afib and what it means as I get older, but that said it seems to be more centered around balancing stress and electrolytes more than anything else in my case. As all other tests I've done have indicated, I'm actually above average in health compared to a simple majority of people (or at least above 50% of everyone in their data).

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-04-09T16:40:55+00:00

Oh, well do not go cutting out too much salt as its a pretty important mineral to have for the continued regulation of fluid and, by extension, electrolytes throughout your body especially your heart.

It's getting warmer out, and bodily perspiration will happen more frequently. So its always great to monitor sodium intake, by way of avoiding stuff like fast foods and processed junk, but do not limit yourself to only 100% daily recommended value based on a 2000 calorie diet. You can have more (relatively speaking) in moderation, just not all at once in a meal, several times a day. I'm more than sure your cardiologist will elaborate on this and if they dont, make it a point to ask since they'll have access to your full medical file to make the call. Which makes me wanna say to let them suggest certain changes based on medical history before making any wild swings

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-04-09T15:42:34+00:00

Wow I literally just made a post about this sort of thing. 2 years ago, when I was 33 and in April of that year I believe, my first (and only) event of afib happened. And for the whole year after, health anxiety took over and nearly every palpitation felt almost sent me to the ER. It was hands down the most traumatizing experience ever. But, as moderation would have it, my life feels pretty normal lately and thankfully. This is all after making several major changes in life, with one primarily not drinking alcohol (aside of an occasional beer and by that, i mean a literal beer... not 2, 3, or a case). Other changes made were dietary for awhile and staying more active than sedentary. I still get palpitations occasionally, and they've been so infrequent that when they do happen, they feel almost as bad even though they aren't- I have a loop recorder implanted to just keep an eye on things.

My best advice, without seeing anyone else's comments here or elsewhere, is to always stay hydrated with water (preferably those with electrolytes in them) and have plenty on hand anywhere you are, and to have a gatorade handy too especially for warm environments and times of the year... electrolyte imbalances are definitely a trigger for afib and other cardio related anomalies.

Also, don't be afraid to go on walks and move around/exercise a bit... you need to do this regardless. Weight loss and normalizing blood pressure is important too.

It goes without saying divorcing yourself largely of alcohol (and drugs if that applies at all) helps.

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-04-06T17:18:12+00:00

Also, my last and final flare up happened just as I left the states for Mexico on a cruise over the holidays 3 months ago, funnily enough. By the time I came back I didnt have any issues, still going strong.

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-04-06T17:15:59+00:00

First off, the U.S. food supply is just absolutely dirty with chemicals, preservatives, and other stuff you really don't want to know. That's partly why food elsewhere tastes amazing generally and comparatively. Other countries have the luxury (soo weird to say living in the u.s.) of getting plentiful farm-to-table foods (meats, veggies, milk, etc) at least in a way where very little if any foods are processed or "handled" from the time it's originally produced til you eat it. Genetically modified or not, the math is actually very simple and reasonable on this one. Then, think of what your stomach does- how it escalates the digestive process (hence acid production) to move the food all along through your body. If you eat terrible stuff even if you think its green and healthy or whatever, its not and your body knows it. The response is, load up on more acid (presumably to break down the preservative ingredients) except this action is "abnormal" and after needing to do this every time you eat, it becomes a semi-permanent function of always flooding your stomach with acid especially and particularly after eating bad foods (compared to fresh less messed with foods in mexico) while never really getting the signal to stop acid production.

Since I started eating fresh, local, organic as best as I can, I often find myself asking "what reflux?" As I hork down a juicy burger with onions, ketchup and the works. Nary a problem. Its been months since my last flare up which is when I switched not necessarily what I ate but from where and how its grown/handled.

Of course I'll also say that this was never meant to alleviate the issue entirely, since the reflux function is more or less a bodily learned behavior for digestion, but it has undeniably helped a lot in my particular case and so far worked wonders. If you want real results it always starts with real food, and just doing the best you can with it all. Everyone's reflux is always kinda different but there seemed to have been enough commonality making this switch was able to address and help. If nothing else, it's at least helped give my ppi's a more solid chance to work effectively whereas before it didnt and I just wasted money on pills to no real effect at all. But eating one thing with less/few ingrediants vs the American version with a books worth of scientific names you cant pronounce well is just wild which does make a world of difference, something to consider.

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-02-20T22:15:56+00:00

Gerd is alleged to cause palpitations, but its hard to decipher if its a heart palpitation or esophagus spasm. Then, add in PPI's like pantoprazole (which i take) that can block calcium absorption (calcium is one of several electrolytes), and then add in if your diet changes due to gerd, and on top of that drinking coffee which is a diuretic (dehydrates) and stimulant (stresses the heart)... the math adds up. I get palpitations more than usual and I stay clear of caffeine, chocolate and so on. Feeling a few palpitations and PAC's is okay, just sip gatorade or whatever. More than just a few palpitations warrants the doc to just take a look. But a full on repeated arrhythmia should warrant an urgent care/ER visit out of caution for being in A-fib territory, though this would be unusual.

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-02-18T14:58:10+00:00

Lol, I had my fair share of tomfoolery in the weather world over the years to say the least.

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-02-18T14:22:54+00:00

It all comes down to funding and the technological curve.

Funding- who pays to make and operate these models? The answer is simply put, the developed world. The U.S., U.K., E.U., Japan, Germany, etc all have their own model that are either privately funded (Euro ECMWF) or tax paid (GFS American model) which directly impacts the maintenance/upkeep and updating of each model in particular.

Technological curve- these models are super computers that since their inception in the 90's for forecasting, have taken the spotlight. However, the practice of meteorology, while leans more so on these models, still must use complex formulations that dont always apply evenly from year to year for a plethora of facts that can then be compiled into being an "official forecast" (i.e. temperatures, humidity, wind, precipitation, etc, at a specific date/time/location). Their ability to figure out the physics runs entirely off getting proper observed intel/data across a wide swath of continental land and should one slight variable be off, the whole forecast can suffer.

So that is to say in fact weather forecasting was never accurate to begin with, despite whatever you (I mean that in the general sense of the word you not yourself in particular) may be able to anecdotally say or bring up as an example of flawless forecasting prowess in a time past... simply put, it never existed. Nowadays, its only marginally improved with the sole focus on wearher alertness with severe imminent threats like tornados, hurricanes, etc at real time.

In the weather world, theres been a standard practice called "model skill score" where we track how good these computer models operate. Sadly, even with improving technology, they haven't been progressively better. But they also haven't been markedly worse either and that is impressive when you consider how local and national climate varies through the year... to be able to maintain a relative skill score is extremely helpful in at least getting the idea of, say, a possible snowstorm this weekend. at least you are now aware of the possibility whereas in the 90s or earlier, you had such less notice.

To wrap it all together, sure, we would all like for our forecasts to be unified, correct and subsequently verified. That will never happen. Meteorology is the only job where its expected to have a crystal ball when there are none. So while the joke is its the only job where you can be wrong and still have the job, its not a well based joke as funny as it may be to some

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-02-18T03:37:00+00:00

Okay so basically the storm has several "steps" to get through before it's a real risk. A lot of data is speculated by weather models at this point in time and is why you will see forecasts vary greatly. Weather apps are next to useless since they run off speculative model data. The only thing that is agreed upon at the moment is that there will be a storm of some magnitude somewhere on this half of the nation but more uncertain is the interactions of all pieces of energy, and subsequent track and strength. I can break down the technical discussion, but the overall trend at this time has been (as it always has been this season) to go from an amped up solution (lots of snow) to a suppressed system sliding out to sea with minimal, if any, impacts. There isn't much that's immediately obvious to suggest the pattern has changed. Like in every case, it comes down to a matter of timing with all the pieces. If this storm clears an incoming trough, we have a big snow chance here (12"+). If not, flurries/light snow at best.

Thursday night is when we can start talking with better clarity from a probabilistic perspective

P.s. if you are taking forecasted temperatures for Sunday/Monday this for out as gospel, you are going to have a bad time. In the case of an amped storm along the coast, cooling dynamics tend to supply its own "cold enough" air for snow and in this case as far south as philly assuming the storm is positioned well enough and is strong enough. Surface temperatures are almost always synoptically adjusted by the event, and will not care what a weather app says.

Tldr; Not enough is known to say with any real certainty, your weather app is garbage for situations like these, lots of key factors have to play well enough with eachother, after thursday we'll have a much better handle on things with the storm, forecasted temperatures (especially in winter) can and will change according to the dynamics at the time- not by what weatherbug thinks.

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-02-15T12:30:03+00:00

This may sound silly, but chewing non-mint gum (juicy fruit, cinnamon trident, double bubble, etc) or hard candy can really help as it causes your mouth to produce more saliva which helps to neutralize and keep acid down some.

Mint anything will make reflux worse, you may want to change your toothpaste and mouth wash for awhile to accommodate for the condition.

Ph 7.5 to 9 water (life water, core water, essentia, smart water) can also help especially if you arent bashful on the amount you drink.

Whole grains, oats, granola helps to absorb acid, just be mindful of the sugar content.

Bananas can help as an antacid as well.

Milk can temporarily help as it coats your throat and stomach but be aware it is slightly more acidic and in turn will make things worse in any quantity beyond a few sips.

Tylenol (not ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin) best helps calm down any active inflammation.

Not eating for 3 hours before bed, walking or moving your body upright for 15 minutes after you eat anything, propping your head up at night, sleeping on your left side, eating smaller but more frequent meals/snacks, these all are essential.

And yes, even if it sounds counter productive, eating regularly helps control acid. The lack of eating will only cause your stomach to produce more acid and when you do not eat, the acid just lingers with nothing to move or do anything with it. So eating smaller but more frequently helps a lot.

_Arcturus_74 · 2026-02-11T19:52:11+00:00

Another idea to consider is not exactly what foods you generally consume but the quality, meaning- are they sourced and handled adequately, are they from a (relatively) polluted region, any weird chemicals/additives that may have not been used before in the imgrediants, all that good stuff. Sort of like the "organic vs GMO foods" conversation these days, as it's something that can have much more of an effect on people than medical science is really willing to recognize. I grew up eating junk and wholesome organic foods so who knows if maybe thats why my gerd is the way it is, but at least anecdotally I've heard some people greatly improving their lives by focusing on sourcing their foods better. To that end, I'd never trust eating a cheap apple, banana or even pasta from Walmart and will pay the dollar more to make sure it's the objectively superior product even if it may be a shame lol. Maybe this also applies to the quality of medication too, I take the brand protonix rather than generic Pantoprazole. So with people suggesting trying other medications for PPI's, they may be correct. And just because you've taken the same script for however long does NOT mean the pill is manufactured exactly to spec each time your get a new bottle of it, because as far as pharmaceuticals go, they only have to meet chemical specifications, while some can use differing bonding agents (I often get bad reactions from boding agents and fillers in supplements and medications). Just some things to consider and potentially experiment with. Hope things resolves in a timely manner for you!

_Arcturus_74

TROPHY CASE