Thank you Scott, I am extremely cautious with my diet esp since it's already limited. I've been a vegetarian for 20 yrs and a bit of a health nut. I limit by fats and sugers, and eat wisely. The only food which bothers me is soy which i was eating a lot of but had to limit because of the coumadin. It didn't bother me until the coumadin. I don't have any caffine anymore per Drs order even though it never seemed to bother me. That was the hardest giving up my coffee, tea and chocolate. More often certain meds bother me. I was taking tramadol for my fibromyalgia but since i've been on the coumadin I have a horrible reaction to it. That leaves me nothing for pain which I have a lot of. I have fibromyalgia, Oseoarthritis and Sjogrens Syndrome which all cause muscle and/or joint pain. Also I was taking very small doses of klonopin for anxiety when the a fib really acted up. Now that also causes wierd reactions. I'm now working more with my meditaion and relaxation techniques. Thanks for your interest.

Hello again Shantima,
I am so sorry for all your problems. Yes, I can understand the dilemma with your A Fib combined with the other stuff, OMG, I hope you can at least find the answer to your A Fib soon.

Well, I am also a vegetarian but not so strict any more. I was very strict before my A Fib 10 years ago. My A Fib changed some stuff in me. For example, I started eating a little fish since I read in a research that heart needs protein and the A Fib might be caused by lack of enough protein. Also, I started having eggs and whey protein powder every day.

As a vegetarian, you probably eat greens. I did and still do. Greens have lots of potassium, which affect the electrolytes in the body. Also, some beans like lima beans have lots of potassium. At one point, I could not eat lima beans, brown rice, cucumber, garlic, or drink coffee since they all have lots of potassium. After a while, my body healed itself. Now, I drink lots of coffee, some lima beans, brown rice, no kale though. That is what I mean by watching your diet. I was not implying you were eating unhealthy. I was trying to point out to change what you eat and see if your A Fib gets better. There is a government site that has the mineral contents of all foods. Here is the link "http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/main.htm" That is what I used to find out what I can eat that does not have lots of potassium.

Yes, in general, doctor say do NOT drink any thing with caffeine. But, it does not apply to everybody including me. When I get my A fib (because I ate something), I drink a cup of coffee. It makes it better.

That is what I was trying to say that doctors have a recipe for A Fib. But, it does not apply to everybody since the cause of A Fib is different in people. After my A Fib, I quit drinking coffee/tea per my doctor, just like you. After a while on my own, I started drinking a little coffee, like 1/4 of a cup. I noticed it did not make my A Fib worse. Then, gradually, I increased to a full cup and 2 cups a day with no problem. The same with tea. So, you have to try stuff for yourself. As I said, at some point, when I was sensitive to potassium, I noticed coffee bothered me because it has lots of potassium. It was messing up my electrolytes. Then, I stopped drinking it for about 2 months.

You got to really think out of the box to solve your problems. Try different things a little at first. Gradually increase the amount.

One more thing, according to Dr. Brownstein (I get his newsletter), joint pain can be caused by lack of Iron in the body. You must check your Ferritin to see if you have enough iron. It must be around 100. Mine was 18 and I have joint pain. So, I have started to take Iron supplements. By the way, I give blood, and my iron serum is alway normal. But, my ferritin(stored iron) is low.

Bottom line, you really got to start reading the latest reseaches in various areas of health. More than likely, you might have defficiencies in your body, which may be caused by being a vegetarian for a long time. You can find out by blood tests. I know this because I am a vegetarian myself and I have joint and other problems. But, I am going after them and I am seeing results.

By the way, if you take protein powders, watch out for added potassium in them. I can not take any whey protein or sport's bars with added potassium of more than 20 mg per scoop.

Try to increase your protein intake. It is very important for your heart, which is a muscle. Does your doctor asks you about what you eat and how much protein you take daily? I bet not.

Very Important, Important:
Please make sure your multivitamin does not have more than 20 mg of potassium. Most multis have 99 mg of potassium. If I take a regular multi with that much potassium, I have to emergency room.

Just curious, is your A Fib constant or you have scary episodes like I did?

Again, I hope you find the answer, it is there, you just have to find it.

Take care,
Scott