Hi, my name is Enrique and Ive suffered from paroxysmal, lone atrial fib for about 16 years. When I first started experiencing a-fib it would come on with no warning, my overall heart rate would go extremely high due to rapid ventricular response and nearly make me blackout. But it would always spontaneously convert to NSR within just a couple minutes leaving me terrified and exhausted. Depression would usually follow for a few days and fear that this would happen again.
From that time till now Ive been on several medications with varying degrees of success at keeping episodes from recurring. I have learned what some of my triggers are and noticed an almost cyclic pattern to when and how episodes of a-fib occur. Diet, sleep, stress, body positions, general outlook on life all have an impact on my a-fib. Also, I found out about three years ago that I have Graves disease which causes my thyroid to be overly productive. This couldve been the primary cause of my a-fib since an over active thyroid is known to cause this type of arrhythmia and I have definitely noticed an improvement since my thyroid levels have been better controlled. BUT I do still get the occasional run of a-fib and theyve changed now my ventricular response isnt as rapid but the episodes last hours instead of seconds or minutes. Still miserable.
But Im writing this because Ive had success for the third time using an essential oil. My wife began using essential oils to boost the immune system of our family during cold and flu season. I went along but never really put much stock in it Im not sure why but I just didnt. One day early last Summer I went into a-fib and had been in it for 4 hours. I was feeling awful and nothing I was doing would help (deep breathing, coughing, vagal exercises, etc.) and I had already taken my regular medicine. I was just about to go to the ER and my wife asked again if she could try this oil that she ordered specifically because it was supposed to help with maintaining regular heart rhythm. I had nothing to lose so I said sure. She put this oil on my chest and started packing an overnight bag for me because they always keep me for a while when I go in for this. Within TWO minutes I converted to NSR! The typical tidal wave of emotion came on and I was elated to feel normal. I was impressed but not convinced because sometimes I do convert spontaneously. Then in September of last year while we were on vacation I went into a-fib again. I was freaking out because I was going to have to get seen at an unfamiliar hospital and it was going to ruin everyones time and all that. My wife told me she had packed the oil just in case I needed it I didnt resist this time at all. She put it on my chest again and in just about a minute and a half I was back in NSR. Understand that the three times before I began using this oil I had been hospitalized and in a-fib for no less than 13 hours. So I definitely took notice and realized there really could be something here.
Today while I was working from home I went into a-fib. I immediately asked my wife for the essential oil and put it on my chest. In just over a minute I was back in NSR. Thats three for three and I no longer consider this a coincidence AT ALL. Im not saying this will work for everyone and Im half afraid it may stop working for me. But after three tries and three successes Im willing to at least entertain the idea that it really may be because of this oil. The name of it is Ylang Ylang essential oil (Ylang Ylang is a flower I believe). Anyway there are many places you can order it online and I dont want to divulge exactly where we get ours because I dont want this to come across as a commercial or anything. But if you do decide to give this a try be sure to choose a good quality vendor that doesnt use chemical processes to extract the oil and that doesnt add other oils to it.
If anyone tries this I would very much like to know what the results are. My wife has been educating me on oils and how they work and how absorbent our skin actually is (something I wasnt really aware of). And its pretty amazing. Im a bit of a hard head though and wouldve never really believed it entirely if I did not have direct experience with it.
I truly hope this can help someone else I know how scary and frustrating this rhythm problem is.
Enrique