Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) Support Group
Atrial fibrillation (AF or afib) is an abnormal heart rhythm (cardiac arrhythmia) which involves the two small, upper heart chambers (the atria). Heart beats in a normal heart begin after electricity generated in the atria by the sinoatrial node spread through the heart and cause contraction of the heart muscle and pumping of blood.
I have noticed that if I take in too deep of a breath it will make my heart flip flop. Thats what happened the last time I went into afib. I was sleeping, woke up enough to turn the TV down (I sleep with it on lol), took a deep breath in and then went to roll over at the same time....i felt a POP and then before I even hit the bed again I went into afib. I think that is one of the reasons I have trouble sleeping now...hence the posting at almost 2 am when I have to work tomorrow. It just started to happen again...I went to take a deep breath (because I was feeling a bit short of breath) and I felt my heart do a nice hard flip flop....or course I thought "Please God not again, PLEASE!" Thank GOD it didn't happen but now that I MUST go to sleep its all I can think about....oy! Does anybody else have this as a trigger or does it seem strange?
thanks!
Angie
thanks!
Angie
Not to contradict your EP but I've talked to too many afibbers about the left side thing. It's not just that you feel it more, it can trigger an episode. In me I know this is 100% true and, as I said, I've talked to and read of dozens of people who say the same.
It's not the kind of thing you find well studied and there is no clear physiological reason for it so I'm not suprised your EP said it's probably just...
I saw a gastroenterologist once who said it was absolutely impossible that my stomach and my heart had any connection and she believed it was ridiculous to suggest that heartburn or gas could trigger an afib episode.
I told her "the connection is well documented and it's existance is not conditional on what YOU do or don't believe" . She never liked me after, but I have no time for crap for that. I'm a healthcare professional myself and that kind of arrogance serves no one.
I guess bottom line is: None of these physicians know exactly what causes afib or what the mechanisms are. If you find eating green m&ms causes afib then stop eating them. Dont put yourself through suffering because someone tells you it's not possible when you know it is. Whether or not you understand why is really somewhat irrelevent.
Sorry about the rant :-)
Monty
not a rant at all.....to me it is priceless insights!
please feel free to rant again soon
cheers leanne
left side i can feel my heart rate speed up, and that wakes me
up I go to my back and it goes away.
And lately if I drink anything cold my heart starts racing. So I wait
until the [usually tea] warms up a llittle.
This afib thing is werid.