Comments on: A Personal Story

By: Peter B

Peter B — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:53:22 +0000

Hi all,
Been a bit but I just wanted to update. Still in flutter bpm avgs 120 resting. A good days is when I get it just below 110. I have learned to deal with it for now, but it really is debilitating. my cardio version only lasted 6 days this time. Im tired of getting shocked and not lasting but on the other hand I just spent another 237 bucks on my Pradaxa.Poison! AARG! I turn 50 on Wed , so after that I am going to “deal” with it from a fresh mind I guess. I cant afford the ablation right now, but at the same time i dont want the state to pay for it either. The hospital will so inflate the cost. I have been on the mag glycinate and the last time they took my blood they said that it was the blood of someone who could run in high altitudes. Interesting, I wonder if it was the acetyl Gluithhione ? Still taking it, but it didnt magically work. One thing is for sure though…. I would rather be in flutter than afib. At least the flutter is basically in sinus. When it flips to afib it really gets my attention. Hate it! I really dont want to spend the next decade jerking around with this heart thing. And Ann, you are right… processed foods are a huge culprit. Not to mention the sodium. It is a dynamic life challenge to give up what we were used to eating for so many years.

By: Ann Wyatt

Ann Wyatt — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:40:50 +0000

Hi Chris.
You are right about episodes being triggered by food. Processed food contains so many additives that it’s no wonder people suffer from A-Fib. The worst preservatives are the sulphites (200s) and these are found in some dried fruits, wine and packaged low-fat meals(e.g. Weight Watchers).This is not the only cause, but it’s right up there. If you find that the magnesium citrate doesn’t suit, try magnesium orotate tablets because it is more easily absorbed by the body. Staying hydrated is also essential. I asked at a Noodle Bar recently if they used MSG in their food. They said that they didn’t, but it was in the sauces which came from China. We have to be vigilant, don’t we. It has been due to a process of elimination of some foods from my diet, weight loss and magnesium that I have not had an episode now for 2 years. My cardiologist is shaking his head because he told me that it would get worse as I got older. I wasn’t having any of that and I didn’t care what the global data was about its progress. All I know is, that I don’t get it any more. He’s given up arguing with me. The recurrence of your episode probably wasn’t that you felt you ate too much. There was probably some hidden additive in something you ate. Did you have wine? It’s a certainty.
Cheers,
Ann

By: chris

chris — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:23:57 +0000

Over 12 years it has been since I was first diagnosed with AFib. Having tried and rejected all forms of meds and suggestions for ablation and/or defibrillators, I have found the best success lies in what I put into my body. Clean eating regularly: fresh fruits, fresh veg, chicken, fish, oatmeal, brown rice, nuts. NO dairy, breads, pastas, alcohol, caffeine, chocolates, natural flavorings, msg, sugar, chemical sugars, prepared foods, etc…..I also supplement with magnesium citrate and eat bananas for potassium. Diet like this definitely helps and keeping the digestive system happy is critical in my case. When I slip up or eat out too much, it comes back, and I can
only guess it is additives and other food triggers which set it off.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:52:21 +0000

I had been wondering about other’s episodes as mine rarely last less than 5-6 hours. My last one was 52 hours.
“magnesium glycinate” I am going to keep that in mind – Thanks

I decided to stop taking the magnesium for now in order to keep with my and my doctors plan of no drugs for 120 days ending 27Mar12. I have been going 9-11 days between episodes but trying to exercise but it puts me into A-Fib. Will try less exercise. Coming off of an exercise induced 15 hours of A-Fib now.

By: Ben

Ben — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 22:10:47 +0000

I have had Afib 2-3 times a week for last 2 years. It last from a minute to 5-6 hours and allways stops on it own.
I was taking dimagnesium malate from Jigsaw but no help. Editor of afib newslatter suggested Malate has heart excitatory affects and suggested I take magnesium glycinate. I switched 14 days ago and have not had even a single skipped beat since. (in the 2 wks prior I was in afib almost daily)
Strongly reccomend anyone with arrhymias stop taking any form of malate.

Wishing you well,
Ben

By: Ann Wyatt

Ann Wyatt — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 23:02:37 +0000

Hello Bryan
I suppose everyone’s case is unique and depending on the level of magnesium needed, each person’s experience will be different. Are you making sure that you are drinking plenty of water and not allowing yourself to become dehydrated? Remember, there are other triggers, such as the preservatives in your food. The worst ones are the 200s and the 600s. The 200s (sulphites) are found in wine, especially those which are cheaper and need a flavour boost. Given all the medication you were on, it will take a while to rid your body of the cocktail of drugs. Always make sure that your doctor is aware of what you are doing (who knows, he might learn something!). I found that it took a few months for my episodes to become fewer and fewer but they did become less frequent after a couple of weeks. The fact that I was having fewer episodes also lowered my anxiety about them and one day I realised that I hadn’t had one for weeks. I have a busy life even though I am now retired as a classroom teacher after 47 years (I turn 71 next month). I joined the Rural Fire Service and am being trained as a supervisor in the Communications Brigade. Also, I am a volunteer tutor at The Children’s Hospital near where I live. There is no way I could have pursued these avenues if I had been having regular AF episodes. Be patient and don’t focus on your anxiety especially when you do have an episode. Easy to say, I know, but you will be amazed at how much you can help yourself. My cardiologist told me that as I get older my episodes will become worse, so the global data says. I wasn’t having any of that and over the past 2 years I have proved him wrong. Hang in there and keep in touch. By the way, which country do you live in? I’m in Australia (Oz). Cheers, Ann.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:27:17 +0000

Ann,

Can you tell me about how long it takes for the Magnesium to start to make any difference?

Is it days, weeks or months?

Thanks,
Bryan

By: Bryan

Bryan — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:19:26 +0000

Thank you Ralft and Ann,

Ralt, It is not severe by my standards as it used to me every 3-4 days but now every 9-11 and at this rate is simply tolerable. It gives me a chance to forget about it for a few days until it rears it head again.

I will look for the tablet form as it makes more sense. I thought of seeking empty capsules and filling them.

Yesterday’s epidode went away differently than usual. It just stopped as quickly as it had started whereas it normally takes a day or so in a ‘calming down period’ of my heart beating around 90 bpm so maybe the tapping and talking to myself is helping. Ann, thanks for your sample talk.

I am looking forward to benefitting from the magnesium orotate. The boiling water method has been refined to adding much more cold water after disolving most of the power so I can just chug it down in a single go.

Thanks,
Bryan

By: Ann Wyatt

Ann Wyatt — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 06:06:12 +0000

Hello again Bryan.
I take magnesium orotate in tablet form, not powder. I break them into a few pieces and take them with a hot drink. They seem easier to swallow that way. The tapping does take practice but there is no right or wrong way, as long as you focus on how the episode is making you feel. I used to say, “Even though I am having an A-fib episode and it scares me, I accept myself and choose to have a strong, healthy, steady heartbeat. Even though I feel terrible and this A-fib is making me angry and sick, I really accept myself and forgive my heart for not beating in a regular rhythm.” Now I know this sounds absolutely crazy but I talk to my brain and my heart all the time. I am a perfectly sane person but I will do anything to help myself feel well again. It’s the SA node which connects to the brain and receives the messages about how the heart will beat, so I ask the brain to send the correct message to the SA node (or the heart’s spark plug, as I call it) and restore the normal heartbeat. Incorporate it in your tapping. Read my earlier post about hypnotising your brain etc. You’d be surprised how effective that is. Don’t give up. Also,sitting up rather than lying down while you are having an episode is more comfortable. Good luck and keep trying with the magnesium. It will help to support your heart muscle. Cheers, Ann

By: Ralft

Ralft — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:39:43 +0000

Hi Bryan,
I have had Afib since Dec. 05 but thankfully, none is as mild as yours sounds to be severe. BUT, prior to reading this blog a few months ago, I had never heard of the benefits of magnesium. In reading the various posts including I think Ann’s, the most easily digested is Magnesium Orotate which I have started taking twice daily as a capsule. I buy it on-line from Swanson Vitamin but I have seen it in my local (Texas) grocery store. I am also looking into getting myself tested for intracellular levels of magnesium, potassium and calcium. But I haven’t yet found a doctor who is familiar with this testing. I do know that the content of the blood can be OK while in the cells, it can be out of range.