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General Update
Let me first start off by apologizing. I can’t believe I haven’t posted an update on this blog for over two years. Shame on me. Buckle up, though, because I have a lot to say to catch you up to speed. This is your warning. This is a long post…lol.
The truth is, I’ve purposely separated myself from this blog and writing about afib because as time goes on and as I get older, my mortality scares me. I don’t want to be writing about afib all the time. It’s just not good for my mental state right now.
The good news is I continue to be 100% afib free since my March 2015 ablation! I still have to pinch myself that I had my procedure over seven years ago now. How time flies!
I imagine you might be asking, “Travis, you’ve been free of atrial fibrillation now for 7+ years. What is all this talk about fearing your mortality?” Great question!
I’ll be honest with you. I’m a very negative and pessimistic person. And as any of you with afib know, the fear of afib never leaves you. It’s a dark cloud that is constantly over you. I wish I could tell you that fear goes away even after a successful ablation but it doesn’t. At least for me it didn’t, but again, I’m a pessimistic person to begin with…lol.
The main reason I continue to be scared (and why my fear of afib has actually been growing these past couple of years) is because I’m in that “touch and go” post ablation period. Most people will need at least two ablations to put afib to bed for good based on what I’ve read and what I’ve heard from others.
I’ve also heard that a “durable” (i.e. successful) ablation will give you a solid 7-10 years before you might need another ablation. Well folks, I’m just entering that 7-10 year period. My fear and worry are as high as they’ve ever been. Every day I wake up wondering, is this the day the beast will return? My family and friends call me crazy for thinking that way and they encourage me to be more positive but it’s way easier said than done.
Faith vs Fear
What’s sad is that I have been spending a lot of time in the bible these past couple years, and I mean A LOT of time! We’re talking typically two hours of reading and studying the bible every single day of the year. You would think my faith would grow but it continues to be weak.
Through my bible studies I’ve come to learn that fear is the opposite of faith. Simply put, the more fear you have, the less faith you really have.
That truth really convicts me because I should have more faith than fear, especially given the Lord’s faithfulness to me since my battle with afib started back in 2006. He has always come through for me.
When I was “>first diagnosed with afib, it wasn’t a big deal. It had very little impact on my life. God protected me fully from the potential physical and mental effects of afib. I could write an entire blog post about this and someday I probably will, but the point is I could have been a physical and mental wreck because of afib for several years but I was spared.
Then when I would have occasional afib episodes, I was fortunate enough to be near a great hospital that I could easily walk into and have a cardioversion “on the spot” to end the episodes. And every cardioversion was completely painless and not a big deal at all. The Lord continued to protect me.
Then when the afib got “really bad,” He stopped me from making a huge mistake (being ablated by a very inexperienced EP), and instead led me to the greatest EP in the world to treat afib. The result? I’ve had seven years and counting of being 100% afib free – without having to take any medications! Again, He continues to protect me and come through for me.
And what is my response to God’s continued faithfulness? FEAR and a total lack of faith. How pathetic.
My lack of faith really convicts me. I find myself praying to God daily to forgive me for my lack of faith, and to strengthen my trust and faith in Him. I pray that someday I’ll be able to walk in total faith and trust in the Lord that no matter what I face, He’ll take care of me. I pray that someday I’ll no longer fear and worry about afib, but I’m a far cry from that right now even after seven plus years of being afib-free.
Ungrateful
The other thing that convicts me is that it seems selfish and ungrateful to be worried and scared about afib after I’ve had such a long reprieve from it. I imagine there are a lot of you reading this post that are struggling with afib. You’d probably give anything to have seven plus years of afib freedom, and here I am whining like a spoiled brat thinking I deserve even more time of afib freedom.
If you are thinking that, I apologize. I don’t mean to sound like a spoiled and selfish brat, but I suppose the reality is I am. That’s the other truth I’ve learned through my bible studies, that by nature all men are selfish and are controlled by their feelings.
And that’s the other thing I pray for daily. “Lord, please help me not be so selfish and controlled by my feelings. Help me be grateful for everything you’ve done for me, and everything you continue to do for me. If afib returns, give me strength and total faith and trust in you that everything will be o.k.”
PACs, PVCs, and Heart Palpitations
I suppose what has also added to my fears is I’ve had more bouts of heart palpitations than I’d care to have. As some of you know, I really struggled with PACs and PVCs for the two years immediately following my ablation. I’m no stranger to heart palpitations.
For the past couple of years I have gone through temporary periods of intense heart palpitations. These periods never lasted for more than five to seven days. While I never freaked out over them, I did worry about how long they’d last or that they might turn into full-fledged afib or some other arrythmia. I worried for nothing because those periods of palpitations were short-lived and never turned into anything more than benign PACs and PVCs.
The other thing I’ve been experiencing this past year are several “mini afib runs.” This is a phrase I came up with to describe these unique palpitations. What happens is I’ll be perfectly fine one moment and then suddenly I have the distinct feeling of the beginning of an afib episode.
It’s hard to describe other than it feels exactly how it always felt at the beginning of an afib episode back when I got episodes prior to having my ablation. Except these “mini afib runs” don’t turn into full-fledge afib episodes. They terminate as quickly as they begin. They never last for more than 5-10 seconds.
I don’t keep track, but I have these “mini afib runs” almost daily now – certainly at least five days a week. Of course when they occur, I immediately panic thinking I’m about to go into afib.
I always think of this analogy when they occur. I think of ancient times when people would build walls around their city to protect them from their enemies. When enemies would come and attack, the people inside the city would likely panic wondering if the walls were going to hold. Would the enemies get in and kill them, or would the walls hold the enemies back and ultimately protect them?
The walls are the scars on my heart from my ablation. The enemy is afib. I feel like I’m getting attacked daily. The walls have held strong and have kept the enemy back so far, but how long will they hold? Will the enemy eventually break through? I keep thinking sooner or later the walls are going to fall.
Others Battling Atrial Fibrillation
As the owner of a relatively popular afib blog, I am fortunate (or unfortunate depending how you look at it) to hear from so many people around the world battling afib. I continue to get regular emails from people, which by the way I always I respond to even though I haven’t been very active on this blog. You can always contact me here.
Hearing how others are doing can be very uplifting but can also be a real drag. It really bums me out to read some of the things people are going through. Not just because I worry if I too will be in their shoes some day, but because I hate to read about people suffering. I don’t want anyone to suffer! I wish I could perform miracles and cure everyone that writes me!
But the past couple of years I’ve read more “doom and gloom” stories than uplifting ones.
A dear friend of mine has had so many ablations, she has literally lost count. She is up to five or six ablations now and she still battles afib. What’s especially concerning about her story is she has had all but one of her ablations by the same doctor that did my ablation. Sure, my ablation has held for more than seven years, but will I eventually end up like my friend? It scares me, and of course I feel for my friend. I wish I could cure her. I admire her incredible strength. She has been through the ringer but she hangs in there and strives to live the best life that she can live. I pray for her daily that God will finally put an end to her afib!
Then another friend of mine, Steve Ryan of a-fib.com, had afib return after 21 years. I was convinced he was set for life after his first ablation because he had done so well after so many years, but no dice. He has since needed two more ablations for a total of three ablations. The good news is he writes that his third ablation was smooth and he’s doing well (no afib). I’m happy for him!
But not all is doom and gloom. My good friend, Shannon Dickson, who is the owner of the Afibbers Forum, continues to be afib free after 20 years. I don’t even think he battles heart palpitations like I do from time-to-time. He was treated by the same doctor that treated me so that gives me hope and inspiration.
Finally, I just heard from Doug the other day that he’s been 100% afib free as well after his ablation seven years ago. That gives me hope and inspiration as well and I’m so happy for him. I wish him many more years of afib freedom!
Frustrations with Atrial Fibrillation Treatments
As I reflect on the past seven years, I’m disappointed in the lack of advances in the treatment of afib. Sure, there have been some advancements but nothing “game changing.”
We now have the promises of pulse field ablation, or PFA, but from my limited reading of the new technology, it simply makes ablations safer to do so that even inexperienced EPs can do ablations with far fewer side effects. Don’t get me wrong, that’s wonderful, but at the end of the day the success of an ablation still comes down to the skill, knowledge, and experience of the EP. PFA isn’t some kind of new ablation technology that guarantees better success rates over RF or cryo ablations in terms of actually putting afib to rest. PFA just makes ablations much safer.
Then I read about the promises of a flecainide inhaler. This actually makes me feel better than the promises of pulse field ablation. Imagine being able to terminate an afib episode within minutes in the comfort of your home by simply inhaling flecainide!
This is a promising advancement if it comes to fruition (it’s still in trials), but it still has the potential drawbacks of traditional flecainide pills. For starters, not everyone will respond to it. In fact in the trials so far it’s only 50% effective. It’s also very likely that people will develop a tolerance to it so over time it will stop working. And in the end, flecainide is a temporary band aid at best. By no means does it treat or stop afib indefinitely.
Then we had the development of collagen plugs. These have actually been around for a while now and they do nothing to treat or stop afib. Prior to these coming along, you had to lie still for about six hours after your ablation so the catheter insertion spots could heal. Otherwise, if you moved around too soon they could open and you’d bleed.
With collagen plugs, they fill those insertion spots with collagen so that you only have to lie around now for a couple of hours after your ablation. Because that recovery time has been reduced so significantly (6 hours down to 2 hours), the need for a urinary catheter in most cases is now nonexistent. This is especially good news for men…lol. Again, more good news but still doesn’t do anything to treat or stop afib.
I was hoping by now we’d have some serious advancements in the treatment of afib. Specifically, I was hoping we’d have some kind of technology that would drastically improve the effectiveness of ablations, or perhaps a new kind of procedure all together that would be more effective than ablations. Heck, I’d even settle for an effective drug with few side effects.
Sadly, not much has changed in seven years. Ablations continue to be the gold standard in treating afib, and their overall effectiveness has stayed about the same. And we’ve had zero new drugs to hit the market.
The Future of This Blog
I’ve obviously been absent from this blog for a long time. There are a few reasons for this, the least of which is my incredibly negative mindset these days as I stated at the beginning of this post. With all my negativity and pessimism, who needs me to be more active…lol!
But in all seriousness, it’s obvious I just don’t have the mental strength to be “in my illness” on a regular basis like I used to be able to. It depresses me to think about afib or write about it. I hate this disease and what it has done to me mentally. I wish I could be strong and inspiring for others, but I’m not that person right now.
For a great uplifting afib resource, I strongly recommend Steve Ryan’s afib website. It’s the best afib website out there. I admire his positivity, energy, and general outlook on life. I also admire his desire to help other people with afib. You can’t help but walk away feeling better after reading through his website!
Having said all that, I do have a couple articles planned for this blog that I hope to publish in the coming weeks. These are going to be articles that will allow you to share your stories, thoughts, and opinions. I don’t want to say any more than that right now but be on the lookout for them. I’m certain they will create a lot of interest (and potential controversy).
Finally, I’ve been coaxed by some of my readers to make a donation option available on my blog. These are readers who either felt my blog helped them one way or another, or who reached out to me directly and I was able to help them. Either way, they wanted to know if there was a way they could “give back” as an appreciation. Up until now there wasn’t a way to make a donation, but I’ve decided to start taking donations to help support this blog. Feel free to make a donation if you’d like but no pressure.
Until next time, I wish you all the very best. If you are struggling with afib or are newly diagnosed, I know how lonely (and scary) the road can be. It’s always great to be able to “talk to someone.” You can always “talk to me” by contacting me. I read every email and I always respond! God bless to all of you!
Travis, just discovered your blog and thought I’d share with you my experience. First, I understand the discomfort with facing one’s mortality that Afib brings on. One feels very vulnerable. In truth, that is probably not so bad, as we all have illusions of invincibility when in reality we are hanging on by a thread that is easily severed in numerous ways. I think knowledge of the true risks (and lack thereof) help me a lot. “Know your enemy”. I did a ton of research in the early days and that helped. Focusing on fear doesn’t make it go away; the Bible says, “Perfect love casts out fear.” Focusing on love is better than focusing on fear. God is love. I love my family. Those are a couple areas I can focus on, as well as loving all of those around me. Too easily to be self-absorbed when your chest is thumping oddly and you are tired!
Second, after being diagnosed with lone atrial fibrillation, I started early on using a Polar CS600 heart monitor which allowed beat-to-beat interval recording all night so I could monitor my progress and look for triggers. I dropped chocolate/caffeine. Added Mg glycinate. Taurine for awhile but dropped it. Added Ioderal iodine supplements–a big help (recommended by a naturopath, who also recommended avoiding the bromine found in large-scale commercial baked goods, which displaces iodine). Found potassium gluconate to be hugely helpful, especially as a way to arrest an episode. I’d take a half teaspoon every 30 minutes until afib stopped, or up to the RDA of potassium (I have no kidney problems, but if I did, that would be something I’d talk to a doctor about). Worked every time. I exercise in the heat and so found it important to stay hydrated and keep electrolyte balance. Cheap sports drinks have high Na but not much K or Mg; I found using drinks with the opposite was better. After a few months of this I went from nearly daily afib and lots of PVCs/PACs to just some at night which I didn’t know about except for the Polar. I couldn’t get rid of them until I read about K/Na balance being key, and also had an experience with Pepcid AC (proton pump inhibitor) triggering arrhythmia. That lead me to reduce sodium as much as possible. When I did that, that was the final piece of the puzzle that cleared up the nighttime afib and gave me stable sinus rhythm all day every day. Now, maybe about once a year I have an afib episode due to some unknown trigger, though often while traveling and I suspect some stress/GI/vagus nerve connection. I hit it with K gluconate right away and it goes away after a bit. Most recently I did have a 15-hr episode which was discouraging; I had to take 4 doses of the K gluconate before it finally stopped. What is interesting is that these come on suddenly and then disappear completely–very different than the chronic condition I had years ago. So I pretty much live my life–including triathlons (did full Ironman in 2019) and daily exercise. I should point out that nothing I tried was instantaneous. Progress was measured over the course of weeks and months using Polar monitoring to objectively measure progress. The only near-instantaneous thing was the K gluconate when used for stopping an episode, and that took anywhere from a half-hour to a few hours. I also use it as a daily supplement though (1/2 tsp/day). I am currently maintaining using 200 mg/Mg glycinate–maybe a bit on the low side. I still try to minimize salt indicate (sodium). Hope all this is helpful to someone.
(P.S. I’m not ablated and have never taken any of the recommended drugs for anti-clotting or rhythm control. I do take a 325 mg aspirin or two if I have an afib episode that doesn’t stop quickly with K gluconate, just as a precaution. I don’t have any underlying heart disease or other conditions that might warrant more concern about stroke. From my reading of the literature, I think the risk-benefit for anti-coagulation therapy is not favorable for me so refused the treatment. I think that decision was justified when I crashed my bicycle in 2020 and broke my collarbone and hit my head hard enough to crack the helmet in multiple places and was unconscious for a few minutes. I don’t think blood thinner would have been beneficial then!).
Robert:
Thanks for the detailed comment. It’s very useful!
Can you tell me what brand of potassium you take and how much you take when you are trying to get out of an afib episode? When you say you “take a dose of K,” I’m curious how much you are taking.
Thanks,
Travis
I don’t know that brand is very important, but I use NOW brand potassium gluconate (I’m abbreviating K gluconate) powder. I use the powder because the pills are only 99 mg and you have to swallow several. I’d rather just dissolve powder in water and drink it (almost tasteless). It contains 175 mg K per serving of K gluconate, and serving size is 1/2 level teaspoon (approx. 1.1 g). I don’t measure precisely. I just eyeball a 1/2 tsp using a regular teaspoon (not a measuring type teaspoon). US adult RDA for K is 4700 mg. So 1/2 tsp is only 175/4700= 3.7% of RDA. Of course, I also get dietary potassium, but this is to put things in perspective. So 4 doses is only ~15% of RDA. I’ve never had to take more than that to revert, but would feel safe doing even more. And if it seems like a bad case, I’ll front-end load by doing a full teaspoon right off the bat. But my daily maintenance dose is just one serving (1/2 tsp).
Robert:
Thanks Robert! That’s the same brand I take as well. I was just curious if you were using the same brand.
I’ve never heard of taking potassium to end an afib episode. Very interesting.
If potassium is that effective, another option might be to take low sodium V8. Just 8 ounces has 850mg of potassium! I used to drink low sodium V8 all the time (not to stop afib, just as another way to get more potassium in my diet).
Travis.
Travis,
Right. Low Na V8 is a way to get it, and I used to use that a lot. But it is kind of bitter (to me), with lots of chloride. I prefer the K gluconate.
Hi Travis, how are you doing? I see you haven’t posted in a few months. Hope all is well for you.
Found this blog a few months ago, started reading through it as I had my first “recognized” episode of Afib in December 2021 (as luck would have it, the night before a flight, so I had to miss it ’cause I was in the ER, had to reschedule, change plans – a whole lot of stress I didn’t need at that precise moment :D ). In all fairness, I had the feeling many times before but I never made the connection – it was always “oh I ate too much / I’m just tired / I had too much coffee”. It’s been an interesting read and to be honest, I’ve used a lot of your experience as reported here as a “peek into things to come”.
Long story short, I had my catheter ablation done at the end of May; Besides the slight initial discomfort that only lasted a couple of days, during the first month after I suddenly realized I had never felt better in my life. It was transformational, literally a NEW view on things…until the second month came around.
I started having frequent, prolonged episodes of SVEs, all very heavy to “feel”. First it was an hour or two every 5/6 days, but come the end of July, it’s been a permanent thing. It’s be a good run if I was 3/4 minutes without a number of SVEs, which besides being felt are now causing some random chest pain and general discomfort. Been to the follow up visit, EKG et all, doctor said it’s expected in the “blanking out” phase and gave me beta-blockers. Now I’m at the end of the 90-days period (in fact, it ends tomorrow) and I’m at the point that the beta blockers barely cover a 24 hours period (usually, the SVEs come back at night and are rid of when I take the pill in the morning) and in general, they’re back in force if I’m even an hour or two late taking my b-b.
To be quite frank, I’m kinda regretting going ahead with the ablation as I’ve gone from having had two episodes of Afib in 6 months, to essentially feeling weird all the time. Hopefully these SVE will go away in time – next visit in September, I’ll see what the doctor says.
Hi Travis – thanks for the excellent blog! I’ve had intermittent ‘paroxysmal’ SVT/AFib starting in 2020, brought on with intense/interval exercise – luckily has not returned since fall of 2020! Mine started 3 weeks after I got COVID – possibly related to virus itself, though cardiologist says no evidence of that. Or maybe virus just ‘brought it forward’ from the background – cardiologist said any virus puts strain on the heart.
I got connected to excellent sports cardiologist here in Boston – ran all tests, Zio patch, etc – not a ‘dangerous’ rhythm, OK to train like usual!
Two things:
1) Doc recommended Magnesium daily – MIGHT help with arrhythmia. I take Magnesium Taurate daily 250mg. Anyone else?
2) Doc also recommended ‘modified valsalva’ maneuver when SVT/AFib comes on – lie on back, flip legs over head, hold breath and ‘bear down’ – works for me! Fast HR stops after minute or so.
I also hear you about the dark cloud, Travis – it follows you everywhere. As a triathlete, whenever I swim/bike/run there’s always that little voice in the back of my head, ‘is this safe…??? Am I gonna be OK?!?’ – the future is uncertain – just have to listen to the docs, take care of ourselves and listen to our bodies! Take care!
Lew:
Good stuff Lew! Glad to hear you’ve been free of any heart issues since 2020. Thanks for the tips too! Good luck with your training!
Sincerely,
Travis
Just STOP PLEASE, Just listen . Are you ready? You pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “THY WILL BE DONE”. Do you believe this or just saying this? If you don’t believe this or trust this, then why even waste your time with God? If you mean ‘THY WILL BE DONE”, then let go of the controls and let the HOLY Spirit in your heart teach you, guide you and be your partner in life. (Think about this a while, before you read on ) King David in PS.51 asked to “Create in me a clean heart .” A new mind set: Start anew about AFIB. The GOLD STANDARD everyone uses isn’t working! STUDY : Sleep Apathy and AFib, and let The Holy Spirit open you to a new avenue of help. God’s Blessings to you.
Arthur:
Thanks for your email and thanks for posting your comments here as well for others to benefit. I appreciate it!
Travis
Hi Travis! I am so happy to hear that you are still Afib free. My only ablation (so far) was on 11/21/2017 so Almost 4 1/2 yrs and am still free of the enemy as well. I, like you, am constantly aware of any fluctuations in my heart beat and get that “walls are closing in feeling”. I reach for my Kardia Mobile or the ECG App on my Apple Watch. I have gotten a couple of possible Afib results which were reviewed by my EP and were actually PACs. Now I can recognize them on the ECG. That feeling of panic never goes away for me when my heart feels off…I don’t think it ever will.
I also read and meditate on scripture daily. I have literally knelt at the foot of the cross and left my anxiety and fear of Afib at the feet of Jesus. Then I have heart palpitations and it comes back. So again, I turn them back to Jesus. We are so blessed that the Lord understands and loves us in our moments of weakness and brokenness. Our God is a merciful and forgiving God even when we aren’t as faithful as we should be.
I will keep you in my prayers, Travis. I pray that you stay healthy and Afib free!
God Bless!
Mary Ann
Mary Ann:
Congratulations on your successful ablation. I wish you many more years of NSR!
I love your faith too. It’s inspiring.
God Bless!
Travis
Glad to hear from you Travis. Studying the Old Testament has made me feel like my faith is stronger than I know as those folks were lacking as well. I’m now 69, got paroxysmal A-Fib in 2015. So far no ablation. My episodes have gone from 12-hour rough events monthly, to 90 minutes or less violent episodes 2-3 times a year. I feel lucky so far. I’m not afraid of A-Fib like I was early on but if it got worse, I’d be saying something different.
Hey Lou! Great to hear from you. I love studying the Old Testament. It makes you realize that man hasn’t changed much over the centuries!
Glad to hear you’ve been able to manage your afib without an ablation. I sincerely hope that continues for you!
God Bless,
Travis
Funny that I initially came about your blog when I was first diagnosed with Afib (one year ago) because I was trying to find some first hand knowledge of what to expect since I had just come out of a tough chemo battle against pancreatic cancer that left me with several long term side effects. I’m getting ready for my first ablation and my hope is that it will work (obviously) so that my heart doesn’t become damaged and that I’ll be able to build my strength back up fully. I’ve never much worried or even had symptoms. I found out about my diagnosis through the heartland study that my insurance was offering so was surprised when it showed an irregular heartbeat, something that I hadn’t experienced through my chemo treatment.
Regardless, the reason for my post is to let you know that not everybody has bad experiences or fear and you actually don’t sound pessimistic, just hit with the “there’s an imperfection that I don’t care for” bug. I have had so many health issues throughout my life, that have made me find alternatives or modifications for my everyday life but every morning when my eyes open I realize that I’ve been blessed with one more day to enjoy all that this universe blesses us with daily for free.
Hang in there and will keep you in my thoughts for a continued good sinus rhythm!
Thanks for your encouragement, Karen. I appreciate it. I wish you the best with your ablation. Keep us posted!
I hope you’re doing well regarding your cancer battle. I admire your strength. I admire anyone that has to battle the dreaded “C” word. If you can handle cancer, then you can certainly handle an ablation!
God Bless!
Travis
Travis,
Good to hear from you. I share the same EP as you and maybe a little bit longer from serious AFIB. Recently I have started contracting PAC’s and PVC’s that come like electrical lightening storms, severe and last maybe an hour or two, When I consult with my EP from UCSF in San Francisco he is saying that the COVID vaccines seems to be creating more palpitations in patients. This does not seem like a coincidental correlation. I’d be curious if any other of your readers EP’s are telling them the same. Yes it is scary and I often try to sit quietly a ride it out. When I am told that PVC and PAC’s are normal it is comforting but it does bring back that crawl out of your skin sensation. Anyway keep the faith.
Hey Matt! I hear you on the PACs and PVCs. They stink, but have never really freaked me out like these “mini afib runs” do. Let’s hope we both remain afib free for at least a while longer:)
Travis
Hi Matt– your thought on how the vaccine might affect the heart is exactly what I have heard as well from some alternative medical and science folks. I never would have gotten any of it except that I travel this year internationally and want to see more of the world I have missed these last few years!! One of my sisters who did not get the vaccine gets quarterly CT scans due to other things and the first few the nurse asked her when she had COVID. She had no symptoms ever but the nurse explained that there is a marker in your lungs if you have had it. What I am learning is that The booster is what causes the most concern as it did double duty past the original mix in the vaccine. The CDC has data gathered on post vaccine issues on deaths, heart attacks etc. . From what I understand one of the things The vaccine causes your red blood cells to become sticky I was told and so that needs to be addressed. My RBC was on the very low end the last 2 times blood work was done when I went to ER with chest pains and irregular hear rhythms. That had started in mid January prior to the booster and then did not change much until recently. Of course most Doctors don’t get into this type of thing for how to heal post vaccine. The protocol contains high levels of Vit C, Vit D, Zinc and some blood vessel nutrients plus higher levels of vitamins, etc, to neutralize the inflammation, overactivity of the immune system and keep a healthy gut. Mostly I have had the PACS and PVCs off and one with a few SVTs and completed a 3 week heart monitor study recently that the my local EP said was really good. No Afib thank God, which I had ablated the second time by the same EP as Travis in 2017. My first was a total failure in 2016 and done by someone else. Through Travis and Shannon connections I was able to have it fixed! I too am planning on staying healthy and positive about moving forward and still stay on alert for any sign of a change in heart BP or rhythm!! I am more calm lately when things happen and mostly they resolve within a couple hours– if not I pop a metoprol very infrequently and drink lots of cold water which really helps calm the heart!!
Stay well!
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