Diagnosed last week with AFIB

I had problems with heartbeat being irregular etc for years. I read in a news column of a doctor that some people are EXTREMELY sensitive to caffeine. LONG story short, I quit the coffee and drinks with caffeine and rarely had even a minor problem for YEARS.
Now age 75 and live in Costa Rica, the past few months I started having problems again. It was real bad about a week ago. It occurred to me that I had been eating Haagen Daz COFFEE oce cream from the US. BINGO!
A SMALL amount affects me.
Instead of creepy medicines and procedures, STOP deinking ANYTHING with caffeine. Coffee, colas, Mountain Dew, chocolate. I LOVE all those things, but I HATE meds, docs and hospitals and horrible symptoms. DO IT. I would bet your heart problems go out the window.

@lindy9 that's great that that worked for you! I haven't had caffeine in 30 years but still have episodes of afib with heart rate around 195. I read the book The Afib Cure and found I am doing most of what is in there, but added a few things.

No dark chocolate or Mountain Dew or foods high in sugar? I do not live in the US and difficult to buy books. Could you make a list of the things that are working for you???

I am allergic to chocolate. Never have had Mountain Dew (I read labels), I don't avoid sugar.

I take magnesium at night, potassium vis low sodium V-8 in the morning (I need to start doing that with dinner too). I never eat after 5 or 6 and don't lie on my left side. I do tai chi for stress. I recently added CoQ10.

For other reasons I take calcium, vitamins D, K, B12, folate; alpha lipoic acid. curcumin

Sounds like you are doing a lot of positive steps. I rarely take vitamins. But eat nuts for magnesium and banana for potassium. I rarely eat any processed food. I make little
cakes with ground oats, eggs, a tiny bit of honey, ground nuts and chopped dates. They
fill me up. Thanks for answering.

I have allergies to nuts, bananas, many other things. Would prefer to get vitamins from foods but have limited options!

I understand. I am allergic to dairy and makes my skin itch. If I have a piece of cheese, I can spend a couple hours and more trying to sleep before it lets up. I get aggravated, seems like I am very limited in my choices or suffer consequences. I was really enjoying the coffee ice cream until it made my heart jump around like a ping pong ball. LOL

The book “Afib Cure” by
Dr John Day and Dr. Jared Bunch is an excellent resource. I highly recommend it. I have made lifestyle changes suggested in the book and I rarely have an Afib episode. I wear an Apple Watch and oximeter while exercising. I have learned that I cannot get my heart rate over 118 or I will go into afib. I have slowly trained my heart to tolerate up to 5 miles of indoor walking or jogging on a flat surface with an average heart rate of 108 without oxygen. I need oxygen on airplanes or traveling to higher elevations.

I can't hike or tolerate hills anymore because my heart rate goes too high and oxygen level will drop . I also have mild diastolic heart failure ( HFPEF), tricuspid valve regurgitation, ascending aortic aneurysm, and pulmonary hypertension.

The quality of my life is good. I can do most activities I enjoy without oxygen. Cardiology is very happy with my progress. It has been 4 years since my Afib diagnosis. My heart issues are stable without any medications, except for Flecainide and Eliquis that I rarely use for an Afib episode.

@Myak do you only use Eliquis with an episode? For how long?

My EP doc says I should take Eliquis daily, but I take other supplements that have anticoagulant properties that should not be taken with Eliquis. He said researchers are doing studies on short term use of Eliquis after an afib episode, but no results as of last year. He said I should take Eliquis for 30 days after an afib episode if I was not going take it daily, and to stop the other supplements like Nattokinase and Turmeric.

I watch my heart rate very closely and I don't engage in activities that trigger high heart rates or oxygen levels lower than 90%. I have the Lookee Tech Sleep Pro Oximeter that continuously measures my oxygen level and alarms by vibrating and buzzing on my thumb if my oxygen level drops to 90% or below. I use a portable oxygen concentrator if I travel to mountains and for easy, flat hikes.

My BMI is 19.5, and I eat healthy foods from the book “Eat to Beat Disease” by Dr William Li. This is a fabulous book!

I feel well given my health issues and my age. I had lung surgery recently to remove a nodule and I skated through surgery with no heart issues or need for heart medications during or after surgery. I am grateful. Lifestyle changes have made all the difference in the quality of my health.