Doctors & patients are saying about 'A-Fib.com'...
"A-Fib.com is a great web site for patients, that is unequaled by anything else out there."
Dr. Douglas L. Packer, MD, FHRS, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
"Jill and I put you and your work in our prayers every night. What you do to help people through this [A-Fib] process is really incredible."
Jill and Steve Douglas, East Troy, WI
“I really appreciate all the information on your website as it allows me to be a better informed patient and to know what questions to ask my EP.
Faye Spencer, Boise, ID, April 2017
“I think your site has helped a lot of patients.”Dr. Hugh G. Calkins, MD Johns Hopkins,
Baltimore, MD
Inherited A-Fib: Warn all Your Immediate Family Members
We now know that Atrial Fibrillation runs in families. Research has found that if any blood relative has A-Fib, other family members have a 40% increased risk of also developing A-Fib. And the younger that family member was when they got A-Fib, the more likely other blood relatives will develop A-Fib.
If you have A-Fib, you must warn all your immediate family members that they have a good chance of getting it also.
Even though we don’t know yet how to definitively prevent A-Fib, there are some precautions your family members can take:
• Avoid binge alcohol drinking and heavy partying.
• Avoid antihistamines and anything that can stimulate or trigger A-Fib. (see A-Fib Triggers) (This doesn’t necessarily include coffee. Some research indicates coffee may prevent A-Fib.)
• Be more attentive to overall health. Obesity, for example, is often a contributing factor to A-Fib. Sleep apnea is known to lead to A-Fib.
• Check for deficiencies in essential minerals (electrolytes) like magnesium or potassium. Are calcium levels too high (which may be a trigger for A-Fib)?
• Avoid or learn to cope with stress (not always possible).
There is a tendency in all of us to not tell others if we are ill, perhaps because we perceive it as a weakness in ourselves. But no one should be ashamed of having A-Fib. Most likely it isn’t anything we brought on ourselves. It’s genetic! It’s nobody’s fault!
We are not being fair to our family members by not telling them about our A-Fib. Don’t just mention it in passing. This applies particularly to your brothers and sisters. Sit down with them and tell them what A-Fib is like, and that they are at risk.
Any immediate blood relative must be warned. If you love your family, you owe it to them.
FREE REPORT: Answers to the “Top 10 Questions Families Ask about Atrial Fibrillation”
A-Fib can be a life altering disease―yet people with A-Fib don’t look sick. When a patient is diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation, family members often struggle to understand what their loved one is going through.
This free report covers the most asked questions from family members. Read how to answer your family’s questions. Download ‘Top 10 Questions Families Ask about Atrial Fibrillation’.
