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
New A-Fib Patient Story: Pill-In-The-Pocket Works, Until It Doesn’t
Our newest patient A-Fib story is told by a retired nurse from Arizona. (Coincidently, her husband had A-Fib, too.) Both are now A-Fib free. Her story begins in an all too familiar way.
I Woke at 2 AM with an Urgent Need to Urinate
My first episode started in September 2006 when I woke up at 2 AM with an urgent need to urinate. My heart was beating so hard that I thought it would come out of my chest. My pulse was irregular, I had chest pain and was dizzy. I was anxious and scared. At the emergency room, just before I was scheduled for a cardioversion, to my great relief, I went back into sinus rhythm.
I was discharged with a ‘pill-in-a-pocket’, Flecainide 100 mg, if I got another episode. I thought I would be free from other episodes. But 10 months later I woke up at 1 AM again with an urgent need to urinate. My heart was beating out of my chest and my pulse was over 130 per minute.
But this time I took Flecainide 100 mg and was back in sinus rhythm at 2:15 AM with a pulse of 68.
Why Did I Urinate 10-15 During an A-Fib Episode?
As my A-Fib became more frequent, I wanted to know why I urinated so many times (10-15) during an A-Fib episode. Apparently, when in A-Fib, the “atrial natriuretic peptide hormone” in the atria kicks in and acts as a diuretic to lower the blood pressure and regulate the calcium and salt in the body.
My cardiologist instructed me to eat salty foods such as chips and nuts while in A-Fib and drink plenty of water so as not to get dehydrated. I was also told that my A-Fib episodes were vagal… .
To read more of Lise’ A-Fib story and how she beat her A-Fib for more than three years, go to: Retired Nurse: Over 3 Years A-Fib Free (Husband Had A-Fib, Too).
