A-fib question

[debbier]

Hi,

I have had pvc's for years, last march 2008 I had my first episode
of a-fib after vomiting, I was admitted to er until I converted with meds.  
Last night I ate too much and too fast, I bent over to pick something up off the floor
and it started, this time luckily it only lasted about 10 minutes, then my heart rate
returned to normal around 77.        Are you only in a-fib while your heart rate is increased?

Can an full stomach cause this?      I did have heartburn all night.  

Thanks for the info

[Chriswpw]

I too had an afib episode once after a night of drinking and after I vomited. I think this happened because of the force put on th vagal muscle........

[SooZeeATL]

Afib is different for each person. The heart rate for some people increases significantly (120 - 220) when in afib and for others it stays in the normal range. Mine always shot up very high so I had a lot of symptoms when I was in afib. I know my brother's is pretty low and he can still function when in afib. I have a coworker who was in afib for a very long time and never even knew it.

When I wasn't certain whether I was going into afib, I'd always check the pulse in the side of my neck. If it was steady then I knew I was okay. But if it was irregular, I knew I was in afib.

You also asked about what causes afib and that is a good question. I never could pinpoint what caused me to go in. A lot of the time it would start just as I sat down to eat dinner. Sometimes salty things like nuts brought it on. I'd also wake up in the middle of the night in afib. So I never found a true connection. Again, each person is different but that was my experience.

I do know that every time I had a stomach bug I'd end up with a bad afib episode. My EP always warned me to never become dehydrated and when you have a stomach bug you can't help but become dehydrated. So that is one factor that can increase the risk of going into afib.

I hope I've answered some of your questions and that your episodes stay few and far between!