Gas and Afib

I have been diagnosed with afib by a cardiologist. I have irregular heartbeat and sometimes rapid heartbeat that keeps me from exercise. I have trouble walking upstairs or exerting beyond a certain point. An alternative cardiologist listened to me describe my gas and burping and passing wind and said the gas was connected to the afib...that gas was pressing on the vagus nerve and causing the heart to misfire and beat too fast and out of rhythm. I took gas X and eventually the symptoms and the heart problems went away. This was six years ago. Now, the problem is back. I have had a cardioversion to get the heart back to sinus rhythm, but it didn't work. I believe that the reason it didn't work is that the problem is not electrical but because of the pressure from the gas and bloating which is quite severe at times and has been a problem for me for many years. I don't want to get another cardioversion if the problem can be solved by reducing the gas again, but it has been tougher this time and I have had the problem with gas and afib for well over a year now. Can I get the afib to go away again and what other methods are out there to get rid of gas? Also, has anyone tried getting the heart rate way up and dealing with the discomfort of that with the heart not beaing normally and found that the heart will revert on its own to sinus rhythm after the intense exercise? I believe this happened to me six years ago...I dealt with a lot of faintness and dizziness and shortness of breath while doing pretty intense exercise, and then eventually, my heart would slow way down and beat really hard and then gradually the afib went away. My cardiologist said that the deep hard slow beating of the heart IS sinus rhythm and that maybe I can get my heart to revert "naturally." Has anyone done this?

[jrbon]

I do not know if it will solve your a-fib problem,but any OTC pill with at least 120mg of Simeticone after every meal, solve my gas problems.

Jesus

[claytex]

I had afib for 12-13 years until last july when I had an ablation to correct the afib... The gas, bloating and burping is just a by product of the afib and irregular heart beat...once i had the afib corrected,  the gas and bloating went away...think the doc who told you the gas was causing the afib is full of gas himself....sorry but just my opinion...I think the pressure from gas theory is not correct.. get your afib fixed and the gas goes away.. personally i figure the gas has something to do with the heart not beating properly and the amount of oxygen in body or blood is out of whack..dunno was just always been  my opinion..As far as getting it back into rhythm naturally, I tried everything you can imagine and couldnt get it to work.. I will add though that I have a friend who can go put his face in a pan or sink full of ice water when his afib starts and it usually converts  him back..never worked for me...Id say you need some kind of arrithyma medication like flecinade or rhythomal ..or consider an ablation...just my opinion ...and there is no charge so ya know what its worth..laffin... hope some of this helps... Claytex

[kentoafib]

Thanks Jesus, the Gas X box says only 4 pills a day, they are 120 each...have you taken more than this per day? I am going to follow meals with a dose from now on...

Claytex, thanks. How much did your ablation cost? Cardioversion was pretty expensive, I imagine ablation is more since they told me it takes about 4 hours and you are under the whole time...I know they go up through your thighs and zap the heart, what kinds of after effects did you have from the procedure? When you say you had afib for 12-13 years, was it constant? And the friend of yours, and I'm going to try the cold water thing...would he revert and then stay in sinus rhythm? For how long? A day, a few minutes, a year?

[jrbon]

No, I only take 2 per day, 1 after each big meal.

Jesus.