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My husband was diagnosed with this July 2020. He has always been a good eater, careful and kept the weight at a decent level. He'd like to lose 10 pounds but it's been this 10 pounds for 30 years.
He has been on 2 medications (Pradaxa and one starting an M - Metro something). He hates this.
His doctor has suggested going the ablation route. I know he is just afraid. He works a lot so there's always something.
One of my clients is a cardiologist/electrophysiologist and I have been trying to get him to go see this guy.
Very well thought of, good ratings plus I know him from my dealings with him.
Fast forward to this past Friday (4th) and I'm still asleep but I hear a noise, wake up and my husband is on the floor next to our collie dog. He could not remember hitting anything but he did hit his head.
I call the doctor, he tells me he needs to go to the ER. He gets there, heart rate is 148 when it should be 60. He also has low blood pressure so they are trying to get that up. They keep him overnight and I hear they may do the ablation.
Four doctors see him but they are waiting for the head guy. Well, guess what? It's my client! Of course, my husband does not remember all my conversations with him about it (I remind him and tell him to mention my name). All of sudden, the doctor comes back, tells him the ablation can't be done on the weekend; it's an outpatient thing. Then, he mentions my name and the doctor spends a few more minutes with him and told him to come in this week. We will call tomorrow (7th).
Anyway, my husband drinks 2 cups of Starbucks coffee a day (large) and he has not had one since Friday. I told him caffeine is listed as a bad thing.
My husband did not drink coffee at all until 2004. Our daughter goaded him into it and he started thinking he was the cool dad. I don't drink coffee, just green tea.
Since it's been 48 hours or more since the last coffee, is it a good idea to stop? Does it make a difference?
He also drinks diet coke caffeine free - is that worse? I don't think he's had one of those either.
I don't want to turn into this person who questions him every minute either. He's a good guy and I need him around another 30 years!
Since it's been 48 hours or more since the last coffee, is it a good idea to stop? Does it make a difference?
He also drinks diet coke caffeine free - is that worse? I don't think he's had one of those either.
That "other" med is probably metoprolol, a beta-blocker.
Might as well make the switch to decaf now while he's at it. I was formally diagnosed with SVT several years ago when it triggered a coronary thrombosis. Two Afib episodes over the past 2 years. IME slugging a big dose of caffeine can make a difference. If I ingest any caffeine these days I notice more arrhythmia for a while afterward. At most, I permit myself one 8 oz cup of caffeine on a given day, usually tea or cocoa, not coffee. Everything else is decaffeinated. I don't miss it, but I was never a big caffeine addict before. I quit drinking sodas years ago, but the caffeine content wasn't what I was seeking from those.
If my Afib had suddenly advanced to the point an ablation is being scheduled, the last thing I'd want to do is tip the scales against myself risking more episodes or making the next one worse. They're hard on your heart and increase stroke risk.
Last edited by Parnassia; 08-06-2023 at 04:34 PM..
My husband was diagnosed with this July 2020. He has always been a good eater, careful and kept the weight at a decent level. He'd like to lose 10 pounds but it's been this 10 pounds for 30 years.
He has been on 2 medications (Pradaxa and one starting an M - Metro something). He hates this.
His doctor has suggested going the ablation route. I know he is just afraid. He works a lot so there's always something.
One of my clients is a cardiologist/electrophysiologist and I have been trying to get him to go see this guy.
Very well thought of, good ratings plus I know him from my dealings with him.
Fast forward to this past Friday (4th) and I'm still asleep but I hear a noise, wake up and my husband is on the floor next to our collie dog. He could not remember hitting anything but he did hit his head.
I call the doctor, he tells me he needs to go to the ER. He gets there, heart rate is 148 when it should be 60. He also has low blood pressure so they are trying to get that up. They keep him overnight and I hear they may do the ablation.
Four doctors see him but they are waiting for the head guy. Well, guess what? It's my client! Of course, my husband does not remember all my conversations with him about it (I remind him and tell him to mention my name). All of sudden, the doctor comes back, tells him the ablation can't be done on the weekend; it's an outpatient thing. Then, he mentions my name and the doctor spends a few more minutes with him and told him to come in this week. We will call tomorrow (7th).
Anyway, my husband drinks 2 cups of Starbucks coffee a day (large) and he has not had one since Friday. I told him caffeine is listed as a bad thing.
My husband did not drink coffee at all until 2004. Our daughter goaded him into it and he started thinking he was the cool dad. I don't drink coffee, just green tea.
Since it's been 48 hours or more since the last coffee, is it a good idea to stop? Does it make a difference?
He also drinks diet coke caffeine free - is that worse? I don't think he's had one of those either.
I don't want to turn into this person who questions him every minute either. He's a good guy and I need him around another 30 years!
I'm guessing, from what you wrote, the M- Metro medication is metoprolol.
Verdict is out on caffeine, alcohol is much worse for afib. But I'd eliminate caffeine just to be safe.
For interest only:
Quote:
Many clinicians continue to counsel patients with atrial or VAs to avoid all caffeinated beverages, particularly coffee, despite an absence of evidence to support this approach. If, in individual cases where a clear temporal association between arrhythmia episodes and caffeine intake is apparent, then avoidance is sensible. Large-scale population-based studies and randomized controlled trials suggest coffee and tea are safe and may even reduce the incidence of arrhythmia. Although there is no clearly defined threshold for caffeine harm, a regular intake of up to 300 mg/day appears to be safe and may even be protective against heart rhythm disorders.
The coffee could be causing the afib. Caffeine causes dehydration and with his low blood pressure if he got out of bed too fast, he might have fallen from orthostatic hypotension. This happened to me a few weeks ago, I sat up in bed, then my body went right back down on the bed and I couldn't control it, but I got up immediately and I was okay. I was worried I had a TIA (stroke warning) so I went to the ER, they took 3 vials of blood and x-rays and found nothing wrong except I was severely dehydrated. During the day before I fell on the bed I only had one cup of coffee and two glasses of wine, I forgot to drink any water!
Ever since I've been drinking 7 glasses of water daily and cut down on caffeine, it hasn't happened since. Drinking the water has kept my blood pressure mostly consistent at 128/80, it used to spike up to 145 sometimes, and my eyes used to tear all the time, but now it stopped. Drinking water keeps up your blood volume so your blood won't pool in your legs and not reach your brain when you get up too fast which can cause fainting. I'm not suggesting your husband drink lots of water unless his doctor approves.
My brother has afib, and takes the same medicines, they did cardioversion on him a few times, the docs never suggested ablation, they put him on the CPAP machine to see if his heart rate will get lower before they do another cardioversion since he failed the sleep apnea test.
What my husband wishes for - and he has been told the ablation will stop the medication.
If that is the case, he says he will do whatever to stay off any medication.
I was reading something where it said caffeine helped the blood pressure rise and his is too low.
No family history.
His dad passed at 94; his mom at 76. His mom had Alzheimers. His dad had liver cancer but it could have caught earlier. The VA kept moving him from place to place. He was insistent on only going to the VA because it was free and refused all our help.
What my husband wishes for - and he has been told the ablation will stop the medication.
If that is the case, he says he will do whatever to stay off any medication.
I was reading something where it said caffeine helped the blood pressure rise and his is too low.
No family history.
His dad passed at 94; his mom at 76. His mom had Alzheimers. His dad had liver cancer but it could have caught earlier. The VA kept moving him from place to place. He was insistent on only going to the VA because it was free and refused all our help.
Has his bp always been low or only after he started metoprolol?
The coffee could be causing the afib. Caffeine causes dehydration and with his low blood pressure if he got out of bed too fast, he might have fallen from orthostatic hypotension. This happened to me a few weeks ago, I sat up in bed, then my body went right back down on the bed and I couldn't control it, but I got up immediately and I was okay. I was worried I had a TIA (stroke warning) so I went to the ER, they took 3 vials of blood and x-rays and found nothing wrong except I was severely dehydrated. During the day before I fell on the bed I only had one cup of coffee and two glasses of wine, I forgot to drink any water!
Ever since I've been drinking 7 glasses of water daily and cut down on caffeine, it hasn't happened since. Drinking the water has kept my blood pressure mostly consistent at 128/80, it used to spike up to 145 sometimes, and my eyes used to tear all the time, but now it stopped. Drinking water keeps up your blood volume so your blood won't pool in your legs and not reach your brain when you get up too fast which can cause fainting. I'm not suggesting your husband drink lots of water unless his doctor approves.
My brother has afib, and takes the same medicines, they did cardioversion on him a few times, the docs never suggested ablation, they put him on the CPAP machine to see if his heart rate will get lower before they do another cardioversion since he failed the sleep apnea test.
Most heart attacks happen between 4-10am, when your body begins to release adrenaline and noradrenaline to wake you up.
Has his bp always been low or only after he started metoprolol?
He has fainted twice since we were together (1983).
He was young. One time, he got up from a chair, mid afternoon. He was taking our daughter to play golf.
He walked into the living room and hit the sliding door glass. He never remembered why he walked that way.
Anyway, he was taken to the ER and stayed overnight. He was 39. They put him on a tilt table and he would go out each time.
The last time, he had an event was in a group meeting. He went to the restroom and on the way back, he started to fall. Two guys in our group caught him on way down. Same thing. Went to the ER, same thing.
It was just the low blood pressure.
With the first time, he was not drinking coffee yet.
He has no one left - parents gone; no siblings. He has cousins but not local.
Glad to hear what has worked for others. This has scared him. He has a business to run; he has people depending on him and I depend on him. I have vision issues and Friday, Friday night and part of Saturday, I felt very alone.
He doesn't want anyone to know as it could affect his business; doesn't want to scare away clients.
He's a real good guy and helps a lot of people out.
It's hard to ask for help when you need it though. It's very hard for him to do that. It's just not in his DNA.
He hates being on the medications.
Usually, I live for my green tea but I haven't had it since Friday morning and I'm OK.
We both drink a lot of water. I have always drunk at least 8-10 glasses a day. He just started when this happened in 2020.
He has fainted twice since we were together (1983).
He was young. One time, he got up from a chair, mid afternoon. He was taking our daughter to play golf.
He walked into the living room and hit the sliding door glass. He never remembered why he walked that way.
Anyway, he was taken to the ER and stayed overnight. He was 39. They put him on a tilt table and he would go out each time.
The last time, he had an event was in a group meeting. He went to the restroom and on the way back, he started to fall. Two guys in our group caught him on way down. Same thing. Went to the ER, same thing.
It was just the low blood pressure.
With the first time, he was not drinking coffee yet.
Second time, he was.
He does not drink or smoke. No wine either.
I think what your husband has is called syncope.
I hadn't had glass of wine before that day in weeks, and I happened to drink two glasses. I happened to take my bp that night at it was only 100/60, so the wine combined with no water dehydrated my body so bad it must have dropped my pressure even further so when I sat up in the morning the blood pooled in my lower body and not enough got up to my brain, so I went down for a few seconds. It was scary. Thankfully even my EKG was good.
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If my Afib had suddenly advanced to the point an ablation is being scheduled, the last thing I'd want to do is tip the scales against myself risking more episodes or making the next one worse. They're hard on your heart and increase stroke risk.
You are both correct
Glad to hear other situations
