Does anyone here also have Afib

[Jhona]

Hi everyone...do any of you also have Afib along with celiac...just need some prayers and support

[Scott Adams]

I hope all is well, Atrial Fibrillation does sound fun. Hopefully you're able to treat it with meds or a device. 

[cricketboots]

On 11/22/2020 at 6:16 PM, Jhona said:

Hi everyone...do any of you also have Afib along with celiac...just need some prayers and support

Hi. I was dx'ed with afib a number of years ago. I have not really had any major complications but it scares me to death when I get these palpitations. I was just dx'ed with Celiac Disease on October 29th this year (2021). I am having a very difficult time coping with this and coming to terms with the dx. I wish you much peace with your dx'es. You are in my thoughts and prayers. 

[cristiana]

Hi cricketboots

Welcome to the forum!

I'm usually a Mod on this forum but I'm not around much at the moment due to work deadlines.  But I saw this post in my inbox and thought I must reply as I know how scary irregular heartbeats can be.   

How you are doing with the diet?  Are you managing OK?  There is a lot to learn in the first few months following diagnosis, but I hope you will find lots of help on this forum.

I started getting irregular heartbeats in the spring.  Because of COVID I haven't yet had a proper diagnosis but I have been told I have ectopics. I haven't been given any pills to take yet or anything.   Are you taking anything for your arrhythmia?  

I know that irregular heartbeats can be caused by deficiencies such as iron and B12 which are common in coeliacs.  I also understand low magnesium and potassium levels can cause issues.  Do you know if you have any of these deficiencies?  If so, I wonder if you might find an improvement in your situation once your levels normalise, as you heal although sometimes supplementation is necessary?

I find things that make my ectopics worse include dehydration, certain movements, stress and viruses.  Also, they seem to get worse sometimes if I am feeling bloated.  If you find the latter is the case, you may find this thread helpful.

Cristiana

 

[cricketboots]

6 hours ago, cristiana said:

Hi cricketboots

Welcome to the forum!

I'm usually a Mod on this forum but I'm not around much at the moment due to work deadlines.  But I saw this post in my inbox and thought I must reply as I know how scary irregular heartbeats can be.   

How you are doing with the diet?  Are you managing OK?  There is a lot to learn in the first few months following diagnosis, but I hope you will find lots of help on this forum.

I started getting irregular heartbeats in the spring.  Because of COVID I haven't yet had a proper diagnosis but I have been told I have ectopics. I haven't been given any pills to take yet or anything.   Are you taking anything for your arrhythmia?  

I know that irregular heartbeats can be caused by deficiencies such as iron and B12 which are common in coeliacs.  I also understand low magnesium and potassium levels can cause issues.  Do you know if you have any of these deficiencies?  If so, I wonder if you might find an improvement in your situation once your levels normalise, as you heal although sometimes supplementation is necessary?

I find things that make my ectopics worse include dehydration, certain movements, stress and viruses.  Also, they seem to get worse sometimes if I am feeling bloated.  If you find the latter is the case, you may find this thread helpful.

Cristiana

 

Hi Cristiana! I am not coping well with this disease and this diet at all, if I may be direct about it. The dx really has me down and I am basically not eating because I cannot find anything that doesn't taste horrid. All of this has my depression going back to the deep side again, which I truly fear because have been in that deep bottomless black pit many times before. Like you, I do not take any medications at this for my afib symptoms but the older I get, the more I wonder when that time will come when I should. As far as deficiencies, I have not had a full blood workup since my dx. This is something I am working with my doctor to get done. As far as the palpitations, since I was dx'ed with celiac disease they are much more frequent; stress-related I guess, I do not know. I just know it is scary and not eating, I know, does not help. I wish you much peace Cristiana. Have a good night. 

[cristiana]

Hi cricketboots

I am so sorry to hear that you are struggling like this.  It is not uncommon to feel this way, and interestingly, you will find that some coeliacs are affected by anxiety and depression prior to diagnosis.  It is something that can also improve once you have mastered the diet - it certainly has in my own case.

I'm based in the UK and when I was diagnosed I was given some very basic blood tests for B12, D and ferritin deficiencies.  I am not sure where you live but some countries will offer much more than this, and if you can, I'd definitely have the tests done as you may find that once these deficiencies are addressed, you feel a lot better.  Can you get this fast tracked?  In my own case I had a borderline normal result on B12 so it wasn't even flagged as a problem, but I remember reading on celiac.com at the time a borderline normal deficiency in the UK would be considered abnormal in Japan.   I supplemented B12 and I noticed after a while all sorts of odd tingling sensations in my nerve endings were getting better.   I also felt much less anxious.

With regards to your depression, a book I found really helpful with my own recovery was the Six Step Depression Cure by Dr Steve Llardi.  If you are taking medication for it I am not advising you to give up (please follow your own doctor's advice) but Llardi's book is so helpful as it highlights areas in our modern lives that only add to the depression problem, and gives solutions on how to improve our mental wellbeing through lifestyle changes.

If you are suffering from anxiety Paul David's book, At Last a Life, was another great resource for me.  Both books can be purchased online and have reviews you can read first.

Do you know any other coeliacs? Perhaps you could try to make contact so you have a buddy to travel with on this journey?  But do keep in touch with us too, we're here for you.  

This is a helpful link, if you haven't seen it already.  But try not to feel overwhelmed by it all.   This will all become second nature to you one day.  My husband gave me some great advice when I was first diagnosed and missing some of my favourite food - he told me, "Concentrate on what you can eat, rather than what you can't".  If you are struggling with gluten free bread - which I have to say I found rather unpleasant, until I found one particular brand that tasted OK - you may find it nicer toasted.  

C

 

 

Edited November 26, 2021 by cristiana

[Idnam]

Yes! pounding heart.

I was getting a kind of allergic reaction to things that had been fine yesterday (I am totally compliant) banana cheese even lettuce, and I get heart ahrythma ie my heart beats really fast and misses some beats, I have had an ECG twice, but this is after it has gone off and calmed down in a few days.

It was v scary. I took an antihistamine tab and it went off.

So, time to go further down the rabbit hole, Docs in UK know no thing about Celiac I was told to join Celiac.org and ask them!

I have, actually been mostly gluten-free for 28 yrs. Although I was not diagnosed until  2 yrs ago as I didn't eat gluten it never showed up in the endoscopies I had I been "clean" since then. but that's when all my problems started, maize starch, oats, real bad Heartburn for which the only remedy was Gaviscon.

The only symptom  I had had for 12 years and 3 endoscopies was Acid Reflux, pain upper left chest, I made a couple of visits to A&E.

During a time when I had found a bread I really liked that didn't affect me, I consulted my Doctor an told him I had no energy at all and I really felt there was something wrong with me. I had a full blood count and they picked up (finally because I had been eating gluten) that I had Celiac disease.

Now two years later I'm no better really, still get Acid Reflux and now this heart arythma, I started a google hunt (oh thank god for google). Could I find an anti histamine that was not pharma? I discovered during that search that there was a reason why Ranitidine an H2  antagonist was the only medication that had helped me,  worked for me, it's because it neutralises Histamine!

Apparently Celiacs have too much Histamine in their bodies, this level of H will cause the body to release more acid the help the body digest food.....hence Acid Reflux, caused probably originally by Histamine intolerance.

So here's another food list a list of things I should not eat!

Hey ho!

[Scott Adams]

It’s frustrating how little awareness there is around celiac complications, even among doctors. Your discovery about histamine intolerance makes so much sense. It’s interesting how interconnected these reactions can be (heart arrhythmias from food? No one warns you about that).

It’s great that antihistamines helped, and the ranitidine connection is a huge clue. Have you looked into low-histamine diets or DAO enzyme supplements? Some celiacs find relief there, especially with reflux and heart palpitations. And yeah, the ‘hidden gluten’ struggle is real—even after years of being careful, cross-contamination or sneaky ingredients (like maize starch or oats) can keep the inflammation cycle going.

If you’re open to it, a functional medicine doctor (or even a telehealth specialist in celiac/histamine issues) might offer more tailored help than the NHS. Keep us posted!

[Russ H]

I developed a heart arrhythmia and on several occasions had to wear a 24 hour Holter monitor. Among other things, I had premature atrial complexes (PACs) and occasional AFib. I was very fit at the time, running and cycling. This completely disappeared following my diagnosis and following a strict gluten free diet. I haven't had a single episode since, in 4 years.