★★★★★
I finally began to notice a pattern. On the days I would help my husband in his shop, it would happen then. Sometimes while I was in the shop with him, others later that day.
I then noticed when I put on certain perfumes in the morning, by the time I was walking into work, my heart beat would start to skip and jump. Another time I was getting a pedicure. While I was looking at the nail polish colors, trying to choose, my heart did a backflip. It landed with a hard THUD. I wasn't sure it was going to start pumping again. It did.
Hugging people with perfumes and lotions on can do it. NOW, my latest thing I'm reacting to is laundry soap products!!! In particular fabric softeners. Same thing makes my heart race and skip.
About 2 yrs into this, I was diagnosed with MULTIPLE CHEMICAL SENSITIVITY. I had heard of it before, but kind thought it was sort of crazy that people could pass out, get dizzy and shake let alone get AFIB from being around everyday chemicals. In fact, just tiny amounts can set me off. So about a yr ago, a friend of mine developed AFIB. She knows all about my thots on AFIB and chemicals.
It wasn't until she was desperate that she started paying attention to her surroundings and looking for PATTERNS of WHEN and maybe WHY these AFIB episodes were happening. I quit drinking coffee first off. I only ever had 2 SUPER STRONG cups a day.
( prob = to 4 cups lol) I never was a pop drinker. That didn't affect it at all. But I did fall asleep easier. That was nice.
My friend would get these attacks ALMOST every morning. Turned out it was from the stuff she used to clean the kitchen counters off with after feeding the kids. This product was also used at work. Chemical sensitivity is a weird thing. Some get it from being exposed in a big way from something like pesticides. Others develop MCS from mold. Mold in ur home or work place. U may not know it's even there. But if the windows get condensation on them, u have mold spores in ur home. Products u have used all ur life with no problem can suddenly become a problem. MCS symptoms don't ALWAYS involve AFIB, but for a decent percentage of us, it does. Some people never figure why chemicals all of a sudden r affecting them. Even the flea drops used on pets can set me off, just being in the same room. The neighbor spraying her roses. The other neighbors having their lawn treated for bugs and weeds. THAT GETS ME BAD!!
Shaking a man hands that used them to put on cologne or aftershave can start it.
USUALLY, if I can get away, wash my face and hands, sometimes I need to change my clothing too, will get it to start calming down. Then stop. I'm SO grateful I figured this out. Yes, it means I have to avoid a lot of things and have had to quit getting my toenails done, lol. I use vinegar and water to clean with and TIDE free. No scents. If u were to actually look at the ingredients used in these products, it's shocking. Even more shocking is these companies and perfume co. r the worst, they r not required to LIST what is used to make them. almost everything chemical wise starts with petroleum-based chemicals! I read that formaldehyde was first used in perfumes to make the scent last longer. Formaldehyde comes in many different names. It's in a ton of stuff. I also think that SOME people that have been diagnosed with panic attacks r actually having a reaction to a chemical(s). to figure it out, I had to REALLy pay attention to what I was doing and what was around me.
One last thing about MCS. It's NOT the smell people react to, it certain chemicals that make up that smell.
One would think the FDA and EPA watches out for us. But... they really don't. they r biased.
Our bodies r like buckets. One day, we just get full.
Ok. That's it. I HOPE this helps someone. It has been a 100 percent turn around for me. It took some time to understand what I react too. Most of the time I can track it down now. But the learning curve for MCS can be steep. Partly cuz it's just SO HARD to believe it's real.
Hugs everyone.
Atrial Fib Triggers
★★★★★
Atrial Fib Triggers
★★★★★