I’ve started a new self-research project to learn about the triggers of my arrhythmias. (I’m going to log it both here and in the QS Forum project logs, since there are overlapping but different communities on these forums, but apologies if you are one of the handful of people who participate in both.)
Through some self-tracking and sharing my data in a video conference with a cardiologist, I’ve found out that my arrhythmias are most probably all premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). It’s a common condition, and many people find they are triggered by alcohol, coffee, stress, sleep problems. I’m not sure enough about what’s going on to do a very rigorous experiment. My tolerance for controlling my daily life through very careful timing of events and lifestyle changes is not very high, so before I try to do something difficult I want to know more about what’s going on. So I’m going to keep a journal on EventLoggers for two weeks and then assess.
I normally drink about 5 drinks a week, rarely more than 1 to 1.5 ounces of 80 proof liquor per drink. I’ve been leaning against this and haven’t had a drink since Sunday night, and also haven’t had a severe arrhythmia period since Tuesday. So – a more or less natural experiment is already under way. Eventually I’ll have another drink, certainly by this Sunday when some in-laws come over for a (well distanced) visit outside on our lawn. I’ve also limited myself to a single cup of coffee in the morning.
I’ve created a daily journal using Event Loggers, a free tool build and supporting by Dean Reeds, a QS Forum user. Ideas about symptom and event reporting are of interest in both our communities, so I hope to learn a bit about this topic too.
But, most importantly for now: What is responsible for my improvement? Less coffee or no alcohol? Or both? Or something else all together?
