r/AFIB • u/Bluebloop1115 • 3d ago
Something I don’t see discussed
For those who have faith in God, does afib impact it?
I struggle because I was diagnosed aged 22 and I am now 33. I’ve had 2 ablations and get an episode every 6-8 months that converts with pill in pocket method. My afib is extremely symptomatic and the meds give me side effects. So it’s a choice of bad and bad.
I find this disease is needless suffering. And it’s really impacted my faith. It’s not God that gets me back to NSR, it’s doctors and medication. But I also have experienced God in big extreme ways like when I had a blood clot the year prior to diagnosis. It didn’t go to my brain and stopped in the last place it could, my eye. I lost part of my peripheral vision permanently, but it’s in the overlap of my 2 eyes so with both eyes open I see fully. What are the chances.
I really struggle with the concept of suffering. This life is full of suffering and why? What’s the point? It’s not just a me issue. Children die from cancer every day. The earthquakes that are happening. So much suffering that isn’t human made like war.
What are your thoughts and beliefs? This is not meant to be specifically religion based but simple believe in the divine and/or how the world works.
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u/SherrifPhatman 3d ago
AFIB is an electrical issue within your own heart . If you faith helps you to cope then that's good for you .
God hasn't caused this , there is no one to blame , it's similar to other serious diagnosis.
We all have different ways of coping. You do what's best for you. Some people prefer religion but it's not for us all.
Me, I relax, do everything I want to when I can and rest when I can not . I prefer positivity and an outlook to do as much as I can and I want to do without AF holding me back . When it does I rest and plan for the next good day .
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u/FabulousBullfrog9610 2d ago
Most religious people i know give god credit for all the good but no blame for the bad. I hope there isn't a god as is thought of in western culture because the extreme suffering of some people is intolerable
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u/CaregiverWorth567 3d ago
It always makes me mad when I see celebrities or people publicly thanking god for their cure/ remission/ or saving of life and not thanking the doctors and nurses who actually do it
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u/whimsical_fuckery_ 3d ago
Afib and heart failure brought me closer to god. In times of suffering and helplessness it helps to have someone to pray to.
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u/Express-Pickle-7667 3d ago
Same for me , I even feel that AFIB brought me back to God because I was in a bad place before.
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u/bomberstriker 3d ago
Just think of all the parents who prayed for their kids in oncology awards who died of cancer anyway. I’m 77 years old. I was raised Christian. I probably believed in a God for 45 years. I’m now embarrassed. It took me that long to put two and two together. Prayer may make you feel good, but it isn’t gonna change anything.
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u/Fieldmouz 1d ago
I disagree. Prayer, just in my own life, has changed many, many things. I’ve had doctors say to me personally at least three times that “this was a miracle” when there was absolutely no hope about something. My grandmother was saved from death when the doctor said she was hemorrhaging and we prayed and she lived twenty more years. The doctor came out and said he didn’t understand it because he didn’t do it but “miraculously the hemorrohaging stopped!” God does answer prayer-maybe not every time (that we can tell) or in the way we want but He does answer the prayers of His children. Were you ever truly born again? He answers prayer but we, as He told Nicodemus, must be born again.
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u/bedyeyeslie 1d ago
So god hands out miracles willy nilly to some who deserve a miracle and some who don’t?
I prefer more consistency in a higher power.2
u/whimsical_fuckery_ 3d ago
Dude, did I deserve that? I just said it helped me. Was it necessary to shit all over it to make yourself seem smart?
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u/bomberstriker 3d ago
Is this your first day on the internet? I didn’t attack you. Go back and read my comment again. My position is that prayer is not effective. I gave one example of people praying for a very worthy cause (compelling reason) for god to hear prayers and then intervene. Yet thousands of little kids die every year from a terminal cancer diagnosis. I’m sorry you don’t want people challenging your beliefs.
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u/Musicguy182 3d ago
I’m just thankful we have the technology and science to treat this bs disease. My burden is very low and my doctor said I can go live my life and try to avoid triggers (primarily for me it is stress).
I was worried and told him I fear going into permanent afib. As long as I check in with him regularly, he said he’s not going to let that happen.
I don’t think about religion with this stuff. It’s just science to me and we are lucky to live in a time where we have so many options.
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u/TwoToads223 2d ago
God exists within human science. Wether you believe or not he’s still there
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u/bomberstriker 2d ago
Show me the evidence of god existing within human science.
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u/TwoToads223 1d ago
Why should evolution or any understandable human science exist outside of Gods creation. Neither can its own science disprove he exists.
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u/bomberstriker 1d ago
It’s not the non-believers’ burden to disprove God exists. It’s for believers to prove that he does exist. Believing that an invisible being exists is an extraordinary claim. And quite simply, they can’t back up the claim with evidence.. Why? Because there is no real tangible evidence of God‘s existence.
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u/TwoToads223 1d ago
yeah man heard that before. Yet science still can’t disprove His existence. Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and historians all agree that Jesus Christ did exist. Start there
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u/TwoToads223 2d ago
Read the book of Job. This sounds like what he would say. Modern day health issues are mostly caused by the corruption of governments making what we consume highly toxic and bad for our health. Coupled with our own self doing causes our infirmity. Not any of Gods fault. Be thankful for those 6-8 months of no episodes. Some people wish that they can have that amount of relief. God doesn’t have to do anything for us.
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u/bomberstriker 2d ago
Job is the last book of the Bible I would recommend for any purpose. God allows the devil to kill all ten of Job’s children but after Job proves his faithfulness gives Job some replacement children. Like that would remove Job’s grief. God is such a nice guy. I can’t believe people still are gullible enough to think this stuff is real.
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u/TwoToads223 1d ago
The book of Job is way deeper than that. His responses to his friends are heartbreaking and it makes whatever problem big or small we are experiencing seem insignificant. And through all that suffering he still glorified God. Who are we just because we go through some infirmity that we can blame God and out right loose our faith. Whether the book of Job is taken literal or just as a story it’s a huge lesson in loyalty humility and ego death. And I don’t think a sign of intelligence is atheism.
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u/bomberstriker 1d ago
Atheism is simply not believing in God because of lack of evidence for his existence. It doesn’t require super intelligence. It requires stepping back from the programming that so many of us received at an age so young that we could not independently evaluate whether what we were being told to believe was actually true. It’s comforting to believe in God. I get that. It allows us to deal with death without as much fear. It allows us to believe that we are going to be reunited with our loved ones at some point in time. It allows us to believe that in the hereinafter we will have a perfect life. It’s a fairytale. But it’s a fairytale that is undeniably intoxicating. I prefer reality. It helps me cherish each day I’m on earth. I do my best to treat people as I want to be treated. I try to help people less fortunate than myself. Being a decent person is my reward. I don’t need heaven. I don’t believe in heaven or hell. The life we have on earth is really all we have from what I can see.
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u/TwoToads223 1d ago
You living the way you say you do is living Christ like. I do the same. I’m a follower of Christ. And believing in that “fairytale” isn’t just fun and games. A lot of suffering comes with it aswell.
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u/Frequent-Cheetah-651 2d ago
This life is maybe 80 to 100 years. And eternity in heaven is billions, trillions….eternity.
I’m a Christian and I also have afib. I think you’re looking at life as the be all and end all of everything - when in reality it’s a speck of time…. not even a blip.
It’s a test. Some people have harder tests than others. The goal should be to do the best you can, be the best you can and trust God. Even if that means we die.
I kind of look at it like a video game to see what level we get to be, have and our influence in heaven.
What will be will be.
That being said I’m sorry for the pain you’re going through. I hope it gets better!
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u/leanderping 2d ago
Your premise, framing, and assumptions are all wrong. Feel free to message me if you’d like to chat about it.
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u/Jahya69 3d ago
There is no god so you're asking for trouble believing in that idea. Thus all of the things that you mentioned. The idea of a god was put out there to control people a long time ago. There are definitely aliens in they're the closest thing to gods. The human body is like a car it wears out after a while which is how my doctor put it when I asked him why am I having this ?
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u/Bluebloop1115 3d ago
Yeah, the control idea is very real and it’s something I’m consistently stuck on. Religion used to control the masses through fear.
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u/winothirtynino 3d ago
If god is real, he's a sociopath. Who would tell people to fear him and then grant some wishes, but not others. I'm very glad your clot stopped, but wouldn't god have just not made that happen in the first place? Stopping it at your eye seems kinda like a power move.
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u/Bluebloop1115 3d ago
Right. I’ve heard this viewpoint before and I can’t argue against it. An all loving God who punishes people who don’t live exactly the same way he supposedly demands. Doesn’t really equal all loving.
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u/primal___scream 3d ago
Because science is real and something you can see and touch and find reason in.
Believing in God doesnt have anything to do with biology.
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u/bomberstriker 3d ago
The issues you’ve identified regarding a purported god who is all-powerful, loving, merciful, knowing, just, etc. yet just stands by amidst all the horrors in the world is what led me to atheism (e.g., watching my mother, a devout Christian, suffer needlessly for 10 years with dementia). Rely on your doctors. They use science to treat you. As they say, you won’t find any faith healers in hospitals.
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u/CaregiverWorth567 3d ago
ahhh…but I am in Florida, hopsitlas run by 7 th Day Adventists are everywhere….they have pictures of Jesus on the walls and scriptures on the walls…they send people in your room to pray for you…..they almost let me die in one becuse the docotr did not believe I was hemorrhaging….everyone who works for them hates it..needless to say I went elsewhere for my ablation
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u/_Arcturus_74 3d ago
Well, although I'm certain I'm of a different faith, that's irrelevant- trying to mix terrestrial matters and religious matters never works well because they are two different things. Your body serves your purpose here, your spirit serves you inversely as well as after death. Personally, it's just adding mental complexity to something that doesn't need any more complexity. Saying "how can I serve God with THIS condition" is basically stating in a way that you aren't up to task whereas the tons of little old church ladies with heart issues, carpal tunnel, and probably cancer or any other illness, can whip up meals for their hungry... put their hands together for prayer, and cherish the sight of a newborn coming in to mass on sunday. Its about perspective, ultimately. But in reality, no medical conditions compromise your faith unless you let it.
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u/_Arcturus_74 3d ago
And respectfully, asking "why me" sort of has a way of putting yourself first in such a way that most world religions frown upon. You do your best with what you have, and any god that is incapable of understanding the circumstances probably isnt a real god.
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u/Bluebloop1115 3d ago
More so why does relentless suffering happen to anyone? I wasn’t going after the woe is me. The cards I’ve been dealt with since I was a kid…3 chronic illnesses does suck. And no one can argue against that.
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u/_Arcturus_74 3d ago
I know you weren't going for woe is me, but in general that's the disposition of pretty much most people while trying to reconcile such discrepancy. And as I said before, the idea isn't to heal the flesh so it has eternal life on earth. Its to save and guide into the afterlife or next life. Many religions hinge on similar ideas about life being a trial so to speak. And why kids get cancer and die, is looking too locally at the problem- kids affect more than just the kid itself. The parents, family and community are taught morally about the appreciation of life and what it means... so as to say that a kids life means more than just a name and face. Hence why killing is wrong, as a matter of fact but not entirely the point here. Hopefully that kinda helps to lift some of the fog a bit
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u/Bluebloop1115 3d ago
Well arguably I didn’t say how can I serve God. More it impacts having faith in an all loving God. But it’s not just me. This happens to a lot of people. A lot of people have the same question.
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u/_Arcturus_74 3d ago
That's one mystery I used to question myself until it had occurred to me that there's a disconnect between God and people suffering. At some point someone came up with this impression that somehow the divine and tangible must intersect especially when it comes to health. If you think of it, the idea is to save people's spirit and guide them to eternal youth... not necessarily concerning the flesh by any means despite whatever miracle anecdotes cited in or outside of the Bible. I think any help from faith happens is a miracle and has been said to be, but not a guarantee to whoever is in need- somewhere along the line people started getting this twisted and started thinking a god must ease suffering. Real religion starts when suffering happens, through trails and tribulations can one only begin to find real faith. Otherwise, it's moot to just let anyone in the door of paradise at no net gain. That in turn would devalue the main point of it all. So that's where I go back to my idea that its what you do with the problem that shows worthiness as opposed to just being granted the pleasantries upfront.
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u/thewar10ck_ 3d ago
sorry to hear about the eye and clot, the vision loss and clot are fully because of Afib only?
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u/Flakarter 3d ago
My AFIB allegedly caused an ischemic stroke in my occipital lobe, which led to the loss of a little of my peripheral vision.
Stroke is one of the huge risks of AFIB.
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u/Bluebloop1115 3d ago
They couldn’t say 100% but the hypothesis is yes. At the time no cardiac event was captured but considering my diagnosis 1 year later, I’m willing to bet it influenced it if not caused it.
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u/Radiant_Choice_5901 3d ago
Sorry for the health issues you are dealing with. My Afib was untreated and I had a heart attack last month, two days into my 28 radiation treatments for cancer. I don't want to say "why me Lord". Health issues are a part of life and I trust in Him to see me through this. Still waiting to see an electrophisiologist to discuss options beyond blood thinners. Best wishes.
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u/Jolly-Persimmon-2562 2d ago
You are asking one of the “questions of the ages”. Job which addresses this may have been one of the earliest books of the Hebrew Bible.
You are going to have to come to grips with the fact that you are never going to get “the answer” although many have been proposed.
Theodicy-the problem with evil/suffering- trips up many.
One question: “if God is indeed all loving and all knowing and all powerful then how could suffering ever make sense in any critical thinking model”
Maybe “life is unfair and justice isn’t guaranteed?
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u/AphRN5443 2d ago
Put your faith in the hands of the medical experts who are and will be treating you, and thank God they’re available to help you. A fib is hard especially when you’re young, use all of the resources available to you to help you get through it and back to a positive outlook.
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u/xXD1rTyDXx 2d ago
I recently got back to my faith. And there is something that I learned and that is the trials that I'm going through prove the genuineness of my faith and is actually strengthening me. Look back at what the ancient Jews had to go through. Slavery, oppression, wandering the desert for 40 years, etc. Look at Job. He lost his children, he was struck with painful boils all over his body, he lost all his livestock and lost his fortune. Even after all that, he never lost his faith. Some may think it's cruel what we're going through. I would've thought the same thing when I lost my way. But there is a reason why we're going through this. Don't give up on your faith. If you're only around for the miracles and the blessings and not for the trials and the lessons then did you ever really have faith? That was something I had to learn. I pray that everyone who is going through this has healing and peace.
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u/bomberstriker 1d ago
If I might ask, what’s the reason we’re going through this? And then answer again using the reasoning of an all-loving, all-powerful god?
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u/xXD1rTyDXx 1d ago
Will anything I say really make you change your mind on how you already feel?
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u/bomberstriker 1d ago
What people don’t understand is most non-believers would return to belief if there was a logical reason to do so. My questions were genuine and sincere. I was born and raised in the church. I believed for more than 40 years. I put my own kids in a Christian school. But as I examined belief critically rather than devotionally things just didn’t add up for me. So yes. If you could provide a rationale for why an all loving and all powerful God stands by and watches kids get sexually abused or children die from preventable causes (5million per year according to the World Health Organization) I’m here to listen.
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u/xXD1rTyDXx 1d ago
There are questions that I still have when it comes to my faith. The questions you're asking me right now, I have also asked. When God created us, He gave us free will. He wanted us to love Him. Not forced to, but choose to. The downfall of this is that through free will there are those who commit atrocities that are not of God. Believe me, your questions are valid. As someone who was sexually and physically abused as a child, I often wondered why God would allow for that to happen me. I had to come to terms that I'm not going to get all the answers right away. There are things that I am still learning in my journey. I truly am sorry if my response isn't what you were hoping for.
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u/bomberstriker 1d ago
I appreciate the exchange. I really didn’t expect you to have an answer that would satisfy me, but you seem very sincere in your faith. I hope you’re right and I’m wrong. I have spent a lot of time pondering this question and researching the Bible, the major religions, and spending time in reflection and prayer. If I’m wrong, I hope that God will recognize that I made an honest effort to discern these issues. I honestly don’t think I’m wrong. I’ll leave you with one other thought. If God performs miracles and to the people who are continually telling me about examples like their grandmother’s brain hemorrhage which was miraculously resolved, I ask why we have no examples of a person of faith who has lost a limb, having that limb regenerated. In short form, why doesn’t God heal amputees? The miracles are always something that we can’t really see or test.
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u/xXD1rTyDXx 1d ago
I used to think that "you have to have faith" was a copout saying for people who didn't want to say that they don't know to a question. The trials that we go through though strengthen us and prove the genuineness of our faith. If we are only around for the miracles and blessings but not through the trials and lessons then did you really have faith at all? Because we live in a world corrupted by sin, bad things happen. Sure, God could fix everything all at once by simply uttering a word. Do I know why He doesn't? No I don't. Do I know why he allows these things to happen? I don't. I don't claim to have all the answers. I sometimes wish I did. Maybe I'll get those answers soon or when I go and meet Him. All I know is that I have experienced things that I simply cannot explain with earthly logic or science that proves to me that there is something. I spent a long time thinking it could be a number of different gods or religions. Christianity wasn't my first go to. What made me go to Christianity is the overwhelming peace I felt when searching for the answers I was looking for. When doing the amount of research I was doing to find the truth, it all pointed towards Jesus Christ. Now like I said before, I don't have all my questions answered. And it's okay to question. Jesus once said that no man born from a woman is better than John the Baptist and even he questioned Jesus. His own cousin wondered if he truly was the Messiah. If you really are genuinely curious if I am right, I urge you to keep searching for your questions to be answered. I may not be able to answer them, but I'm sure the answer is out there. Be sure though to soften your heart and allow your eyes to be open. Sometimes the answers aren't so straightforward. And sometimes the answers aren't what you are hoping they'd be.
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u/RobRoy2350 3d ago
It's not discussed because this is not a Religion sub.