Man Nearly Dies After Drinking Cold Water At The Gym

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston man is spreading awareness after almost dying from a drink of cold water.

His condition and the unusual trigger sent him to the hospital more than 20 times over a 15-year period before he connected the dots and realized he needed heart surgery. It started out of the blue with a fainting spell when he was just 18 years old.

"As I'm drinking the water, probably the most noticeable thud in my chest," Franklin Aribeana said. "I'd never experienced it before."

The first event turned into years of emergency room visits, medication, and guesswork for Aribeana.

"It's a day I'll never forget," Aribeana said.

He connected the dots one day when he was working out at the gym. He took a swig of ice-cold water and felt the telltale sign when his heart began to pound.

"I'd take a gulp of cold water. As I'm settling back down, I feel the double thud," Aribeana said.

Genetic testing revealed Aribeana, his sister, and his father had a gene mutation that can trigger atrial fibrillation, or Afib. Afib is a condition where the heart beats out of rhythm. For Aribeana, doctors thought his Afib could be triggered when cold water touched the vagus nerve in the back of his throat.

The vagus nerve runs from the brain to your chest and is meant to regulate your heartbeat.

"Pay attention to your symptoms," Aribeana's doctor, Khashayar Hematpour, said.

Hematpour said Aribeana's trigger is rare, as are his exaggerated symptoms, which played into his diagnosis early in life.