Feeling your pulse

[Salome]

Hello everyone I read your messages daily but I don't write I know it sounds stupid but does anyone else just keep feeling their pulse where ever I am I just keep stopping and feeling my pulse I am so nervous of it coming on all the time thank you salome

[meadfoot]

Hi Salome,

It certainly does not sound stupid to keep feeling your pulse. I bet most of us with AF do. I check mine regularly especially if I feel lightheaded or dizzy or generally unwell.

Pulse check is an excellent barometer and it makes perfect sense to do so. No matter what reason I see my GP, could be for something totally unrelated to AF, she always feels my pulse.

As well as making perfect sense, if it reassures you then all the better. We are all scared of AF rearing its head again so anything we can do to calm ourselves is sensible.

I hope you can find a place of calm and peace in your mind, it will help enormously.

Best wishes

Dee

[SRMGrandma Volunteer]

Absolutely, Salome, it does not sound stupid one bit. Good for you for keeping check on your pulse. As Dee says, we all have some degree of paranoia of the next episode of AF.

[Salome in reply to SRMGrandma]

Thank you so much for your answers it helps so much to talk to people who understands doesn't it thank you salome

[Gmc54]

Not stupid at all. I feel my pulse if I feel dizzy. If more people checked their pulse maybe they could protect themselves from strokes

[porridgequeen]

Hi Salome

I take my pulse all the time, especially when I am tired or lightheaded. As I have few symptoms it gives me an idea of what is going on inside and I actually find it comforting.

All the best

Angela

[BobD Volunteer]

Hi Salome and welcome to posting. This kind of OCD behaviour is one of the crosses we AFers seem to bear. I know it affected me to the stage where people were noticing and commenting ( taking the P) so I learned to be discreet ! Many people buy monitors and such but my personal advice would be to avoid these. Ask yourself what purpose it performs? If you do have an event then you will soon know about it and worry will only make that more likely..

I know this seems to be at odds with some of the previous advice and whilst occasional pulse taking is fine and agreed if more doctors did it we would find more people with AF, my point is that one should get on with life and not let the demon take over. Sure you have AF in your life but it should not be the whole of your life. I used to take my blood pressure repeatedly many time a day and nowerdays joke that I only started to feel better when the batteries in the machine went flat. Trust me you are not alone . Many of us have been there on our journey through AF.

BobD

[Salome in reply to BobD]

Thank you again for all your kind answers to me my children are very good but they think mum can just keep going and just say o come on mum your alright that's why it's so nice to speak to people who understand thank you salome

[Hidden]

Hi Salome... I find that having just had an attack I am taking my pulse a lot, so don't worry! It's a normal reaction, even if my hubby is giving me very odd looks. But I think as you can see from what people say, as we get more used to having AF hopefully we will both feel that checking when we feel unwell or maybe just a couple of times a day will be okay

[Offcut]

I check my pulse but sometimes I can have it seem a nice steady 60 bpm but my heart is doing 120 bpm

[Crevierr]

Do it all the time as well I found a app for my phone and iPad that do it all though not accurate I'm sure it give me a base line when in af I usually sit at 80-90 bpm

[watchdog]

Hi Salome.

There's nothing wrong feeling your pulse. I do it daily and all though makes me feel good I know that af will return.

I'm 73 and realy enjoying life. I take two holiday a year. I know af in not curable so i'm making the most of it and I don't let it get me down. even after 4 cardivions and we Look after two grand children for three days a week which at times is very stressfull. but we enjoy it

If you look on the positive side then you will be okay, just remember not to over do it and you should be okay.

Keep on taking your pulse and if you feel that not is allright then consult your doctor.

[Hidden]

G'day Salome,

Yes, I do it too - as and when I feel odd ! Try and do it discreetly (although if my partner is near by she usually suspects something !) and sometimes she comments and sometimes not. My problem is I can sometimes slip into AF (but not always) and not know it. So if I feel odd I pulse check. I also take regular blood pressure readings (when I'm home that is) which measures BP and heart rate. I do this not because I'm concerned with individual readings - don't give a damn - but I watch the trends. Also it was presenting this data to my GP originally that convinced him that I had a problem that caused him to get me into hospital immediately (because his readings he took gave the same data as mine) and thus within 7 hrs of onset I was diagnosed and treatment started. I am convinced that such a speedy diagnosis and start of treatment significantly contributed to lessening the severity of my AF and has enabled it to be controlled by meds. I remember that day only to well. My BP in those days was always around 136 / 85 and heart rate about 85 - 88 bpm. Suddenly that day I felt incredibly unwell, no pain - just totally, unbelieveably crap ! Took BP over a few hours and it had dropped to around 90/60, then it began bouncing all over the place then the BP monitor started not giving readings but giving error messages. Thinking it was batteries I replaced them but the same pattern continued. My Apollo 13 moment ('Houston - we have a problem') - rang GP - and the rest is history.

I believe in listening to my body and sometimes its hard so you need help - taking pulse is one way, using BP monitor is another. These days (3 & half years out from diagnosis) my BP is around 127/73 with heart rate around 65. If I get a cold spell, cold hands and feet I take a BP reading and without exception it has without warning shot up to around 150/90 and sometimes higher and my heart rate drops to around 46. I usually have a coffee, go to bed with a hot water bottle (yes even in summer) and sleep for 2 to 4 hours. Wake up, get up and carry on with life as if nothing happens.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Aussiejohn

[Wiccan]

Me too, I am almost obsessive about it! People do look at you stragely when you take your pulse on a train or in the street don't they?

[EngMac]

Is taking your pulse an accurate indication of A-fib? I have an EKG device and anytime I verify my pulse with this device, the wave form interval is the same as what I count except if in A-fib and then I cannot count the pulse accurately. It is all over the place when I try to count it. My blood pressure machine has an indicator that shows that I am in A-fib but the pulse reading in not correct. My phone app for pulse will not count the pulse correctly if I am in A-fib. I notice a kind of stress in my chest when I think about A-fib but unless my pulse is wonky, I am not in A-fib. Anyone have a similar experience?

[iris1205]

Oh yes, I use an iPhone app called Heart Rate, and ectopics and PACS show up, but once I am in full blown rapid Afib it keeps resetting as it can't get a clear pulse, the application assumes something is wrong... AND IT IS RIGHT!

My Alivecor device nails it everytime. what I have come to realize is, if I have a doubt it is often a precursor to an episode but not Afib, when I am in full blown Afib, I have no doubt. For me: Doubt = not aFib !

[Hidden]

I have learnt how to take my pulse surreptiously after years of practice ( !! ) however my husband is always wise to the event. If. Iwake up unexpectedly tly my instinct is to take my pulse . I used to have a great device as part of my bedside clock where I just had to touch the side and my BPM would illuminate. Unfortunately this wore out! Sandra